Just As I Am

"Just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that Thou biddst me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come.  I come."

 

Oftentimes I write entries into my blog, not because I have the answers, but because I am looking for answers.  Writing helps me process my own disjointed thoughts into something more organized.  I know that in many ways I am a broken and tortured soul.  I think too much.  Why does my mind go a million miles an hour?  And sometimes (actually quite often) I find myself in situations beyond my control.  Relying on my faith becomes a mixed blessing.  I often wonder where God is at times like that.  At those moments, I do not see God as an omnipotent King, sitting on a throne so brilliant that it blinds.  At those moments, God is a man dressed in shabby clothes who gets down on the ground with me and tries to tell me everything will be ok.  I want to believe Him, but it is so hard at times like that.

 

"Just as I am, though tossed about, with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings within and fears without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come."

 

Many times all I see are my failings.  For whatever reason, I see them easily.  As I write this, I feel overwhelmed by them.  A failed business.  Yes, the business was overwhelmed by a bad economy, but good managers and good executives find a way to overcome.  A failed marriage that lasted less than a year.  Closing a failing business shortly after the marriage sure did not help anything.  And to be honest with myself I was not completely honest with her about the condition of the business, and the debt I had taken on to keep it afloat.  It seemed all I did as a business owner was rob Peter to pay Paul.  And now I feel overwhelmed by debt I will never be able to repay.  But to be such a colossal failure at marriage.  I do not blame her for leaving.  She made her share of mistakes, too.  But that does not help me now.  I have to look at my own mistakes and learn from them.  And I see my failing as a father to provide for my children.  Because of the failed business, I will be forced to sell my home.  The only home my kids have ever known.  Yes, it sucks.  And it all falls on me.  This is a situation of my own making.  It is not hard to find the conflicts and doubts within me.  I have certainly been tossed about. 

 

"Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; sight, riches, healing of the mind, yea, all I need in Thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

 

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

 

Just as I am, Thy love unknown hath broken every barrier down; now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come."

 

These last verses speak to a hope fulfilled.  I have yet to see that.  I hope I do.  As my pastor says, "For those whose hope is in Christ, the worst thing is never the last thing."  I do hope for healing.  I remember my marriage counselor, a woman named Shay Freeman, told me to heal myself.  She could see a mile away that I needed healing.  I see Ms. Freeman as the type who will get in your face and tell it like she sees it.  She will not mince words.  But she will also bring boundless love.  And she will get down on the ground with you at your lowest point so that she can look you in the eye and let you know that it will all be ok.  In my heart, I know I will be welcomed, pardoned and cleansed.  It is myself that I am torturing.  It is myself that I cannot heal.  "Thy love hath broken every barrier down."  I have built barriers around me.  I know this.  I feel embarrassed by my failures.  How do these barriers get broken down.  I know I have been shown a large amount of love.  Yet the barriers stand. 

 

Some of you may recognize the poem that I have quoted, "Just As I Am", written by Charlotte Elliot (1789-1871) in 1834.  She was raised as a devout Christian, but was also an invalid.  She had many doubts about her faith and about herself.  By historical accounts, she suffered great pain.  This song certainly helped her reconcile her doubts and conflicts.  It was not written in one sitting, but over a period of months.  In 1849, William Bradbury put music to the words and it has since become a classic hymn. 

 

I love this song.  I love its utter rawness.  This song strips away the polish, the shine.  It speaks to raw emotion, raw feeling.  It is a song for the truly tortured soul.  It is just you, your fears, your conflicts, doubts - and God.  So it is time to heal myself.  I have been blessed with the gifts needed to heal myself.  And the words to this song speak to me.  I hope they always will. 

