Should Senator Hatch and His Primary Challenger Dan Liljenquist have Multiple Debates?

Locally, there have been a lot of discussions lately regarding whether or not the two primary candidates for one of Utah’s two Senate seats should have multiple debates prior to the primary election. The sitting Senator has agreed to one radio debate sometime the week before the election sometime between 9 AM and 12 PM. There has been a lot of energetic discussion on Facebook and in other online forums. I think much of the dialog misses the major point entirely.

I sent a short letter to the editor of Deseret News today on the subject. Not sure if it will be published so I thought I’d share it with you. But before that let me share a sampling of the online commentary so you can get a feel for the passion on both sides.:

Integrity by General Charles C. Krulak, USMC retired

General Krulak (former Commandant of the Marine Corps) was the keynote speaker at the Joint Services Conference on Professional Ethics (JSCOPE) 2000. JSCOPE is now known as the International Society for Military Ethics (ISME). They have met annually since 1979 to discuss ethics, values, leadership … .

General Krulak’s keynote address is timeless and an ever needed reminder of the importance of integrity. This characteristic is essential for those we select to serve as leaders, whether in business, government, or private organizations. It is vital that those who serve maintain their integrity or like Rome our nation, business, or group will rot from within and fall prey to those who seek its demise.

My Miracle and Hopefully Yours

I wrote the the following poem for my wife years ago and rededicate it to my wonderful companion this Mother’s Day. A better mother for our children does not exist. I hope everyone I know thinks the same about their companion.

My Miracle

As it touches the edge of the world
the sun explodes
sending thousands of glowing particles through the air
Clouds burst into flame
and then slowly fade away.

The sea flickers as if covered with golden sequins.

Men cry because beauty is gone,
yearn for days gone by,
doubt God’s existence
and seek for a miracle.

Happiness lies not in the past,
nor is it hidden in the future.

Look, and miracles blossom all around.
Listen and God speaks.
.Be thankful and blessings abound.

You are my miracle!

“Give Me Liberty!” by Ron Mann

The following short speech on freedom and liberty by my father, Ron Mann, is appropriate for today’s world, although it was written over 10 years ago.

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Patrick Henry gave his most famous speech on March 23, 1775, in Richmond, Virginia, where he argued to mobilize for military action against the British – at the time the members of the 2nd Virginia Convention were undecided on this matter. Thomas Marshall, who was present at this speech, gave utterance to the unanimous verdict of all who heard it, when he described it “as one of the most bold, vehement, and animated pieces of eloquence that had ever been delivered.” Indeed it was so powerful that it consolidated all the forces in attendance to military resistance against the Crown.

A “Positive” Observation about Christ by Norman Vincent Peale

I recently started re-reading The Power of Positive Thinking, which should be on everyone’s must read. In the foreword of the 2008 edition Pastor Robert Schuller shares a story from 1957 when he introduced its author Norman Vincent Peale, a guest speaker, to his congregation.

Dr. Schuller relates the following story:

It was time to introduce our guest. Before I knew what I was saying, I heard the following words come out of my mouth. “We have with us today the greatest positive thinker who has ever lived. His words have been heard and read by millions of people all over the world. He has changed more lives than can be counted. The greatest positive thinker who ever lived is here—with us—today!. In person! His name is … Jesus Christ! and here to tell us all about him is Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.’”

Lessons in Honor from Alexander Hamilton and Thornton W. Burgess

hon·or [on-er]: honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions.

Is it possible for people on different sides of an issue to both have honor or share integrity in their beliefs? The answer is yes! You or I may not agree with the beliefs of people who stand on the other side of an issue but their belief may nonetheless be sincere.

Alexander Hamilton offer’s a great dissertation on this principle in a single paragraph (Federalist #1):

Reflections on a Campaign

This campaign season I worked on Tim Aalders campaign to become the Republican nominee for the U.S Senate. Many of you will know that Tim did not make it through convention and finished 4th on the 1st ballot at convention with about 2% of the delegate’s votes. So was the time spent on my part worth it? If success is measured solely by the votes Tim received the answer would clearly be no. However, let me review with you some of what I experienced as a result of helping and then let me answer the question.

I got to meet and spend time with a number of truly wonderful people whom I otherwise would not have gotten to know:

Selecting a Senate Candidate – What we do we do now Ollie?

