LETTERS; HONOR AND DISGRACE IN OUR CAPITOL

To the editor:

Last week was certainly a week of dramatic contrasts in our nation's capitol. On one hand, two true American heroes were laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery after dying in a hail of gunfire in the Capitol. Capitol Hill police officers Gipson and Chestnutt made the ultimate sacrifice defending others from a demented gunman. By all accounts these men were faithful in their roles as husbands and fathers. They were also dedicated public servants, and in that role they gave up their lives in defending those entrusted to them for protection. These men will long be remembered not only for how they died, but for the excellent lives that they lived.

On the other hand, just a few hundred yards away from the place where officers Gipson and Chestnutt were mortally wounded, in the White House, we have a man who is presently bringing disgrace to the office of the president of the United States. Gipson and Chestnutt sacrificed their lives for others, while Bill Clinton seems intent on destroying the lives of anyone who poses a threat to his administration. The Clinton pattern is very clear. When presented with evidence or testimony that he has committed a violation of law or morals, his first reaction is to deny. The second step is to discredit anyone who has the courage to stand up to the Clintons and finally to destroy their very careers and personal lives. The list of individuals who can attest to this pattern grows longer each day. This list includes Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Linda Tripp, Kathleen Wiley and countless others. Even Kenneth Starr and his duly appointed team of prosecutors have suffered villification at the hands of the Clinton secret police.

The list of scandals connected to the Clinton administration seemingly has no end. Even though the current Lewinsky scandal has garnered the most press, there are several more serious charges being made against the Clinton adminstration. These include accepting illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources, providing sensitive missile technology to Communist China, the illegal collection of FBI files on supposed enemies and the Travelgate affair in which loyal government employees were fired and then falsley accused of felony stealing. More recently, evidence of perjury, obstruction of justice and witness tampering is being investigated by Kenneth Starr's Office of the Independent Counsel.

In the face of the continuing investigation, the White House response is to delay the outcome as long as possible in hopes of finishing the Clinton term in office. It finally seems that a day of judgment is at hand for Bill Clinton with his testimony before the grand jury investigating the Lewinsky scandal scheduled for Aug. 17.

Missouri U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft has been one of the few legislators with the courage to state plainly that "perjury is an impeachable offense." If Clinton is proven to have commited perjury, then impeachment of the president is a option that must be explored. Hopefully, more members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, will find a backbone and reach the conclusion that Bill Clinton is unfit to continue serving as this nation's chief executive.

Officers Gipson and Chestnutt made the ultimate sacrfice in defending the U.S. Capitol and, in a sense, the values and principles that have made this nation great. Hopefully, their sacrifice has not been made in vain.

JOHN HELDERMAN

Whitewater