 

In assembling my thoughts for this blog entry, I referenced John 8:1-11 in the New Testament, the story of the woman caught in adultery and brought to Jesus by the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law.  When they asked Jesus what he would do to the woman, he replied, "Let each of you who is without sin cast the first stone." (John 8:7).  All the woman's accusers dropped their stones and left.  Afterward, Jesus asked her, "Has no one condemned you?" (v. 10).  No, she said.  He finally said "Then neither do I condemn you.  Go and leave your life of sin." (v.11)  Despite my fears, doubts, conflicts, focus on my failures, God has not condemned me, according to this Scripture.  I am still raw.  I still need healing.  I need to set my stone down, the one I am poised to throw at myself. 

 

I write this for myself and for those who doubt or are torn apart by conflict, self-loathing, fear and doubt.  Right now, I do not like where my life is at.  I utterly hate having to put on a happy face and pretend all is well when it is not.  I have to hope and believe that someday, somewhere joy will be found again.  For the worst thing is never the last thing, is it?

 

Notes

Lyrics to "Just As I Am"  http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Just_as_I_Am/  Yes, I left out the second verse. 

 

Story of the adultress   http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?s=O&utm_expid=13466113-5&search=John%208:1-11&version=NIV&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biblegateway.com%2Fquicksearch%2F%3Fquicksearch%3Dlet%2Bhe%2Bwho%2Bis%2Bwithout%2Bsin%26qs_version%3DNIV

Whatever Happened To Freedom?

"Give me liberty or give me death!"  Patrick Henry, 1775

America is truly unique among the nations of the world in that the nation was founded upon an ideal, and not simply a man or group of men in quest for power.  The unique American ideal is freedom, or liberty.  Now, man has aspired to live free since time began.  But America has made that freedom very real, not just for its own citizens for a world to still looks to America for inspiration.  In less than a month, America will celebrate its 237th year of independence from Great Britain.  Politicians and leaders of all stripes will stand and give speeches extolling the virtues of freedom and laud it as the American ideal.

But, these same leaders and politicians will do something entirely different.  We are slowly losing our freedom, bit by bit.  Freedom, or liberty if you will, is now treated as a Christmas decoration.  Our national leaders haul it out once a year for the appropriate holiday, but when the day is over, it is put in a box and neatly stored away, not to be seen or heard from again until the holiday rolls around again next year.  As a child of the 1980's, I still remember President Reagan practically nauseating us all with his extensive references to freedom and liberty.  As Mandy Pitinkin said to Wallace Shawn in the movie, The Princess Bride, about the word inconceivable: "You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIP6EwqMEoE).  But he did know freedom's meaning and it was us that apparently did not know what it means.

The First Amendment
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

This amendment is becoming more and more of a distant memory everyday.  More and more we hear about our government electronically monitoring our citizens.  And it keeps getting worse.  It is not just an Obama thing.  President George W Bush did it, too.  And both Democrats and Republicans in Congress applaud our government for its electronic surveillance.  Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said that it was justified to weed out "potential terrorists".  What?  Whatever happened to Probable Cause that is required for warrants in the Fourth Amendment?  Potential terrorist is not probable cause.  This current Administration's monitoring of the press harkens back to the days of Richard Nixon.  Nixon was extremely paranoid and he thought the press was out to get him.  In all fairness, the press hated him with a passion even before Watergate.  But Nixon's "Plumber's Unit" went so far as to break into the office of Daniel Ellsberg's (author of the Pentagon Papers) psychiatrist to try to dig up dirt on the writer.  Obama's henchmen meanwhile used the IRS to target Tea Party groups to suppress free speech, and accused a Fox News reporter of being a "co-conspirator" in an espionage activity (most credible journalists stand behind the Fox News reporter, noting it was just good investigative reporting.  I agree).

What we are seeing here is an erosion of the basic First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of the press.  This goes even further.  Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said recently that he wonders what kind of constitutional protections bloggers and tweeters have.  What??  Bloggers and Tweeters have a constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of speech!  And the speech that our Founding Fathers most wanted to protect:  Political speech.  Every single one of our nation's Founding Fathers would have been hanged by the British had we lost the Revolutionary War, primarily for their outspoken criticism of the British government that led to the armed rebellion in the first place.  They had quite an appreciation for free speech and specifically stated that Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech.  Now we must wonder about that as we see the abuse of Section 215 of the Patriot Act (passed largely by the Republicans in Congress and signed into law by President Bush in 2001).

