[zeek]

The Local Church @ 1980 was a totalitarian bubble in the sea that was the American liberal democracy. So to understand Dale's actions one must imagine the social context. Dale probably accepted Mel's description of the facts as absolute truth. Therefore, Mel's command that he accuse awareness of the same would have been as justified as if he had been a first hand witness. Dale might believe that he witnessed awareness's transgression with his own eyes. That's the way the authoritarian mind works when in a subordinate position. The leader's word is Truth. That Dale was a part of a totalitarian system, makes him less personally culpable. The problem was not with Dale, but with the system of which he was a part.