I’ve thought long and hard on the subject. But before we go there I would like to talk about the circumstances we find ourselves in today. I find it ironic that at a time when so much information is available to us that so many of us our blinded by preconceived notions, “common” knowledge, and complacency.

If we just step back and do are our own research using the documents that defined our nation; the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Federalist Papers. Then with fresh eyes look at our nation today I think we may get a shock.

With just a little time invested we find that:

100 Years Ahead of His Time – William George Jordan and “The House of Governors”

William George Jordan (1864-1928) was a noted author and editor but he was perhaps best known in the early 1900s for his contribution to national politics which began with the publication of The House of Governors in 1907. In the document is identifies a problem, the growth of the Federal government beyond its Constitutional bounds and proposes a solution to prevent further encroachment

In the latter part of 1906 and in January of 1907 President Roosevelt and his Secretary of State Elihu Root advanced the notion that the Federal government needed to be given more power to deal with issues of national concern that the states were unable to resolve.[1] It was this threat that prompted Jordan’s thought processes.

William George Jordan and Education

William George Jordan, was a strong advocate of changing the focus of education. In an article entitled “What’s the Matter with Education”, published in the March 1923 issue of The Forum, he argues that “there is not one single power, faculty, process or quality of the mind that is trained and developed by our present system of education. Our powers are not merely untrained—they are positively mistrained.” He continues “the theory of education, not as we get it from the ideals of educators but as it is evidenced in every detail of the system as it actually exists today, can be given in a single sentence: Education believes that by forcing a certain amount of knowledge, principally by means of textbooks, into the minds of children, that somehow in the divine mystery of mental processes this knowledge will not only be retained, but the mind of the individual will be exercised, trained and developed.” He advocated for a system whose “final aim … is to teach thinking, exercising the individual not in what to think, but in how to think … .”

“A Christmas Gift of Snow for Colonel Knox” by Ron Mann

My father sent this story to family members as a Christmas gift and invited us to share it with others. It is the tale of a pivotal event early in the Revolutionary War performed by a man, Colonel Knox, whose faith and indomitable spirit made this journey possible. Similar faith and determination will be needed to return our nation to the federated republic established by its founding fathers.

Note, a PDF version is available if you want to print a copy of this story.  Enjoy …

“With respect to General Knox, I can say with truth, there is no man in the United States with whom I have been in habits of greater intimacy; no one who I have loved more sincerely, nor any for whom I have had a greater friendship.”—G. Washington.

Cultivating Charity

As I contemplated the upcoming year today I reviewed a talk I gave in church on December 29, 2002. Its’ challenge was to develop a charitable attitude during the course of the next year. For me this is as important a goal for the coming year as it was then. Perhaps even more as there seems to be a never ending series of crisis where charity can make a difference; war is ever present, economic woes seem never ending; natural disasters of one form or another; the almost uncountable lives impacted in the wake of substance abuse … .   Of course one of the biggest blessings associated with true charity is the impact on the individual practicing it. You’ll find the talk below.

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Let me start by reading the lyrics from of the beautiful hymn, “Lord, I Would Follow Thee” (music and lyrics, audio).  

Savior may I learn to love thee, walk the path that thou hast shown.
Pause to help and lift another, finding strength beyond my own.

Who am I to judge another, when I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden, sorrow that the eye can’t see.

I would be my brothers’ keeper; I would learn the healer’s art.
To the wounded and the weary I would show a gentle heart.

Savior may I love my brother, as I know thou lovest me.
Find in thee my strength, my beacon, for thy servant I would be.

What a wonderful message! These words express the desire of a heart in tune with the Spirit. A message which, if internalized by a relative few, could truly change the world. I am reminded of King Benjamin’s sermon from which this song could well have been distilled:

Christmas 2011 Thoughts …

One of my favorite Christmas songs is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”. For me the lyrics capture  life’s bittersweet moments and the hope we all carry for a better tomorrow. The words were written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day 1864 and later set to music by John Baptiste Calkin.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

James Allen – Inspired Author, Gentle Soul

James Allen (1864-1912) was a gifted writer and philosopher who lived the type of life he wrote about (a complete list of his works and links to them are are the end of this post). His wife said he was “a good man who lived every word he wrote” (preface to Book of Meditations) and that “he never wrote theories, or for the sake of writing, or to add another to his many books; but he wrote when he had a message, and it became a message only when he had lived it out in his own life, and knew that it was good. Thus he wrote facts, which he had proven by practice.” (preface to Foundation Stones to Happiness and Success).