Born Free
On June 4, testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee about IRS harassment, Becky Gerritson of the Wetumpka, Alabama Tea Party said this, "I am not here as a serf or vassal. I am not begging my lords for mercy. I’m a born free American woman, wife, mother, and citizen. And I’m telling my government that you’ve forgotten your place. It’s not your responsibility to look out for my well-being and to monitor my speech. It’s not your right to assert an agenda. Your post, the post that you occupy, exists to preserve American liberty. You’ve sworn to perform that duty. And you have faltered.”  I agree with her sentiments and believe they are well stated.  The prevailing attitude in Washington is that the government is our master.  The government is our servant!  I wish they would remember that.  And I wish the government's number one duty is to protect, preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States instead of looking to pervert it any way possible.

What we are seeing with our leaders' attitude is an erosion of freedom.  We most obviously see the erosion in freedom of speech and freedom of the press.  But what about our economic freedom?  We are seeing a huge erosion here.  Of course, we see it in the tax imposed on citizens to buy healthcare.  You may argue that any prudent person would buy health insurance anyway, and this is largely true.  But the act of purchasing such a product should be voluntary, not mandatory.  And the President's next target is retirement.  Yes, the President actually proposed in his 2013 budget to start the process of cashing in everyone's retirement savings (i.e. 401 (k)'s) and issuing government checks to ensure those of retirement age a "reasonable retirement".  If you want an "extraordinary" retirement, you're out of luck.  Whatever happened to our ability to buy our own stuff in the market place?  I know that still exists, but will we soon be told what cars we can and cannot buy, or the homes we can and cannot buy?  Or even what occupation or career we will pursue?

The bigger point here is that our freedoms are being eroded.  Our right to free speech is being attacked, as are our freedom of the press and our economic freedom.  Thomas Jefferson once said, "Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny."  What we see happening before our very eyes is the devolution of freedom into tyranny.  Over the last 20-25 years, the rest of the world has sought to throw off the shackles of oppressive government and we seem to be pursuing it.  Once again, I come back to Jefferson who said, "A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circlue of our felicities."  And as President Reagan said in his first inaugural address, "If no one is capable of governing himself, who among us is capable of governing another?"  Of course, an arrogant elite in Washington is thinking more and more they know what is best for us.  Government today is overstepping its bounds and in the process is eroding our freedoms. 

Maureen Dowd, writing in the New York Times on June 8, (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/opinion/sunday/dowd-peeping-president-obama.html?_r=0) quoted from George Orwell's "1984", “How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to.” This was the scary stuff that the Soviet Union would aspire to do to control its people according to Orwell.  What is so scary today is not that this is happening in an oppressive dictatorship.  It is happening in the United States, the world's bastion of freedom!

We Need A Revolution
I am not saying we need to take up arms at this time.  The revolution we need is an attitude adjustment in Washington.  We need an attitude that says the government is the servant of the people.  When I say that, I am not referring to civil servants who carry out the laws passed by Congress.  There may be some arrogant civil servants.  But the real arrogance lies in a leadership that thinks it knows what we need better than we do.  And a government that "takes care of us" but only in a manner that feeds the ruling party's political constituents.  Both Democrats and Republicans are thoroughly broken.  We do not have leaders, we have a bunch of puppets.  Both sides are just looking to advance their own ideologies, good governance be damned.  America has always been blessed with great leaders at times of national crisis.  Today, the crisis is leadership, and our current leaders' only solution appears to be to diminish our freedoms.  Abraham Lincoln warned us, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

Notes
For more quotes on freedom and liberty from Thomas Jefferson (and he has many), go to the following:  http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_jefferson.html

For more quotes from Ronald Reagan, go the following: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/ronald_reagan.html

For more quotes from Abraham Lincoln, go to the following:  http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/abraham_lincoln.html

For more quotes from Patrick Henry, go to the following:  http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/patrick_henry.html

Thoughts On Guns - Don't Tread On Me

"When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty."

