Funding Fathers
My
good friend, Ron Robinson, is the co-author of a book that came out
last year, Funding Fathers (Regnery Publishing). Nicole Hoplin
co-authored this book with Ron and together they did a great job.
It’s
been in my stack of “to read” books for quite some time. Honestly, I
had been putting off reading Funding Fathers because I was afraid that
it would be less than interesting, a tome solely dedicated to promoting
Young America’s Foundation (the organization of which Ron serves as
President). It’s not that I thought Ron and Nicole couldn’t write well,
it was my fear that the topic would be boring and the narrative more
text book like. To my great delight none of my fears were justified.
Funding
Fathers is a very well written book that keeps you turning the pages to
learn more about the interesting people and fascinating backgrounds of
those who were instrumental in providing the funds to ensure the
intellectual underpinnings of the conservative movement as well as the
talent to succeed politically.
Funding Fathers is a great read.
Ron gives the lion’s share of the credit for developing the
personalities and the background of the individuals covered to Nicole.
But regardless of who contributed what to this book, it is really worth
reading, especially if you are a conservative, and all the more so if
you are also a donor to conservative causes.
If you haven’t heard
of William Volker of Kansas City, Missouri, you will be surprised (as I
was) by his powerful, positive impact on providing the funds and the
inspiration for such groups as the Mount Pelerin Society. You’ll learn
about his high personal standards, his compassion, his character, and
his commitment to freedom. I think you’ll also be intrigued, as I was,
by his business acumen, his far sightedness, and his willingness to take
risks as a philanthropist. He touched the lives of so many people you
have heard of: Friedrich Hayek, Leonard Reed, Milton Friedman, Henry
Hazlitt, and even Ronald Reagan. His scholarships and funding at
critical points literally helped to make the modern conservative
movement in America, and around the globe, a reality.
In the book
you’ll learn about the late Henry Regnery, the Founder of Regnery
Publishing, and how William Volker played a role in his development as a
conservative leader and a businessman. In fact, you’ll also learn
about Regnery’s extensive philanthropic activities.
Volker and
Regnery are just the tip of a lovely iceberg when it comes to learning
about the good hearted, patriotic, clear thinking men and women who
played essential roles in providing the necessary funds to get the
conservative movement off the ground.
It’s well
worth taking the time to read about the amazing financial and personal
contributions of conservative founders such as Bill Buckley, Jr., Dean
Manion, Ronald Reagan’s Kitchen Cabinet, Antony Fisher, Spike Hennessy,
Joe Coors, Sr. and John Engalitcheff. The stories of their lives will
amaze you, and their commitment to freedom along with their love of
America will inspire you.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
We Need to Quit Inhaling Our Own Exhaust
We Need to Quit Inhaling Our Own Exhaust
Recently I heard the phrase, “We need to quit inhaling our own exhaust.” Unfortunately, I don’t remember the originator of this statement, but bless him. How true this is when we try to innovate or solve problems. I tend to always go back to what worked in the past. My response is usually, “Well, that’s not the way we do it here.” Wrong!
During the course of my studies toward becoming a mechanical engineer at what was then called Missouri School of Mines & Metallurgy, I had the privilege of taking a class led by Professor Emeritus A. Vern Kilpatrick. The story was told (I can’t vouch for the accuracy) that Professor Kilpatrick had been with Henry Ford when his first Ford came off the greased iron rail. As you probably know, Ford was the originator of mass production and was known for “putting America on wheels.”
Professor Kilpatrick said one thing that has stuck in my mind. He said that when facing an engineering challenge, remember that there are seven ways to solve the problem. Now, are there always seven ways to solve an engineering problem? I don’t know, perhaps the number is 17 or 27, but for certain, there is always more than one way to solve a problem.
This doesn’t mean that the rules of math or physics or chemistry can be changed. It just means that you can apply these laws in multiple ways to solve your problem.
Too often we tend to think that there is only one way to write a fund appeal, fix a leak, deliver a sermon, build a house, get in shape, etc. We get in a rut and we begin reading only our own literature, talking only to each other, and evaluating by our own standards. We are, in short, “inhaling our own exhaust.”
This doesn’t mean that we should alter our standards or principles, but it means that we should open our mind to look at ways that other people approach similar challenges. After all, it would be pretty arrogant to think that God gave me and only me the ability to understand and solve a particular problem.
But, aeronautical engineers primarily read aeronautical engineering literature. Maybe they ought to take a look at the literature in another engineering field or even outside that field.
Here at the Eberle Communications Group, we think we know the best way to write a fund appeal. We tend to look down our nose at the offerings of other agencies. But you know what? Some of those agencies have been around longer than we have. I like it when I interview a prospective new copywriter and he or she says, “I don’t write fund appeals that look the way yours do.” That’s good news—I’m going to learn something new from this person. Or, as the old saying goes, “There’s always more than one way to skin a cat.”
But the religious field is even more adamant about “doing it our way.” For instance, I’m a Lutheran and we Lutherans think we know everything. I’m not talking about doctrine (although we are absolutely sure we are right on everything when it comes to doctrine). I’m referring to how we conduct a worship service, how we reach out to those who don’t know Jesus, how we keep our members, how we activate leaders, etc. And when we can’t figure something out, we go to other Lutheran churches and read Lutheran literature as if Lutherans are the only Christians to whom God has given an understanding of how to touch the hearts and lives of others. We think we are totally unique and singularly blessed.
But you know what? I’ve talked to Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Catholics, etc. and they all think the very same thing! Again, I’m not referring to doctrine as practiced in these churches, but rather to the “way things are done.” It’s nuts. We all want to reinvent the wheel so that it will be a Lutheran wheel or a Baptist wheel or a Pentecostal wheel, when in truth the best wheels are those that are round and turn fast and reliably.
