A Senator at the gates of heaven

While walking down the street one day a United States Senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the man.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

Frederick Douglass: The forgotten antislavery leader

"Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system, and hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of my brethren in bonds - faithfully relying upon the power of truth, love, and justice, for success in my humble efforts - and solemnly pledging my self anew to the sacred cause - I subscribe myself, FREDERICK DOUGLASS. Lynn, Massachusetts, April 28, 1845."

- Concluding words of the Appendix to the "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written By Himself"

Have you ever wondered what American slavery was like? If so, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better answer to this question than the "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written By Himself." This book was written by a former slave to influence Americans to oppose the "peculiar institution" of slavery.

Young Frederick Douglass

My late grandfather's medal citation

Grandpa Wells during World War II

*****

The Secretary of the Navy
Washington

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the BRONZE STAR MEDAL to

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS WELLS P. MC GREGOR, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

Benjamin Franklin: Renaissance Man

"I may as well confess it, since my denial of it will be believed by nobody ... perhaps I shall a good deal gratify my own vanity. Indeed, I scarce ever heard or saw the introductory words, 'Without vanity I may say,' etc., but some vain thing immediately followed. Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action; and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life."

- "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin," section covering 1706-1757

Few men epitomize the concept of the "Renaissance Man" better than Benjamin Franklin. He achieved great success in many different fields; including the occupations of being a writer, journalist, postmaster, scientist, and inventor. He had a great wit, and had a persuasive ability that was part logical argument and part masterful diplomacy. And his achievements as a statesman are notable even by the lofty standards of America's Founding Fathers.

I certainly do not claim to be an expert about his life, but after watching a three-hour PBS documentary about him, I was inspired to read his famous autobiography. I have read it cover to cover, and "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" is now one of my favorite books. It was one of the first American books to be taken seriously by Europeans as literature.

Going to church in a foreign language

"We would … hope that every missionary learning a new … language would master it in every way possible. … And as you do so, your [teaching] and testifying skills will improve. You will be better received by and more spiritually impressive to [the people you teach]. … Don’t be satisfied with what we call a missionary vocabulary only. Stretch yourself in the language, and you will gain greater access to the hearts of the people ... "

– Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in a missionary satellite broadcast from August 1998, as quoted in "Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service," Chapter 7

I once regularly attended services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in both English and Spanish. My native language is English, and I did not take a real Spanish class until January 2012, when I was in my twenties. I had only taken Spanish 101 when I started going to Spanish Branch (branch being the word that Latter-Day Saints use for a small congregation). It was a difficult (albeit fascinating) experience when I started going.

The local church building where Spanish services were held

The American Veteran

The picture is of my Marine grandfather (1921-2011), who saw intense combat in the Pacific in World War II. He never had loss of life or limb or mind, and no letters came to his family with tidings very sad, but all of the other things in this poem apply to him.

Obama's admissions to broken promises

I was just reading the text of Obama’s Inaugural Address of three years ago, and it’s interesting to compare some of its text with that of his State of the Union Address from last January:

Inaugural Address, 2009

“We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.” – Inaugural Address, 2009

State of the Union Address, 2012

“We’ve got crumbling roads and bridges; a power grid that wastes too much energy; an incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world.” – State of the Union Address, 2012

“We will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.” – Inaugural Address, 2009

“At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced states to lay off thousands of teachers.” – State of the Union Address, 2012

“We will act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.” – Inaugural Address, 2009

“It is time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.” – State of the Union Address, 2012

“We can’t bring every job back that’s left our shore.” – State of the Union Address, 2012

“Those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.” – Inaugural Address, 2009

“The divide between this city [Washington, D.C.] and the rest of the country is at least as bad -- and it seems to get worse every year.” – State of the Union Address, 2012

“The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote.” – State of the Union Address, 2012

Obama’s own words of last January indicate how poorly these promises of three years ago have been kept. To see the broken promises of this administration, you need go no further than the White House’s own website, where the text and videos of these two speeches can be found.

Links to these telling portions of the White House website can be found here:

Obama's Inaugural Address from 2009 (both text and video)

State of the Union Address 2012 (text only)

State of the Union Address 2012 (video only)