The Coloured Picture Bible for Children – Part 4 of 4

The “Coloured Picture Bible for Children” is divided into into 4 sections (I. “Creation of the World to the Death of Moses”, II. “Judges, Ruth & Kings”, III. “Hezekiah to the end of the Old Testament”, and IV. “The Holy Gospels”). The table below contains artwork from Section IV The Holy Gospels.

At the end of the post I’ve included links to download all pictures and a scanned version of the children's Bible.

“The Coloured Picture Bible for Children” Part 3 of 4

The “Coloured Picture Bible for Children” is divided into into 4 sections (I. “Creation of the World to the Death of Moses”, II. “Judges, Ruth & Kings”, III. “Hezekiah to the end of the Old Testament”, and IV. “The Holy Gospels”). The table below contains artwork from Section III Hezekiah to the end of the Old Testament.

At the end of the post I’ve included links to download all pictures and a scanned version of the children's Bible.

“The Coloured Picture Bible for Children” Part 2 of 4

The “Coloured Picture Bible for Children” is divided into into 4 sections (I. “Creation of the World to the Death of Moses”, II. “Judges, Ruth & Kings”, III. “Hezekiah to the end of the Old Testament”, and IV. “The Holy Gospels”). The table below contains artwork from Section II Judges, Ruth & Kings.

At the end of the post I’ve included links to download all the pictures and a a scanned version of the children's Bible.

“The Road to Emmaus”

In Luke 24:13-32 we read of two of Christ’s disciples who journeyed from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus on the third day following the crucifixion of Christ. As they walked and talked of all that had recently transpired a fellow traveler joined in their conversation. He asked what they were talking about and if they were sad.

They recounted to him all that had occurred. When they related that had expected Christ to redeem Israel and that although it was the third day they had not seen him, the stranger chastened them a bit for their unbelief and then clarified the scriptures for them.

As the disciples approached their destination the stranger “made as though he would have gone further.” However, they insisted that since it was late in the day that he stay with them. Later as “he took bread, and blessed it” they realized that it was Christ whom they had journeyed with.

It is interesting that although Christ joined his disciples on the road He would not have stayed with them without their invitation. This is an analogy for how He operates today. So the question for the day is what have we done to invite Him to be with us. Have we sought after His views, have we followed His advice? Have we visited the sick or fed the hungry (Matthew 25:34-40). If we’ve lost sight of Him, this is the season for renewing our commitment to follow the two great commandments “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” and “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 25:34-40). In these difficult times there are many opportunities to serve others and bring the spirit of Christmas into our lives.

"The Coloured Picture Bible for Children" Part 1 of 4

My Christmas gift this year  to you, dear readers, are scanned copies of pictures from The Coloured Picture Bible for Children [1] which was published in London in 1884. These can be used for family home evening lessons or other teaching opportunities.

I first found these online when I was looking for images to use in earlier blog posts that covered biblical topics [2]. I recently purchased my own copy of the children’s Bible. It’s a small book (6”x7”x1”) and while the illustrations are great the writing could be better.

The picture bible is divided into into 4 sections. I’ve create a blog entry for each one (“I. Creation of the World to the Death of Moses”, II. “Judges, Ruth & Kings”, III. “Hezekiah to the end of the Old Testament”, and IV. “The Holy Gospels”) where the illustrations are shown in the order they appear.

Note, At the end of the post I’ve included links to download all pictures for each section and a scanned version of the entire children's Bible.

Ron Mann's "Freedom" Reading List

Below are a list of great books, recommended by my father (Ron Mann), and me that will help you discover your American heritage and how to protect it. They are organized by category.

Some of these books can be downloaded or viewed online. I've added links to connect you to the appropriate sites. For most books I've linked the title to its entry in books.google.com which has links to where the book can be purchased and often has a description and reviews. Should you be looking for additional information on American History, The Constitution, or current events contact Ron at sweetshellygrapes@gmail.com. He has one of the most extensive libraries on George Washington around and loves to share his thoughts about the Constitution and our Founding Fathers. While working for President Reagan he helped formulate the legislation to create a The Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution and was later named Deputy Director of the Commission. In his Challenge to the readers of The 5,000 Year Leap he says: