... And the buzz word is -- family-values brought to you by
arch-conservatives to explain how to make things better!  Say the
buzz word and sound like you know something.

But what happens when we look at the term family values in the
cold hard light of day?  "Family values",  hmmmm? seems a bit
vague.  Now the people who use the term will try to just let it
lay saying "you know what we mean".  Not to be dense but, "No I
don't know what they mean". I tend to question buzz words
particularly terms that are vague -- what they mean and what they
say are often very different things.

Would the users of the term imply that somehow values that are
common within a family are more moral then just regular values?
I would suspect that most values are learned from within the family.
If the family has racist values are those values exalted because
they are learned from the family. I doubt that the arch conservatives
would go for that.

Is anyone really advocating the Tudor family values?  Henry Tudor
(Henry the Eighth of England) was obsessed with the importance of a
male heir (family values indeed!)  It lead to divorce, beheadings the
over through of the Catholic church in England and a civil war.
Slavery, the divine right of kings and blind ambition have all been
someone's family values.  Rome during its most bloody history was run
by the family of Caesers (Tiberius Caesar family values? -- Gius
Caesar [Culigula] Family Values? -- Nero  Caesar family values?)

"No!" I can just hear the conservatives yelling in unison.  Then they
might mutter something about meaning American family values (you know
what we mean).  Certainly not Menendez family values?  The Mafia code
of honor is based on family values ... John Gotti family values?  Then
someone who really likes buzz words might say "We mean old-fashioned
American family values."

The James Brothers and the Dalton brothers, family values ... We should
look to Ma Barker as a source of moral code?  It won't fly ... America
isn't ready for a society based on thievery, murder and the unconditional
love of brutal children.

When I think of my own morality much of it I did learn from my family.
But as often as not these are guidelines that have to be re-interpreted
with new situations.  As I grow older I find that the Holy Bible is an
excellent source of values ... The sermon on the mount teaches us about
compassion, and Psalms and Proverbs tell of wisdom, and the Ten
Commandments are a fairly safe set of rules to live by.

I wouldn't say it has all the answers (there are other books of wisdom)
and I realize it has some confusing / conflicting ideas.  God knows it
can be misinterpreted.  Sometimes it's even wrong!  But by in large I'll
take the Judeo/Christian teachings over all of the Caesar's, Tudor's,
Dalton's, Gotti's and Barker's family values any day.  It's not a buzz
word or a catch phrase and it takes a lot of study ... but at least it
isn't vague.