You will never believe this. I just had about an hour conversation with Ward Churchill in a hotel bar here in DC and I'm about to go see him debate David Horowitz... he wrote the above passage in my copy of Horowitz's book, "The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America."
Honestly, I didn't think he was that "dangerous" - but he didn't have an official entry on him, which is why he wrote that in my book.
We had a great conversation... this is developing... hang on for more...
I should also mention before I encountered Churchill and 2 of his friends (one a student and other a colleague in DC), I was involved in a "closed door" meeting with David Horowitz and about 15-20 other people representing conservative organizations that care about reforming the college campus. So, what a crazy few hours it has been!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Sooners and Cowboys
On Tuesday evening, I ventured about 30 minutes south of Oklahoma City to the campus of the University of Oklahoma, where some College Republicans had set up a "Get to Know ISI" soiree. It was in a very nice room in their student union. A lot like the other 2 soirees, about 30 people in attendance, about 15-20 new members signed up for ISI, and a lot of people excited.
On Wednesday afternoon, I ventured up to Oklahoma State University, which is in Stillwater, OK. A whole lot of nothing between Oklahoma City and Stillwater. Once I got into Stillwater, there was actually a landmark that said "Stillwater: Oklahoma started here." And then it depicted a scene and a saying that said, "The Great Land Run", or something of the sort.
I made it to Oklahoma State, where one of the nation's best ISI Campus Representatives attends, Dan Branum and his wife Summer. I first met Dan and Summer during my very first week at ISI, they were "my first visitors" along with 2 interns from the Eagle Forum organization in DC. It was great to get to Dan and Summer's campus during their final months of study there. They have been married almost a year now and are both planning on attending a law school of their choice this fall. I say "of their choice," because they've each been accepted to about a half dozen schools already!
Dan has been an ISI Honors Fellow and during the past 2 years has signed up at least 150 members for ISI. I swear. And, he put together an ISI information session, where only 2 students showed up to, but also had me speak at the College Republicans meeting, where about 30 students attended. It was fun and I got to meet some interesting new people that seem really excited about conservative ideas.
What I found interesting at the CR meeting, was that 2 of the 3 people running for the Lt. Governor position of Oklahoma in the Republican primary were also both at the meeting and gave about a 10-minute talk each on why the CR's at Oklahoma State should vote for them, support them, and campaign for them. Both emphasized the need to attract businesses to Oklahoma in order to develop a better economy and keep the college graduates in the state of Oklahoma.
I left Stillwater and headed back to Oklahoma City, tired and worn out after my 8 days in the southwest. And, I still had to get up at 5am to catch my 7:30am flight. It was tiring. And, I still am not going home... I am spending the following 2 days in D.C. for the Students For Academic Freedom Conference. I'm getting tired... I'm also beginning to lose my voice. I guess it's all the talking about ISI!
On Wednesday afternoon, I ventured up to Oklahoma State University, which is in Stillwater, OK. A whole lot of nothing between Oklahoma City and Stillwater. Once I got into Stillwater, there was actually a landmark that said "Stillwater: Oklahoma started here." And then it depicted a scene and a saying that said, "The Great Land Run", or something of the sort.
I made it to Oklahoma State, where one of the nation's best ISI Campus Representatives attends, Dan Branum and his wife Summer. I first met Dan and Summer during my very first week at ISI, they were "my first visitors" along with 2 interns from the Eagle Forum organization in DC. It was great to get to Dan and Summer's campus during their final months of study there. They have been married almost a year now and are both planning on attending a law school of their choice this fall. I say "of their choice," because they've each been accepted to about a half dozen schools already!
Dan has been an ISI Honors Fellow and during the past 2 years has signed up at least 150 members for ISI. I swear. And, he put together an ISI information session, where only 2 students showed up to, but also had me speak at the College Republicans meeting, where about 30 students attended. It was fun and I got to meet some interesting new people that seem really excited about conservative ideas.
What I found interesting at the CR meeting, was that 2 of the 3 people running for the Lt. Governor position of Oklahoma in the Republican primary were also both at the meeting and gave about a 10-minute talk each on why the CR's at Oklahoma State should vote for them, support them, and campaign for them. Both emphasized the need to attract businesses to Oklahoma in order to develop a better economy and keep the college graduates in the state of Oklahoma.