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

"Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny."

"No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms."

"The constitutions of most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people; that... it is their right and duty to be at all times armed."

Every single quote above was from Thomas Jefferson, likely from writings to friends and colleagues.  Jefferson was not necessarily an eloquent speaker, but he was a prolific writer, and many of his thoughts about all manner of life showed up in his writings.  When it came to government and arms, he was obviously very distrustful of government, a huge believer in individual liberty and a very staunch advocate of bearing arms, in part to check the power of government.

I will state up front that I do not own a gun, have never owned a gun, nor do I have any desire to own a gun.  Owning a gun for self-defense or protection will not help protect me at all.  But I have no trouble with responsible gun ownership.  Statistically, a gun that is bought and owned for protection and self defense is more likely to be used AGAINST the owner rather than to the benefit of the owner.  I know that most boys go through a "gun phase" when they are around 8-10 years old.  I did and my sons did.  That is normal.  And for those who feel compelled to own a gun, that is a great opportunity to teach proper and safe gun use to the child.  But make sure the gun rack is locked and that the child never knows where the key is kept.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D) of Connecticut expressed his views on guns and the Second Amendment in the following video:  http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/05/07/dem_sen_second_amendment_not_meant_for_citizens_to_take_up_arms_against_government.html

"It is laughable also because it is a total bastardization of the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is not an absolute right, not a God given right, always had conditions upon it like the First Amendment has. The idea that the Second Amendment was put in there in order to allow citizens to fight their government is insane.

If that was the case, we wouldn't have also included treason in the United States Constitution. We basically said if you take arms up against the government, we're going to knock your block off. And that's what the early presidents ended up doing in Shays' Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion. The Second Amendment is not designed to allow the citizenry to arm itself against the government and nullification is another example of states not really understanding the true nature of that amendment."

I could not disagree with the Senator more.  What I believe the Senator did not say directly, but clearly implied, was that citizens (at least in this country) do not have the right to take up an armed rebellion against the federal government.  I believe that the citizens of this country, or any country, should have the right AND THE ABILITY to take up an armed rebellion against their government should they feel the need.  Now, I do not believe, like Jefferson did, that a bloody revolution every 20 years or so is a good thing.  It is not.  I believe that there is one reason, and only one reason, that citizens take up armed rebellions...to curb abuse of power.  Under Senator Murphy's scenario, unchecked power by the government should not brought to heel by the citizens.  I believe it should.

The Constitution of the United States needs to be preserved.  The Constitution provides checks and balances in the government, and guarantees its citizens certain rights.  And one of those expressed rights is the right to bear arms.  All these are in place to prevent abuse of power.  There is a segment of our population that believes this Constitution is outdated and that we need a new constitution.  One that grants the federal government more power, and grants its citizens fewer rights.  To those who believe this, I will wholeheartedly disagree.  And many would willingly fight to the death to protect their rights now in place.  I do believe that for the most part, the intentions of government are good when they seek to expand their power (and by definition, restrict the freedoms of its citizens).  But we all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  Ultimately, those good intentions are usually forgotten, and abuse of power ensues.  It was abuse of power by the British government that led our own Patriots to rebel against the monarchy.  Although highly illegal at the time, the rebel colonists stockpiled arms and munitions to prepare for an inevitable armed rebellion against an abusive government.  What started out as quest to attain the "rights of Englishmen" became a fight for political independence when it became apparent that the British had no intent to grant the colonists all rights of British citizenship.  The government imposed a tyranny and created an environment in which the people feared the government.  Checks and balances need to remain in place for the protection of the citizens.

