Mount Virtus

During this past week, I renewed my determination to make a conscious effort this yuletide season to keep Christ & Christmas as prominent as possible. I don’t want to get caught in the trap of the bland, insipid, politically correct “Happy Holidays” & “Seasons Greetings”. Won’t you of like faith join me in the simple task of wishing store clerks, wait staff, and other strangers you meet a clear, kind, and bold “Merry Christmas”?

Along these lines, I spotted a couple stories this morning that I wanted to share. Apparently, government agencies are starting to get it better than many of the corporate retailers who profit so handsomely this time of year? Three cheers to the Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - for whom there has been little to applaud lately (except, of course, the shrewd move to bring up the resolution on immediate withdrawal from Iraq) - who has insisted that the lighted tree on the Capitol Lawn once again be called the Capitol Christmas Tree. Meanwhile, a conservative activist group is stepping up its efforts to condemn weak-kneed retailers like Target, Office Max, Kroger, Sears, and Lowe’s for stripping the word “Christmas” from their sales & other store promotions.

If we want to restore Christ to the place of preeminence in Christmas, and Christmas to its rightful place as an important holiday, the effort begins at home. Let’s all do our part!

Update: Some excellent thoughts on Christmas from a couple friends of mine in the Rocky Mountain Alliance that I somehow missed earlier - Jared meditates on Advent, & the impending celebration of Christ’s earthly Incarnation evoke thoughts from Guy on Christ’s imminent return.

President Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation (October 20, 1864):

It has pleased Almighty God to prolong our national life another year, defending us with his guardian care against unfriendly designs from abroad, and vouchsafing to us in His mercy many and signal victories over the enemy, who is of our own household. It has also pleased our Heavenly Father to favor as well our citizens in their homes as our soldiers in their campus, and our sailors on the rivers and seas, with unusual health. He has largely augmented our free population by emancipation and by immigration, while he has opened to us new sources of wealth, and has crowned the labor of our workingmen in every department of industry with abundant rewards. Moreover, he has been pleased to animate and inspire our minds and hearts with fortitude, courage, and resolution sufficient for the great trial of civil war into which we have been brought by our adherence as a nation to the cause of freedom and humanity, and to afford to us reasonable hopes of an ultimate and happy deliverance from all our dangers and afflictions.

Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may be then, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe. And I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid, that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust, and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the great Disposer of events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land which it has pleased him to assign as a dwelling-place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations.

In testimony where of, I have here unto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-ninth.

There lives in those words a lot of relevance to our nation’s circumstances today. Of even more enduring relevance, the opening of the 107th Psalm, from the New American Standard Bible:

1Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3And gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
4They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region;
They did not find a way to an inhabited city.
5They were hungry and thirsty;
Their soul fainted within them.
6Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.
7He led them also by a straight way,
To go to an inhabited city.
8Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
9For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,
And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

May you see afresh the LORD’s lovingkindess in your life. May the LORD bless you with a grateful heart during this Thanksgiving holiday, a grateful heart that lives on throughout the year. Peace and blessings to you and yours - and save some turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing leftovers for me!

Courtesy of the Education Intelligence Agency, revelations about an enclave of Communists gathering for regular lunch meetings inside the headquarters of the nation’s largest teachers union. That National Education Association (NEA) cafeteria sure caters to a diverse crowd. With the introduction of its new “Proletariat Lunch Program,” NEA may be looking to expand its aggressive lobbying efforts. Or maybe union officials are just endearing themselves to the ideological confreres of their most diehard activists.

Check out this week’s Communique for background, relevant links, and some “biting” satire in the form of the “Cafeteria Manifesto.” If nothing else, maybe it will whet your appetite for this week’s Thanksgiving feast.

Paul Coughlin, No More Christian Nice Guy: When Being Nice - Instead of Good - Hurts Men, Women, and Children, (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 2005). 224 pages. Foreword by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

When I was not too much younger, I made the same half-hearted New Year’s resolution for several years running: “No more Mister Nice Guy.” Certain friends balked at the expression, not sure they wanted to see one of my few favorable qualities evaporate. They always got their wish, as the resolution typically died about January 3. I have to say I didn’t know quite what I was looking for until I forged my way through a new book recently.

Packed with potent medicine for the timid male of faith, Paul Coughlin’s No More Christian Nice Guy is a refreshing read. Certain passages will taste a little bitter going down, but there are some good reasons to follow his prescription.

