Now is the Time

All right dear friends - there will be no kernel (nor Colonel) of truth this week. It's far better than that.   This piece from the American Thinker lays out the sad and dangerous state America is now in.

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/12/why_people_cant_face_the_truth_about_obama_.html

If you have not thought about both getting right with The Lord and procuring arms and ammunition now would be an excellent time.

Food for Thought

In military doctrine, there is something that resembles the old food pyramid, but actually pertains to cognition rather than nutrition.  Rather than illustrate the proportional intake of the various food groups recommended for sound health, the pyramid of cognitive hierarchy illustrates the relative levels of cognition necessary to make sound decisions.  The doctrinal publication puts it this way, “Commanders and staff require not only information to make these decisions, but also the knowledge and understanding that results in the wisdom essential to sound decision making.”

Think of the trouble that could be avoided if we (or our leaders) simply have wisdom.  Think of the satisfaction in always making the wise choice.  Knowing we have chosen the right option, taken the right path, or selected the most advantageous course of action.

If the optimal number of servings from each of the basic food groups to be put in our stomach each day is important, how much more important is that material we put in to our mind?   

Instead of grains and breads as found at the base of the food pyramid, the cognitive pyramid has “data” as its base.  It is interesting that both pyramids have as their foundation relatively innocuous items.  However, what should not be missed is that there is something lower than data, in fact, it is far worse than data – and that is junk food for the mind and misinformation.  Reality TV, the biased mainstream media, and liberal-secular education camps masquerading as places of higher learning will all wreck or rot the mind.  They are so unhealthy and counterproductive that they do not even have a place on the chart.  

The second level on the food pyramid is fruits and vegetables; second on the cognitive hierarchy is information.  Today we are inundated with data; the World Wide Web has tons of information.  Between blogs, banners, web pages, and pop-ups we are flooded with data and information.  The challenge each of us faces is turning the plethora of information into “useful knowledge through filtering, fusing, formatting, organizing, collating, correlating, plotting, translating, categorizing, and arranging so that it is useful for immediate application.”  

Third up on the food pyramid are meat and dairy; the cognitive pyramid’s third level is knowledge.  In the context of the cognitive hierarchy, “knowledge is information analyzed to provide meaning and value, or evaluated as to implications for the operation.”  Above knowledge is understanding -- that is, “knowledge that has been synthesized and had judgment applied to it in a specific situation to comprehend the situation’s inner relationships.”

The left talks about food deserts.  The USDA describes food deserts as, “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food.”  I do not know about food deserts, but I do know there are many folks starving for knowledge.  In fact, it's not just knowledge, they are also low on information.  Unfortunately, we have all experienced the devastation that low-information voters can produce when they are allowed to be unsupervised in a voting booth.    

The highest tier on the food pyramid is oils; on the cognitive hierarchy, it is wisdom.  Perhaps it’s more than mere coincidence that the Bible often uses oil as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit.  It is only the Spirit of God that can make one truly wise.  I completely understand that some people find this hard to believe, but the fact of the matter is when it comes to God; you have to believe in order to understand.  

Here’s where there’s some good news and some bad news.  The good; there is a source of knowledge that is available to everyone.  The bad; very few find it.  It’s wrapped up in a relationship with the true and living God.  The same God who humbled himself and came to earth as a man.   

King David, a warrior and man after God’s own heart prophetically penned these words, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’  God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”  Seeking God is evidence of understanding.  

King David obviously didn’t get the memo on sensitivity and political correctness.  He’s pretty clear about it, denying God’s existence makes one a fool.  

David’s son Solomon put it this way, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

There’s no better time to taste and see that the Lord is good.  Wise men still seek Him.

The Race is Fixed

The day after two radical Islamic terrorists killed fourteen people in California the New York Daily News ran a headline that proclaimed, “God’s Not Fixing This.”  One of the few times, the liberal-secular media has got something related to God right. 

