Mr. Pogo You Were Right.

I recently read the original text of Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge that many (too many for my liking) members of Congress have signed. Keep in mind, these members of Congress did not sign the redacted version of this pledge. Oh no, they signed the original document. By so signing they reveal a great deal about about their common sense, intellectual acumen and moral bankruptcy

If they had simply signed a pledge to oppose tax increases I would have no major complaint. However, when they signed the document they revealed much about themselves. Here's the deal. At the time your and my Congressional representatives signed this document it opened with an erroneous and egregious series of paragraphs on slavery asserting blacks under slavery were better off as families than they have been since Obama became President. It went on to assert that these slave homes were homogeneous with both a father and a mother in the home.

This is just plain wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth. By signing the "tax pledge" they are saying they were in agreement with this poppycock. In short, they just created some new history (nothing new these days). Why would anyone sign a pledge that contained such tripe? Do you suppose they even read the thing? If not, that is even more egregious.

But putting that part of this aside I still have to ask, Why would anyone with half a brain sign a pledge to do something no matter what happened in the world they would stand pat. Reminds me of what a psychiatrist friend of mine once said about counseling youth. He said, "It's true they have all of the answers but they don't know any of the questions." To these folks it doesn't matter there's a war going on; doesn't matter that their own parents and grandparents get thrown under the bus; doesn't matter that we will be driven deeper into recession or what has actually become depression for about 15% of the population just so that they can keep some commitment they made to some guy in Minnesota. In my book you must understand the problem before you tout a solution.

I used wonder how we got where we are as a nation. Well, I no longer wonder any more for I have found the answer I've been searching for. We got where we are because the people who are in the driver's seat are the ones who sign documents like this one. We got here because we elected these dopes. Indeed Mr. Pogo, we have met the enemy and you were right, "he is us."

Come election day I will be voting for a pragmatist and utilitarian and not an idealog or someone who is so much of a dufus that they would become a slave to someone else's ideas.

It's Not Our Fault!

Ten years ago, James Roosevelt, Jr. Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy Social Security Administration testified before Congress regarding the state and condition of the Social Security Trust Fund. He said, "The truth is that Social Security is completely solvent today, and will be into the future because it has a dedicated income stream that covers its costs and consistently generates a surplus, which today is $2.5 trillion. Estimates are that the Social Security surplus will grow to approximately $4.3 trillion in 2023, and that reserves will be sufficient to pay full benefits through the year 2037. After 2037, Social Security would still be able to pay for 78 percent of benefits even with no adjustments to revenues or benefits."

Which brings me to this: I resent the fact current Conservative political wisdom feels it necessary to create the image that we boomers are the ones who would mortgage the security of our children and grand children by accepting the benefits we have spent our entire working lives paying for. If I understand Roosevelt correctly the money that I and my fellow Boomers will be receiving is in fact our own money.

Has something happened in the last 10 years to change that? Well, duh, yea! We turned every thing over to our children to enjoy our retirement. Then the economy tanked. the work force shrank by 10%, the money supply dried up, the housing market collapsed and Wall Street tanked. But none of that was caused by the Boomers.

It is not the Boomers who are Mortgaging our children's future and destroying our economy . . . it is the hotshot who live on Wall Street." It is the Bankers, Investors, etc. The Boomer's big mistake was trusting these geniuses when they said what they were doing was good for us and the nation when in fact the only people it was good for was them.

Now, here's my advice to my Congressman and all the rest of that myopic crowd in Washington. Do what you want with your money but leave our money alone. If you need a bridge to nowhere borrow the money from your friends on Wall Street or the whiz-kids called mortgage brokers. But don't ask us to pay for it. If you need a study to determine how many legs there are on a millipede try just catching one and counting his legs. Just learn to say "no" to yourself and the people walking through your office doors. Doesn't matter who they are or who they represent just say, No, no, no!"

Personally, I'd seize their assets and give to someone else to manage and invest. I certainly would leave it to them to restore the economy. Take it away from Leamon Bothers and give it to Billy Bob and his buddies. They'll invest in Main Street America not Wall Street.

Trust me when I say, whatever is wrong with the nation put the Boomers in charge and we will fix it.

There Were Giants In The Land In Those Days

Genesis 6:4 speaks of a time when "there were giants in the land." I want to take that verse out of context and apply it in a totally different way. In the 18th century America there were giants in the land. These men were children of the Enlightenment and each one reflected that in his life and thinking. Some were farmers by trade while others were lawyers; some were bankers while others were craftsmen. They came from all walks of life but they had one thing in common . . . they were all influenced by the Enlightenment and they all wanted a new government.

I sometimes wonder how it is that in 1776 when the population in America was barely 3 million people the country could produce so many giants: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams, John Hancock, Alexander Hamilton and a dozen or more lessor but certainly outstanding lights and our day of 320 million people we cannot produce one.