At the core of Coughlin’s book rests the argument that contemporary American church culture has pushed the pendulum too far from a proper balance and mutual appreciation of gender roles. Whereas women were once belittled and underappreciated for some of their feminine virtues, today men’s natural masculine energy has been confined and subdued in suffocating boundaries of politeness and formality.

Some men go along to get along. Many others lose interest and drift away from the church community and a more vital Christian life. Few are willing to take a stand.

But that’s where Coughlin steps in, urging his brothers in Christ to confront sin more aggressively and to take a stand for the rights of their families, while not laying themselves down as a well-used doormat. The author admonishes single men to be more assertive in the courting or dating process and married men to be more assertive in their sacred sexual relationships. He tells all men to stand up for themselves on the job.

In short, Coughlin seeks to encourage the development of more Christian Good Guys and fewer Christian Nice Guys.

Read the rest of this entry »

On this day before the ultimate rivalry in sports, many thanks to Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News for for his sociological analysis of Buckeye fans. All true sons of Michigan could read such passages as the following with a mixture of pride, delight, and amusement:

I’m here to study the Buckeyes, not denigrate them. Remember, this whole Michigan-Ohio battle started way back in 1835 when the states actually fought over Toledo, true story. Ohio won but took Toledo anyhow. In exchange, Michigan got the Upper Peninsula, Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard and four free passes to Cedar Point.

It’s really not surprising that so many Ohio youngsters, such as Heisman Trophy winners Woodson and Howard, dream of coming to Michigan. This year’s Michigan roster lists 11 kids who escaped Ohio, while Ohio State has one from Michigan. We won’t mention his name in case his family doesn’t know.

To be fair, when the Buckeyes got sick of losing, they did turn to quarterback Craig Krenzel, from Michigan’s Utica Ford High, to lead them to that completely untainted national title. See, we can help each other, once we understand each other. That’s why I’m here, to educate.

For instance, in case Ohioans didn’t know, these are the three biggest industries in Michigan:

• Making automobiles.

• Pretending to fix the roads.

• Repossessing automobiles.

In case Michiganians didn’t know, these are the three biggest industries in Ohio:

• Giving out speeding tickets to Michigan drivers.

• Recycling tobacco tins.

• Fixin’ their trucks.

There. Doesn’t it feel like we’re getting along better already?

I hope that all my friends who hail from “south of the [Toledo-Monroe] border” - including a certain nationally-syndicated talk show host of certain misguided athletic allegiances - can see it that way, too, and really begin to prepare themselves for a heavy dose of Big Blue and “Hail to the Victors” tomorrow.

There’s a winning political issue waiting out there for Colorado’s 2006 elections. Supporters of First Class Education have released the results of a nationwide survey by Harris Interactive, Inc., showing broad and deep support for their proposal to increase the percentage of K-12 education dollars spent in the classroom. The “65 percent solution” is headed for the ballot in Colorado in 2006. Candidates running for office might consider the following poll results:

Support cut evenly in a few interesting demographics:

Significant support was found among the following groups:

74% of those polled & 75% of registered voters “would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports requirements to spend 65% of public education dollars in the classroom.” 37% would be much more likely to vote for such a candidate. 18% would be less likely, including 6% much less likely. You can bet that those running for office will stand up and take notice.

The release of this polling data should steal some headlines during American Education Week, which will tie some stomachs in knots at the National Education Association headquarters. The nation’s largest teachers union is opposed to the 65 percent plan.

Editor’s note: My apologies that the press release is not available to post.

Rohirrim

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Hat tip to Hugh

Hugh Hewitt, self-ascribed “Warden of the Collegiate Peaks,” is on the campus of my alma mater today to take part in a Center for Constructive Alternatives (CCA) Seminar on the “News Media Today.” Hugh is scheduled to speak tomorrow evening on “The Political Significance of the Blogosphere.” Other speakers include Brent Bozell, Nat Hentoff, P.J. O’Rourke, David Brooks, Joseph Epstein, and Bill Sammon. Were I a student at the Hills & Dales today, this would probably be a CCA in which I would enroll. Maybe this book will be required reading for the course.

Two Hillsdale posts in a row… phew! They will have to suffice for now, as a book review and important political announcement both loom on the horizon.

As a graduate of Hillsdale College, the one-time co-host of a weekly sports talk show on farm radio WCSR, and former sports editor of the Hillsdale Daily News, I was highly amused to read this story in today’s Detroit News:

Michael Sessions’ political career had an inauspicious start: When he ran for student council this year, he lost.

Now he’s about to be mayor.