No matter what business you and I are in, or what volunteer activities we are involved in, we can reduce wasted time by finding out how others (even with whom we may not agree) made their wheel turn fast. I’d sure like to know how the Obama campaign executed such an efficient and effective fundraising effort. It was nothing less than fantastic.
If you are a pastor, I’d think that you would have the same attitude about finding out how other churches reach out so effectively, rather than just dismissing them as “apostate” or some other slur that has absolutely nothing to do with the processes and approaches they use for reaching out.
May I be so bold as to suggest that Lutheran pastors should (gasp!) visit a Pentecostal church or a Baptist church on their vacation? Or that Baptist pastors should (gasp!) stop by a growing Episcopalian church one Sunday? Or possibly that Presbyterian pastors should unfreeze at a rocking and rolling independent Christian church?
We need to quit reading our own internal studies, quit talking to each other, and start looking at empirical studies of Christian churches in general to find out what works, and what doesn’t. Don’t hyperventilate! You’re not going to be poisoned by visiting another church. Just open your mind to the possibility of doing things differently. Try for just a day to push tradition out of your mind and look at methods and processes (consistent with your doctrine) that work. Then go back and apply what works to reaching those who don’t know Jesus and keeping those who are already members. You might be surprised to find out what you can learn if you are willing to open your mind.
And by the way, the next time you are on vacation, you might try this when you stop at a new restaurant for lunch. Let everyone else order their hamburgers and fries, and then when the waitress gets around to you, have Rhubarb pie à la mode for lunch. It’s less greasy and the calories are about the same. Thinking outside the box can be fun, and inhaling fresh ideas can invigorate the mind.
Recently I heard the phrase, “We need to quit inhaling our own exhaust.” Unfortunately, I don’t remember the originator of this statement, but bless him. How true this is when we try to innovate or solve problems. I tend to always go back to what worked in the past. My response is usually, “Well, that’s not the way we do it here.” Wrong!
During the course of my studies toward becoming a mechanical engineer at what was then called Missouri School of Mines & Metallurgy, I had the privilege of taking a class led by Professor Emeritus A. Vern Kilpatrick. The story was told (I can’t vouch for the accuracy) that Professor Kilpatrick had been with Henry Ford when his first Ford came off the greased iron rail. As you probably know, Ford was the originator of mass production and was known for “putting America on wheels.”
Professor Kilpatrick said one thing that has stuck in my mind. He said that when facing an engineering challenge, remember that there are seven ways to solve the problem. Now, are there always seven ways to solve an engineering problem? I don’t know, perhaps the number is 17 or 27, but for certain, there is always more than one way to solve a problem.
This doesn’t mean that the rules of math or physics or chemistry can be changed. It just means that you can apply these laws in multiple ways to solve your problem.
Too often we tend to think that there is only one way to write a fund appeal, fix a leak, deliver a sermon, build a house, get in shape, etc. We get in a rut and we begin reading only our own literature, talking only to each other, and evaluating by our own standards. We are, in short, “inhaling our own exhaust.”
This doesn’t mean that we should alter our standards or principles, but it means that we should open our mind to look at ways that other people approach similar challenges. After all, it would be pretty arrogant to think that God gave me and only me the ability to understand and solve a particular problem.
But, aeronautical engineers primarily read aeronautical engineering literature. Maybe they ought to take a look at the literature in another engineering field or even outside that field.
Here at the Eberle Communications Group, we think we know the best way to write a fund appeal. We tend to look down our nose at the offerings of other agencies. But you know what? Some of those agencies have been around longer than we have. I like it when I interview a prospective new copywriter and he or she says, “I don’t write fund appeals that look the way yours do.” That’s good news—I’m going to learn something new from this person. Or, as the old saying goes, “There’s always more than one way to skin a cat.”
But the religious field is even more adamant about “doing it our way.” For instance, I’m a Lutheran and we Lutherans think we know everything. I’m not talking about doctrine (although we are absolutely sure we are right on everything when it comes to doctrine). I’m referring to how we conduct a worship service, how we reach out to those who don’t know Jesus, how we keep our members, how we activate leaders, etc. And when we can’t figure something out, we go to other Lutheran churches and read Lutheran literature as if Lutherans are the only Christians to whom God has given an understanding of how to touch the hearts and lives of others. We think we are totally unique and singularly blessed.
But you know what? I’ve talked to Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Catholics, etc. and they all think the very same thing! Again, I’m not referring to doctrine as practiced in these churches, but rather to the “way things are done.” It’s nuts. We all want to reinvent the wheel so that it will be a Lutheran wheel or a Baptist wheel or a Pentecostal wheel, when in truth the best wheels are those that are round and turn fast and reliably.
No matter what business you and I are in, or what volunteer activities we are involved in, we can reduce wasted time by finding out how others (even with whom we may not agree) made their wheel turn fast. I’d sure like to know how the Obama campaign executed such an efficient and effective fundraising effort. It was nothing less than fantastic.
If you are a pastor, I’d think that you would have the same attitude about finding out how other churches reach out so effectively, rather than just dismissing them as “apostate” or some other slur that has absolutely nothing to do with the processes and approaches they use for reaching out.
May I be so bold as to suggest that Lutheran pastors should (gasp!) visit a Pentecostal church or a Baptist church on their vacation? Or that Baptist pastors should (gasp!) stop by a growing Episcopalian church one Sunday? Or possibly that Presbyterian pastors should unfreeze at a rocking and rolling independent Christian church?