We should not pretend that the founding fathers were men who were monolithic in their thinking and/or actions. You know, as my uncle used to say about caves, "you seen one cave, you've seen them all." As already stated they were "children of the Enlightenment" but they were each one their own distinct person. No two of them were the same. They didn't created the Constitution because the all thought alike but in spite of the fact they didn't think alike. They created this magnificent document because they worked together to achieve a common end.

Now don't misunderstand. We have smart people in our day. Some are even Rhodes Scholars, most have done well financially and many have generous hearts and all the other virtues that we see as desirable qualities in our leaders. But even with all this there are no giants. Why don't we have any giants in the land in our time?

With all their differences the men who forged our Constitution were first and foremost Patriots. Though they often disagreed politically and in some cases ideologically they never accursed each other of being less of an Patriot because of it. Some of them leaned toward the traditional English model; some came from a religious backgrounds; others were decidedly secularists but, none were exclusionist. Hence on the big issues they could work together to find a way.

What do we do . . .we throw rocks at each other. We denigrate those who don't agree with our positions and our way of thinking We call them bad Americans or worse yet declare they are not true Americans. We draw lines in the sand on every single issue and have the audacity to insist that everyone has to bend to our way of thinking. If they don't we question their patriotism.

I propose that what what we need today are some giants. Some congressmen and Senators who will stop checking which way the political wind is blowing and act with courage and integrity and do what is best for the nation. We need elected representatives who will lay aside their ideologies, political parties, and personal welfare and work together for the good of the nation. These are crucial times and we need some statesmen who will put their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor on line, roll up their sleeves and go to work for the welfare of the nation.

I believe that when our congressmen become statesmen and stand up and lead the nation will follow. When this happens there will once more be giants in the land and the nation will proper and the people will rejoice. Until then we must continue to wonder. "were are the giants for our time?"

By the Way, do you realize that the United States of America was the first and perhaps only nation that was a created a state before it became a nation. These giants of the 18th century wrote a decidedly secular document, the Constitution, that created a state and then set about creating a nation called America and a people called Americans from a hodgepodge of people. We have been doing that ever since, i.e., creating Americans.

To by Online Or Or Not to Buy

Most of you know I am in the business of helping people have great vacations. I think what I like about it most is the satisfaction of having someone allow me to help them arrange their cruise or land vacation and then when they get back home hear them go on and on about how great a vacation they had. Believe it or not most of us in this business see ourselves not as agents but as facilitators. That is, my job one is to help make your dream vacation come true. However, if your going to have the benefit of our experience and expertise you are going to have to ask. And with that, I'll get to my point.

Have you ever hear the expression, "The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." Well that has never been truer in any industry than it is in the travel industry. With all the online booking companies it is even truer today than ever before. Rest assured, if anything can go wrong it will and will go wrong in spades.

For most of you your annual vacation is the single largest financial investment you will make aside from your home and your car. Even a "cheap" 4 day cruise for a family of four can cost you as much as $1,300.00. And that just gets the four of you on the ship. Nor small investment for what amounts to a long weekend.

As I see it you have a couple of choices when making you vacation plans. You can take advantage of the experience and expertise of someone like me or you can do it yourself. Now I can tell you that doing it yourself WILL NOT save you any money or time. It may give you the satisfaction of saying, "I did all by myself." I can't say using someone like me to help you will save you any money I do know it will not cost you any more than if you did it yourself.

Like I said, it's your investment and you have a choice on how you will make it. Just remember the Biblical axiom, "There is safety in many counselors." Now, I could use this space and list all the happy clients we have but you'd probably just yawn. So, I want to simply recount one sad story that came to my attention just yesterday.

Yesterday evening about 3:30 p.m. my office phone rang and on the other end of the line was a young woman who quickly asked, "Can you define an "unforeseen circumstance." I immediately asked her her name and what prompted her to call. Here is her story: Seems she had gone online to an online travel service (this one just happened to be Priceline) where she searched, found and paid for her family's vacation. She even had the foresight to buy the trip insurance that Priceline offered. She then set about preparing for her vacation confident that she had done everything just right. Not bad and not that different from what everyone else who uses these online booking companies would do.

Then it happened. Something came up that she had to cancel the trip. She called the customer service number she had been given and was told they would not refund her payment and gave her an 800 number to the Berkley Group their insurance provider. She was then told, "You'll have to call them, get some papers filled out and file a claim." All of which she did. Their response, " We only refund for 'unforeseen' circumstances."

Now she wanted to know, "what is an unforeseen circumstance?" I explained it to her and she seemed confused and said, "That's what I thought." After a few moments more conversation she then sheepishly said, "You don't think I'm going to get my money do you?" To which I answered, "I don't know but it doesn't look good." Then I said, "If you get your money back that will be great but even if you don't you have learned a valuable lesson." She asked, "A what is that?" To which I replied, "You have learned that when you book your vacation online and something goes wrong you are pretty much on your own."

