Exceptional Leadership

Could the difference be any more obvious?  Yesterday I wrote about President Obama and his near infinite reservoir of what America can not do.  No longer is she the shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan saw, but according to President Obama she is a shack with a burnt out light bulb.

For my friends who enjoy history you will keep in mind that today is the 211th anniversary of Meriweather Lewis pushing off from Pittsburgh Harbor.  The expedition was called the Corps of Discovery and was commissioned by President Jefferson.

The goals were simple.  After the Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson wanted to find the most practical traveling path across the continent for purposes of commerce.  He also wanted to deny the world powers (Europe at the time) the opportunity to make a presence in the New World.  A secondary objective of course was to provide a scientific information about the plants and animals encountered on their adventure.

When Jefferson looked out of the White House he saw a vast land of rich resources and able bodied people.  They had defeated a world power and earned their own rights to freedom.  When President Obama looks out though he seems to see a cup half full.  A people unable to life themselves up and a country whose resources are finite.  He seems to misunderstand that natural resources are dynamic and not a static asset.  He leads from fear whereas President Jefferson seemed to lead his nation from hope.

The second lesson I consider when I think about the Lewis and Clark Expedition is the leadership those two men must have had.  Theirs was a three year trip and it was not long before they were abandoning their boat to move cross country - up mountains - and through forests and fields.  How hard must it have been to map a continent at that time, much less to lead men, across it.

When I think of today that is the leadership I hope for from my brethren here in the United States.  The idea that we can accomplish much if we only go for it.  Leadership can come from necessity, but perhaps we as a nation have become too comfortable with our disposable DVD players, our fast food, and our fake money.  Exceptional leadership does exist, but I think we need to look for it a little harder.

Welcome To Waffle House

In perhaps the clearest indication that Marco Rubio is running for President in 2016, he has recently sent a letter to President Obama explaining why the border need be secured before new measures are discussed to provide a pathway to citizenship.

Is this the same Rubio who was championing comprehensive immigration reform...last year?  You know before walking away from it.

Look, I get it.  Signing onto a bill with Chuck Shumer because the Chamber of Commerce or someone told you to is easy to do.  They throw easy smiles, warm hand shakes, and the promises of lots of campaign cash for future...aspirations.  However, you may want to dial 804 real quick and check in with Eric Cantor because being unsure about immigration reform is perhaps more deadly than being pro-immigration.

Instead of having a principled approach that says "immigrants have always been a part of our country and I have no problem with that" you appear to have a nasty political disease called poll-itis.  I realize that for many in the Republican Party immigration is a hard issue.  I understand that allowing in millions more workers will dampen wages for the same working class that should be in our camp, but historically this really isn't any different than times before.

We had immigrants with crazy religious ideas who thankfully mostly settled in Pennsylvania.  You know...the Quakers.  We had thugs of all kinds come over from Ireland and Italy and if this offends you take a look at your own history and the crime we brought over.  It is what it is and like now, all the new folks...dampened wages for those who were already here.

I am not nearly as scared of immigration as some of my colleagues are.  After all, Jesus was an illegal immigrant, running from the persecution of King Herod.  Was he as bad as the folks crossing the Texas border?  Was he any different?  I know, I know...now the Evangelical Christians will be mad too, but I will find solace in Bishop Olsen's commentary on the immigration question.

However, regardless of my personal opinion on the issue, one thing I know is that serving up policy at the waffle house of believing this, that, or the other thing based on the poll of the day is a turn off with both regular and primary voters.  It is not leadership.  It isn't Presidential.

If Senator Rubio is serious about being the Savior of the Republican Party that Time magazine declares him to be he might want to figure out issues before polling and/or move the polls in the direction he leads on, rather than holding his finger to the wind.

Holy Islands

 August 31 is the Feast Day for St. Aidan, the first bishop of Lindisfarne.  It is also the day my third son, Wyatt, was baptized though his saint name is Luke.  Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England. It is the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland.