I left Stillwater and headed back to Oklahoma City, tired and worn out after my 8 days in the southwest. And, I still had to get up at 5am to catch my 7:30am flight. It was tiring. And, I still am not going home... I am spending the following 2 days in D.C. for the Students For Academic Freedom Conference. I'm getting tired... I'm also beginning to lose my voice. I guess it's all the talking about ISI!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
The Oklahoma City National Memorial
I had a few free hours in the afternoon, so I visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial. It featured an outdoor area, with a reflecting pond and 168 "empty chairs" on the site where the federal building that was bombed on April 19, 1995, was bombed. On opposite ends of the reflecting pond are big tower-like walls - on one end, the wall say the time "9:01" and on the other end, the walls says the time "9:03". The bomb struck at 9:02. Its significance is that on 9:01 the city was going on its daily business just as any other city would have at that time in the morning. At 9:03, the city had been completely changed.
There was also a very unique indoor museum which took me about an hour and a half to go through, and I didn't take my sweet time. There was a lot of information, even a few traumatic moments. It really put you in the moment. I could write more, but it wouldn't do the experience justice. If you're ever any where near Oklahoma City, visit this memorial. I think it really struck me that we are seriously living in crazy times. The damage wasn't done just to the federal building, but to many buildings in the downtown area - there were victims all over the place, who were impacted by the blast across the street and blocks away. These are crazy times, and after I left the memorial, I really felt that the people in Oklahoma City have been living in a post-9/11 world since April 19, 1995. They knew what it was like to have their world shaken by terrorism - lives and communities changed in an instant.
The memorial looked at everything - from the victims to those guilty of the crime, to how we should learn from this act of violence and hold on to our faith and our hope. I was really struck at how the people of Oklahoma City (and their memorial) really talked about faith as the key to their overcoming of this tragedy. They were willing to see that despite all the hatred and violence, there is certainly more good in this world than bad. This city rebuilt and their resolve only stands up to that testimony.
I was so moved, I went back at night to see the outside memorial at night, with those "empty chairs" all lit up, and the memorial lights shining off the reflecting pond. There was a sense of eeriness and emptyness and tragedy. But like all things, as long as we never forget and we think of how we can make this world better, we will honor the names and memories of the 168 innocent lives that were taken from us on April 19, 1995.
There was also a very unique indoor museum which took me about an hour and a half to go through, and I didn't take my sweet time. There was a lot of information, even a few traumatic moments. It really put you in the moment. I could write more, but it wouldn't do the experience justice. If you're ever any where near Oklahoma City, visit this memorial. I think it really struck me that we are seriously living in crazy times. The damage wasn't done just to the federal building, but to many buildings in the downtown area - there were victims all over the place, who were impacted by the blast across the street and blocks away. These are crazy times, and after I left the memorial, I really felt that the people in Oklahoma City have been living in a post-9/11 world since April 19, 1995. They knew what it was like to have their world shaken by terrorism - lives and communities changed in an instant.
The memorial looked at everything - from the victims to those guilty of the crime, to how we should learn from this act of violence and hold on to our faith and our hope. I was really struck at how the people of Oklahoma City (and their memorial) really talked about faith as the key to their overcoming of this tragedy. They were willing to see that despite all the hatred and violence, there is certainly more good in this world than bad. This city rebuilt and their resolve only stands up to that testimony.
I was so moved, I went back at night to see the outside memorial at night, with those "empty chairs" all lit up, and the memorial lights shining off the reflecting pond. There was a sense of eeriness and emptyness and tragedy. But like all things, as long as we never forget and we think of how we can make this world better, we will honor the names and memories of the 168 innocent lives that were taken from us on April 19, 1995.
Oklahoma: My 31st state!
Yes, I'm in God's country. You can certainly feel it. As I crossed the border from northern Texas into Oklahoma, the land is open. You can almost picture the "sooners" running for the great land chase in the late nineteenth century. There's still so much open land, I feel like I could have run out there myself and claimed some. But, not quite.
So, I made it to Oklahoma. And I can really feel like I'm out here in dead center "middle America". My first visit was to Oklahoma Christian University, on the outskirts of Oklahoma City in Edmond, OK. I visited with an ISI Honors Fellow, Stephen Swanson, who is only a sophomore and is starting an ISI Group at this small Christian university. It's a very religious school, with a chapel requirement every day at 11am, which is basically an "assembly" where they sing some hymns, here some announcements, and hear a few thoughts from a speaker.
I also met with a faculty member on campus who does similar things to what I do, but on a more local level for his school. He has also been involved with ISI as a member and told me he and Stephen would certainly help bring ISI lectures to campus in the future. We were also joined by another sophomore student who signed up for ISI and is interested in getting more involved with Stephen's new group.
After lunch, I ventured back into Oklahoma City...
