Moira Crooks: Holding Out for a Hero – Why Character Still Matters

 Moira Crooks has posted a profound article at C4P focusing on the importance of character, the inevitable effects of a leader which lacks character, and the disinterest in character of an overwhelming amount of Americans despite the country having been founded by men of character who focused on character. Make sure to read the powerful example she brings towards the end from the not-so-distant past.

Whew! Wanna count how many times I've said character so far? :) As many times as it's been mentioned, it's obviously and sadly not stressed upon enough these days so let's say it once more; CHARACTER STILL MATTERS!

Where is a leader of good character when you need one? The fabric of American history is woven with political men and women of character. The honesty of George Washington who chopped down the cherry tree. Young Lincoln who walked miles to correct an insignificant error of accounting. Jane Addams, the founder of Hull House. Nathan Hale, who regretted he had but one life to give for his country. 

There once was a time when an individual’s character, principles and virtues were the first qualifications laid on the table when one was considered for political office. In the more than two centuries since the U.S. was founded, there has been a great shift in public attitudes toward the importance of character development. In 1790, the U.S.’ first President, George Washington, wrote to his nephew that “a good moral character is the first essential in a man.”

Lately we have been having a national debate over the issue of the private actions and personal character of public officials. Specifically we have been confronted with the issue of whether such a person ought only to be judged by his official performance in office, or also by his personal actions and his private lifestyle. In 2011, does character count?

On both sides of the aisle, Americans seem to hold a double-standard as to whether character indeed matters. Liberals, who professed to be appalled by the one accusation against Clarence Thomas, dismissed President Bill Clinton’s behavior as no big deal. Conservatives argued at the time, that character mattered. Liberals replied, in effect, that it didn’t. In 2008, Democrats argued that as long as you can get the job done… it really doesn’t matter what kind of character you have. In fact, a majority of Americans seemed to have felt that way and Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. 

Conservatives argued that character did indeed matter. We held up the tenet that “you can always recognize a man’s true character by the people he surrounds himself with” when discussing President Barack Obama’s past associations. Over the years, President Obama kept company with some disturbing characters. He connected himself with domestic terrorists like William Ayers and Bernadine Dorhn. He attended the church of an anti-American, racist minister, Jeremiah Wright for over 20 years. He is tied to corrupt people like Tony Rezko and corrupt organizations like ACORN. 

In our wiser moments, we have always understood that character, broadly defined, is important to possess for those in high public office, in part because it tells us whether our leaders warrant our trust, whether their word is dependable, and whether they are responsible. And one of the best indicators of character is the people with whom you associate. This is basic, elementary-school level common sense. Its something we are imparting to our nine-year-old son. As parents, we want him to hang around with the ‘right’ crowd instead of the ‘wrong’ crowd. We argue that the members of the latter crowd would be a bad influence on him, it would reflect poorly on him, and he might end up getting into trouble. What applies to my 9-year-old son should also apply to a presidential candidate.

Moira then took a quick skip through the current front-runners for the GOP presidential candidate, and lamented that none of the characters were men of character.

How do you separate the content of a man or woman’s character from their ability to lead? This question begs another, is the president just simply a worker bee in the hive of our nation? Is the role of the president to just be a mechanic of foreign policy and domestic concerns? 

Usually when we hire a tradesman to fix our house, we don’t care much about his personal morality. All that matters to us is that he can get the job done. Is that the way we view our president? Is he simply a mechanic, a contractor, a hired gun, of sorts? Or is he something more? Now, you might not care about the private ethics of your contractor, though you may. You might be careful about the kind of person you choose for those big jobs. Even contractors should be honest, one might argue, that dishonesty or immorality in one area of life might result in dishonesty and immorality in other areas of life. But one could argue that a contractor is valuable because he builds well and not because he lives well, that doing the task is the only thing that matters. 

Would you have the same attitude, though, about somebody who was to be a public spokesperson for you or your family, somebody that was going in your name? Would you care about the ethics of someone who was speaking to your children, or planning your future, laying the foundation for things that would deeply effect you personally?That’s different, it seems to me, because you’re not just talking about a contractor. You’re not just talking about somebody who will get a specific job done. You’re talking about a representative, an ambassador, someone who will represent you in a respectable way. You’re talking about someone who is planning your future. You’re talking about a role model, aren’t you? You are talking about a leader aren’t you?

