Not My GOP

Notes of Concern…

   …Jack Blair

NOT MY GOP

 I have been active in politics for decades. I set on the executive committee of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. I managed the Congressional campaign of a Democrat. I was liaison with General Eisenhower when Governor William Scranton sought the presidency in 1964. I attended presidential nominating conventions. A son of a Democrat U.S.Senator was in my wedding party. Although I opposed the nomination of Senator Barry Goldwater I ended up traveling on his whistle stop campaign after he won the nomination.

All that I learned through those experiences seems inadequate today. The traditional rules no longer apply.

The wise old men of the Democratic and Republican parties used to be able to structure the national ticket. Those days are over.

Everyone complains that the GOP is in the hands of the Tea Party people or the extreme conservatives. Yet, that ignores that the nomination of John McCain and Mitt Romney completely negates that thought. When the GOP nominates moderates or liberals they lose. Both Romney and McCain had more experience and practice in politics than the man who beat them, twice, Barack Obama

Lets look back on that. How did Obama win? He convinced people he would change a political system that the people no longer trusted. In my view, he largely failed in producing that result.

So now the GOP has front runners, Trump and Carson, who also are outside the usual network. This is no surprise. The Dems tried it twice and it worked. Why would the GOP nominate a traditional candidate after being beaten by a Democrat who was not at all a traditional candidate.

Here is what we know: the American people are tired of politics as usual. They are looking for new leaders. If the GOP brokers the convention to give the nomination to a traditional candidate they will certainly lose the election. They may lose it anyway but the loss would be ensured by the nomination of a traditional candidate.

The American people who now vote lived during a time when we were the leader of the free world. We were not frightened of other nations or philosophies.

In the last 16 years we have seen our country vilified. We have seen our leadership in the world reduced. As I have said in so many columns, our allies do not trust us and our enemies do not fear us.

America needs a new kind of leader. If we do not identify that person soon, our decline will continue.

We Get What We Deserve

Notes of Concern…

   …Jack Blair

We Get What We Deserve

United States Senators

Everett Dirksen Barry Goldwater

Gayle McGee Hugh Scott

George Mitchell Mike Mansfield

Patrick Leahy Evan Bayh

Jacob Javits Ted Kennedy

Margaret Chase Smith John Danforth

I was fortunate to grow up when there were some outstanding men and women serving in Congress. As I prepared to write this week’s column I jotted down some names, men and women I have met who worked well with both sides of the aisle hammering out good legislation for Americans. This is not to meant to be an exhaustive list and I know my readers might choose to add or subtract from my list.

Of course my list could be considerably longer, especially if I included members of the House of Representatives like John Rhodes and Barbara Jordan, Shirley Chisholm and so many others who worked hard and long in the trenches to learn to be better at their jobs.

Interestingly, these people paid attention, paid their dues, served multiple terms and worked their way up the ladder, just like in any good business, before they were given leadership roles.

We live in different times now. Some of the best people on my list chose to leave Congress because of what it was becoming. They were good people who took notice of the different type of candidate that was being elected.

We live in an age when one term Senators want to be President of the United States. In our time we neither value time in grade, considerable experience or even measurable legislative results.

No one becomes CEO of a major company after completing the one year training program. No consultant or trainer would ever suggest the route to the top in the corporate world is what we accept as good enough in the political world.

I am not addressing candidates who  are Governors of States because history has shown that preparation to be more all inclusive and helpful when one ascends to the presidency. I am sure their are examples but that is not the purpose of this column.

The Governors currently interested in being president are getting zero attention in the press and falling far short in the polls.

The 8x10 glossy Senators, the candidates with the best one liners, the folks who make the debates look like a reality show are getting the attention.

I know most people think this will all shake out in the end with the most qualified candidates being nominated and running a credible race.

You guys can write to me or email me because I have a bridge in Brooklyn  I am looking to sell you and it is a great deal!

The greatest people available in the Senate, the House and the Governorships are not running. Which means we will get a fairly mediocre president and continue the slide that began some years ago.

You will be reading this on Christmas and I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday and a prosperous new year.

HELP MEET

Notes of Concern…

   …Jack Blair

“HELP MEET”

“One of the most frequently misunderstood terms in the Bible is the term "helpmeet" in the book of Genesis. Genesis 2:18 says, "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an helpmeet for him."

