There is an often stated position that the strength of the United States comes from its diversity. There is no doubt that diversity of opinion and ideas has provided the necessary force to strengthen the "muscles" of our nation. Complacency is not allowed as our nation faces both external and internal challenges.

Truth for our society is not absolute. We hold these truths to be self-evident really overstates the case considerably. We have never been one country in terms of religion, ideologies, politics, ethics, or morality. Yet, we have always maintained the public position that there are certain "American values" that are delineated in our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. We do not elevate Catholic values or English values or African values or anything specific to precursors of American values.

Each group... religious, political, or ethnic... has retained its flavor but only as part of the American stew. We accept the fact that once we are Americans we subordinate our personal histories to the American values. We choose to be diverse as Americans, not Americans fragmented by ethnicity or gender or other values. Or do we?

Perhaps that is why it is so difficult for so many people to accept that a Supreme Court nominee... who may become the guardian of American values... remains so focused on her ethnic ways. It appears that she subordinates American values to her ethnic experience. Appearances may be deceiving, but she is not doing anything to dispel that notion.