I cannot let this essay end without a few words about the NRA.  I do appreciate that they defend with passion their members' right to bear arms.  And that the NRA exists, period.  I have no doubt that the vast majority of their members are responsible gun owners.  However, what the NRA unwittingly does is arm inner city gangs to the teeth and empowers them to kill many innocent people just on a whim.  I know that killing innocent people on a whim is a moral failing, but the gun is the enabler.  The NRA does not directly arm them...the NRA is not buying guns for these people nor encouraging them directly to own guns.  But they are unwittingly encouraging their right to own guns in order to kill innocent people.  I would like to see the NRA become an advocate for responsible gun ownership and I would like to see them comment more publicly about this.  A convicted felon (especially a convicted murderer) has no business owning a gun.  Their #1 purpose in owning a gun is to kill other people.  This is especially true for gang members, where murder is sometimes part of an initiation into gang membership.  This sickens me.  The NRA also needs to step up and acknowledge that guns do not belong in schools.  Posting armed guards does not foster a true learning environment, nor will it necessarily stop the Adam Lanza's of this world.

What about Newtown, Columbine, Virginia Tech and the way too vast examples of other school shootings?  We can take this all way back to 1966, when Charles Whitman murdered 17 people and wounded 32 others from the Tower at the University of Texas in Austin.  The guns were legally purchased, and there was no reason to deny the purchase of the guns.  Adam Lanza's (the Newtown shooter) mother was a gun collector.  All were purchased legally after the proper background checks.  The purchase of the weapons used in Columbine was dubious, but still legal.  Most of the killers in these mass shootings were mentally ill.  Yet how can we deny the purchase of a gun to someone who collects gun, for example, has no prior felony convictions and is over the age of 18?  And how do you keep these guns from slipping into the hands of someone mentally ill who will shoot a roomful of first graders?  Stricter gun control laws would not have stopped Adam Lanza.  Yet what made him think that shooting a bunch of first graders was an acceptable thing to do?  Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (the Columbine shooters) were by all accounts bright kids, reasonably well adjusted, but were victims of bullying.  They somehow thought that shooting a bunch of their fellow students was an acceptable solution?  I do not get it.  I am not perfect, but I do not understand that line of thinking.  I wish these tragedies never happened.  I am not sure how you keep guns out of the hands of these people.  I am so fortunate that to this point in my life, I have not had to confront this issue.  And how would I feel if I did?  What if my sons were the ones who shot up a school?  Or were among the victims?  I feel deeply for the victims and their families.  No one should ever have to endure such a sick tragedy.

In the end, I deeply disagree with the sentiments of Senator Murphy and I agree with the sentiments of Thomas Jefferson, that the ownership of guns is vital and that the ability to use those guns in an armed rebellion should always remain an option for citizens to protect themselves against abuse of power by their government.  Of course, those who do feel that need to rise up and rebel should understand there will be one of only two outcomes.  One, they ascend to power.  Two, they die.  There will be no in between.  I do favor proper background checks to ensure that gun owners are "qualified" an minimize the chances that innocent people will die because of blatant misuse of guns.  The NRA needs to step up and be a voice for responsible gun ownership.  And take the lead in promoting a safe and responsible gun ownership environment.  They might find this will increase their membership roles and even make this country a bit safer.  And the government needs to quit fearing its citizens and instead applaud the liberty which is this country's founding principle.  Restricting citizens' rights will not make us a stronger nation, and it certainly will not advance the cause of freedom.  In the end, the Senator is wrong on this one.

Making The Team

Last evening, my son Brent found out he had made the golf team at Shawnee Mission East.  SM East is surrounded by the best country clubs in Kansas City and has the most highly competitive golf program in the area.  For Brent to make this team without a country club membership is an amazing feat and I am proud of him for making the team.  I am also equally as proud of my son Jeff, who made the SM East freshman basketball team after a competitive tryout.  And it takes me back to my own childhood.