“The common way in which the term "helpmeet" is interpreted is to mean that Eve, unlike the other beasts of the earth, was "appropriate for" or "worthy"  of Adam and was to be his helper or companion on the earth. While there are some really good things about this interpretation, it doesn't do full justice to what the term "helpmeet" really means. The term, in its original Hebrew, means something much more profound and powerful than just a "helper," and when we understand what God was saying to Adam, we come to see Eve's role and the role of women on this earth in a much different light.

“Women are "saviors" to men by the fact that they give them life and nurture them towards the light of Christ. By conceiving, creating, and bearing mortal bodies, women make it possible for God's children to start on their mortal journey and have the opportunity to become perfected. Without women, there would be no gateway into this world and no opportunity for progress or exaltation.”

These quotes are taken from a source titled Women in the Scripture.

I wanted to write about “helpmeets” but to do so with the understanding that people have many different forms of religious beliefs, if they have religious beliefs at all. The purpose of this column is to highlight the importance of having a “helpmeet,” and I realize in the larger sense, having such a person in one’s life does not require a religious connotation. If in discussing this subject I can encourage my readers to look beside them, identify their “helpmeets” in life, and perhaps take a moment to acknowledge the importance of that person.

As my readers know, I am not a person who writes columns on religion. But I am a person who likes to acknowledge great contributions by Americans, especially when they pass from this life. And there are “help meets” in every walk of life. Obviously the biblical reference is not suggesting an inequality between a man and wife but rather referring to the major roles both can play. The man needs the support of the woman, so he can meet his goals and objectives and responsibilities. I see this as implying it would be difficult for him to accomplish this without the woman. Conversely, the woman depends on the man to fulfill his role and free her up to meet her own goals. 

Teamwork.

Hand in hand.

In this column I am choosing to acknowledge the death two weeks ago of a “helpmeet” who I think is a good standard for the title: Vonette Bright. Her name may mean very little to most of my readers because her husband, Dr. Bill Bright, was more in the spotlight. 

Bill died a number of years ago. But throughout their marriage Vonette was the “helpmeet” I think the Bible anticipated.

This husband and wife team dreamed of and formed what became known as Campus Crusade for Christ. The seed of their idea grew and grew, and now hundreds of thousands of people, almost all volunteers, are working throughout the world to meet the goals of this organization.

After Bill’s death, the name was changed to CRU. Some felt “Crusade” implied something militaristic. So in the US that organization, based in Orlando, FL, is now know as CRU if you wish to Google it and learn more.  

I met Bill Bright decades ago when a friend, Charles Stetson, took me to Orlando for an meeting Dr. Bright. We had a wonderful meeting in Dr. Bright’s modest office in an absolutely beautiful campus setting. I was impressed with him and with everyone on his staff. 

We invited him to speak at an event we were planning in New England, and he accepted.

Years later I went back as he had invited me to lunch. I was surprised that the lunch was just the two of us and was in his home. His health had deteriorated, and he needed to carry around a tank of oxygen. Movement was difficult for him. 

Having said that, he was as enthusiastic as when we first met, and we had a very personal discussion about faith. I was particularly pleased to learn he had studied and written about the faith of the Founding Fathers, and he presented me with a signed copy of that book and some others he had written.

Vonette was busy around the house, but it was clear she was writing another book of her own, traveling and speaking, and supporting Bill in all the activities of Campus Crusade.

The White House has a number of Christmas parties each year for important contributors to the health of the nation, and Bill and Vonette always were invited and loved to go. The year we met he felt he would  have to miss the event because of the difficulties flying commercially would cause with his health problems. 

While I was there, he learned that someone had offered a private jet to take Bill and Vonette to be with the President, and The White House had arranged a scooter for him to use while there. Afterward Bill loved to talk about riding up and down those sacred halls in his scooter. 

As Bill’s health continued to deteriorate, Vonette became more and more involved in working with those who ran Campus Crusade, while still caring for her husband and helping him with his writing. At the same time, her own commitments were growing.

One day the dreaded news came that Bill was now confined to his bed and did not have much time left to live.  My wife and I were invited to come to say goodbye.

When we entered the house, we had to take off our shoes and wear face masks as we were led into the bedroom. Bill had a face mask and tubes inserted in parts of his body but was propped up with pillows and welcomed us without mentioning the heath problems, complimented my wife, and we had fifteen minutes of good interchange. He was as excited and enthusiastic as ever. He had to parcel out his final hours and tired easily, so those who were visiting him had to keep the conversation short.

