Bob Mount: Frayed moral fabric tearing at nation

“Change, Yes We Can,” or something similar is Barack Obama’s campaign slogan, but it’s not precisely clear what changes he advocates. Is he in favor of stemming the flow of illegal aliens into the country?

Would he work to reform our justice system, to make the administration of justice sure and swift, as opposed to its moving as slowly as molasses, as it does today? Would he advocate a system that would sentence burglars, thieves, robbers, child molesters, rapists, drug dealers, and other such lowlifes, if convicted, to hard labor as they were before criminal-coddlers gained the upper hand?

Would Obama lobby for change in the system that allows convicted cold-blooded murderers to file appeal after appeal while languishing in air-conditioned prison cells for as long as 20 years or more before meeting their maker?

I wonder if Obama approves of the vulgarity, obscenity, and graphic sex displayed on TV and in some movies. From what I am led to believe, anything and everything of a sexually explicit nature is available on the Internet.

If sex fiends can’t get their jollies from any or all of the above, there’s always Hustler, Penthouse, and a variety of other sex magazines to supplement their desires.

If I were a candidate for president, my first speech announcing my candidacy would begin with something along these lines. “My fellow Americans, as all of you are aware our country has some serious problems that need fixing. Our world image is in disrepair, due in part to our having military bases and troops spread around the world in places where they are not needed and in some places, resented.

“We’ve got troops in Germany, but they aren’t there to protect Germany from an enemy invasion. We’ve got 45,000 troops in South Korea, ostensibly to help protect the country from North Korea.

“I served in South Korea during the mid-1950s. Never did I detect anything but appreciation for our presence there. Before I left I received a certificate of thanks from the Korean government for my service to the country. Now, many citizens object to our presence.

“If elected president, my first act will be to direct the Pentagon to close every overseas base that is not vital to our security or to that of nations we have pledged to protect and want us to remain.

“Of all the problems we confront, none is more serious than the fraying of the moral fabric that was once the greatest strength of our nation. I promise I will do everything in my power to repair it.”

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Oops! In my last column I wrote that 1.5 billion gallons of oil were required annually to produce the containers of store-bought bottled water purchased in the U.S.
Actually, only 1.5 million barrels are required. Dr. Bill Lazenby brought the error to my attention.
Thanks, Bill.

Bob Mount is emeritus professor of zoology and entomology at Auburn University and writes a weekly column for the Opelika-Auburn News.