Good Article

Just read Kathleen Parker’s Trading Ambition for Passion. She notes that both Gore and Kerry hit high points in communicating when they delivered their “drop out” speeches. Great point and effective examples.

Hopefully, most run for office because of beliefs and visions. Those who do, should take note of this article and express those passions rather than just trying to get elected. There is no stronger leader than one who operates from those passions. And none weaker than those who try to follow the will of the wisp known as the “will of the people”.

Technorati Tags:Gore, Kerry, passion, ambition, Kathleen Parker, Washington Post

What Inspired That?

We passed an interesting roadside sign. There are many humorous postings about signs that involve mistakes or odd combinations. My favorites, though, are the ones that make you wonder about what happened to make the sign necessary

We sighted one years ago while traveling in upper New York. One of the kids spotted it. It warned “No Road Work without Permit”. Think about what might have happened to inspire that sign. Possibly started with a family sitting around on the porch after dinner. To break the monotony somewhat proposes “let’s have some fun and fix some potholes.”

The one we passed today was a simple, hand-made sign announcing “Anthracite Coal For Sale”. Couldn’t help wondering if they started with just “Coal For Sale” and suffered the wrath of someone yearning for Bituminous.

Technorati Tags:signs,humorous

Our National Nightmare

I welcomed President Ford’s declaration and had hoped it would be true. It wasn’t.

I believe most of us strive to be what all of us know to be good--honest, truthful, caring, dependable. Ford did. Fewer of us seem to be driven by other forces. That smaller group grew increasingly influential over the past fifty years. Ford didn’t realize that he had become president during the early part of this transition. His attempt at healing our nation’s festering wounds was met with strident rebukes. The political strife that followed his presidency was not substantially different than what preceded it.

Those long on criticism but short on solutions, burdened with agendas but devoid of vision and obsessed with character assassination but unwilling to debate issues eventually dominated both parties and elected two presidents.

Perhaps the two tragic and recent wars will bookend their time of influence. Our profound problems, like global warming and healthcare, require serious debate and effective solutions. We will be well served when the congress is again dominated by the qualities found in Hubert Humphrey and Barry Goldwater and the presidency by the visionary leadership of the FDRs and JFKs of our society.

Technorati Tags:funeral, President Ford, Vietnam, Iraq, values