Now throughout all these visits and talks, I knew Vonette was on top of everything. I learned from Bill how they met and how this idea took place when they were in college. He always saw it as an equal partnership. Clearly, Vonette saw it biblically-she was his helpmeet. And Bill saw no definition of “helpmeet” that in any way contemplated one of the team as more important than the other.

So this column is dedicated to Vonette Bright with appreciation for the great woman she was, the fantastic writer and speaker she became, the organization to which she and her husband gave birth, and to her understanding and acceptance of the role of “help meet.” 

A “help meet” might well not be a spouse. All of us have someone who probably occupies this role. 

I am blessed to have had a “help meet” for 47 years who has fulfilled the role as defined in our religion. For this I am grateful. 

I urge my readers to think of this concept, not necessarily in a religious sense, but rather to discover and acknowledge your partners in life.

RACISTS

NOTES OF CONCERN…

   Jack Blair

                            RACISTS?

We are pretty proud of George Washington, and we honor him.

We are very proud of Thomas Jefferson and celebrate him as wordsmith of our most import national documents.

And history tells us James Madison joins with the founding fathers as deserving of our respect.

James Monroe, too, joins this list of honored presidents.

And who could forget Andrew Jackson? The first “people’s president.” The hero of New Orleans.

James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor, perhaps lesser known but honored and respected throughout history.

I am going to arbitrarily stop listing famous, honorable, and admired previous presidents.

George Washington found 18 slaves at Mount Vernon when he moved in. When he married, he gained 200 more. By 1786 he owned 216 slaves.

Was he a racist? Do we find him less honorable? Does that big monument to him that reaches to the stars need to come down because it offends?

Thomas Jefferson’s wife brought 100 slaves to their marriage. And he purchased many more during his lifetime, becoming at one point the largest slaveholder in Virginia. 

Shall we demolish the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC? That beautiful round domed granite building that everyone goes to visit.

James Madison owned slaves all of his life. Even when he sold his farms, he did not free or sell his slaves.

James Monroe owned 30-40  slaves. A small player compared to those presidents who came before.

President Andrew Jackson bought his first slave in 1788. By 1794 he had at least 16 slaves. He did not free his slaves in his will. Remember, he was the “peoples’ president.”

Zachary Taylor owned 100 slaves. He never sold or freed any of them. *

(all this information comes from research and publications of Rob Lopresti.)

Twelve of our presidents owned slaves, and eight of them owned slaves while serving as President of the United States.

I wanted to share this information, not to in any way degrade the individual men or their service to the nation, but to demonstrate that different norms, mores, and traditions have existed throughout our history. I do so also because I am not only not a racist personally but have spent many years of my adulthood supporting causes designed to provide opportunity and advancement to blacks in our country and in South Africa.

As time moved on and people became more enlightened or simply found the needs of farming and manufacturing, the inventions that helped with daily tasks  enabled them to think differently about the issue of owning slaves.

I see the current brouhaha over whether the Confederate Battle Flag was used to declare a racist South or whether it was a symbol to mothers and fathers of fallen children who fought for a way of life that existed then. Time brings all things into perspective through humanities way of “moving on” and trying each day to make life better.

There has been a great deal of silliness around this issue recently, calls for not only the removal of the Confederate Battle flag from where it flies but also calls to do away with the United States Flag because of failures over history in our country over many issues. 

Recently someone wanted to cut out reruns of the TV show The Dukes of Hazard because the car in the show was painted with a Confederate Flag. Really?

So should we burn all copies of Gone with the Wind and any other movie that in any way glorifies the history of that time? Should we go to Washington and demolish every monument to a president who owned slaves?  

While we are at it, should we protest outside the homes of people who love that Confederate Battle  flag for all the right reasons? If we did that, would we be much different than the Ku Klux Klan burning crosses on lawns of people who disagree?

We live in a time when most of us believe every human being is created equal. There is a minority who disagree but, thankfully, they are a minority.

On occasion, I think the majority really are not in charge of how we live and operate our country. The majority is pushed around on all sorts of issues.

Any student of history will accept that people have held wrong ideas and done wrong things throughout time. But history moves on. People change. Wrongs are righted. We learn and we discover. We should be hopeful.

But over time America occasionally operates like the old television Gong Show, and I get a little less optimistic. At the moment, we are in the midst of one of those times.