It is not only my theological assessment that they are exactly right; it is my position that God is allowing, if not causing this, to happen.  I know it is hard to fathom, but God has often used ungodly nations to bring judgment on His people.  (See Ezekiel 14:4-23).  He does this in hopes that we would turn to Him.  The fact that the New York Daily News mocks those that solicited His divine favor through prayer does nothing to discredit the wisdom of seeking the true and living God.

I’m certain the writers at The Babylonian Daily News had a field day blasting Noah the boat builder.  Think about it -- it wasn’t God who built the boat.  God delivered the flood.  The boat was what God told Noah to build to escape His coming judgment.

I believe Noah, who had NO power tools, would’ve taken great exception with Obama’s “you didn’t build that” comment.  So as the floodwaters were covering the earth, the headline from The Babylonian Daily News?  Yep, you guessed it -- “God’s Not Fixing This.”  

The book of Genesis gives an account of the days of Noah:  “ The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.   The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.   So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.’  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

Can the New York Daily News find favor in the eyes of the Lord?  The Bible says, “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  It’s no surprise that the Daily News couldn’t see the utility in prayer.  Less than seven verses later the Bible commends Noah for his faith in the unseen, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”

If the liberal-secular media is not going to call upon God, they’re probably not worried about the devil either.  The apostle Peter warned us about the devil, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith...” 

This reminds me of a joke a General in the 82^nd Airborne Division used to tell us:   “There was a US Marine and a US Army Paratrooper walking through the jungle.  All of a sudden, they realized a lion was following them.  They both immediately broke in to a run.  After about two miles the paratrooper, for apparently no reason, suddenly stopped.  He dropped his rucksack, opened it up, and removed a pair of running shoes.  The Marine became indignant.  Flabbergasted and confused he asked the paratrooper, “What the heck are you doing”?  The paratrooper responded calmly, “What does it look like – I’m putting on my running shoes.”  The Marine responded, “That’s stupid, you can’t outrun that lion!”  The paratrooper agrees, “You’re right – I can’t outrun that lion, but I can sure outrun you!”

Our nation has become morally repugnant, by any measure.  Selling baby body parts; homosexual behavior celebrated, and an inability to acknowledge -- let alone confront evil.  Jesus warned of this day.  “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.  That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

Dear friend, God sent his Son to fix this.  I’ll race you to the Ark of Christ.

Without a Paddle

I’ve often described the culture of a military organization as being like a river.  Once you join that organization, or dive-in, there is a culture or current that moves you along with the rest of the team.  Going with the flow, so to speak.  The better the unit and the more motivated the members, the easier it is to get swept-in and pushed along in the right direction.

America had such a cultural current.  We had a distinctly Judea-Christian outlook  When an immigrant arrived they became immersed in a distinctly American milieu.  Sure, there were ethnic enclaves and national neighborhoods, and even ghettos that were reminiscent of “The Old Country” some thirty, forty, or even one hundred years ago, but they were launching pads for the younger generation to go out from, not sanctuary cities or virtually-gated communities to keep American culture out.       

Don’t miss the effect technology plays in enabling these new “Americans” to reach-back to their previous homeland.  They can stay linguistically and culturally unassimilated through the world-wide web and satellite entertainment in such a way that they will never be anything more than a nominal American.  Push 1 if you have no intention of learning English.  

That’s not to say that the media, entertainment and technology are all negative.  There was a time when the main stream media was actually pro-American.  Someone under 30 ma have never heard a National newscast where we weren’t the bad guys – at least until Fox News.  That’s not to say they’re the answer, but at least they don’t actively seek to undermine the formerly prevailing American cultural tradition.

Believe it or not young folks, there was also a time in the past when lots of shows on the three networks (when that’s all there was) that promoted family values.  These shows depicted largely healthy families (i.e. a Mom and Dad) and promoted traditional mores and values.  Police, military and even cowboy characters were largely portrayed as good guys.   

Moses parted the Red Sea with the help of God; Obama has divided the US with the help of the liberal media and secular-progressive academia.   The unifying effect the media once had is now used to promote division and contention. 

A major new survey by the Pew Research Center of more than 35,000 Americans summarizes the changes: “The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing.”