Evidence that character matters in a leadership role can also be found in the story of post World War I Germany. Germany, like Egypt after the ten plagues, was destroyed. She was disarmed and allowed only minimal armed forces. She was stripped of her colonies and her naval fleet given to the Allies. The illegal (under international law) blockade of her coasts that had caused thousands of civilian deaths during the war was continued for a period after the armistice adding thousands more casualties, mainly women and children. The armistice that had been based on Woodrow Wilson’s famous fourteen points was reneged on and a harsh, punitive peace was forced on Germany. She was saddled with a huge war debt and staggering, unpayable reparations to the Allies. As the loser, she was unjustly blamed for the war, and treated as a pariah among the nations. The nation was in chaos. Unemployment rose to massive proportions. Inflation was rampant. Men were paid twice a day and the wives picked up the morning’s pay at noon so they could rush to the stores and spend it before prices doubled again. The social fabric was coming apart, revolution was in the air, and the communists were poised to seize power. The government, any government that accepted and conformed to the Treaty of Versailles, was held in contempt by the people. What happened to change all this?

A strong leader took the helm in Germany. He repudiated the hated Treaty of Versailles. He rebuilt Germany’s armed forces. He strengthened the economy and restored the nation to full employment. He suppressed the communists and restored law and order. He restored the nation’s pride and made Germany again a respected power among the nations of Europe. He was able to restore to Germany some of the territory taken from her after the war where millions of German citizens had been living under foreign occupation. And he was able to do all this without involving the nation in war. As some historians have pointed out, if Hitler (yes, you guessed right) had died in August of 1939 before the invasion of Poland, and the outbreak of the Second World War, he would have gone down as one of the most effective rulers in Germany’s history.

However there is no happy ending to this story. Hitler and the Nazis went on to lead German to another disastrous defeat and to national dismemberment. This time they were justly looked upon as a pariah among the nations. Again, what happened? What happened is that the character issue surfaced again. In spite of standing for many things the German people justly desired, and besides accomplishing some amazing things on behalf of the nation, there were from the beginning serious warning signs about the true nature of Adolph Hitler.

He had already launched an aborted coup to seize control of the Bavarian government in Munich. From the prison cell where he wound up he had written a book, “Mein Kampf”, outlining his radical program for the German nation. He conducted a bloody, murderous purge of his more radical followers to make himself more acceptable to the nation in his bid for power. Once in power he speedily moved to subvert the ordinary forms of constitutional government and to seize totalitarian power for himself.

The German people however seemed prepared to overlook these “character flaws”. The nation was strong and prosperous. Employment was good. What reason was there to complain? So they looked the other way as he seized total control of the nation. They acquiesced as he established a ruthless secret police and began to crush his political opposition. They accepted the concentration camps for undesirables and the politicization of the justice system to serve the ends of the Nazi Party. Finally they looked the other way as he began to implement his radical racial theories by persecuting Jews and Gypsies etc.

In short the German people gave their answer to the issue that lies before the American people today. They decided that character doesn’t matter. They decided that all that mattered was performance in office. Hitler had delivered. The nation was better off than ever before. Long live Hitler! But neither Hitler nor the Third Reich had long to live. Ultimately Hitler’s character flaws brought the nation to ruin and destruction. Ultimately character mattered.

Character continues to matter today. People can argue that we should overlook character under the premise of “judge not lest you yourself be judged”. However, I believe good character and effective leadership are as inseparable as hydrogen and oxygen in water. The president we elect is not just as a drone, not just as a worker bee, not just as a mechanic, a contractor in domestic and foreign policy. He or she is an ambassador for us, a representative of the United States, a figurehead, a role model, for good or for ill. That’s why he or she should be an example not just administrative excellence–a qualified contractor–but of good character as well. For me, good character births good governing by a leader.

Peggy Noonan, speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan made the following observation, “In a president, character is everything. A president doesn’t have to be brilliant…He doesn’t have to be clever; you can hire clever. White Houses are always full of quick-witted people with ready advice on how to flip a senator or implement a strategy…But you can’t buy courage and decency; you can’t rent a strong moral sense. A president must bring those things with him.”