I tried out for the basketball team at Indian Creek Junior High School in my 8th and 9th grade years.  I tried out for the baseball team at Shawnee Mission South during my sophomore and junior years.  I was cut on the last day of tryouts all 4 times.  I will go to my grave knowing, with 100% conviction, that I was good enough to play on all 4 teams.  It hurt like hell to get cut.  Yet, Coach McKenzie at Indian Creek and Coach McDonald at SM South, both with limited slots, did what they had to do and filled those slots with players they felt best fit their needs.  I harbor no bitter feelings or ill will towards either Coach McKenzie or Coach McDonald.  But I say all this to make a point.

Brent was cut from the golf team after trying out as a freshman and as a sophomore.  But he persisted and persevered.  And I am happy for him that he experienced the joy of triumph after experiencing the agony of being cut.  He poured himself into making himself a better golfer, always determined to make himself a better golfer.  He failed, and he used that failure to make himself better.  It is a lesson that will serve him well.

And I always believed in him.  But, did I always tell him that?  I do not know.  I know that I am such a realist, and not much of an idealist.  Sometimes you have to throw off that coat of "the way things are" and put on the coat that says "this is how it could be."  As fathers, the greatest gift we can give our sons is letting them know we believe in them.  Always.  Our sons will fail many times.  You still believe in them anyway.  They need to know that it is not the end of the world. The need to know that we believe in them.  We need to tell them they will make it, they will succeed.  As fathers, we need to let them know that.  There will be many obstacles on the road to success.  Someone will be there to try and block the shot, to tackle you or to make birdie when you have made par.  Do not tear him down by telling him he is too slow, too short, not quick enough, does not jump high enough.  You have to believe in them, even if they do not believe in themselves in that moment. 

Fathers, never stop believing in your sons.  Especially during their moments of failure.  They will fail many times.  But, if you do not stop believing in them, then they will reward you someday in ways you cannot imagine.  And they will love you for that. 

Big 12 Has A Big Officiating Problem

The Big 12 has a serious officiating problem.  Commissioner Bob Bowlsby needs to get on it right away.  Two situations jump off the page to me:

The Kansas-Iowa State game in Ames.  Elijah Johnson obviously charges into an Iowa State player in the waning seconds of regulation.  Nothing is called.  ESPN broadcaster Fran Frischilla correctly notes that something has to be called there.  Replays clearly showed that Johnson charged and nothing was called.  In the ensuing scrum to get the loose ball, KU's Johnson comes up with it and passes to Naadir Tharpe on the perimeter.  His actions were unhindered.  Yet Iowa State was called for a foul, Johnson goes to the line and hits two free throws to send the game into overtime.  There were at least two egregious officiating errors on one play.

In the Big 12 tournament, KU was whistled for just 9 fouls in the championship games versus Kansas State.  Nine fouls?  For the whole game?  Are you kidding me?  For a half, 9 fouls is plausible.  For a game, it is not.  For their part, Kansas State was only whistled for 15 fouls themselves.  Remember that Coach Self is a coach that prides himself on tough, physical teams.  When he called his team "soft" earlier this year, he was not complimenting them.  Tough, physical teams are going to commit more than 9 fouls a game, especially against their arch rival.  Kansas State is also a very physical team.  And only 24 fouls called?  Contrast that with the Baylor-Oklahoma State, a game that did match two of the least physical, and softest teams in the Big 12.  There were a total of 44 fouls whistled in that game, 23 on Baylor, 21 on Oklahoma State.  Including the one with 3 seconds left that never actually happened!  I am sure there are more instances of egregious officiating in the league this year.

The referees are having too much of an impact on the outcome of games in this league.  This is simply inexcusable.  Another 20,000 or so of these kinds of breaks and Bill Self will seriously start challenging Norm Stewart for most breaks ever from the officials!

Commissioner Bowlsby has a problem that needs to be addressed.  Let's hope he takes care of this problem during the off season.