Thomas Jefferson said, “Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.”  It is understandable that people would question God’s existence nowadays.  It is hard to reason exactly what god was behind the Mali hotel incident where people were required to cite (from memory) verses of the Koran or be shot.

Why the precipitous drop in America?  “The percentage of adults (18 and older) who describe themselves as Christians has dropped by nearly eight percentage points in just seven years, from 78.4% in an equally massive Pew Research survey in 2007 to 70.6% in 2014.” It would be unfair to ascribe all of this to academia, the media, or Obama.  Nonetheless, something has happened since Obama has assumed the highest elected office in our land. 

 

According to the same survey, there has been a corresponding increase over the same period in the percentage of Americans who are “religiously unaffiliated – describing themselves as atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular’ – it has jumped more than six points, from 16.1% to 22.8%.  The share of Americans who identify with non-Christian faiths also has also inched up, rising 1.2 percentage points, from 4.7% in 2007 to 5.9% in 2014. Growth has been especially great among Muslims and Hindus.”

To the followers of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; take heart!    The Psalmist saw this day coming and encourages us with these words:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.   The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

My List

There’s a quote that I’ve always found unfortunately humorous – and accurate: “War is God's way of teaching Americans geography.” Besides geography, there’s another association I make with war – music. 
 
I will always associate Garth Brooks’ “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places” with Desert Storm. It seemed like the Armed Forces Network (AFN) played it continuously. Then, there was a song from Phase Two of the Afghanistan Campaign. I enjoyed it so much that I intended to have it played at my retirement ceremony. It was just one of the many moving songs by Toby Keith -- a great American patriot. 

Toby’s song is titled “My List” and is in the genre of Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle.” There’s something about being away from your wife and kids for a year at a time (except for a two-week R&R) that accentuates all the milestones you’re missing. A partial excerpt of the lyrics from “My List” follows:

Under an old brass paperweight is my list of things to do today,
Go to the bank and the hardware store, put a new lock on the cellar door.
I cross 'em off as I get 'em done but when the sun is set,
There's still more than a few things left I haven't got to yet…

Go for a walk, say a little prayer, take a deep breath of mountain air,
Put on my glove, play some catch, it's time that I make time for that.
Wade the shore, cast a line, look up a long lost friend of mine,
Sit on the porch and give my girl a kiss.
Start livin' that's the next thing on my list.

When talking with Soldiers concerned about their kids back home, I’d tell them two things. First, that I believed God would honor their sacrifice, and secondly, there is no better way to teach your children the importance of duty, honor and loyalty than living it. After all, I’d remind them, it wasn’t like we were on a protracted fishing expedition or out playing golf. Nonetheless, it was obvious to all of us that we were missing a great deal. 

Since I was medically retired (after 35 years of service), I never did get to play that song at a ceremony. So what brought that song back to my mind now? It was an appointment with the VA last week. The doctor was asking me about my mental health and TBI. I told her that the toll multiple deployments exacts is bad, but what’s even worse is the insult of watching those hard fought for cities and provinces falling back into the hands of the enemy.

During the Cold War, I was in West Germany where we faced-off with the Soviet Union-led Warsaw Pact. We were trained to know that Russia could not be trusted. To watch them now walk into Ukraine virtually unopposed is exasperating. To watch them align themselves with Iran, Iraq and Syria, move their forces into the Middle East, and then bomb our allies is sickening. 

Driving home from the VA hospital that day, my blood was beginning to boil. Not like the pressure cooker used by the Boston bombers, but more like a cauldron – boiling because of a belief that our government is making it mighty comfortable for our enemies and not adequately aiding our allies. And that’s when the idea of a “list” came clearly to mind. Only this list is not of things I want to do – this list is for our current Commander-in-Chief to check-off.

Mr. Obama – please put this under a paperweight:

-- You owe Mitt Romney an apology. When he told you in the debate about Russia, “This is without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe. They fight for every cause for the world’s worst actors.” You arrogantly mocked him, “The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War’s been over for 20 years.” Sadly, Romney was past right.

