To preserve our nation

By Linda Bowles

Surely there is no need to once again review the studies, the surveys
and the statistical data that irrefutably inform us that the current
generation of juveniles are more ignorant, more morally disoriented,
more involved with drugs, more foul-mouthed, more sexually promiscuous,
and commit more crimes, including murder and other forms of violence,
than any other generation in the history of America.

The president has assembled a “summit” to explore ways to curb youth
violence. However, if our experience with this summit parallels our
experience with past, high-profile summits on race relations, illegal
drugs and education, the results will be quite disappointing.

The only hope of real action depends upon a clear understanding of
the etiology of violence and a willingness to face it.

A mindset about violence is not the result of a single influence. It
is the cumulative effect of life’s experiences

  • for good and for evil.

    For example, the reaction of a juvenile to a video game, whether it
    moves him to acts of violence, depends on the other influences in his
    life. The cumulative effect of parental guidance, religious teachings
    and positive heroes confronts the cumulative effect of violent movies,
    gangsta rap, numbing video games and degenerate icons.

    It is the classic struggle between good and evil that rages within
    each of us. It is a struggle for dominance and control that defines who
    we are and what we do. On a larger scale, it defines a nation.

    Over the past three decades in America, we have seen a progressive
    deterioration of the conscience-forming experiences available to our
    children and a steady growth of conscience-destroying experiences.

    The church has been corrupted by the lie that the toleration of evil
    is a virtue; government schools have been appropriated to advance a
    nihilistic, left-wing agenda; the integrity of the family unit has been
    compromised; and the rights of parents have been stolen by a
    paternalistic government.

    We have collectively decided that we may live by self-set rules that
    may be changed to accommodate our changing tastes and styles. Life is an
    accident. The universe is mindless and indifferent. No one is in
    control. The concepts of guilt and sin are archaic.

    Translation: The forces of evil are in ascendance, and America is
    losing its favored nation status with Him.

    The less moral we are as a people, the less free we can be. When the
    conscience fails, external controls are required. When citizens can’t
    control themselves, the government does it for them. Once power moves
    from the people to the government, it is rarely returned.

    Here are a few suggestions for what we need to do to rescue our
    children and preserve our nation:

    • Reduce the tax load on families by a minimum of 30 percent.
      Approximately 40 percent of the income of the average American family
      goes to pay government taxes. This obscene burden has forced into the
      workplace millions of mothers who, given a choice, would prefer to stay
      home with their children.

    • Pay mothers who home-school children the same amount government
      schools would have received to educate them.

    • Educate children to the horrendous dangers of alcohol, a legal
      drug which, by temporarily deranging the human mind, has caused more
      violence in our society than any other single cause. The societal
      wastage and mayhem is incalculable and includes broken families, wrecked
      careers, suicides, child abuse, incest, rape, deadly accidents and crime
      in all its violent and senseless forms.

    • Give parents the choice of where their children are educated and
      by whom. This is a parental responsibility that has been undermined by
      government paternalism and meddling. Parents should not be forced to
      send their children to schools from which all vestiges of religion have
      been meticulously stripped. Children get the idea quickly; they
      understand the schools wouldn’t go to such pains to prevent their
      exposure to something “good” or “helpful.”

    • Protect teachers and parents from legal assault and harassment by
      the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a collection of liberal
      lawyers whose prime directive is the destruction of the moral
      underpinnings of the American nation.

    • Restore a respect for the sanctity of life. An abortion is a
      violent act. An abortion is a tragedy to be mourned, not celebrated. The
      government should extend constitutional protections to human life from
      the moment of its creation.

    • Restore the benefits and privileges that recognize the special
      place marriage has in our society. We have systematically undermined
      marriage by extending its benefits to unmarried couples, including those
      of the same sex. We are defining marriage out of existence by equating
      it with any collection of oddballs assembled under the same roof.

    • Elect leaders who respect the law, honor promises, tell the truth,
      and can talk about family values with a straight face.

    • Pray.

    Linda Bowles

    WorldNetDaily contributor Linda Bowles is a nationally syndicated columnist. She and her husband, Warren, have one daughter, Michelle, and live on a ranch situated on the western slope of the California Sierras. Read more of Linda Bowles's articles here.