FORUM Country suffers from lack of morality Some 200 years ago Hen Franklin explained that the Constitutional Convention had wrought a republic, if we can keep it. As inheritors of this noble republic, we would do well to ask "What must we do to keep this republic?” John Adams declared that our system of government only works with a righteous people: it cannot work any other way. Commentary Therefore, to keep our dear republic with all our rights and liberties, we must be righteous. Hy righteous, the author means a quality of life resulting from compliance to the principles of truth and liberty. tat us now examine the statu of the union in reference to righteousness. We start by looking at family. Family life is the basic unit and bedrock foundation of society — a dismal picture greets our eyes. We see children abused by those who should love them. The broken bones, the shat tered self-esteems and the rapes all cry to us. As we broaden our view we s«h' divorce court dockets filled to overflowing as. in many places, two selfish people re fuse to act their age and solve their problems. No area shows how far we arc from a righteous people than the wholesale abuse of this gift of life. Fornication is rampant, as arc gutless cries of "protecting" yourself Adultery, which sears the soul and destroys the family, is almost an accepted way of life As Hitler gave us Auschwitz and Stalin the gulag, so Black mun. Brennan. Burger. Doug las. Powell, and Marshall gave us Roe vs. Wade. So far twenty million-plus unborn children have been of fered on the altar of "liberty" to the Clod of lust The stench of the sexual revolution fills our nostrils and tells us right eousness is not found here. Our country is $3 trillion in debt with no end in sight. Con gress, obviously feeling they know best, has spent my fu ture. my children’s future and my grandchildren's future. Then there is the cowardice of the elected bodies. Survival ist by nature, the Congress re fused to take a stand on the var ied items which make up to day s controversy Instead. they shuck it off to the judges. In ih*’ broad sih dal lift* of America. righteousness lias tak en it in the shorts, also. Crimes against blacks, the homeless, the elderly, women and reli gious groups climb at horrify ing rates. Pornography, whether verbal or visual, is a cant er spreading through our land Amazingly, the pornographers are defended by misguided zealots while rape victims live through the hell their assailants have made for them Let us acknowledge that as currently constituted. America is an unrighteous people. What does this mean? Histo ry tells us Greece and Koine were thriving republics until they ceased to la- righteous. Someone said "America is great because it is good and if it ceases to la* good it will cease to be great." As we have seen. America has ceased to be good Therefore, the last, iiest hope in Earth is in danger of joining previous democracies in the ash bins of history. Remember, a free country is a terrible thing to waste William K. (iaskill is a stu dent of political science. I PREPARE FOR: | nsr wwnunow wqausts sect «• CaM Days E ves & Weekends Classes forming NOW In Eugene FREE Intro lesson caii 688*6307 Save some money!! Use ODE coupons, j 4" 'O ■?'> Glasses/Contacts/Exams A Complete eye exams featuring computerised, state-of-the-art equipment A Specializing in contact lenses including dixposabl< tinted, bilocals, gas permeable, extended-wear and lens«-s tor people with astigmatism A Same day tit in most cases (h er 1,000 contacts in stocl A ( H er 2,000 frames on display from designer to classic - (uorgio Armani, Guess. Ralph Lauren Polo, Silhouette. Benetton, C laiborne, and many more A All repairs done here A Sunglasses Vuarnet. Serengeti, Revo. Kavban, Polaroid. flobte. 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