To encourage marriage and promote the well-being of children, I have proposed a healthy marriage initiative to help couples develop the skills and knowledge to form and sustain healthy marriages. Research has shown that, on average, children raised in households headed by married parents fare better than children who grow up in other family structures. Through education and counseling programs, faith-based, community, and government organizations promote healthy marriages and a better quality of life for children.
By supporting responsible child-rearing and strong families, my Administration is seeking to ensure that every child can grow up in a safe and loving home.
Yes, Bush's Base was having a gay ole time. Oops. That's the wrong word to use. Let's say they were whooping it up, partying on, especially when the Commander in Chief proclaimed, "Marriage is a sacred institution, and its protection is essential to the continued strength of our society."
And he'd replied, "I'm gonna do it and, then, God, I'm gonna bring stability to all the families in the Middle East and, maybe, the rest of the world if I have time."
What a guy!!
But let's look at some statistics:
According to the National Veterans Foundation website, http://www.nvf.org/facts.html,
the Veterans Administration reports that "18% of Afghanistan Veterans, and 20% of Iraq Veterans were suffering from some type of service connected psychological disorder." The Miles Foundation states that "calls to their Domestic Violence Hotline for Military Spouses has increased from 50 to 500 per month since the start of the Iraq War.
Furthermore, and flying in the face of the Bush Administration's support for connubial correctness and its importance to America's very foundation, U.S. Army data confirms that "the number of active duty soldiers getting divorced has been rising sharply with the deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq." Hardest hit are officers with 3,325 divorces occurring last year""up 78% from 2003 when the Iraqi invasion began."
But the figures for enlisted personnel are also of concern with "7,152 divorces last year, 28% more than 2003 and up 53% from 2000," information provided by USA Today, June 8, 2005.
Mr. Bush has been busy lately, making appearances in Latin American to promote his free-trade agenda. He wore a very defensive face when asked about the scandals at home and, of course, was whisked to safety away from the throngs of protesters who'd gathered to accentuate just how much they wanted his advice.
Not gentle on Bush's mind is his number in the polls""36""and apt to nosedive even more as Americans continue to distance themselves from the "Dark Side." We can thank the indictment of Scooter Libby and the continuing investigation of other White House luminaries in a scandal that many are comparing to Watergate for some of this public enlightenment. I can't understand, though, why it's taken so long for people to see that the President abandoned his goal to be a "uniter, not a divider" and to "restore dignity" to the Office. And I'm still more than a little perplexed that the President's deficiencies weren't recognized the first time he spoke unscripted. Certainly, the invasion of Iraq should have diminished his popularity, but it didn't. Rather, he was rewarded with reelection by those who admired the tough, never-admit-a-mistake mentality. But, finally, the truth is emerging and, hopefully, it will "set us free."
Did G.W. recover any credibility when he assured us he'd averted ten terrorist plots against the United States? Absolutely not. Most of us questioned his veracity and recalled the warnings preceding 9/11. Remember? They crossed his desk before he vacationed in Crawford. Perhaps the motor of the "Presidential Treadmill" obscured God's voice back in 2001.
And, now, Bush is in Asia for another trade-talk summit. What a terrifying thought! If we're cringing when he speaks, imagine the reaction in China. The First Lady should keep her husband on a very short leash.
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