-- You owe the 4,491 US Gold Star families and the 32,226 American wounded from Iraq an apology. Not because you started the war, but because you lost the war. You failed to heed the advice of your military commanders and leave a residual force.

-- You owe the families of the Benghazi four and the video maker you blamed it on (and later arrested) an apology.

-- You owe our children an apology for the Trillions in debt you’ve amassed.

I could go on, but I’ve got to go play catch.

This column appears in The Upson Beacon, 14 OCT 2015 published in Upson County, GA.

The Pulley

The other day I was stopped at a “T” intersection waiting on an approaching car to pass by before I could proceed. There was also a gray squirrel crouching in the middle of the road. The squirrel suddenly realized that the car I was waiting on was bearing down on him. He ran left, then right, then left, and then right – and to my utter amazement, the car passed right over him --allowing him to escape unscathed. It‘s worth noting that the car never deviated. Whether the driver was oblivious to the squirrel or just staying true to his course, I don’t know. 

The US Army has a course that’s specifically designed to facilitate the type of deliberate decision making that the squirrel so successfully employed. This course doesn’t consist of classes and lectures. It’s known as the Leader’s Reaction Course (LRC). In many ways, it resembles the typical Army obstacle course but serves a different purpose.

The Army has two types of obstacle courses: The Conditioning Obstacle Course “develops physical capacities, fundamental skills, and abilities that are important to Soldiers in combat operations. It has low obstacles that must be negotiated quickly.” The Confidence Obstacle Course “has higher and more difficult obstacles than the conditioning course. It gives Soldiers confidence in their mental and physical abilities and cultivates their spirit and daring. Confidence obstacle courses incorporate complex obstacles that involve height and are not run for time.”

Although the LRC may physically resemble the two aforementioned, it is designed to more fully exercise the analytical and leadership faculties. The concept for the Leader’s Reaction Course reportedly began with German psychologists during the late 1920s. They were interested in the selection process of prospective officers. Their selection process included, “tests for imagination and rapid learning ability; capacity for swift adjustment; emotional stability and security of conduct. They found that a series of leader situations provided an opportunity to observe the presence of the desirable leader skills.”
 
After WWII, the British adapted the German leader evaluation concept including the LRC. An LRC was eventually established by the US Air Force at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. “It was used there as one of the four means to evaluate students of the Squadron Officers Course.” In September 1953, the Infantry School at Fort Benning built an LRC for West Point cadets who were coming to attend a summer training program in 1954.
 
The Army’s intent behind the LRC is to improve the student’s leadership ability; assess the student’s leadership traits and behaviors; provide the student with a means of making a self-evaluation of his leadership abilities; and provide students the opportunity to observe the strengths and weaknesses of others during a team operation.

Many years ago, while at Fort Bragg, NC, I was in a position to watch numerous teams negotiate a particular LRC obstacle. That obstacle had some walls and poles that had to be climbed as well as some ditches that had to be forded. The equipment provided at that obstacle included some boards, some fuel drums, about 75 feet of large diameter rope and a very large pulley with a hook on the top.

Obviously, the leadership dynamics of each team were different. In some instances, one guy took charge and was very directive in nature, obviously efficient, but the pitfalls to that approach are also numerous. In some cases, there was a more deliberative, democratic, committee like methodology. Others broke down into teams and tried to gain efficiencies in their simultaneity. While that was all very interesting, that is not what amazed me about that particular obstacle.
 
What fascinated me the most that day was not the various leadership approaches or divisions of labor. What captivated me was how each and every team earnestly tried to figure out how to employ the rope and pulley. Without fail, for at least fifteen minutes, they all struggled with that pulley. They tried to hook it to things, tried routing the rope through the sheave, etc., etc. -- all to no avail. In fact, the pulley served no useful purpose whatsoever – it was in actuality, a hindrance.

How many times have I, like the squirrel, dashed about going nowhere or vainly tried to figure out how to employ the “pulley”? Perhaps the better reaction -- as prescribed by the greatest Leader:  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Lord, help us to lead by following You.

This column appears in The Upson Beacon, 7 OCT 2015 published in Upson County, GA.

