Letter: Nation has no business rating each others' sins

The hypocritical public officials who have fathered bastard children somehow feel that their sin is petty because of the time frame in which it happened, "I wasn't in office at the time."

One even claims his was a youthful dalliance, at age 40? I'm more than certain that we could scroll the congressional and legislative rolls and reveal dozens more.

Would any of this serve any meaningful purpose? Only if you consider how many of them will sit in sanctimonious judgment of Clinton.

The public is really no better than its officials. This constant lamentation of loss of moral leadership totally puzzles me. Parents and adults who are in the company of children are far more important and influential in their moral development than any distant politician.

Consistent with this, I witnessed at least 100 people make illegal turns in the D.I.-Sandhill construction, in spite of three signs advising no turn. Many of the passengers were children. No big deal, I suppose, no lie involved, right? No breaking of the law, right? Hey, it's only a lousy turn, not like sex, lies or videotape. If you think the kids overlook these things, think again.

Who are all of the people in this country who receive the millions of traffic tickets? The child/spouse abusers? The shoplifter/price tag changers? The tax cheaters? et al. I would imagine that none of this is comparable to the president's deeds. After all, most of the insignificant crimes don't really count, because they're little.

I leave you with my favorite saints: Two cars which bore bumper stickers, "Impeach Clinton" and "Clinton's a Liar," both gleefully running a red light while making an illegal turn. They were probably in a hurry to find some moral leadership.

William R. Strater

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