LETTERS: CLINTON HAS DODGED THE BULLET AGAIN

To the editor:

Bill Clinton has gotten yet another pass. The good news is Al Gore will be denied the leg up of being president during the next campaign. The bad news is our Constitution has taken a major hit. Equal justice for all means criminals can now obstruct justice and lie before grand juries with impunity. When the time comes for "Slick" to step down, who could argue that it would be out of character for a crisis to develop that would make it unwise to change horses in midstream. If the current atmosphere is an indicator, Democrats would defend him, Republicans could not stop him, the media would support him while railing against the Republicans and the general public would simply want it to go away.

We have the highest standard of living ever enjoyed by any civilization throughout history. Think about that. The concept of representative democracy is too magnificent to have been envisioned by man alone. It had to have been inspired by God. Like all of God's gifts, it has to be nurtured or it will be lost. This republic has existed for only a couple hundred years, a heartbeat when compared to other forms of government. The experiment has not been proven and should certainly not be taken for granted.

We have the most highly educated society that has ever existed. Think about that too. Yet public reaction to the impeachment differed little from what might be expected of ignorant peasants in the Dark Ages.

In 60 years, I have never been so disappointed with our government. Leadership is all but non-existent. Our president is essentially a moral degenerate and is devoid of principle. His political party decries his actions as reprehensible while defending him at all costs. They join ranks in precision lockstep and never waiver. Their ability to play the system as well as the media would be admirable were it not so despicable. The Republicans officially hold the leadership but fail to lead. Their lack of cohesion suggests a lack of resolve or commitment. As a result, they are unable to persuade, but persuasion is the cornerstone of democracy. Media bias, both in entertainment and in the news, is so lopsided they should be embarrassed by the sheer lack of professionalism. Most disappointing of all is complacency on the part of the general public. We are told a majority of the people think Clinton is a liar and a lech, yet they want to keep him as our president. A good economy is obviously more important than principle. Does anyone need to be reminded what history tells about every society, without exception, that has taken this road?

LEE ROY KELLER

Cape Girardeau