Folks you can book many kinds of travel online but when things go wrong you are on your own. It rarely cost you more to use a travel consultant or Agent and you have someone in your corner to help.

Father's Day 2011

Back in July 1992 Reba McEntire released a song entitle, "The Greatest Man I Never Knew." It was about a daughter lamenting the fact that though her father "lived just down the hall" she never really got to know him. I've always thought that was perhaps the saddest thing a daughter could say about her father. I certainly hope that song isn't a commentary on my own daughters and their relationship with their father.

What I do know is that the greatest man I have ever known lived just down the hall and that man was my father. I am thinking of him today because this year is a unique year for me as far as Father's Day is concerned. Father's Day falls on June 19 this year and it was 28 years ago to the day (Father's Day 1983) that my dad died. I remember someone saying to me, "How sad that you loose your father on Father's Day." Indeed, I'd be lying if I said that it was not a sad day for me. Indeed it was. It was because on that day, Father's Day June 19, 1983 the greatest man I ever knew was gone.

However, I have never thought I lost him on that day. As Vance Havner once said about his recently deceased wife, "She's not lost, I know right where she is." Truth is, my father is gone but he is not lost. I know where he is. As I told several people back then, "For the first time since his father passed my dad is spending Father's Day in the presence of both his Heavenly Father and his own father. Who am I to begrudge him that."

Beyond that, he is not lost to me. From my youngest years I spent time with my dad. While he worked I would use a "creeper" as a kinda "skateboard" before skateboards were invented. I spent literally hundreds if not thousands of hours with him working in his auto repair shop after school. This continued until I finished high school and college. The most important thing I received from all that time with him (both in the home and the outside world) was the opportunity to watch and listen to him as he related to the challenges and people in his world.

My dad never said too much. He spoke with brevity and clarity. You really had to work hard to misunderstand him. He always spoke positively. I never heard him say anything critical of anyone and that included those people who did not always have his best interest at heart. I cherish a treasure trove of wisdom that I heard come from his lips as he spoke. He never pontificated but had a wonderful knack for sharing words of wisdom in a "back door" sort of way.

He was a man who could keep a confidence. Telling him something in confidence was like casting your fears, burdens and cares into a black hole. They just never resurfaced anywhere to anyone. I now understand why he was the confidant to so many and especially to the pastors of our area. He, a Baptist, was confidant to a couple of local parish priest when we lived in Vinton, Louisiana and later in Pasadena, Texas to at least three Baptist pastors. Being a pastor I know how paranoid we cleric types can be. It rare for pastors and priests to find a person in whom we can confide without fear of having what we share resurface and wound us. I believe this was my father's ministry.

I could go on and on about his virtues and even say a few words about his flaws and he did have his flaws. He would have loved Billy Cunningham's song in which he says, "God is great, beer is good and people are crazy." Dad would have agreed.

You see it isn't so much his perfection as how he lived in light of his imperfections. He never was very successful in business (and that's putting it mildly). He never thought of himself as a good father. In fact, on his death bed he apologized for not being a good father (I told him that was news to me because I saw him as a terrific dad). He spoke of my mom's staying with him through all the years of their marriage as quite an accomplishment on her part and perhaps it was - at least from his point of view. He like all of was a flawed man or as we in the religious world might say, "a man with feet of clay."

But in spite of the real and perceived flaws he was a great dad. He was honest; he was fair; he was loyal; he was trustworthy; he worked hard and loved his work; he was generous; and he was consistent. He was the same in public as he was in private. He honored his father and his mother and he loved his wife and he loved his children. What more could a young man need in a father.

I remember when we had gathered at the National Cemetery in Houston for his graveside service that the pastor, Estol Williams, a friend of both my dad and myself surprised me by asking me to close the graveside service with a prayer. I remember that prayer as though it were done just today, "Father I thank you for a dad who through living his life showed us how to live and in his death taught us how to die." That just about says it all.

So on this Father's Day, June 19, 2011, the 28th anniversary of my Dad's death I say again the my Heavenly Father, "Father I thank you for a dad who through living his life showed us how to live and in his death taught us how to die."

"Glee" -- And This Is A New Thing?

After watching a short documentary on the musical phenomenon sweeping the country as a result of the television series "Glee" a group of us were were having a lively discussion about when the "Glee" concept actually began. Some thought it was as old as the madrigal groups of the 1960's (I remember hearing Hugh Thurlow and the Sprurrlows).

I recall that during that same time every High School in the town where I grew up had a madrigal group as a part of it's music program. In addition, so did every church in town . . . they were just called "youth choirs."

The more I think about it the more I can see something of the basis for the Glee phenomenon in these groups. However, in my mind the phenomenon's roots are much older than that. I don't think that really is where it started. I don't think it started with the television series either. That begs the question of where then did it start?