In Honor of President's Day

In honor of President's Day coming up Monday, why not impart a little Presidential trivia?  I am sure many of you already know these tidbits, but it is always fun to re-visit them.  Like my old history professor at Baylor, Dr. Paul Armistead would say, "You can put that in your storehouse of useless information."  I always liked that saying.  Good, bad or otherwise, those tended to be what you remembered most about his class.  Anyway, I digress.  Back to Presidential trivia:

President who served the longest term:  Franklin Roosevelt
President who served the shortest term:  William Harrison (32 days)

The tallest Presidents:  George H W Bush and Abraham Lincoln were both 6'4" tall
The shortest President:  James Madison, who stood 5'4" tall.  It is also reported that he weighed less than 100 lbs.

Most popular Presidential name:  James.  We have had six presidents named James:  James Madison, James Monroe, James Polk, James Buchanan, James Garfield, and of course James Earl ("Jimmy") Carter.  Fortunately, we have had only one President with the names Rutherford, Chester, and Millard.

We have had 4 Presidents named John, and 3 were from Massachusetts:  John Adams, John Quincy Adams and John Kennedy.  The only other was John Tyler from Virginia

We have had two father & son Presidential combinations:  John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams and George HW Bush and his son George W Bush, Jr.  The only other family connection was William Harrison and his grandson Benjamin Harrison who both served as President.

Four Presidents have been assassinated:  Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John Kennedy.

Six Presidents survived assassination attempts:  Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan

Our youngest President:  Theodore Roosevelt, who became President at 42 when President McKinley was assassinated.

Our Youngest Elected President:  John Kennedy was just 43 when he was elected President

Presidents with the longest lives:  Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford were both 93 when they passed away.

President with the shortest life:  President Kennedy was just 46 when he was assassinated.

President who was never elected either President or Vice President:  Gerald Ford  Mr. Ford became President when Richard Nixon resigned the office.  Ford, who was his VP was never elected on the ticket but was appointed by Nixon when his VP, Spiro Agnew, was forced out of office due to a tax scandal.

Grover Cleveland was the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms.

Interestingly, Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander was born during President Grover Cleveland's first term.  In 1952, Grover Cleveland Alexander would be portrayed in the movie The Winning Team by future President, Ronald Reagan.  Doris Day starred opposite Reagan as the pitcher's wife.

Presidential Top Ten List - The 10 Best Presidents in Our History
1 (tie)  George Washington
1 (tie)  Abraham Lincoln
3  Thomas Jefferson
4  Franklin Roosevelt
5  Harry Truman
6  Ronald Reagan
7  Theodore Roosevelt
8*
9*
10*
* - help me fill in the blanks.  They could come from the following list:

Most Underrated Presidents:
1.  James Polk
2.  Calvin Coolidge
3.  Bill Clinton

Most Overrated Presidents:
1.  Andrew Jackson
2.  Woodrow Wilson

Most Incomplete Presidents:
1.  John Kennedy.  Just long enough to glimpse that he might have been great.  We shall never know.
2.  Gerald Ford.  His pardon of Nixon was scorched at the time, much appreciated later.  No other lasting legacy.

I hope you've enjoyed some of this trivia.  If you have anymore trivia that you can pull from your storehouse of useless information, then do so and share with us!

The Architect of America

If you enjoy American history, as I do, and particularly enjoy the stories of the men and women who made that history, then I would recommend Jon Meacham's new book, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power.  The book covers a lot of material in 496 pages of the hardback edition.  The author does not get the story bogged down anywhere, and covers all the major points of Jefferson's life from the Declaration of Independence to his Presidency.  Many thanks to my wife who gave me this book as a Christmas gift.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this book.