So, I made it to Oklahoma. And I can really feel like I'm out here in dead center "middle America". My first visit was to Oklahoma Christian University, on the outskirts of Oklahoma City in Edmond, OK. I visited with an ISI Honors Fellow, Stephen Swanson, who is only a sophomore and is starting an ISI Group at this small Christian university. It's a very religious school, with a chapel requirement every day at 11am, which is basically an "assembly" where they sing some hymns, here some announcements, and hear a few thoughts from a speaker.
I also met with a faculty member on campus who does similar things to what I do, but on a more local level for his school. He has also been involved with ISI as a member and told me he and Stephen would certainly help bring ISI lectures to campus in the future. We were also joined by another sophomore student who signed up for ISI and is interested in getting more involved with Stephen's new group.
After lunch, I ventured back into Oklahoma City...
ISI soiree at University of Dallas
Monday night, we had another "Get to Know ISI" soiree at the University of Dallas. UD is a small, Catholic liberal arts school in the suburbs of Dallas, in an area called Irving (the campus is literally about a mile from where the Dallas Cowboys play).
On Sunday night, I attended mass there (lots of good looking single Catholic girls - makes me want to apply for their PhD program, or at least hang around a bit longer).
Anyway... back to the soiree ... we had a great set-up, good room location on campus and about 30 plus students attended. I would say about half were already ISI members, but it was great to get to meet them and help motivate them to get more involved. A former ISI Honors fellow introduced herself to me, and 3 other students told me they applied to this year's summer honors program. A young faculty member introduced himself to me and told me he was a former ISI Weaver Fellow, and another student told me she transferred there from Patrick Henry College (where she was involved with the ISI Group there) and she wants to start an ISI chapter at UD. Fantastic!
In addition, I had several ISI students helping me, including Stephen Wauck who put it all together at UD and Blake Vaughn, an ISI Campus Representative at Dallas Baptist University, who brought over several students from his school and advertised the soiree to College Republican students at UT-Arlington and UT-Dallas. And, we were lucky enough to have CRNC national chairman, Paul Gourley, in attendance. He was in town for some CR business and as a friend to ISI, he attended our soiree.
It's amazing to me the long reach ISI has - so many people are already involved with us, and yet those who aren't seem to be very excited once they get acquainted with us. It was good to be at UD and after 4 days in Dallas (my second ever trip to this city, the last one being 7 years ago), I really like this city and could see myself possibly living here someday. It's a growing city with a vibrant economy, very nice people, and oh yes, beautiful women. Great food and great weather too. All those combinations top my list. And, it's Texas. Good people down here.
On Sunday night, I attended mass there (lots of good looking single Catholic girls - makes me want to apply for their PhD program, or at least hang around a bit longer).
Anyway... back to the soiree ... we had a great set-up, good room location on campus and about 30 plus students attended. I would say about half were already ISI members, but it was great to get to meet them and help motivate them to get more involved. A former ISI Honors fellow introduced herself to me, and 3 other students told me they applied to this year's summer honors program. A young faculty member introduced himself to me and told me he was a former ISI Weaver Fellow, and another student told me she transferred there from Patrick Henry College (where she was involved with the ISI Group there) and she wants to start an ISI chapter at UD. Fantastic!
In addition, I had several ISI students helping me, including Stephen Wauck who put it all together at UD and Blake Vaughn, an ISI Campus Representative at Dallas Baptist University, who brought over several students from his school and advertised the soiree to College Republican students at UT-Arlington and UT-Dallas. And, we were lucky enough to have CRNC national chairman, Paul Gourley, in attendance. He was in town for some CR business and as a friend to ISI, he attended our soiree.
It's amazing to me the long reach ISI has - so many people are already involved with us, and yet those who aren't seem to be very excited once they get acquainted with us. It was good to be at UD and after 4 days in Dallas (my second ever trip to this city, the last one being 7 years ago), I really like this city and could see myself possibly living here someday. It's a growing city with a vibrant economy, very nice people, and oh yes, beautiful women. Great food and great weather too. All those combinations top my list. And, it's Texas. Good people down here.
Young Conservatives of Texas
This past weekend in Dallas, I attended the 26th annual state convention of the Young Conservatives of Texas. It was a blast. Basically the YCT'ers have chapters on campuses across the Lone Star state. They are similar to the College Republicans, however they aren't necessarily "Republican" - but they're conservative. In other words, they don't answer to a party, but mostly to principle. They do support candidates, they do lobby, but they don't do it on behalf of the Republican party, but on behalf of their conservative principles.