I find the intersection of these two facts both interesting and remarkable: A Holy Island and the Sacrament of Baptism: the anointing with Holy Water.  Islands of course are surrounded by water, but Baptism is about bringing the person, or child, into the Church as a whole.  How can one be brought into a body separated?

The English poet and Church of England priest John Donne tells us that no man is an island.  Donne argued in his Meditation XVII that if any man died, he himself is less, because he is a part of mankind.  Yet, Holy Island is an island.  It is an island where St. Aidan was well known for his homilies and knowledge of scripture.  Like our current pontiff, St. Aidan was also known for his kindness to the poor and distaste for pomp.  It was on Lindisfarne that St. Aidan created a seminary for the training of ministers.

Today, Holy Island offers Church of England services via St. Mary the Virgin, the same namesake as my parish.  (I should note I am not sure if I am offended by the fact that the parish is controlled by the Church of England or not, but I do wonder if they would yield the property to the Roman Catholic Church if they were to come calling for a property first built in the 7th Century AD, i.e. well before a Church of England ever existed.)

In the meantime, I return to the juxtaposition of these two issues.  Lindisfarne is connected at low-tide by crossing sand and mud flats, following an ancient pilgrom's path.  The path is covered during high tide.  The difficulty in getting to the island must be significant and I wonder how the peoples of Northumberland did it.

However, it does help with the other issue.  How often do we only look for the Holy Island - a people set apart so to speak - when our lives are at low tide?  Why is it only at these times we find the path we need to take to find the kindness, humanity, and love that the church can offer?  Donne was right, no man is an island, but why do we have to be at our weakest to find the separate nature that is the Kingdom of God?  Why is it we do not swim in the waters of forgiveness and mercy that is the Church all the time?

These are obviously life long questions and I suspect the answer comes back to my own priest's homily today about the ability to follow God's will instead of our own, but for now I will hope my son does not need to wait for low tide to find his church home's warmth and grace.  It is right there waiting.

Unexceptional Leadership...Isn't

"Good" news for President Obama.  Recent polling indicates his foreign policy approval rating is only four points worse than his approval rating for how he handles the economy.

The bad news is his approval rating on the economy is at 39.4%.  Ouch!  Foreign policy approval is 35.3%.  That isn't an approval...that is the percentage likelihood that Tony Romo makes it through all sixteen games of the season.  These numbers are not even anemic because they represent the fact that at least some Democrats now realize that President Obama is wrong on issues affecting two core issues to every American: our world standing and our pocketbook.

At the same time his best friends for the past six years, the Washington Post, admits that the recent gaffe at his press conference stings because it fits into people's preexisting suspicions.  I remember Lyn Nofziger referred to the Reagan administration as not amateurs, but novice amateurs.  Well if Ronald Reagan and Company were novice amateurs who the Hell are these kids?

I am not sure, but even the Washington Post Editorial Board took the President to task for the whiplash he must be causing foreign leaders when they hear one thing from his United Nations Ambassador and then hear him contradict her.

The Editorial Board remarks about his comments on both Ukraine and ISIS as well as the abosolute lack of exceptionalism shown by this administration.  This is the bad parent who continually says no instead of offering options.  Instead of speaking about America's greatness and ability to do things, the world seems to have escaped his charm.

Barak Obama keeps talking about American shortcomings.  He has encourages the fires around the world that now burn and no one is to blame for this but himself.  Finally, the media seems willing to explain to this President that unexceptional leadership...isn't leadership at all.  Unfortunately the message will not get out until the next President arrives to put out the fires this guy started.

The Quiet Outrage Over Lamborghini

The outcry is deafening.  I wish they would stop...or start in this case.

Earlier this week I posted about the tragic story of the 9 year old who shot a firearms instructor with the Uzi she was using.  I will leave the arguments for and against that topic in the previous topic, but as expected I immediately heard the calls to ban various firearms.  I have yet to hear anyone cry out for the banning of Lamborghinis after an 18
year old killed himself driving at too high a speed.  (It should be noted that while this was a joy ride, it was authorized and the car owner was in the vehicle too.)