We need to quit reading our own internal studies, quit talking to each other, and start looking at empirical studies of Christian churches in general to find out what works, and what doesn’t. Don’t hyperventilate! You’re not going to be poisoned by visiting another church. Just open your mind to the possibility of doing things differently. Try for just a day to push tradition out of your mind and look at methods and processes (consistent with your doctrine) that work. Then go back and apply what works to reaching those who don’t know Jesus and keeping those who are already members. You might be surprised to find out what you can learn if you are willing to open your mind.
And by the way, the next time you are on vacation, you might try this when you stop at a new restaurant for lunch. Let everyone else order their hamburgers and fries, and then when the waitress gets around to you, have Rhubarb pie à la mode for lunch. It’s less greasy and the calories are about the same. Thinking outside the box can be fun, and inhaling fresh ideas can invigorate the mind.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Contact Your Senator and Congressman Now!
Contact Your Senator and Congressman Now!
Today you and I don’t have a perfect health care system. Of course, there is no such thing as a perfect health care system. The closest thing to a perfect system is one that is fully deregulated and operates in a free market.
There is much we could do to dramatically improve the current system in the USA. Experts have suggested:
What the Obama Administration is proposing is a path to total socialized medicine. It doesn’t make any difference what they say; the real goal is now and always has been socialized medicine like that in Europe and in Canada.
What does socialized medicine mean to you?
Write to your Senator and your US Representative right now. All you need to contact them is to include their title and name, sent to Washington, DC 20510.
I urge you to act today!
Today you and I don’t have a perfect health care system. Of course, there is no such thing as a perfect health care system. The closest thing to a perfect system is one that is fully deregulated and operates in a free market.
There is much we could do to dramatically improve the current system in the USA. Experts have suggested:
- Punitive Damages.
The USA is the only industrialized nation in the world with punitive
damages. Punitive damages are those awarded to a plaintiff in a
malpractice suit that are above and beyond actual, measurable damages.
In other words, they are awarded to punish the defendant. Punitive
damages cause your doctor to spend $250,000 or more per year on
malpractice insurance. You pay for this egregious financial burden
through your insurance payment or when you directly pay the doctor. The
cost of medical services you pay could be reduced dramatically if we
would eliminate punitive damages.
- Tax Deductibility. Right now you probably receive health care insurance from your employer and he is allowed to deduct that expense from his taxable income. However, someone who works for a company that does not provide medical insurance must pay their own medical insurance on an after-tax basis. In other words, they are not allowed to deduct the cost of their medical insurance from their taxable income. This is unfair. Everyone should be able to deduct their health insurance premiums from their taxable income.
What the Obama Administration is proposing is a path to total socialized medicine. It doesn’t make any difference what they say; the real goal is now and always has been socialized medicine like that in Europe and in Canada.
What does socialized medicine mean to you?
- Rationing. Socialized medicine always
means rationing of medical services. There are no exceptions. That’s
why medical clinics in Seattle and Buffalo are full of people from
Canada who can’t get medical care on a timely basis. People die waiting
for medical care in England and Canada. Is that what you want?
- Comparative Effectiveness Research.
This seemingly harmless term is central to the Obama health care
approach, but it means that each patient will not be treated equally.
It means that a younger patient who needs hip replacement will receive
priority over someone who is older, regardless of their health. What it
really means is that the government is going to be using statistics to
decide which groups of individuals will receive care and which groups
won’t. President Obama even admitted to this when queried by a lady who
had an elderly mother with a great “spirit.” The President said we
can’t make decisions on “spirit” but only on hard facts and numbers.
Got it? If you are older, forget about good, timely health care.
- Technology.
Today there are more MRI machines in Fairfax County, Virginia than
there are in the entire nation of Canada. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, brother
to Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, and a health policy advisor in
the Office of Management and Budget, has criticized Americans for “being
enamored with technology.” Dr. David Blumenthal, another key Obama
advisor, blames medical innovations for two-thirds of the rising cost of
medical care. Both advisors seek to limit future medical innovations.
Is this what you want? A limitation on medical innovations?
- Advanced Drugs.
For years the drug companies could not work on the creation of drugs to
help those with so-called orphan diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis,
Muscular Dystrophy, etc. (there are more than 1,000) because the
potential market was so small and because the patent term was so short.
Ronald Reagan extended the patent term for drugs addressing orphan
diseases just three years and a miracle happened—all sorts of new drugs
came on the market. I know because my dear wife, Kathi, has had MS for
nearly 10 years. She would most surely be disabled today had it not
been for this extension of the patent time by President Reagan. Sadly,
the Obama Administration has already instructed the Federal Drug
Administration to not approve any new drug unless it is better than one
already on the market. That one, thoughtless act has already stopped
research and development of drugs that could have possibly meant a
breakthrough in treating certain orphan diseases. That order
dramatically upped the risk for drug companies. How can they possibly
know in advance if a drug will be better than what is already on the
market? This one new order sentences many hurting and ailing people to
continued pain and physical and mental deterioration. Is this the kind
of drug policy you want?
- Financially Destructive.
Socialized medicine not only means waiting months for medical care, no
care for those who don’t meet the Comparative Analysis Research
criteria, no new innovations, no new drugs, but it also means a
crippling financial burden on our nation that could put this country
into a permanent economic malaise.
- Where Will You Go? Today US citizens live long lives thanks to the best medical care in the world. The US is where people who can’t get treated under socialized medicine in their country come. But where will you go for medical care after our medical system is destroyed?
Write to your Senator and your US Representative right now. All you need to contact them is to include their title and name, sent to Washington, DC 20510.
I urge you to act today!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Patriotism & Independence Day
Patriotism & Independence Day
I was watching “FOX & Friends” this morning as I usually do. Steve Doocy’s son, Peter, was asking folks questions in a park near the FOX studio about famous Americans. Everyone correctly answered the question about our first President, George Washington, but no one knew the name of our second President, John Adams. That’s not too good, but I suppose I’m not surprised.