The Pope’s Persian Conversion

Popemania – the new Beetlemania.  The new cable news network mantra, “All Pope, all the time.”  Why the mainstream media’s interest in this Pope?  My hunch, they think he can be turned -- they think deep-down he’s a leftist too.

I was raised a Roman Catholic, but after reading the Bible in 1993 became a non-denominational, Bible-believing, born-again, washed in the blood, follower of Jesus Christ.  Louie Giglio, an Atlanta pastor and founder of the Passion movement, made the point one Sunday that “non-denominational” is not the best term since one would not want to be defined by what they don’t believe in.  I get that.  Consider the saying, “American by birth, Texan by the grace of God.”  In the spiritual realm, my case would be, “Roman Catholic by birth, Christ follower by the grace of God.”  

In the military, the two main services were either Catholic or General Protestant.  Although I would identify as “protestant” (after 1993) in keeping with Louie’s logic, I was not protesting anything.  My allegiance is not to a particular church or denomination – it is to the God of the Bible.

So, is the Pope Catholic?  Do bears defecate in the woods?  The answer used to be obvious.  In a FoxNews.com opinion piece published December 04, 2013, editor Adam Shaw (a Catholic) said, “Pope Francis is undergoing a popularity surge comparable to the way Barack Obama was greeted by the world in 2008. And just as President Obama has been a disappointment for America, Pope Francis will prove a disaster for the Catholic Church.”  He’s obviously right about the former but what about the latter?

Shaw continued, “Just like President Obama loved apologizing for America, Pope Francis likes to apologize for the Catholic Church, thinking that the Church is at its best when it is passive and not offending anyone’s sensibilities.”  How’s that “apology approach” to foreign policy working out for America and the world?  Shaw then describes the results for the Catholic Church: 
 

  ”For all we’re being told about how ‘disenfranchised’ Catholics are being brought back by Francis ‘reaching out,’ a recent Pew Research study showed that in America, the number of people who identify as Catholic has actually decreased.  Lesson: rubbing the egos of Church-hating left-wingers doesn’t make more Catholics; it just makes the Church less respected.”  

Take a lesson America.  Jesus knew the world would hate Him and made no bones about it, explaining, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.   If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”   So how is it that this Pope trumps this teaching of Jesus? 

 

Another indicator beyond the press drooling over the Pope that should alert one’s spidey-senses – nary a peep out of the “freedom from religion crowd.”   There’s the Pope flying around in Marine One, the President’s personal helicopter, again, silence.  It is common knowledge that that aircraft is supposed to be reserved for flying the Obama’s on vacations – not a supposedly anti-gay marriage, pro-life, male-only priesthood promoting pontiff.   The leftists’ lack of outrage at this cooperation between Church and state is deafening, and a sure sign that they aren’t scared of the guy.

As a wacko Bible believer (i.e. orthodox Christian) I’m anticipating the prophesied marriage of the apostate church and the government.  Seeing Obama and this Pope side-by-side at the White House the other day was almost enough to believe the archangel’s lips were on the trump of God.  Perhaps this Pope is just Obama’s new Jeremiah Wright – to be thrown under the bus at some future date.  Maybe it’s a marriage of convenience – each hoping to advance their respective agendas by appearing together in unity.   

Although Obama and the left-wing American media may have rolled out the red carpet for Francis, I’m pretty sure Jesus would not enjoy a similar welcome.   If the Jewish Messiah were to show up tomorrow (and scripture says it’s very, very possible), it’s my bet Obama and the press would treat Jesus a lot more like the last Jewish guy to address a joint session of Congress – Benjamin Netanyahu.  

Another way Obama, the Pope and the press are alike (besides believing in climate-change) – they all support the Iran deal.  Said the Pope, "it is proof of the potential of political goodwill, exercised with sincerity, patience and constancy,"

Now that’s faith.

This column appears in The Upson Beacon, 30 SEP 2015 published in Upson County, GA.