For me the Glee phenomenon didn't start anywhere. . . it evolved over time. In my mind it is nothing more than the natural evolution, secularization and popularization of what was happening in the youth music ministries in evangelical churches in the 1970-80's. Briefly these youth oriented music programs were moving from a straight stand-up on the riser choir process to more of a "song and dance" kind of performance groups. Perhaps the major difference between the secular "Glee" groups of today and the church "Youth Performance Groups" was the church group's emphasis on conveying a spiritual truth and/or message.


The more I think, the more convinced I am that I may in fact know one of the men who made major contributions to this who performance genre. That maybe, just maybe I had a front row seat from which I watched the birth of what has become the "Glee" phenomenon.

I feel both privileged and honored to have served on staff on a couple of occasions with a man who I believe was a pioneer in the development of the phenomenon. Did he know that he was part of the development of something that would one day be known as the "Glee" phenomenon? Probably not! Most ground breaking people don't see themselves in that way. Would he be happy with the way it has been secularized? Maybe not and maybe so. I say, "maybe not" because he always insisted that the gospel was a key element in what he was trying to do. But I also say, "maybe so" because I know how much he wanted youth to be able to express themselves in a positive way through music and performance.

Ron Asbury is the man of whom I am speaking. If you were to ask him I suspect he would say he was just investing in the lives of young people not developing anything. But make no mistake about it, he was doing exactly that. But as he sought ways to invest in and develop the spiritual lives of youth he was also pioneering what has come to be known today as the "Glee" concept. He began in Knoxville, Tennessee with his performance group known as "Joyful Sound" and continued when he went to Beaumont, Texas where he soon developed a similar and more "Glee" like group called, "Shinning Light." So when I saw the television show "Glee" I thought, what' so new about this?

Now, while it's on my mind I wanted to take a moment here to say how much I appreciate the opportunity I had to witness as Ron and Carolyn made investments in the lives of youth that will bear fruit long after the "Glee" Phenomenon has taken it place alongside the madrigal groups of the 1950's and something else comes along.

My mother always said that we should give folks flowers while they can enjoy them and that's what I am attempting to do here. Ron is a very special man who invested his life in the lives of Youth and I am grateful to God for placing Ron and Carolyn in my life.

I Love You Mom

I was sitting at my desk with the computer screen on to my Facebook News Wall when I began to notice how many people were beginning to post things reminding me and a few hundred of my closest friends that Mother's Day is fast approaching. There are admonitions to send cards, make phone calls, take mom to dinner and a number of folks just encouraging us to tell mom we love her.

As I read them I thought to myself, "I wish I could tell her just one more time that I loved her. There is an old saying from the farm that says, "Make hay while the sun is shinning." It simply means get something done while you have the opportunity. Now that's what I am suggesting to those of you who are blessed to still have your mother living. Do some of those things being suggested on my Facebook Wall. Send some flowers, a card or take her to dinner . . . heck, do all three. But let me tell you something important. What she really wants is to see your face and hear your voice and if your eyes are showing it and your lips are saying it the "I love you mom" will be music to her ears.

My parents had a hard time having children. My mother had an RH negative blood factor that made carrying a baby to term all but impossible back in the day I was born. It also put the mother's own life at serious risk. I recall my father telling me that I should never forget that "your mother walked through the valley of the shadow of death to bring you into this world." Indeed she did it by choice. The doctors tried to talk my father into letting them end her pregnancy as they were fearful for her life. I shall remember forever his answer as it was related to me years later. He said to the doctor, If you end her pregnancy you might as well go ahead and kill her because loosing this baby will do just that."

I don't know if a baby was ever born that was loved and wanted more than I was. Even my name reflects how my mother felt about me. She named me David Alan the meaning of which is my beloved darling.

My being born alive was perhaps the happiest day of her life. She had already lost twins whom she had carried almost to full term. So when I let out that wail as I entered this old world it was sweet music to her heart. I was then and all of her life God's special gift to her. Now mind you I never felt like she treated me in any particularly special way but she let me know in a thousand ways I was special. I wish every child in America could know just how special they are.

Yep, all that posting on Facebook got me to thinking about my mom and how much she loved me. I was with her when she died and just before she passed into eternity she looked me in the eye and told me, "I love you" and I replied back, "and I love you too Momma" and with that she joined the rest of the family in God's forever kingdom. Sometimes when for some reason she is on my mind I find myself whispering the words "I love you mom"and I can hear her voice saying back "I love you to son." I am thankful to God for the mother to whom he gave me.

I also am reminded that there is another mother in my life who loves me every bit as much as did my momma and that is my wonderful and beautiful wife, the mother of our four children. Which reminds me to say to those children, "don't forget to call your mother she wants and needs to hear your voice.