I was surprised, however, when Peter asked who said, “Give me liberty or give me death!” and no one could answer the question. In my opinion, that’s scary.
Here is an excerpt from that quote from a speech by Patrick Henry:
“It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace,
Peace--but there is no peace. The war “is actually begun! The next gale
that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding
“arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?
What is it that gentlemen wish? What “would they have? Is life so dear,
or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
“Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but
as for me, give me liberty or give “me death!” March 23, 1775
May we all have that same depth of commitment to our nation and to preserving the ideals of freedom that are at so much risk today.
Have a wonderful 4th of July celebrating the courage, determination, and sacrifice of our forefathers and the continued dedication of succeeding generations of patriotic Americans who cherish freedom.
Let freedom ring!
I was watching “FOX & Friends” this morning as I usually do. Steve Doocy’s son, Peter, was asking folks questions in a park near the FOX studio about famous Americans. Everyone correctly answered the question about our first President, George Washington, but no one knew the name of our second President, John Adams. That’s not too good, but I suppose I’m not surprised.
I was surprised, however, when Peter asked who said, “Give me liberty or give me death!” and no one could answer the question. In my opinion, that’s scary.
Here is an excerpt from that quote from a speech by Patrick Henry:
“It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace,
Peace--but there is no peace. The war “is actually begun! The next gale
that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding
“arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?
What is it that gentlemen wish? What “would they have? Is life so dear,
or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
“Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but
as for me, give me liberty or give “me death!” March 23, 1775
May we all have that same depth of commitment to our nation and to preserving the ideals of freedom that are at so much risk today.
Have a wonderful 4th of July celebrating the courage, determination, and sacrifice of our forefathers and the continued dedication of succeeding generations of patriotic Americans who cherish freedom.
Let freedom ring!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Baltic Trip Photos
Baltic Trip Photos
My last blog related my musings about our recent trip to London, Scandinavia, Russia, Estonia and Poland. If you would like to view the pictures, please go to http://funraiserii.shutterfly.com/
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Scandinavian and European Impressions
Scandinavian and European Impressions
My wife, Kathi, and I recently returned from a trip that took us from London, England to Saint Petersburg, Russia. It included the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway, as well as the former captive nations of Estonia and Poland. As it turns out, during the course of the trip I read Charles Colson’s powerful book, The Christian in Today’s Culture, which was a nice complement to the trip itself, as I shall explain.
My general impression of Europe is like stepping back in time. The cars are small, the bicycles are many, the health care is poor, the economy is strangled by regulations and taxes, and the people are secular. About 2% of the citizens attend church regularly, if at all.
London, UK. Kathi and I traveled to London earlier this year for the first time. We were both impressed by the compactness of the city and the ability to get around easily by walking or via the tube. We like London. It was a pleasure to run a couple of miles in Hyde Park early in the morning, and it was a special thrill to visit Westminster Abbey and see the final resting place of William Wilberforce, as well as that of so many famous political and literary leaders. The Abbey itself was spectacular, but as in the other monarchies, their Kings and Queens’ relationship with God and the Church was odd, at best. In the same room you might find the final resting place of a Queen who had arranged for the beheading of another monarch, who was her sister or first cousin.
The tour of Churchill’s wartime cabinet room was a real treat. What courage and tenacity Churchill had even in the darkest of days! He was undoubtedly a great wartime leader, but he didn’t enter politics as a member of the Conservative party. He began his service as an MP, as a radical and in fact, authored and/or supported many of the social welfare programs with which the UK is still saddled today.
Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen is a beautiful, somewhat quaint, breezy city with a proud past. Everything is costly in Denmark (as it is throughout Scandinavia and Eastern Europe). Everyone, it seems, rides a bicycle. I took a picture in one of the city squares that must have contained 500 or more bicycles. Kathi and I had dinner in our hotel and we shared a Greek salad and a plate of meatballs and pasta, along with three glasses of their most inexpensive wine. The bill was more than $60 US. They have restored much of the old part of the city and their pedestrian-only mall takes you from the center of the city to a lovely, restored waterfront area.
Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm, the home of Albert Nobel, is another beautiful city with lots of water, wonderful old architecture, and churches that serve primarily as museums. We visited a museum which contains a recovered and restored 17th century war ship, the Vasa. If you like maritime museums, you will love this one. Like the rest of Scandinavia, Sweden is very focused on outdoor activities. We visited the hall where the Nobel dinner is held. All the Nobel prizes are awarded in Stockholm except for the so-called peace prize (which has been awarded to dictators like Gorbechev and terrorists like Arafat, along with folks like Jimmy Carter) which is awarded in Oslo, Norway.
Helsinki, Finland. Helsinki is one of the most beautiful cities we visited. Surrounded by water, this lovely city is known for its Lutheran cathedral, but the Catholic cathedral is equally beautiful. We purchased fried Salmon in the open air market for lunch along with a local beer. This was one of our favorite cities.
Saint Petersburg, Russia. We took an exhausting two day and rain filled tour of this old Russian city which included the Hermitage, the Winter and Summer Palaces of Peter the Great, as well as numerous churches including the “Church of Spilt Blood” (the official name is the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ). This church was built on the site of the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. It was closed in the 1930s by the Communists and was not reopened again until 1997. During that entire period it was covered up and surrounded by scaffolding and used as a warehouse. This was absolutely my favorite church of our entire trip. While other churches had beautiful stained glass and wonderful icons, this church had stunning mosaics portraying Biblical events and people.