Peacemakers and Peace Prizes

Let me start by confessing President Obama’s leadership approach makes me ill.  It’s my judgment that his “leadership” has made our nation and the entire world a more dangerous and unstable place.  His racism, partisanship and class-envy agenda has stoked the fires of dissension, rebellion and anarchy.  These wild fires are now out-of-control and might well be beyond the ability of man or government to contain. 

Doing a little introspection (like checking for lumps), I realized my mindset has gone well beyond the mere fact that I believe Obama and his cronies are destroying our country and destabilizing the world-order for future generations – it has become a medical disorder.  Recalling the syndrome that plagued so many liberals when Bush and Cheney were in office, I began a little internet medical research to see if I was suffering from something comparable. 

Using the search term “Bush Derangement Syndrome”, I quickly learned that BDS was discovered by my second favorite Jew, Dr. Charles Krauthammer (Jesus of Nazareth being my favorite).  The definition of BDS according to the good doctor:  “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency -- nay -- the very existence of George W. Bush.”  Those most at risk for the dreaded BDS -- Doctor Krauthammer said that it, “generally struck people with previously compromised intellectual immune systems.”

   

Through the power of the internet (and Al Gore’s ingenuity), I was able to uncover my malady – Obama Derangement Syndrome ODS.  There is great comfort in knowing one’s disability has a name.  In a clear-cut case of copy-cat medicine, Dr. Christopher Zimmermann has gone so far as to develop six-stages for the disease. (I’m a four on my good days.)  Here’s an abbreviated list of symptoms:  

Stage One.  Subtle, low level criticisms of Obama's "leadership" abilities.  

Stage Two.  Attacks on the President begin to take on a nonsensical element such as criticism of Obama playing golf, taking a vacation with his family, or eating mustard on his hamburger.  (Zimmerman makes no allowance for golf outings immediately after announcing American beheadings.)

Stage Three.  Unable to call the President by his name, using incendiary monikers such as Barry, Obummer, Zero, etc.

Stage Four.  Use of phrases like, "Anyone but Obama."  The diseased begin to take any position, so long as it is not Obama's position.  Mocking ideas like "hope" and "change" as naive, simply because Obama embodies them.

Stage Five.   Assaults on the President's character begin to imply he is evil at his core. The development of conspiracies that suggest Obama is knowingly executing an agenda that will harm America are commonplace. Questions like, "Is Obama A Bigger Threat Than Al Qaeda?" and "Obama: A Radical Leftist Who Seeks To Dismantle Capitalism?" are common place.

Stage Six.  People who are offended by Barack Obama's very existence.  

Now where were we?  Oh yea, discussing leadership. 

Like it or not, a superpower cannot abdicate its responsibility to lead, anymore than the father of a family can without bad things happening.  The mantle of global leadership, like paternal leadership, is incumbent with the position.  The oxymoronic (maybe just moronic) “leading from behind” is not leadership – it is dereliction of duty.   One only need look to our inner cities to see the consequences of absentee fathers.   Observe the Middle East to see what dereliction and our “Peace through withdrawal” strategy has wrought.  President Obama’s Nobel Peace prize, awarded in anticipation of the peace to come, may well have to be revoked for the mayhem ultimately delivered.

 

Paradoxically, there is another man, a man considered by many to be a man of war, who is credited with bringing about peace.  For the last couple of weeks I’ve been reading a biography about said peacemaker, General David Petraeus.  I was extremely impressed by his thoughts on strategic leadership.

Petraeus said there are four tasks he thinks strategic leaders have to perform:

- First, “Get the ‘Big Ideas’ right.”

- Second, “Effectively communicate the Big Ideas.”

- Third, “Oversee the implementation of the Big Ideas.”

- Fourth, “Capture best practices and lessons…to help refine the Big Ideas.”

After reading that I earnestly, honestly, and objectively tried to identify what Obama’s “Big Ideas” are – what is it he believes in?  Closing GTMO, the Iran deal, climate change, sexual rights (a new government term), Making America Great Again (just kidding).   It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious.

What is the “big idea” of the Obama administration – honestly, I have no idea.  

This column appears in The Upson Beacon, 23 SEP 2015 published in Upson County, GA.