The moral dumbing down of America

Do you wonder about the public opinion polls? Do you doubt they are
an accurate gauge of the way people think — or, more aptly, feel?

I don’t anymore. America is changing in fundamental ways. America’s
moral foundation is crumbling as fast as its government educational
system. And the Clinton presidency has given our already troubled
culture a swift kick in the rear as it plummets down the slippery slope
of moral relativism.

What do I mean? We all know about the recent military cases of
adultery that have resulted in dishonorable discharges, even jail time.
One case that didn’t receive much publicity was that of Maj. Vernon
Scoggin, who until last year was commander of the White House Marine
helicopter unit.

He faced charges of having an affair with the wife of a fellow
officer. The evidence against him was obtained under questionable
methods. A neighbor covertly taped telephone conversations between him
and Cathy Conger, his alleged mistress and the wife of another Marine
major who lived next door to him in Quantico, Virginia. Mrs. Conger
later admitted the affair to her husband.

It seems unfair to Americans that men like Scoggin get the book
thrown at them and have their careers wrecked while other men —
including his commander-in-chief — skate.

So what do we as a nation do about it? Do we punish the guilty and
maintain the standards that have served America well for the past 200
years? No, we dumb down the standards. We define deviancy down.

Officials at the politicized and politically correct Pentagon are
proposing downgrading the crime of adultery in the military’s justice
system. After a year of debate, a committee appointed by Defense
Secretary William Cohen, has drafted changes to the Manual for Courts
Martial that would result in fewer prosecutions and impose less-serious
discharges upon convictions.

Welcome to the post-Clinton era U.S. military where the rules are as
lax — or as non-existent — as they are in civilian life. Standards?
Who needs ’em? If it feels good, do it. After all, this is the 1990s.
People are going to have extra-marital relationships. There’s nothing we
can do about it. Why should the military be any different?

And, of course, this is the new military — with lots more women in
many new roles than in the dark ages of the past. You’ve got to expect
there will be more fraternization. Who gets hurt by it?

I’ll tell you who gets hurt. We all do. America is in the cultural
death throes of moral decline. The official policies of social
experimentation taking place in the military are destroying our ability
to defend this country. And it all starts at the top.

If you have any doubts, just check out the current directory for the
Defense Department. The first page starts with the Office of the
Secretary of Defense, William Cohen, and his key staff. Next is the
office of the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs and
her key staff. The third unit listed is found on the second page of this
thick phone book. It is the office of the secretary of defense for
public affairs, Kenneth Bacon, and his key staff.

What’s the first name under Bacon’s?

“Confidential Assistant — Monica Lewinsky.”

That’s right. The former White House intern, whose most
distinguishing qualifications as a “confidential assistant for public
affairs” are her ability to know when to open her mouth and when to
close it, is the 27th name listed in a directory of our nation’s Defense
Department — right along with the deputy secretaries, directors and
special assistants.

Remember that the next time someone tells you the Lewinsky affair is
a private matter between two consenting adults. Americans forget she got
a high-ranking position with a top security clearance after her tour of
the White House.

With an example like that, what choice does the military have but to
decriminalize adultery and take an anything-goes attitude toward sexual
behavior by officers and soldiers? Is there any doubt this new policy
will be quickly and quietly signed by the president? What choice does he
have?

America has been desensitized on moral standards — perhaps beyond
the point of no return.