I heard a number of great talks by leading conservatives and politicians, including Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, who is a black Republican and an outstanding speaker! This guy not only didn't stand behind a podium during the lunchtime lecture on Saturday, but he also put the mic down and said, "Can you all hear me?" His talk is all about body language. He walks around, looks you in the eye, and is completely focused on what he has to say. I was impressed. I think this guy could be Governor of Texas someday - he's a truly principled conservative, and I'd probably go further and label him a "compassionate conservative." He's personal and longtime friends with President George W. Bush. Both are from Midland, Texas. In fact Williams was once running for something local in Midland about 20 years ago (mayor?) and he boasts having as his campaign manager, a young and energetic George W. Bush.
Later that night, I also heard a fantastic (and lengthy) speech by Representative Steve King (R-Iowa). Congressman King filled in for the absent Tom Tancredo. Both are great friends and both are perhaps the strongest advocates in Congress for a stronger immigration policy. They advocate building a wall or fence along the U.S./Mexican border and taking serious measures to stop illegal immigration and limit overall immigration. I mostly agree - and mostly because immigration has just gotten completely out of control. King's best statement about immigration: "A border defines a nation. If we can't control our borders, than we can't define them and without defined borders, we have no defined nation." (or something like that, I paraphrased)
The YCT'ers though really struck me. They are pure hard core activists. And they also know how to have a good time (I joined them in their "hospitality suite" on the 12th floor of the hotel for socializing on both Friday and Saturday nights). On Saturday night, the "YCT Chapter of the Year", the chapter from the University of North Texas, was running their video of an immigration "invasion" event/protest they held on their campus, which informed other students of how illegal immigrants are "invading" our nation. Their 10-minute long video was very well done and it showed how their event was very confrontational with many other students on campus, though hardly the majority.
I'm hoping that by introducing ISI to all these pure activists, we can turn them into intellectual-activists. Get them reading more conservative books and literature from ISI so they can defend their activism from principle and they can have the intellectual tools to use while they defend the conservative cause on campus.
The consensus from just about every student in Texas I meant was that most of their students at their schools are conservative, but their professors are not. However, the students on their campuses are mostly apathetic and so it's hard to get people involved, so they tell me. And I believe them, because I heard this sentiment echoed over and over again. And, it's not a surprise. Texas is a very conservative state, and so you'd think the student population is conservative - but you can never be sure about "the professors". Of course the major exception in Texas is UT-Austin - most of the students there are probably not conservative.
So, there's still more work to do in Texas - and not just at UT-Austin. We also have to get these conservatives more involved and get them reading more from the canon of conservative intellectual thought.
I heard a number of great talks by leading conservatives and politicians, including Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, who is a black Republican and an outstanding speaker! This guy not only didn't stand behind a podium during the lunchtime lecture on Saturday, but he also put the mic down and said, "Can you all hear me?" His talk is all about body language. He walks around, looks you in the eye, and is completely focused on what he has to say. I was impressed. I think this guy could be Governor of Texas someday - he's a truly principled conservative, and I'd probably go further and label him a "compassionate conservative." He's personal and longtime friends with President George W. Bush. Both are from Midland, Texas. In fact Williams was once running for something local in Midland about 20 years ago (mayor?) and he boasts having as his campaign manager, a young and energetic George W. Bush.
Later that night, I also heard a fantastic (and lengthy) speech by Representative Steve King (R-Iowa). Congressman King filled in for the absent Tom Tancredo. Both are great friends and both are perhaps the strongest advocates in Congress for a stronger immigration policy. They advocate building a wall or fence along the U.S./Mexican border and taking serious measures to stop illegal immigration and limit overall immigration. I mostly agree - and mostly because immigration has just gotten completely out of control. King's best statement about immigration: "A border defines a nation. If we can't control our borders, than we can't define them and without defined borders, we have no defined nation." (or something like that, I paraphrased)
The YCT'ers though really struck me. They are pure hard core activists. And they also know how to have a good time (I joined them in their "hospitality suite" on the 12th floor of the hotel for socializing on both Friday and Saturday nights). On Saturday night, the "YCT Chapter of the Year", the chapter from the University of North Texas, was running their video of an immigration "invasion" event/protest they held on their campus, which informed other students of how illegal immigrants are "invading" our nation. Their 10-minute long video was very well done and it showed how their event was very confrontational with many other students on campus, though hardly the majority.
I'm hoping that by introducing ISI to all these pure activists, we can turn them into intellectual-activists. Get them reading more conservative books and literature from ISI so they can defend their activism from principle and they can have the intellectual tools to use while they defend the conservative cause on campus.
The consensus from just about every student in Texas I meant was that most of their students at their schools are conservative, but their professors are not. However, the students on their campuses are mostly apathetic and so it's hard to get people involved, so they tell me. And I believe them, because I heard this sentiment echoed over and over again. And, it's not a surprise. Texas is a very conservative state, and so you'd think the student population is conservative - but you can never be sure about "the professors". Of course the major exception in Texas is UT-Austin - most of the students there are probably not conservative.