But not all is beautiful and charming about St. Petersburg. There are rows and rows of ugly, concrete buildings built by the Soviets. Many of these are next to modern buildings built after the Soviet era. Our tour guide was a very intelligent and interesting person who had grown up under the Soviet regime. Her English was very good, but her words were guarded, as if she was still being very careful not to say anything that could get her into trouble with the government. She was also the master of the understatement. My two favorites were, “A number of people were not so happy living under the Soviet government.” And, as she was showing us the two-headed eagle emblem of Russia, “This is our current emblem, although for a period of time we had another emblem.”
Clearly Russia is still not an open society where its citizens feel free to criticize their government. Nor is the economy strong since the government still runs and controls all major business ventures, especially oil production and refining. And apparently the government has deep ties into the Russian Mafia, a dangerous and powerful force. Nevertheless, the new Russia has potential and, as a result of limited freedom, including a limited free market, times are better than they were previously. The streets are full of cars owned by a growing middle class. The old Russians, like the old Estonians and the old Poles, still fear change and cling to the elusive “security” of government doing everything for (and to) them. Not until that generation is gone is there any real hope that Russia will become a strong, market driven economy that will eradicate the devastation of Soviet socialism.
Tallinn, Estonia. We only had a few hours in Tallinn, Estonia, but found it to be a lovely and charming city. We were, however, warned in advance, that Estonians strongly dislike Russia and Russians, so we avoided that topic. They had an “Occupation Museum” which I would have loved to visit, but unfortunately, there just was not time. Encouragingly, there were numerous new office buildings in Tallinn and the flowers were beautiful.
Gdansk, Poland. Our cruise ship actually docked at Gdynia and we took a bus ride of about an hour to Gdansk. In some ways, Poland was the most depressing area we visited, but in other ways I found it to be inspiring. A young man, who appeared to be in his mid twenties, was our tour guide and he did an excellent job. He said that he was “embarrassed” by the graffiti that was everywhere and indeed it was everywhere. Neither Gdynia nor Gdansk are beautiful cities or centers of culture. They are industrial cities based on ship building. And, of course, Gdansk is the home of Solidarity, the shipbuilding trade union that was led by Lech Wałęsa. Wałęsa went on to serve as the President of the Republic of Poland after helping to bring down the Communist puppet regime.
Our guide told us that he was only five years old when the battle by Solidarity against the Soviet Communist bosses took place. He credits Solidarity and Pope John Paul II (formerly the Polish Priest Karol Józef Wojtyła) with bringing the repressive puppet government down. He noted that at one point 10 million (out of a total population of 30 million) Poles belonged to Solidarity.
After a nice tour of the Gdansk Old Town (where the office of Lech Walesa is located) we traveled to the Solidarity Museum, a very small museum with a powerful message about tyranny and how the Polish people overcame the repressive Communist state with incredible courage, determination and perseverance. It was very inspiring.
Our guide also pointed out apartment complexes created by the Soviets that have a seven foot ceiling and are of a postage stamp size. Poland, like other former Soviet satellites, suffers because it has no capital funds to start enterprises or new private ventures, but they have been very innovative. When asked about highways, our guide said that it was virtually impossible to drive from Gdansk to Kraków before the fall of Communism (if you had a car and if you had permission from the government). Today, however, they have freeways that were built and are privately owned on which you can travel by paying tolls. An all day trip from Gdansk to Kraków has been converted to a trip of just a few hours.
When our guide was asked about health care, he said this, “We have government health care. When you get sick and need a doctor, it takes about six months for an appointment. If you then need surgery, it’s another six months to a year. If you are 65 years of age or older, no health care is provided at all since you are no longer contributing anything to society.”
Our guide summed up the situation in Poland this way. “We have come a long way, but we still have a long, long way to go.” He’s right, but it appears they are on the right track.
Oslo, Norway. This was our last stop and Kathi’s favorite city. Oslo is very clean, very pretty, and with very friendly people. Located on a fiord, Oslo is surrounded by water and there were many power and sail boats. We visited a museum with a restored Viking boat and then took a walk around the city and up to the palace. It was perhaps the best weather day of the trip.
Now, how does this tie into Colson’s book? He tells the story of the Vandals, Visigoths, Sueves, and Alans Germanic tribes overrunning the Roman Empire. As Colson puts it, “The entire substructure of Roman civilization was destroyed, to be replaced by small kingdoms ruled by illiterate, barbaric warrior-kings.” Colson then goes on, “As the shadow of the Dark Ages fell over Western Europe, who emerged from the rubble? Who rebuilt Western civilization? The Christian Church.”
Colson then describes the story of sixteen year old Patricius who in A.D. 401 was seized by an Irish raiding party, eventually escaped, and then returned as a missionary to Ireland. “Into this bloodthirsty culture St. Patrick brought the Christian message of love and forgiveness and established monasteries throughout the land. The monastic movement in Ireland began to revolutionize the world, replacing the old values of a warrior society with the new values of Christianity. Within St. Patrick’s lifetime, warriors cast aside their swords of battle, intertribal warfare decreased markedly, and the slave trade ended. A culture of battle and brute power was transformed… A culture of illiteracy and ignorance became a culture of learning. …eventually a flood of missionaries from Ireland fanned out across Scotland, England, and the European continent.”
“…this astonishing feat was accomplished again and again throughout the Dark Ages. From the north, Vikings repeatedly swooped down on the coasts or sailed deep inland on the rivers to loot and destroy, murdering people, ruining fields, plundering wealth, and burning cities across Europe. But each time, Christianity showed its unquenchable, supernatural power of spiritual regeneration.”