What I most enjoyed about the book is the author's portrayal of the human Jefferson.  Yes, we know he was a man who pursued knowledge in all its forms, was a statesman and a leader of both the Revolution and the country.  But I most enjoyed the author's portrayal of Jefferson the man.  We see a man who was passionate about many things including music, science, politics, women, wine, the country, and his family.  We are introduced to a Jefferson who was born into one of Virginia's wealthiest and prominent families.  He admired his father and loved his mother.  Jefferson was a man at ease in many different circumstances, and people found him very likable.  We also see a Jefferson who was full of anguish as he wrote the Declaration of Independence, since his wife was unable to be with him, and she was already ill (she died in 1782).  This in addition to knowing that the Declaration would be considered a treasonous document in Britain and he was therefore writing his own death sentence. 

We also see into Jefferson's political mind with this book.  Jefferson always believed that hereditary rule (i.e. monarchy) was inherently evil.  He believed in a republican form of government, one which was ruled with reason by people who merited the office through achievement, knowledge and election.  Although history records that Jefferson had a long running feud with John Adams, we do not see that in this book.  What we do see is that his biggest political rival was Alexander Hamilton.  Hamilton favored a strong banking system, accompanied by the issuance of paper money, both of which were vehemently opposed by Jefferson.  Hamilton also favored strengthening diplomatic ties with Britain at the expense of France.  Jefferson seemed to carry a lifelong loathing of the British monarchy, and preferred ties with France.  This view became more unfeasible as the French Revolution became more violent, and President Washington sided with Hamilton in this argument.

Jefferson's ascension to the Presidency in 1800 was after perhaps the most contentious election in history, one that makes our own 2000 election look like a quiet afternoon tea.  Jefferson eventually won the election on the 36th ballot of the electors.  His political opponents of the day, the Federalists, were deeply distrustful of Jefferson and there was talk of secession among the northeast states (Federalist stronghold), with a hopeful return of the British monarchy.  However, Jefferson was politically popular among the people and his political allies continued to gain power throughout his Presidency.  There was always a delicate balance to be played in foreign affairs since the British and French seemed to be in a constant state of war with each other.  Domestically, the country prospered in general.

Jefferson was often a man who philosophically believed in a limited federal governmnet, but in reality used his power to suit his purposes.  The author shows a man who questioned whether or not we needed a constitutional amendment to sign the Louisiana Purchase.  When the French started expressing second thoughts about the deal, Jefferson no longer worried about the theoretical and pushed quick passage of the deal before the French could change their minds.  He also generally believed that government should stay out of the affairs of commerce, but intervened with an embargo in 1808, an event which went a long way towards the War of 1812 with Great Britain.

While many people saw Jefferson as a dreamer, he was also very practical.  He kept exquisite details on the business at Monticello, the home he loved.  He knew all the business going on at his home.  Of course, those of you who have visited that home know of his passion for architecture and for gardening.  He enjoyed the finest of things, and his enormous library of books.  He longed to spend many days at Monticello.  Time and again, he believed himself retired to Monticello, only to be called back into service, whether as Governor of Virginia, envoy to France or his work in the first three adminstrations of the United States.

I believe the author paints a thorough picture of Jefferson the man.  I enjoyed seeing the human side of him.  We are shown a man who loved his family and took great delight in his grandchildren.  A man who grieved deeply when his wife and children died.  He had 6 children with his wife and outlived 5 of the 6.  We also see the fallible Jefferson, one was seen as weak and a coward when he fled British forces who were authorized to arrest Jefferson in 1781, and the one who carried on a 40 year love affair with the slave Sally Hemmings which produced at least 4 children.  The author shows us a man who believed in limited authority, but was quick to use expanded and questionable power when it suited his purposes.

Finally, Mr. Meacham used a term describing Jefferson that I had not seen before:  "The Architect of America."  He was indeed the architect, as he laid out basic freedoms of individual liberty and freedom.  We are shown a Jefferson who had his flaws, was human, but also did many incredible things and advanced the cause of freedom and individual liberty that we still enjoy today in this still unique thing called America.