FIRST-PERSON: The games of the political olympiad
WASHINGTON (BP)--The games of the 28th Olympiad should provide a nice segue into yet another contest now underway in New York. The parade of celebrity, cinematography and choreographed talking points are just the backdrop to display, for those with eyes to see it, the tepid state of public life in the United States. At least the Olympics depict in real time the pursuits of excellence by trained athletes who are evaluated on the basis of their performance by judges who actually adjudicate according to fixed standards.
FIRST-PERSON: Things Ronald Reagan understood
WASHINGTON (BP)--Ronald Reagan was a man who had a correct understanding of ideas and time -- in that order.
FIRST-PERSON: The hard work
WASHINGTON (BP)--The 9/11 Commission reveals at best a nation unprepared; at worst a president and an administration more engaged with maintaining power than using it well on behalf of those who put him there in the first place.
FIRST-PERSON: Married: On purpose
WASHINGTON (BP)--When Britney Spears and Jason Allen Alexander emerged from the Little White Wedding Chapel on Jan. 3 in Las Vegas, a collective gasp could be heard from advocates of heterosexual marriage.
FIRST-PERSON: HR 235: freeing the pulpit
WASHINGTON (BP)--All citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs, must be free to voice any opinion about anything or anyone to their governmental representatives. Moreover, they should even be able to voice any concern about the representatives themselves in public without fear of retribution by the government.
FIRST-PERSON: The finished life of John F. Kennedy
WASHINGTON (BP)--Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York made news the other day.
FIRST-PERSON: Taxation — a moral issue?
WASHINGTON (BP)--When President Bush turned to Joe and Jennifer Balsarotti of Clayton, Mo., in January 2003, to represent families and business owners who would benefit from his tax cut plan, the strategy was one which politicians of all stripes strive to employ -- putting a face on public policy. The president framed the issue with the words "fair" and "right." He sought to convince Congress and the public that "federal spending should not rise any faster than the paychecks of American families" (State of the Union, 2003).
FIRST-PERSON: Jesus — a pacifist?
WASHININGTON (BP)--The White House Press Briefing Room seldom allows for theological debate, but a last-minute question from an "unbiased" journalist turned the White House press corps into unsuspecting seminary students.
FIRST-PERSON: Repentance amid the search for meaning in a time of evil
WASHINGTON (BP)--As the dust settles on the recent horrors in New York and Washington, secular man has begun to think of the sacred. Frantically searching for the key to unlock the mystery of why this happened, 21st-century America wonders what lies beyond the door of the unseen. Exactly what does all of this mean -- and how can we face the future?
Olasky, Land underscore history of private character affecting nation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Private character and public performance are inextricably linked, Marvin Olasky, professor of journalism at the University of Texas, stated during a three-day appearance on the nationally syndicated radio program, “For Faith & Family.” “There is a connection between a president being a good husband and being a good president,” Olasky, also editor of […]