“…one of the most exciting chapters in the history of the Christian church is the transformation of the barbarians from bloodthirsty warriors into peace-loving farmers, determined to live by the work of their own hands instead of by theft and plunder. As the barbarians were converted and the destructive invasions ceased, European society began to flourish.”
Our trip to the Baltic region convinced me that the time is ripe for spiritual renewal in Europe. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German and other nations followed by translating the Bible into their native tongues, God provided the Gutenberg Press as a means of printing the Bible for mass distribution.
Today, all citizens of the countries we visited speak English. They are taught it in school and use it for business as the common language of Europe. They need it for the Internet and for American software and computer games. Now that God has put this universal means of communication before us, as he did the Gutenberg press for Luther and the other great Reformers, we can and must use it to spread the Good News of Jesus. After all, how can materialism or utopianism answer the great questions of life? Why am I here? What’s the meaning of life? Where did I come from? What is my purpose in life? Is life itself important? Only Christianity has clear answers to those questions, answers that bring peace, joy, and the meaning we all seek.
Europe came from barbarians and as society gets farther away from God and the comfort faith in Him brings, the more society continues down the path to the chaos from which it came. Now is the time for spiritual renewal in Europe and across the world.
My wife, Kathi, and I recently returned from a trip that took us from London, England to Saint Petersburg, Russia. It included the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway, as well as the former captive nations of Estonia and Poland. As it turns out, during the course of the trip I read Charles Colson’s powerful book, The Christian in Today’s Culture, which was a nice complement to the trip itself, as I shall explain.
My general impression of Europe is like stepping back in time. The cars are small, the bicycles are many, the health care is poor, the economy is strangled by regulations and taxes, and the people are secular. About 2% of the citizens attend church regularly, if at all.
London, UK. Kathi and I traveled to London earlier this year for the first time. We were both impressed by the compactness of the city and the ability to get around easily by walking or via the tube. We like London. It was a pleasure to run a couple of miles in Hyde Park early in the morning, and it was a special thrill to visit Westminster Abbey and see the final resting place of William Wilberforce, as well as that of so many famous political and literary leaders. The Abbey itself was spectacular, but as in the other monarchies, their Kings and Queens’ relationship with God and the Church was odd, at best. In the same room you might find the final resting place of a Queen who had arranged for the beheading of another monarch, who was her sister or first cousin.
The tour of Churchill’s wartime cabinet room was a real treat. What courage and tenacity Churchill had even in the darkest of days! He was undoubtedly a great wartime leader, but he didn’t enter politics as a member of the Conservative party. He began his service as an MP, as a radical and in fact, authored and/or supported many of the social welfare programs with which the UK is still saddled today.
Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen is a beautiful, somewhat quaint, breezy city with a proud past. Everything is costly in Denmark (as it is throughout Scandinavia and Eastern Europe). Everyone, it seems, rides a bicycle. I took a picture in one of the city squares that must have contained 500 or more bicycles. Kathi and I had dinner in our hotel and we shared a Greek salad and a plate of meatballs and pasta, along with three glasses of their most inexpensive wine. The bill was more than $60 US. They have restored much of the old part of the city and their pedestrian-only mall takes you from the center of the city to a lovely, restored waterfront area.
Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm, the home of Albert Nobel, is another beautiful city with lots of water, wonderful old architecture, and churches that serve primarily as museums. We visited a museum which contains a recovered and restored 17th century war ship, the Vasa. If you like maritime museums, you will love this one. Like the rest of Scandinavia, Sweden is very focused on outdoor activities. We visited the hall where the Nobel dinner is held. All the Nobel prizes are awarded in Stockholm except for the so-called peace prize (which has been awarded to dictators like Gorbechev and terrorists like Arafat, along with folks like Jimmy Carter) which is awarded in Oslo, Norway.
Helsinki, Finland. Helsinki is one of the most beautiful cities we visited. Surrounded by water, this lovely city is known for its Lutheran cathedral, but the Catholic cathedral is equally beautiful. We purchased fried Salmon in the open air market for lunch along with a local beer. This was one of our favorite cities.
Saint Petersburg, Russia. We took an exhausting two day and rain filled tour of this old Russian city which included the Hermitage, the Winter and Summer Palaces of Peter the Great, as well as numerous churches including the “Church of Spilt Blood” (the official name is the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ). This church was built on the site of the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. It was closed in the 1930s by the Communists and was not reopened again until 1997. During that entire period it was covered up and surrounded by scaffolding and used as a warehouse. This was absolutely my favorite church of our entire trip. While other churches had beautiful stained glass and wonderful icons, this church had stunning mosaics portraying Biblical events and people.
But not all is beautiful and charming about St. Petersburg. There are rows and rows of ugly, concrete buildings built by the Soviets. Many of these are next to modern buildings built after the Soviet era. Our tour guide was a very intelligent and interesting person who had grown up under the Soviet regime. Her English was very good, but her words were guarded, as if she was still being very careful not to say anything that could get her into trouble with the government. She was also the master of the understatement. My two favorites were, “A number of people were not so happy living under the Soviet government.” And, as she was showing us the two-headed eagle emblem of Russia, “This is our current emblem, although for a period of time we had another emblem.”
Clearly Russia is still not an open society where its citizens feel free to criticize their government. Nor is the economy strong since the government still runs and controls all major business ventures, especially oil production and refining. And apparently the government has deep ties into the Russian Mafia, a dangerous and powerful force. Nevertheless, the new Russia has potential and, as a result of limited freedom, including a limited free market, times are better than they were previously. The streets are full of cars owned by a growing middle class. The old Russians, like the old Estonians and the old Poles, still fear change and cling to the elusive “security” of government doing everything for (and to) them. Not until that generation is gone is there any real hope that Russia will become a strong, market driven economy that will eradicate the devastation of Soviet socialism.
