I find that totally unacceptable. But it is not something government alone can solve. It will take the combined efforts of all of us. Your own efforts, your dedication to this cause, your determination to address every aspect of domestic violence with all the means at your disposal, sets a worthy example and is clearly a step in the right direction. In fact, as some of you know, my wife and I may have been the first new parents in Oregon to make that pledge, and Sharon and I consider it an honor to lead the way in this respect.
Children are our greatest resource.
They are also our most accurate record. Not only do they carry within them the shape of tomorrow, they also bear witness to our own values and choices. They are the living messages we send to a time we won't be around to see. So it's our responsibility to see that they are nurtured in infancy, protected and trained during childhood, and guided through adolescence, so that they will emerge as positive, productive adults capable of making the world a better place. We must continue to raise public awareness of domestic violence.