Outwardly one may certainly blame the tragic loss of so many lives on sheer complacency and a disturbing lack of airport security, but the behind-the-scenes culprit may be declining American values.

French political writer, Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859), once proclaimed that "America is great because America is good." Historically, the strength of the United States has been undergirded by its basic adherence to traditional biblical values. However, recent decades have witnessed a serious and substantial erosion of accepted standards even to the point that annual income from pornographic films now exceeds yearly commercial intake of conventional movies. And tragically, those who market blue films include corporations that are household names in America.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger remarked that "without a moral compass you cannot find your way through the dilemmas that foreign policy throws up" (The Sunday Times, September 16). So no aspect of human life is exempt from adherence to moral standards, not even international relations. Scotland on Sunday pointed out that though "under attack externally, the U.S. is also undergoing an internal battle between traditional values and tinsel-town influences" (September 16).

In a sense two nations are simultaneously living under the auspices of the American flag. One is pioneering, patriotic, law-abiding, church-going and family-oriented. The other is politically correct, self-indulgent, believes in mollycoddling criminals and rejects traditional biblical values.