Tallinn, Estonia. We only had a few hours in Tallinn, Estonia, but found it to be a lovely and charming city. We were, however, warned in advance, that Estonians strongly dislike Russia and Russians, so we avoided that topic. They had an “Occupation Museum” which I would have loved to visit, but unfortunately, there just was not time. Encouragingly, there were numerous new office buildings in Tallinn and the flowers were beautiful.
Gdansk, Poland. Our cruise ship actually docked at Gdynia and we took a bus ride of about an hour to Gdansk. In some ways, Poland was the most depressing area we visited, but in other ways I found it to be inspiring. A young man, who appeared to be in his mid twenties, was our tour guide and he did an excellent job. He said that he was “embarrassed” by the graffiti that was everywhere and indeed it was everywhere. Neither Gdynia nor Gdansk are beautiful cities or centers of culture. They are industrial cities based on ship building. And, of course, Gdansk is the home of Solidarity, the shipbuilding trade union that was led by Lech Wałęsa. Wałęsa went on to serve as the President of the Republic of Poland after helping to bring down the Communist puppet regime.
Our guide told us that he was only five years old when the battle by Solidarity against the Soviet Communist bosses took place. He credits Solidarity and Pope John Paul II (formerly the Polish Priest Karol Józef Wojtyła) with bringing the repressive puppet government down. He noted that at one point 10 million (out of a total population of 30 million) Poles belonged to Solidarity.
After a nice tour of the Gdansk Old Town (where the office of Lech Walesa is located) we traveled to the Solidarity Museum, a very small museum with a powerful message about tyranny and how the Polish people overcame the repressive Communist state with incredible courage, determination and perseverance. It was very inspiring.
Our guide also pointed out apartment complexes created by the Soviets that have a seven foot ceiling and are of a postage stamp size. Poland, like other former Soviet satellites, suffers because it has no capital funds to start enterprises or new private ventures, but they have been very innovative. When asked about highways, our guide said that it was virtually impossible to drive from Gdansk to Kraków before the fall of Communism (if you had a car and if you had permission from the government). Today, however, they have freeways that were built and are privately owned on which you can travel by paying tolls. An all day trip from Gdansk to Kraków has been converted to a trip of just a few hours.
When our guide was asked about health care, he said this, “We have government health care. When you get sick and need a doctor, it takes about six months for an appointment. If you then need surgery, it’s another six months to a year. If you are 65 years of age or older, no health care is provided at all since you are no longer contributing anything to society.”
Our guide summed up the situation in Poland this way. “We have come a long way, but we still have a long, long way to go.” He’s right, but it appears they are on the right track.
Oslo, Norway. This was our last stop and Kathi’s favorite city. Oslo is very clean, very pretty, and with very friendly people. Located on a fiord, Oslo is surrounded by water and there were many power and sail boats. We visited a museum with a restored Viking boat and then took a walk around the city and up to the palace. It was perhaps the best weather day of the trip.
Now, how does this tie into Colson’s book? He tells the story of the Vandals, Visigoths, Sueves, and Alans Germanic tribes overrunning the Roman Empire. As Colson puts it, “The entire substructure of Roman civilization was destroyed, to be replaced by small kingdoms ruled by illiterate, barbaric warrior-kings.” Colson then goes on, “As the shadow of the Dark Ages fell over Western Europe, who emerged from the rubble? Who rebuilt Western civilization? The Christian Church.”
Colson then describes the story of sixteen year old Patricius who in A.D. 401 was seized by an Irish raiding party, eventually escaped, and then returned as a missionary to Ireland. “Into this bloodthirsty culture St. Patrick brought the Christian message of love and forgiveness and established monasteries throughout the land. The monastic movement in Ireland began to revolutionize the world, replacing the old values of a warrior society with the new values of Christianity. Within St. Patrick’s lifetime, warriors cast aside their swords of battle, intertribal warfare decreased markedly, and the slave trade ended. A culture of battle and brute power was transformed… A culture of illiteracy and ignorance became a culture of learning. …eventually a flood of missionaries from Ireland fanned out across Scotland, England, and the European continent.”
“…this astonishing feat was accomplished again and again throughout the Dark Ages. From the north, Vikings repeatedly swooped down on the coasts or sailed deep inland on the rivers to loot and destroy, murdering people, ruining fields, plundering wealth, and burning cities across Europe. But each time, Christianity showed its unquenchable, supernatural power of spiritual regeneration.”
“…one of the most exciting chapters in the history of the Christian church is the transformation of the barbarians from bloodthirsty warriors into peace-loving farmers, determined to live by the work of their own hands instead of by theft and plunder. As the barbarians were converted and the destructive invasions ceased, European society began to flourish.”
Our trip to the Baltic region convinced me that the time is ripe for spiritual renewal in Europe. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German and other nations followed by translating the Bible into their native tongues, God provided the Gutenberg Press as a means of printing the Bible for mass distribution.
Today, all citizens of the countries we visited speak English. They are taught it in school and use it for business as the common language of Europe. They need it for the Internet and for American software and computer games. Now that God has put this universal means of communication before us, as he did the Gutenberg press for Luther and the other great Reformers, we can and must use it to spread the Good News of Jesus. After all, how can materialism or utopianism answer the great questions of life? Why am I here? What’s the meaning of life? Where did I come from? What is my purpose in life? Is life itself important? Only Christianity has clear answers to those questions, answers that bring peace, joy, and the meaning we all seek.
