groundwork

Interview with Captain Donovan Campbell

I spend a lot of time in the car driving from here and there.  As a result, I have the chance to listen to a lot of talk radio.  During the past couple of months, I have found that much of talk radio has grown tiresome and downright irritating.

The exception for me is Bill Bennett's Morning in America program.  The only drawback is the early hours the show airs here in the Eastern Standard time period.  I guess that is why pod-casting exists!

Bennett had an excellent interview with Captain Donovan Campbell of the US Marines.  Captain Campbell is the author of a new book entitled Joker One.  From the contents of this interview, I am going to add this to my reading list.

The entire interview is available on Bill Bennett's website.  I recommend it highly.

Great Expectations

The US woke up this morning to the news of the election of Sen. Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.

On a personal level, I felt that this particular campaign season was a bitter and divisive one.  There are millions of people who will be working through their disappointment and hurt.  On the other hand, I have been reading the jubilation of others who are celebrating a "decisive mandate for change."

Robert Novak wrote this morning that Sen. Obama and the Democratic party did not receive an overwhelming mandate.

Time has posted on their website a feature entitled The World's View of Obama's Win.  I am not a fan of Time magazine - but I thought this feature was an interesting piece.  It is clear that that there are many in the world who harbor great expectations for our next President of the United States. 

In one of the most insightful responses, Josef Joffe of Germany provides the following thoughts:

"Up to 8 out of 10 West Europeans would have voted for Obama, which points to a religious rather than political phenomenon. The way they see it, George W. Bush is a one-man axis of evil, and Obama the redeemer: "Deliver us, for thine is the kingdom . . ." Europeans want to love America again, and they imagine that a simple act of exorcism (called "elections") will rid them of the curse. But politics is not about redemption. Obama is not what West Europeans dream he is: polite, social-democratic and pacific. In other words, more European than American. Will the Euroswooners still love Obama when he presses them for more troops in Afghanistan and real sanctions on Iran?"

The Politics of the Crowds

I, for one, am relieved that the long running US election season will come to an end tomorrow.  The tiring campaign commercials on the airwaves will hopefully disappear for a while.

Unfortunately, I have already heard rumblings that 2012 race will begin on the morning of November 5, 2008. 

I read a fascinating article this morning entitled Obama and the Politics of Crowds on the Wall Street Journal website. The article provides a perspective on the elections that few have at this time.  I thought I would share it here for your consideration.

The author's last paragraph is masterful. and though provoking. It is reminder that no candidate can ultimately deliver on all of the promises made during an election season. 

The morning after the election, the disappointment will begin to settle upon the Obama crowd. Defeat -- by now unthinkable to the devotees -- will bring heartbreak. Victory will steadily deliver the sobering verdict that our troubles won't be solved by a leader's magic.

An Amazing Story

Despite the busy weekend, my wife and I were able to view the recent film on the life of William Wilberforce.  The excellent film Amazing Grace is much more than just a story behind a famous and familiar hymn.  It is a beautifully filmed story of Wilberforce and his tireless efforts to abolish the slavery trade in the British Empire.  It is a story of a passionate yet flawed man who worked for the greater good of mankind.  I would heartily recommend this film to everyone.  There is little objectionable content in the film - although it may be intense for younger viewers.  It is history that deserves to be told - and the film deserves much more attention than it has at this time.

While there has been much progress since Wilberforce's time, we should recognize that the shadow of slavery still lingers on in our western societies.  I would recommend the film to anyone who would desire insight on the history of present day world.  William Wilberforce's story that will lead to profitable discussions about the faulty foundation upon which the present world is built.

The Big Top

I have been away from the keyboard while attending to various things.  It seems that each time I plan to sit down to post something - there is another phone call to make, e-mail to write, problem to solve, or meeting.  It is what it is!

There have been a couple of items that I thought were noteworthy to touch upon today.  The first one involves an excellent article on the subject of Truth. 

I enjoyed the authors insight in this amusing but thought provoking quote:

Today truth has come under the Big Top. It’s a circus full of sideshows. We have for our approval an endless cacophony of ideas. The fringes are attacking the core. Nonsense is taking center stage. All opinions and feelings are valid and up for grabs, because society no longer considers any truth to be absolute. Instead, there are many beliefs, many realities, many truths.

read the entire article

The article is well worth the time to peruse this evening.  I hope to get back to a regular schedule in the next couple of days.  Again, we should soon see!

