American women, in the presidential election, the future of our nation is in your hands. If only men voted, Donald Trump wins. You can strengthen that landslide or change it to a Hillary Clinton victory. This election is yours to decide.

A tape shows Trump speaking derogatorily about women and there’s probably more to come. He’s been married three times and his public persona is coarse, arrogant and void of humility. Though other presidents (Bill Clinton, LBJ, JFK) had infidelities, referencing others’ bad conduct is inexcusable. In these instances, Trump’s words and behavior are, well, deplorable.

Your other option is Clinton. She traveled more miles than any secretary of state, yet there’s not one country in which she improved our relationship. Her mishandling of classified material is at best grossly negligent, as the FBI proclaimed, or at worst, intentionally deceitful. Others have gone to jail for less. In Benghazi, Ambassador Stevens begged for additional security to no avail. During the attack, we had a drone video-streaming the action. This administration watched our brave men die, then lied, blaming a video. Clinton’s performance was deplorable.

Slim pickings, huh? Truth is, we’re all deplorable. There are none righteous; we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10,23). That’s why we need a Savior, but that’s a separate article. So what’s a Lady Deplorable to do?

Trump wants to make America great again; perhaps his running mate knows the key. What makes America great? Being a nation under God. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalms 33:12). Can America be great without God? As Ronald Reagan said, “If we forget that we are a nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” We honor God with our lips saying, “God bless America,” but God demands we honor Him with our hearts.

America’s moral underpinnings have steadily eroded since school prayer was removed in 1962. We now have rap music degrading women, TV programs promoting twisted “family values” and celebrities gaining popularity for releasing sex tapes. We reap what we sow. The spiritually aware sense this decay has been accelerating over the past eight years. This issue is bigger than the candidates. Over 75 percent of the country think this nation is on the wrong course.

If you think the country is on track and circumstances surrounding Fast and Furious, Solyndra, IRS, AP, Obamacare, Benghazi, deleted emails and the like are not evidence of corruption, vote for Clinton. If you support taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, and if the undercover videos of their officials discussing pricing of aborted baby parts didn’t disgust you, then vote for Clinton.

Most importantly, if you think adding one to three liberal judges to the Supreme Court who’ll judicially promote secularism and more restrictions on religious liberty for the next 30 years is appealing to you, then vote for Clinton. If these positions are appalling and not appealing, then the better decision is to vote for Trump.

The future of our children and direction of this country will be determined by this election. Be thoughtful, be prayerful and vote wisely. Ladies, the fate of America rests with you.

Tom McAllister
Gainesville