Make sure to read the entire article over here.


 

The Ideology of Emotions vs. the Ideology of Reason

Throughout world history liberalism has caused horrific harm to countless countries financially, domestically, and otherwise. Traveling through time or even through the history of America will result in with enough evidence to fill up volumes of encyclopedia-sized tomes. It is actually not necessary to glance back any further than the last couple of years in order to examine the results of liberals in power. The Obama administration has weakened and destructed every positive aspect of the country in which Americans have prided themselves for generations, all in the name of compassion, care, hope and change without any real solutions to solve the problems plaguing this country.

His actions are similar to the OWS protestors who’ve got some nice-sounding slogans and have caused others to identify with them emotionally, but are lacking actual solutions and the ability to allow brains override emotions.

What is the motive Occupy Wall Street protestors? Do they want to shut down all businesses? Only big businesses? What will cause them to be satisfied? Do they want the rich to become paupers? Do they wish to sit in fancy offices on swivel chairs as executives for multi-millionaire corporations with their heads bent over long sheets of figures for hours at an end? These people are clueless in how to continue past their emotions of jealously and anger, yet the entire liberal movement from the President and down has endorsed and supported these protestors with ACORN actually providing cash for some so that they participate in the protests.

Obama’s seemingly hasty decision to back the protestors can be understood when remembering that liberals operate solely upon their emotions. If they see someone’s upset, fighting for their rights etc. then those people must be supported ignoring the knowledge that it may cause more harm than good. This often results in unwise choices and puzzling decisions to those who don’t allow emotions to get the better of them, and is what Obama’s foreign policy has been dictated by; emotions.

In Egypt, a Prime Minister of many years was somewhat of a dictator and totalitarian, but not the excessively harsh type who brutally killed thousands of civilians in unmarked mass graves. He would ensure he won the elections (much like Putin in Russia) and was often forced to rule with a tough thumb due to the constant rumblings by Islamic extremists who loathed his positive relationship with America and Israel. The U.S. aided Egypt, its ally, monetarily and otherwise, and helped them develop an impressive and powerful army since Egypt was a rarity in the Muslim world and the Middle East (excluding Israel of course.) Egypt was a Muslim country who actually suppressed terror and helped keep the entire Middle Eastern region somewhat stable and at peace, unlike Syria, Iran and other Arabic countries.

What was Obama’s reaction when Mubarak faced protestors who wished to force him out of power? He dumped him and celebrated his downfall! Why? Because he was overcome with emotion by the opposition people who had chanted for freedom, change and lots of other positive slogans. The information that many of these fighters were Islamic extremists who wish to take control of the country via “democratic elections” didn’t matter, since these people cried for liberty. 

How can anyone be assured that the new leadership won’t be more of the same, in addition to being hostile to the U.S. and adding tension to the Middle East? The Muslim Brotherhood who is feared will eventually receive the power, has expressed their intention to govern strictly according to Sharia Law. Even if the unlikely occurs and the extremists don’t manage to take control via “the elections” a few months down the line, they won’t rest until they ensure that they gain control over the country, as we’ve seen with Hamas in Gaza. Although 75% of the country supports Sharia Law, the results in other countries have proven that it will lead to the oppression of women and all non-Muslims.

Dennis Prager had explained how history has proven the last several decades that all change in Muslim countries resulted in less democracy, increased extremism, and worse living conditions despite what promised previously. Despite the evidence, instead of carefully researching the opposition before throwing his support behind them, Obama has behaved recklessly and dangerously.

Let’s roll back the time with thirty three years. The Shah was the moderate ruler of Iran, an ally, and a tough leader against those who wished to promote extremism and terror. When the extremists took to the streets in an attempt to overthrow the Shah, Jimmy Carter, president at the time, threw our former ally under the bus. 

Carter’s weak stance on foreign policy encouraged the radical Islamists to overthrow the Shah’s rule and then dare overtake the American embassy and hold hostage 52 Americans for 444 days. Ayatollah Khomeini, who took control of the masses, silenced the opposition, ruled according to Sharia Law, and led Iran with a tough fist. Now, thirty plus years later, the current “president” Ahmadinejad is actively aiding terrorism across the globe, spouts dangerous anti-democracy threats, and is in the process of creating nuclear power aka nuclear weapons.