Devaluing Beliefs

As the father of two teenage girls, I am extremely interested in their education now and the future.  My wife and I have been homeschooling our daughters for nearly six years.  Homeschooling has been a challenging yet rewarding experience for my family.  And I will be the first to admit that it is not for everyone. While I am sure we can improve in many areas, we believe that we are providing a balanced education within the confines of our home.

After our move this past summer, we enrolled the girls in a virtual charter school.  The girls attend class everyday through a computer at home.  It has given us the opportunity to be closely involved with their daily schedule. 

As the old saying goes - so far, so good.

In just a few years, our lovely daughters will be attending college (accompanied by those equally lovely tuition costs).  I hope that we will have provided them the proper foundation to deal with the confusing and contradictory messages that they will find on the campus. 

I came across an article today in the local newspaper (yes, I am one of the shrinking numbers that actually read a newspaper).  The article reveals the need for young people to be grounded in their values, morals, and beliefs before they are exposed to the classrooms of many universities. 

You can read the article entitled Professors more secular than others on the Columbus Dispatch website. 

A few choice quotes:

The purpose of their report was to assess the observation by many religious conservatives that America’s universities are "a haven largely freed from religious perspectives."

Among the notable results:

Almost a third answered "none" when asked their religion — more than twice the percentage found in the general population.

Science professors were the least religious. Accounting professors were the most religious.

The article cites a Harvard University survey that found only 35.7% of US college professors believed that God exists and have no doubts about it.  The others were split among the 10% that don't believe in God, 13.4% that don't know if there is a God, and 19.6% who believe in a 'higher Power of some kind' but it is not a personal God.  The remainder of those involved in the survey (16.9%) believed in a God, but had their doubts as to His existence.

These personal beliefs held by these educators have a direct influence on the information presented in their classrooms.  As a parent, I am concerned about the worldview that these professors are presenting to their unsuspecting students. 

It is one more reminder do all that we are able to prepare our daughters for their college years. 

I can only hope that there are other parents who are heeding the call as well.

Poll: Does God Exist?

The results of a recent survey by Harris Poll on the question regarding the belief of God's existence are not encouraging.  It is a clear reminder of the mindset (or worldview) that exists in many people in society.

"Nearly half of Americans are not sure God exists, according to a poll that also found divisions among the public on whether God is male or female or whether God has a human form and has control over events."

You can read more about this survey by visiting the following link:

Nearly half of Americans uncertain God Exists: poll

Heated Words

Peggy Noonan has written an interesting article for the Wall Street Journal on the state of today's world.  Whether you agree with her or not, Noonan often supplies some excellent food for thought.  I would recommend taking the time to read the article entitled Answer Chavez .

Here is an excerpt:

This is what I was thinking as I walked this week along the siren-filled streets of New York: The temperature of the world is very high.

We have a global warming problem, and maybe it's due to an increase in the output of heated words. And they too can, in the end, melt icecaps.

The communication channels around us are seemingly filled with the hot rhetoric of politicians, pundits, and entertainers.  It is difficult to find the time to search for context and meaning.

I find it helpful to disconnect from the heated words around me on a regular basis.  I hope to offer suggestions on how to do that in a future post.

Peggy Noonan has written an interesting article for the Wall Street Journal on the state of today's world.  Whether you agree with her or not, Noonan often supplies some excellent food for thought.  I would recommend taking the time to read the article entitled Answer Chavez .

Here is an excerpt:

This is what I was thinking as I walked this week along the siren-filled streets of New York: The temperature of the world is very high.

We have a global warming problem, and maybe it's due to an increase in the output of heated words. And they too can, in the end, melt icecaps.

The communication channels around us are seemingly filled with the hot rhetoric of politicians, pundits, and entertainers.  It is difficult to find the time to search for context and meaning.

I find it helpful to disconnect from the heated words around me on a regular basis.  I hope to offer suggestions on how to do that in a future post.