LETTERS: NATION IN MORAL DECLINE

To the editor:

American is a nation in moral decline. Up until the present time, we have always felt that America was one of God's favorites and enjoyed his protective hand. But now that seems to be changing, because the frequency of natural disasters seems to be increasing. Sure, we've always had hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, volcanoes, blizzards, tornadoes, drought and floods, but now it's a regular part of the daily news. We've come to expect it. In the heartland, we've learned to live with the threat of three of these major disasters, namely earthquakes, tornadoes and floods. In recent year the disaster getting most of the attention around here is flooding. While we expect seasonal flooding from melting snow and spring rains, the frequency seems to be occurring more often.

Perhaps it would be worthwhile to give some thought to what's happening. Maybe God is trying to get our attention about our departure from our moral and spiritual foundation. We used to think America was the most blessed nation on Earth, having been spared the destruction other nations suffered. But America's moral freefall may change some of that. Hawaii is waiting on a state supreme court decision that would permit same-sex marriages. San Francisco has served notice that any vendors wanting to do business with the city must agree to provide medical and pension benefits to domestic partners. Militant gays are seeking to be declared a protected minority and thus entitled to preferred treatment for this alleged disability.

It has been almost comical to watch the casinos struggling to accommodate all the gambling addicts inconvenienced by the flooding. New ramps and walkways were being hastily constructed, and one casino was seen ferrying patrons out to the boat in barges.

In the scenes of all the washed-out homes and businesses, I often wondered how the abortion clinics were doing. How did the tornadoes and floods affect them? Business as usual? What about the ghastly partial-birth abortions which our president refused to ban?

But God does know how to get the attention of nations as well as individuals, and one of the most effective methods is natural disasters. Recently, I ran across a startling quote by former president James Madison: "Providence punishes national sins by national calamities." It seems God is turning up the pressure, but America still seems to be in a defiant mode. The rains keep falling, and the floods keep rising. By the way, the weather forecast is calling for more rain.

GERALD W. BEAM

Dexter