One would think America would look back at history and learn from past mistakes, but with Obama at its helm his sympathy for the protestors overrode everything else.

The assassination of Gaddafi by U.S. backed rebels may have resulted in the eradication of some evil, yet in its stead greater evil is threatening to take his place. Ever since Bush attacked Iraq and Gaddafi had given up his chemical and nuclear programs, his global presence had changed from a threatening negative force to a neutral figure. Out of fear from U.S. repercussions he halted his support for terrorism and paid a total of billion dollars to the families of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing. Yes, Gaddafi was a dictator and ruled with an iron fist, but he hadn’t gassed or murdered tens of thousands of civilians throughout his dictatorship as Saddam Hussein has done, and which the left has conveniently forgotten in their opposition to the Iraqi War. 

Only the last several months when protestors wreaked havoc across the country did he attempt to squelch their power using extreme force, an act which I can’t see a single current Muslim leaders not engaging in. One has got to be extremely naïve to believe that Saudi Arabia or even the new Libyan leader wouldn’t treat rebels attempting to overtake the country in a similar manner.

Anyone remember Obama’s response to the students in Iran seeking true freedom and protesting against the brute Ahmadinejad? Iran is currently ruled by a freedom-suppressing, Sharia imposing, democracy-hating, terrorist sponsor. A change in governing isn’t likely to make it worse for either the Iranian people or the rest of the country. Libya, though, is now very likely to fall into the hands of Islamic extremists who will impose Sharia law, suppress women’s rights, revert to sponsoring and supporting Libya will now be ruled solely by Sharia Law. One mustn’t wait until it is actually enforced, to admit that Libyans aren’t necessarily better off now than previously. In addition to the gruesome manner Gaddafi was killed, mass graves have been discovered in which civilians and business owners who had expressed support for the Gaddafi regime were executed and buried, thus proving the new regime will be equally or even more brutal than the previous one.

Despite all these negative results, the left is gloating and boasting over Gaddafi’s death and congratulating Obama’s foreign policy. Throughout the entire Libyan debacle they have disregarded the Gaddafi of the last decade and chose to support an unknown group comprised of many factions simply since they spouted lines of freedom and justice. Now, when disturbing details are emerging, they continue to revel in their victory. This is the result of governing by emotion rather than by careful consideration.

Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937-1940, declared after signing the Munich Agreement that; “War wins nothing, cures nothing, ends nothing...in war, there are no winners, only losers” and called it “Peace for our time.” Not much time passed before it became clear that appeasements don’t stall evil since it only whets their appetite for more. Having been granted significant portions of Czechoslovakia, it emboldened the Nazis to proceed forward and conquer the remainder of Czechoslovakia and Poland. Although at that point the United Kingdom, France and Russia declared war on Germany, it was too late to save the lives of millions as Germany succeeded in conquering most of Europe, thus proving Chamberlain wrong. For when there is no war, there is a winner. Although eventually defeated, Hitler had been the victor from WWII since he succeeded in reaching most of what he set out to do. 

If the Allies would’ve confronted and stopped him immediately after he annexed Austria or at least kept their word to protect the Czech, the mind-boggling figure of over fifty million lives could have been saved. However thanks to Hitler’s glib promises he convinced the other world leaders to sign the now-infamous Munich Agreement, while Chamberlain reassured his people via the use of some empty slogan.

It is clear that the liberals haven’t learned from their past mistake as evident in their constant demands for Israel to appease the Islamic extremists by handing over a portion of their land, only to follow thereafter with new demands for additional areas of land to be relinquished. In a sense, supporting the Arab Spring across the world when it is spurred by radical extremists is similarly an attempt to appease them with control over their countries in the hope that they remain satisfied with their loot. Time will still tell what the final results of Obama’s dangerous foreign policy will be.

The 2012 election are now a year away and it is imperative for people to be aware of what we will be battling. The ideology of glib talk, slogans, and emotions will battle intellect and reason. It will boil down to whether people will flow with the emotions or allow their brains to dominate over their heart. Acting based upon emotions is nice when deciding where to spend your charity funds, not when deciding who should lead the country and what type of policies should be enacted. A leader and a government must be able to present real solutions and follow intellect despite the protests of their hearts.