So, there's still more work to do in Texas - and not just at UT-Austin. We also have to get these conservatives more involved and get them reading more from the canon of conservative intellectual thought.
Friday, March 31, 2006
My visit to the Branch Davidian compound in Waco
I was in Waco to visit with our students at Baylor. But before I headed on to Dallas for the YCT convention, I just couldn't leave Waco without checking out the site that it all went down at in 1993 - the site where the rest of the world outside of Texas learned about a place called Waco. The only association I have ever had of Waco, Texas was when the AFT and FBI stormed the Branch Davidian compound against that nutball, David Koresh. Most people my age and older are very familiar with the scenes that were blasted on the tv every day. There was a 51-day standoff, where controversial religious extremist David Koresh and the 300 other people living there were confronted by our government, mostly based on rumors, but still some very wacky things were probably going on there. The debate still to this day is what role did the government have going in there, and were the plans, executed by our government, under Janet Reno and the Clinton Administration, appropriate?
The 51-day standoff ended when the ATF and FBI stormed the building, and a fireball explosion forced out the people living there. Over 120 of them were killed, including about 5 government agents who stormed the building.
So, last night I looked up the directions there. It's about 5-10 miles outside of town, in the rural farmland area. Once you get on this one road, literally called a farm road (for example, it would be like "State Road 7" instead out here it's "Farm Road, etc."), you go about 5 miles. The website I consulted told me where to turn, etc. I then went down this gravel road (I was a bit nervous at this point, all I saw were cows and farmhouses in this area). I then saw what appeared to be the accurate description of this place. There was a gate in the front, about 200 feet or so back was a little house (which I later learned is really a worship center). Theere were also 2 little small real houses on the property. Between the gate and the homes are about 120 planted trees - each one commemorates a victim, some as young as one year old.
I didn't cross into the property at first because it looked more like private property. Based on my only images of this place, I didn't want to get shot. I had no idea who was living there or keeping up the place. So I just stopped for a moment, and looked on, thinking to myself, "Should I take a picture?" I passed the property by about a 1/2 mile and made a u-turn. I slowed back up again as I came to the front gate and a man walked out of that worship center that looked like a home, and waived at me in a motion that said, "come on in." So, I thought, why not, this is what I drove all the way out here for.
I pulled up and at first didn't get out of the car. He came up to the passenger side window (which I had rolled down) and introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Ron," he said. He was probably in his late 50s/early 60s... I can never tell age. I explained to him that I wanted to come by the property "because of what happened here." I had no other way to describe it without appearing rude. He understood easily. He told me briefly about what he was up to there and said, "This place is part of our history now... despite the unfortunate events that happened here."
He told me I could feel free to look around, take some photos, and he humbly asked for a donation of whatever I wanted to give. I later ended up giving him two dollars. There was nothing official about this place... no official guided tour. There were however some stone markers by those trees with the names of the victims. There were also a couple stone markers honoring the victims as a whole with a very brief description about what happened and how the tyranny of our government could do such a thing. There was also a stone marker commemorating the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing, which happened about a year later.
I walked into the worship center that looked like a house from the outside. On the inside, it looked more like a small, non-denominational church. There was a tiny stage, about a foot high, that had instruments on it, and about 30 chairs. I asked Ron how many people worship here. He said, "about 10 or 20 every weekend." The rest of the place had a few desks where he was working on stuff, and it looked like he was framing some kind of art, but I really didn't pay too much attention.
He told me that all of the original building there had been destroyed - he showed me out back where the gymnasium used to be - the foundation was still there - with a moveable basketball hoop and a toddler's bike. The very neat looking swimming pool (which looked more like a swimming hole) was still there outside. But the worship center house was all new - Ron and a few others had built it there so that they could honor God's name there and pray for the victims of the 1993 incident.
Ron was never there then. He doesn't care much for David Koresh. In fact, he told me that his reasoning of "why this happened" was he felt it was "God's punishment." "David Koresh represents the bad elements of Western Civilizaton - the girls, the guns, the sex, the violence, the corruption... and God showed his judgment on that.... however," he continued, "God also shows his judgment on our government and what they're doing... the government is held to the same God that David Koresh was held to... " He wasn't advocating vengeance on our government for the Waco incident, such as Timothy McVeigh did with his bombing of the federal government building in Oklahoma City. He was just making the point that we, as Americans, have to be better, from our perspective as individual citizens, to our perspective of government officials. Otherwise, God will cast his judgment and punishment will be handed down. He had a point.
