Loss of family values not lost on the children

As the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan reached the conclusion of his message to New York July 7 to launch his Million Family March tour, he talked about the pain children feel when parents go through a divorce.

As the audience of 2,500 at the Manhattan Center fell silent, nursing every word of the strong Black leader, a single young man, strapping in appearance-wearing a tank-top T-shirt with body-builder muscles defining his sculptured physique-stood and began to clap his right hand on a large cast that covered his left hand.

With a slow but steady thud of right hand against left cast, he was alone in the physical demonstration he chose to show approval for the truths the Minister spoke. His clapping was muffled as his hand struck his cast. After a while, he eased back into his chair, covered his face with his uncast hand and broke down into tears.

That single moment in time in many ways defined the state of the family in America. With rising divorce rates, declining rates of new marriages, an increase in acts of violence and depravity, incest, rape, pornography, joblessness or the inability to earn a livable wage and lack of health care, the family, in fact the nation, is in grave danger. For, wherever there are no solid families and structures where future generations are nurtured to build upon the foundation of the generation that preceded it, then there is no real future for that nation.

And the children, even the strong ones, can only weep to ease the pain as they suffer silently because the adults have lost their way and, therefore, cannot shine a light for the youth to follow.

America is ripe for the taking, Min. Farrakhan also said in his address. In fact, she has already been taken. The loss of morality in the nation has blinded the people. They no longer can see their waywardness, or they refuse to acknowledge it; therefore, they cannot be led back to the straight path.

They cannot hear the warning of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan that America, despite her bull-market economy, despite her missiles and mighty Army and Navy, despite her technology, she is charging straight into an abyss because her arrogance has caused her to neglect that which has made her great�family.