I hope the point is obvious.  We call to ban certain things, but not others.  For instance, guns should be banned, but not Lamborghinis.  We legalize marijuana in Colorado and Oregon, but illegal drugs are dangerous too.  So what do the numbers tell us?

In the United States, firearms account for roughly 32,000 fatalities per year.  What is not indicated in this number though is 60% of these deaths are suicides.  In general I hear no call to make illegal drugs more illegal...just the opposite in fact, but overdose related deaths topped 41,000 in 2011 making drugs more dangerous than firearms...and that is only prescription drugs.  Let me take it a step further and ruin your Sunday football commercials.  You know the constant Sam Adams and Budweiser commercials?  Well, alcohol contributes to 88,000 deaths per year.

I dare you to send a letter to your local NFL team suggesting they cut back on the booze they serve.  I suspect their response will be something about a long walk down a short plank.

My point here is people are quick to jump on tragedy, but when you look at the things killing us in real life numbers no one wants to ban those items because it would deny their freedom.  However, a specific freedom mentioned in the Bill of Rights is discounted because it is politically unpopular.  It makes me a little dizzy sometimes trying to keep up, but maybe I am just dizzy from all the outrage over an 18 year old behind the wheel of a 600 HP vehicle.  For some reason it isn't quite as loud though, but perhaps it should be.

Rick Perry: Forgetful Or Felon?

I am not sure even where to go with this, but I do have to ask, how far has the Republican Party fallen that an indicted sitting Governor of Texas can run for President with any credibility.

As the video notes the mugshot was a "smirking sitting Governor of Texas."  While I get the legal strategy of smiling for the camera so you can now sell campaign t-shirts I am disappointed he takes these charges so cavalierly.

Again, as Stewart's clip notes this isn't a political hit job except that it was a Republican judge who appointed the Republican special prosecutor.  That's right.  The special prosecutor in this case is Michael McCrum was appointed Assistant US Attorney by George H.W. Bush.  In every situation related to this case I can find, Democrats have recused themselves from the case.

I am not a lawyer and to date have not played one on TV or in the movies, but this is the same Governor who couldn't even remember which agencies he wanted to eliminate in a debate a few years ago.  Rick Perry likes to talk about Texas being open for jobs, but he fails to mention the repeated implication of crony capitalism that stains his administration again and again.

This might be an interesting case to see go forward as Mr. Perry always shoos away questions about Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas.  We also get to find out if Mr. Stewart is right.  Is Rick Perry re-branding and going from "forgetful doof to felon."  In the meantime, the Republican Party needs to admit we have better options than this guy or we are all losers.

Learning

So I have a personal affinity for the music of Five for Fighting and I am not sure why I like John Ondrasik and his music more than other musicians, but what can you do? In any case, this being the first week of school I bring you The Riddle by Mr. Ondransik and Company.

For me this is a great song of reflection.  Where are we?  Where are we going?

After the first week of school I suspect all three of mine realize their place in life may or may not be as big as they thought it was. 

Giant world.

Millions of people in their immediate community.
Millions more in their state.
Billions of people on their tiny planet.
How many more planets out there amongst the billions of stars?

In between there are lots of quizzes and test...both in school and in real life.  How do you know which are important?  What is the meaning of life?

Well, according to the lyrics..."a Dylan song, the eclipse of the moon, looking into an angel's eyes."  There is also a great line about the batter swings, the summer flies" which gets me.  How many summers have my eldest and I already lost?  I shouldn't say lost because they were well spent watching baseball, playing catch, going to practice, or playing the game, but wow they go by quick.

I guess I like this song because while we all have our measures of success, he brings it back to a pretty Christian ethic of your relationship with those around you.

Love your neighbor as you love me.  Make your relationships one of support and nurturing and they will work out well.  Become conceited and use relationships only to press gains and bad things happen...you disrupt the natural for your own selfishness.

In any case, I am confident public schools today are not talking about developing and maintaining relationships so maybe we will sit down tonight and have ourselves a nice little, relaxing song tonight and see what they think. 

Go find your meaning in life and I hope you enjoy Friday Night Music as well.