He also told me that he was from Philadelphia. He was a veteran of the U.S. military (I can't remember, but I would say he's probably a Vietnam Vet). He also said, "Our government has a history of this kind of thing." He told me about an incident in the early to mid 1980s where a similar raid happend on a house of black radicals in a Philadelphia neighborhood. When the Waco incident happened, he had had enough. So, he came down and with some others (I believe they're from the Seventh Adventist Church if I recall his words), they built this worship center.
On the property there was a bus which was there when everything caught fire, and you can still see the fires that ripped through it. I took a bunch of pictures, but I have no way of downloading them on here now until I get back home. So I promise to do that. It was a moving place, and it was kind of weird being out there - it was just me and Ron. I had felt very nervous at first, I almost didn't want to get out of the car. But, there was something very humbling about this guy that made me feel very comfortable being there. And he was clearly moved by the incident and has devoted his whole life and his whole sense of worship to preserving the memory of what happened there and calling for reform in a peaceful, religious way - and not the so-called "religious" way that David Koresh was advocating.
I am not saying I agree with him totally on everything, but he made some great points. I do believe Koresh was crazy - if even half the rumors are true, he's a nutball. But I also believe our government acted improperly. For 120 people to die, many of them children, something went wrong.
In any event, I told Ron briefly about what I do and why I was in town. He said in a few years he'll be speaking on college campuses himself, to encourage students to get involved with faith-based initiatives. I'm sure he has plenty of stories to tell.
As for me, it was very neat to come out here and see this place in such a tranquil setting that Ron has left it in. My only vision of Waco, Texas before this week was of flames burning up a building where children were in, causing 120 deaths. Now, I have seen the rest of Waco, including beautiful Baylor University, and the serene farmland that surrounds Waco, including this site where the "Brach Davidian compound" was located. As I looked back at the property one last time, I only thought to myself, it's amazing that just 13 years ago, the whole world was watching this place during the 51-day standoff, the whole world was watching U.S. government tanks and agents moving in to end the standoff, and then seeing the place erupt into a fireball of explosions. On this day, no one but myself was watching this place and if I had not known what happened here 13 years ago, I might just have imagined this serene farmland with a quiet humble man living on it, to be just a little slice of heaven on earth.
The 51-day standoff ended when the ATF and FBI stormed the building, and a fireball explosion forced out the people living there. Over 120 of them were killed, including about 5 government agents who stormed the building.
So, last night I looked up the directions there. It's about 5-10 miles outside of town, in the rural farmland area. Once you get on this one road, literally called a farm road (for example, it would be like "State Road 7" instead out here it's "Farm Road, etc."), you go about 5 miles. The website I consulted told me where to turn, etc. I then went down this gravel road (I was a bit nervous at this point, all I saw were cows and farmhouses in this area). I then saw what appeared to be the accurate description of this place. There was a gate in the front, about 200 feet or so back was a little house (which I later learned is really a worship center). Theere were also 2 little small real houses on the property. Between the gate and the homes are about 120 planted trees - each one commemorates a victim, some as young as one year old.
I didn't cross into the property at first because it looked more like private property. Based on my only images of this place, I didn't want to get shot. I had no idea who was living there or keeping up the place. So I just stopped for a moment, and looked on, thinking to myself, "Should I take a picture?" I passed the property by about a 1/2 mile and made a u-turn. I slowed back up again as I came to the front gate and a man walked out of that worship center that looked like a home, and waived at me in a motion that said, "come on in." So, I thought, why not, this is what I drove all the way out here for.
I pulled up and at first didn't get out of the car. He came up to the passenger side window (which I had rolled down) and introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Ron," he said. He was probably in his late 50s/early 60s... I can never tell age. I explained to him that I wanted to come by the property "because of what happened here." I had no other way to describe it without appearing rude. He understood easily. He told me briefly about what he was up to there and said, "This place is part of our history now... despite the unfortunate events that happened here."
He told me I could feel free to look around, take some photos, and he humbly asked for a donation of whatever I wanted to give. I later ended up giving him two dollars. There was nothing official about this place... no official guided tour. There were however some stone markers by those trees with the names of the victims. There were also a couple stone markers honoring the victims as a whole with a very brief description about what happened and how the tyranny of our government could do such a thing. There was also a stone marker commemorating the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing, which happened about a year later.
I walked into the worship center that looked like a house from the outside. On the inside, it looked more like a small, non-denominational church. There was a tiny stage, about a foot high, that had instruments on it, and about 30 chairs. I asked Ron how many people worship here. He said, "about 10 or 20 every weekend." The rest of the place had a few desks where he was working on stuff, and it looked like he was framing some kind of art, but I really didn't pay too much attention.
