This morning I want to tell you why I feel hopeful and optimistic in the midst of an American culture that seems to be collapsing under the weight of its unprincipled and God-ignoring ways of thought and life. Washington is paralyzed by scandal. The Libyans use napalm on Chad. The Iranians and Iraqis continue their bloodbath. Eugene Hasenfus is out of Nicaragua but the contras aren't.
Soviet troops remain in Afghanistan.
SALT II is a memory, and the promise of the Iceland summit grows stale. The Air Force announces that the first 10 MX missiles are operational. News pages are filled with stories of hunger. The night isn't silent in the soup kitchens and sleeping rooms for the homeless. Toys for Tots, Santa Anonymous and food shelves accent the gulf between haves and have-nots.