Europe came from barbarians and as society gets farther away from God and the comfort faith in Him brings, the more society continues down the path to the chaos from which it came. Now is the time for spiritual renewal in Europe and across the world.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Curious Christopher Dodd
The Curious Christopher Dodd
Senator Christopher Dodd is the son of the late Senator Thomas Dodd, a widely respected and thoughtful Democratic Senator in his day. Tom Dodd was well-read, conservative in demeanor, well-liked, very knowledgeable on foreign policy, and always put his country first. He was proud to be an American.
That’s why I find it so curious that his son seems to be so undisciplined in thought and action. When he first arrived in the Senate (clearly elected by the good people of Connecticut on the basis of his family name), he was publicly circumspect in his personal life and his political outlook, for at least a couple of years.
That, however, was not to be his ongoing persona. Shortly, the newspapers were full of bawdy accounts of the shenanigans of Chris and his newfound friend, Ted Kennedy. From bar to bar and from woman to woman, the two made the rounds in town staying just slightly beyond the arm of the local sheriff.
While Chris Dodd was clearly to the left of his father, his association with Ted Kennedy seemed to move him farther and farther to the left. He was infatuated with the Communist Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and began mouthing every liberal inanity that came down the pike.
That was when he was a follower and thus made only minor mischief. More recently, however, he has stepped out on his own. As one of the chief architects of the subprime loan scandal, Senator Dodd is justifiably blamed for much of the financial difficulty the US is in today. These actions hurt people badly, and those hurt the most were the very minorities he thought he was helping. His meddling in the marketplace pressured banks to make irresponsible loans to folks who had no hope of paying them back and undermined our entire financial system. It is not an exaggeration to say that without the efforts of Chris Dodd our nation would not be facing the financial crisis we now face.
One would think that Senator Dodd might slink quietly into the background, embarrassed and chagrined by the problems he has so mightily contributed to. But no, we live in an age without honor or shame. The Senator accepts no blame, and eagerly points the finger as the innocent to protect himself.
To make matters worse, the curious Christopher Dodd has once again meddled in the marketplace to eliminate “dangerous” charges made by banks on their credit cards. The result will once again undercut the soundness of the American banking system and jeopardize the economic recovery.
The good Senator seems to think that the US Congress can repeal the law of supply and demand. Perhaps he will next outlaw inflation, or legislate prosperity. I find it very curious. Is Chris Dodd an arsonist or just a fool with matches?
Whatever he is, Chris Dodd is a living example of someone with what appears on paper to be a good education, but in truth, knows nothing about economics and the fragility of a free society. He may be well intended, but is nevertheless dangerous because as Bill Buckley said, “So much of what he knows is simply wrong.”
The polls show that Chris Dodd is in trouble in his re-election campaign. I doubt it. By the time the election rolls around, the curious Senator Dodd will be re-elected by the citizens of Connecticut who sadly listen to the same bent of folks who miseducated the Senator. They populate our schools and have common traits—intelligence, but not wisdom; knowledge, but not understanding. Here’s hoping I am wrong and that this will be Chris Dodd’s last term in the US Senate.
Senator Christopher Dodd is the son of the late Senator Thomas Dodd, a widely respected and thoughtful Democratic Senator in his day. Tom Dodd was well-read, conservative in demeanor, well-liked, very knowledgeable on foreign policy, and always put his country first. He was proud to be an American.
That’s why I find it so curious that his son seems to be so undisciplined in thought and action. When he first arrived in the Senate (clearly elected by the good people of Connecticut on the basis of his family name), he was publicly circumspect in his personal life and his political outlook, for at least a couple of years.
That, however, was not to be his ongoing persona. Shortly, the newspapers were full of bawdy accounts of the shenanigans of Chris and his newfound friend, Ted Kennedy. From bar to bar and from woman to woman, the two made the rounds in town staying just slightly beyond the arm of the local sheriff.
While Chris Dodd was clearly to the left of his father, his association with Ted Kennedy seemed to move him farther and farther to the left. He was infatuated with the Communist Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and began mouthing every liberal inanity that came down the pike.
That was when he was a follower and thus made only minor mischief. More recently, however, he has stepped out on his own. As one of the chief architects of the subprime loan scandal, Senator Dodd is justifiably blamed for much of the financial difficulty the US is in today. These actions hurt people badly, and those hurt the most were the very minorities he thought he was helping. His meddling in the marketplace pressured banks to make irresponsible loans to folks who had no hope of paying them back and undermined our entire financial system. It is not an exaggeration to say that without the efforts of Chris Dodd our nation would not be facing the financial crisis we now face.
One would think that Senator Dodd might slink quietly into the background, embarrassed and chagrined by the problems he has so mightily contributed to. But no, we live in an age without honor or shame. The Senator accepts no blame, and eagerly points the finger as the innocent to protect himself.
To make matters worse, the curious Christopher Dodd has once again meddled in the marketplace to eliminate “dangerous” charges made by banks on their credit cards. The result will once again undercut the soundness of the American banking system and jeopardize the economic recovery.
The good Senator seems to think that the US Congress can repeal the law of supply and demand. Perhaps he will next outlaw inflation, or legislate prosperity. I find it very curious. Is Chris Dodd an arsonist or just a fool with matches?
Whatever he is, Chris Dodd is a living example of someone with what appears on paper to be a good education, but in truth, knows nothing about economics and the fragility of a free society. He may be well intended, but is nevertheless dangerous because as Bill Buckley said, “So much of what he knows is simply wrong.”
The polls show that Chris Dodd is in trouble in his re-election campaign. I doubt it. By the time the election rolls around, the curious Senator Dodd will be re-elected by the citizens of Connecticut who sadly listen to the same bent of folks who miseducated the Senator. They populate our schools and have common traits—intelligence, but not wisdom; knowledge, but not understanding. Here’s hoping I am wrong and that this will be Chris Dodd’s last term in the US Senate.
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