He told me that all of the original building there had been destroyed - he showed me out back where the gymnasium used to be - the foundation was still there - with a moveable basketball hoop and a toddler's bike. The very neat looking swimming pool (which looked more like a swimming hole) was still there outside. But the worship center house was all new - Ron and a few others had built it there so that they could honor God's name there and pray for the victims of the 1993 incident.
Ron was never there then. He doesn't care much for David Koresh. In fact, he told me that his reasoning of "why this happened" was he felt it was "God's punishment." "David Koresh represents the bad elements of Western Civilizaton - the girls, the guns, the sex, the violence, the corruption... and God showed his judgment on that.... however," he continued, "God also shows his judgment on our government and what they're doing... the government is held to the same God that David Koresh was held to... " He wasn't advocating vengeance on our government for the Waco incident, such as Timothy McVeigh did with his bombing of the federal government building in Oklahoma City. He was just making the point that we, as Americans, have to be better, from our perspective as individual citizens, to our perspective of government officials. Otherwise, God will cast his judgment and punishment will be handed down. He had a point.
He also told me that he was from Philadelphia. He was a veteran of the U.S. military (I can't remember, but I would say he's probably a Vietnam Vet). He also said, "Our government has a history of this kind of thing." He told me about an incident in the early to mid 1980s where a similar raid happend on a house of black radicals in a Philadelphia neighborhood. When the Waco incident happened, he had had enough. So, he came down and with some others (I believe they're from the Seventh Adventist Church if I recall his words), they built this worship center.
On the property there was a bus which was there when everything caught fire, and you can still see the fires that ripped through it. I took a bunch of pictures, but I have no way of downloading them on here now until I get back home. So I promise to do that. It was a moving place, and it was kind of weird being out there - it was just me and Ron. I had felt very nervous at first, I almost didn't want to get out of the car. But, there was something very humbling about this guy that made me feel very comfortable being there. And he was clearly moved by the incident and has devoted his whole life and his whole sense of worship to preserving the memory of what happened there and calling for reform in a peaceful, religious way - and not the so-called "religious" way that David Koresh was advocating.
I am not saying I agree with him totally on everything, but he made some great points. I do believe Koresh was crazy - if even half the rumors are true, he's a nutball. But I also believe our government acted improperly. For 120 people to die, many of them children, something went wrong.
In any event, I told Ron briefly about what I do and why I was in town. He said in a few years he'll be speaking on college campuses himself, to encourage students to get involved with faith-based initiatives. I'm sure he has plenty of stories to tell.
As for me, it was very neat to come out here and see this place in such a tranquil setting that Ron has left it in. My only vision of Waco, Texas before this week was of flames burning up a building where children were in, causing 120 deaths. Now, I have seen the rest of Waco, including beautiful Baylor University, and the serene farmland that surrounds Waco, including this site where the "Brach Davidian compound" was located. As I looked back at the property one last time, I only thought to myself, it's amazing that just 13 years ago, the whole world was watching this place during the 51-day standoff, the whole world was watching U.S. government tanks and agents moving in to end the standoff, and then seeing the place erupt into a fireball of explosions. On this day, no one but myself was watching this place and if I had not known what happened here 13 years ago, I might just have imagined this serene farmland with a quiet humble man living on it, to be just a little slice of heaven on earth.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Intellectually Stimulated at Baylor
I just got back from a 3 1/2 hour dinner in a private room of a very nice restaurant here in Waco, Texas with the "Self-Selected Aristocratic Order of the Vital Remnants." That's the name of the ISI Group at Baylor. Before I go on and describe what this group does, let me remind you that this group has been around for about 2-3 years and didn't really know anything about ISI at all until about a year ago. And then only recently in the past couple months did they affiliate their group as an official ISI Group.
When I asked their president, Tyler, a few months ago, "Why did you all start this group in the first place?" His answer was something like, "We weren't getting enough academic discipline and intellectual rigor in the classroom and we were all seeking further intellectual stimulation." So, they came up with this idea all on their own, but it's completely in line with all that ISI hopes our groups might do.
Our dinner meeting tonight resembles something of what most of their meetings are like, except they usually meet at someone's house and do this. This time, they got the royal ISI treatment over a very nice (and expensive) dinner. The dinner was worth every penny.
They usually meet once a week, on a Sunday evening, and one or two of the members presents a paper (the members by the way are "selected" by the group - you can't just join this group, you have to be invited, or rather "selected"). They read the paper aloud (it's about 2-3 pages at most). As they are reading it, other members are taking notes. I was wondering what they were up to at first. What are they writing? They were editing the paper right there on the spot, and as soon as the writer was done reading his paper, one other member became a "moderator" and kept the reactions in order so that a chaotic conversation doesn't overtake the purpose of the meeting. Each member that had criticism of the paper would give their thoughts and a discussion would follow that involved virtually everyone present.