Sessions, an 18-year-old high school student, won a long-shot write-in campaign this week to oust Hillsdale’s 51-year-old mayor.

“I just thought I’d give it a shot,” Sessions said with a smile. “I hoped I’d win. But I didn’t really know what would happen.”

Driving into the tiny Southern Michigan county seat from almost any direction, you’ll encounter a sign that profoundly reads: “Welcome to Hillsdale - It’s the People.” Reading the news story will give you a glimpse of what kind of people inhabit Hillsdale. The apathetic outgoing mayor, the young write-in candidate, the three-man firefighters’ union… you’d think you were reading the plot line to an episode of a Bob Newhart spin-off series. The impression you get isn’t too far from reality.

But then you have to read the story for yourself, capped off by my former economics professor Gary Wolfram - most noted for his quiz story problems on dating & opportunity costs, as well as his frequent use of the borrowed Seinfeld quip, “not that there’s anything wrong with that” - adding a colorful quote:

Sessions said he wants to attend Hillsdale College next year to study political science; he hasn’t applied. It could leave college officials in an interesting situation. “If the president of the college wants to get a street re-paved,” Wolfram mused, “he’ll have to call a freshman.”

Read and enjoy, and then check out this update to the story.

As you can see, the site has undergone some cosmetic change. It is a work in progress, with a new theme and revised template soon to come. Thanks for your patience, and as always, keep reading the work of the Rocky Mountain Alliance of Blogs. The site should look very different again soon.

For any political junkies out there, especially those out there following developments and emerging opinions in Colorado for 2006, please visit and bookmark the new Holtzman v Beauprez site, a collaborative project of the Rocky Mountain Alliance. Its focus will be on issues directly and indirectly related to the 2006 Colorado gubernatorial campaign. Joshua has kicked things off well - look for more posts from myself and others in coming days.

Who knew our meeting with Marc Holtzman would create such a stir among political insiders? First, the honest observations of Mike, Joshua, and myself get quoted in the latest release from the Holtzman campaign. Then the Dead Governors feature us as the leading topic of weekend chatter.

(I haven’t always seen eye to eye with the anonymous, center-left proprietors of ColoradoPols, but I am grateful to them for providing a link to my site.)

As for my comments? They’re all real, folks. Take them for what they’re worth. No detriment to Congressman Beauprez, just my genuinely positive impressions of his opponent’s campaign.

The three of us who met with Holtzman don’t speak for the entire Rocky Mountain Alliance, but we represent a highly informed element of Colorado’s center-right Republican community. And we share our honest opinions and assessments. That’s all.

Be sure that I will post more on this topic as the race unfolds, including an endorsement announcement that is becoming increasingly imminent. (For whatever an endorsement from this Web site is worth.)

And a final note to my fellow Colorado Republicans - let’s learn a lesson from last year’s Schaffer-Coors campaign. Whether it’s Ref C and D or the governor’s race, we can disagree with the party but let’s emerge united in the end.

Gov. Owens has let us down, but we need to support him and our legislative leaders to make sure they fight vigorously to protect taxpayers’ interests. Let’s conduct a vigorous and persuasive primary campaign for the gubernatorial candidate of your personal choice, but let’s all rally behind the winner next year.

Mike has already given a thoughtful description of our meeting yesterday with Republican gubernatorial hopeful Marc Holtzman. (I’m sure Joshua has one forthcoming as well.)

Holtzman and his campaign adviser Laura Teal graciously gave us more than an hour of their time and of the candidate’s vision, passion, and optimism.

The former president of the University of Denver & state technology secretary talked with facility and command about how to solve the budget’s structural problems in creative and courageous ways. He shared his plan for strengthening the state’s Republican Party structure. He has concrete ideas to address the current and looming issues of illegal immigration, eminent domain abuse, energy dependence, and public health management. He sought to distinguish himself from his GOP rival, Congressman Bob Beauprez, by making a case for his principled leadership.

And Marc and Laura have prepared and implemented a well-thought strategy to reach the GOP base and head to next summer’s state convention in a position of strength. He knows he’s the underdog and the outsider, but he seems to thrive on it as he once did as an entrepreneurial venture capitalist - helping to transform the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe.

The Holtzman campaign has focus, innovation, energy, enthusiasm, and a broad and growing coalition of grassroots support. Pundits would be foolish to count them out, even after their unsuccessful vigorous campaign against Referenda C and D. Marc and his team appear ready to carry that same vigor and persistence into making their man the Republican Party’s choice - and ultimately Colorado’s choice - for governor in 2006.

GOP activists and supporters should at least give Marc Holtzman’s campaign careful consideration. Check out the Web site and learn more.

Speaking personally, as a constituent of Congressman Beauprez’s, I have tended to lean in the direction of supporting his cause. Even as I’ve maintained my neutrality, I have friends in both camps. But after yesterday’s meeting - like Mike - I am cautiously reconsidering my earlier leanings. Whoever I end up supporting (and I hope to make a decision soon), I will do so with passion and dedication, all while keeping a positive attitude and the larger Republican cause before me.

In response to my question of whether he thought Colorado was becoming a “blue state,” Marc Holtzman responded: “We need to articulate our vision, and the majority will follow. It’s not theirs to win. It’s ours to lose.”

Quote of the day from Vincent Carroll of the Rocky Mountain News (notably, a supporter of Referendum C):

If Gov. Owens had devoted even half as much time trying to defeat Amendment 23 five years ago as he spent boosting Ref C, Colorado today would not be saddled (that word again) with a requirement that K-12 education funding never, ever share in the sacrifice required by falling government revenues during a severe recession.

In light of Carroll’s observation regarding the governor, what takes precedence: conservative credentials or popular appeal? Draw your own conclusions.

Buried in this Denver Post article about post-election recriminations is a salient example of what the big vote meant to the tax-and-spenders:

Advocates for public education blamed the loss of Referendum D on the failure to set aside enough money for public schools.

Lisa Weil, co-founder of Great Education Colorado, said Referendum D would have had a better chance of winning voter approval if schools, and not roads, received more money.

Referendum D called for using $1.2 billion of the borrowed money on 55 road projects around the state.

“Transportation is not the highest priority of Coloradans right now,” Weil said, touting her organization’s polling results that said voters would have been more supportive of letting the state borrow money to pay for school construction projects.

Great Education Colorado (so-called “advocates for public education,” as if that is a controversial position to take) - a front for the teachers union - advocates tirelessly for more taxes, more funding for schools, and no accountability. It would be a waste of anyone’s time to ask some basic questions in response to the quoted passage above.

The fact that Colorado spends more than a total of $9,000 per public school student per year, and spends it inefficiently, should cause more taxpayers to demand more from what is already being added in on a yearly basis, thanks to Amendment 23. Yet Great Education Colorado could never answer the question: how much money is enough?

And, if successful passage of Ref D depended on how it was sold - not on any real need (are the roads crumbling, or aren’t they?) - what more do you need to know about this group’s values and priorities? Beg and plead for even more money from the taxpayers - because it’s “for the children” - so we can devour more from the government trough.

How about finding what works in education and spending our money more wisely? Just ONE DAY after they won the biggest tax increase in state history, and they’re complaining about it already.

In other news, reports released the day after the election show that some of the same deep Democrat pockets that won the state legislature gave significant sums to the Ref C campaign in its waning weeks. I think this sums up the point well:

It was the first time in the campaign that the pro-Ref C camp did not release its donors early - a tactic opponents said was intended to shore up Republican support for the tax measures.

“That would have turned off every single Republican,” said Jon Caldara, the leading Ref C opponent and president of the Independence Institute.

He said he believed some Republicans who voted yes would have voted no if they knew Gill and Stryker had given to the campaign.

Yes, but all is fair in politics. I hope some Republican voters wake up and see they’ve been hoodwinked. Their governor settled for a bad deal and has alienated his base to pal around with Andrew Romanoff and Joan Fitz-Gerald, while taking money from Pat Stryker and Tim Gill. I’m disappointed, to say the least.

With a substantial chunk of Coloradans’ ballots already mailed in, the “forever tax increase” comes down to the day of decision. As the campaigns race to the finish line, a last minute flurry of Internet tidbits:

Vote NO, and force the legislature to craft a better solution to the state’s budget crunch next year - preferably one that includes a compromise on Amendment 23. If you still need convincing, read 30+ facts about TABOR from the National Taxpayers Union.

Need an extra little push to cast a NO vote against the forever tax increase? Here’s one.

Polls close at 7 p.m. Stay tuned. My official prediction is that Ref C gets 49% yes, 51% no… same for Ref D. But predictions only come true if taxpayers get out and vote against the forever tax increase.

Update: I was half wrong on C & D - unfortunately, it was the half that mattered more. Hats off to the Colorado Democrats, who have staged a two-year coup. I am beginning to rethink some things - more later….