The criticism involved not only the ideas, but also critique of the grammar and the rhetoric. In effect, it was a critique not only of the author's personal ideas and perspectives, but also a literary criticism. They talked about semantics. They critiqued the writing. And, they did this to the writer's benefit: to help them improve putting their ideas together as well as improve their writing style. The ultimate goal for most of these papers is that throughout the course of the semester, the final editing versions of the paper (which often go through several drafts and are scrutinized several times) are put into their publication, of which 3,000 copies are distributed at some point during the semester.
Yes, these guys do this for fun. And, it was fun. It was a great way to form fellowship, engage in ideas, and improve themselves academically and as true budding intellectuals. I was thoroughly impressed. I have been at ISI for 2 years visiting groups and each one is unique. Tonight was another example - I had heard a lot about this group from my colleague, Brian "Sko" Embry because he was a part of this group (and now I understand Brian so much more after experiencing what they actually do as a group). It's a very cultivating experience. And, after 2 years of working for ISI, this was in fact the most intellectually stimulating group I have seen. What impresses me more is that they came up with this idea without even knowing what ISI was. But this is something ISI would want to see many of our groups doing. I have now placed this group up on an elite pedestal to admire and perhaps use as an example to give other groups ideas of what they might do.
Intellectually stimulated is an understatment. Impressive, admirable, and remarkable are words that barely describe my impressions about this group. And I'm sure if they read this blog, they'd be scrutinizing every sentence. It would only be to my benefit of course. Then again, this is only a blog.
When I asked their president, Tyler, a few months ago, "Why did you all start this group in the first place?" His answer was something like, "We weren't getting enough academic discipline and intellectual rigor in the classroom and we were all seeking further intellectual stimulation." So, they came up with this idea all on their own, but it's completely in line with all that ISI hopes our groups might do.
Our dinner meeting tonight resembles something of what most of their meetings are like, except they usually meet at someone's house and do this. This time, they got the royal ISI treatment over a very nice (and expensive) dinner. The dinner was worth every penny.
They usually meet once a week, on a Sunday evening, and one or two of the members presents a paper (the members by the way are "selected" by the group - you can't just join this group, you have to be invited, or rather "selected"). They read the paper aloud (it's about 2-3 pages at most). As they are reading it, other members are taking notes. I was wondering what they were up to at first. What are they writing? They were editing the paper right there on the spot, and as soon as the writer was done reading his paper, one other member became a "moderator" and kept the reactions in order so that a chaotic conversation doesn't overtake the purpose of the meeting. Each member that had criticism of the paper would give their thoughts and a discussion would follow that involved virtually everyone present.
The criticism involved not only the ideas, but also critique of the grammar and the rhetoric. In effect, it was a critique not only of the author's personal ideas and perspectives, but also a literary criticism. They talked about semantics. They critiqued the writing. And, they did this to the writer's benefit: to help them improve putting their ideas together as well as improve their writing style. The ultimate goal for most of these papers is that throughout the course of the semester, the final editing versions of the paper (which often go through several drafts and are scrutinized several times) are put into their publication, of which 3,000 copies are distributed at some point during the semester.
Yes, these guys do this for fun. And, it was fun. It was a great way to form fellowship, engage in ideas, and improve themselves academically and as true budding intellectuals. I was thoroughly impressed. I have been at ISI for 2 years visiting groups and each one is unique. Tonight was another example - I had heard a lot about this group from my colleague, Brian "Sko" Embry because he was a part of this group (and now I understand Brian so much more after experiencing what they actually do as a group). It's a very cultivating experience. And, after 2 years of working for ISI, this was in fact the most intellectually stimulating group I have seen. What impresses me more is that they came up with this idea without even knowing what ISI was. But this is something ISI would want to see many of our groups doing. I have now placed this group up on an elite pedestal to admire and perhaps use as an example to give other groups ideas of what they might do.
Intellectually stimulated is an understatment. Impressive, admirable, and remarkable are words that barely describe my impressions about this group. And I'm sure if they read this blog, they'd be scrutinizing every sentence. It would only be to my benefit of course. Then again, this is only a blog.
Bush Presidential Library
I made my first ever visit to a Presidential library, and I started it today with a visit to the George Bush Presidential Library on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. How neat. The part I visited was the museum, which took a look at the life and Presidency of the 41st President of the United States. I really liked the way they showed his life, the different stages of his life, and the U.S. and world history that was going on at those stages, so it was like telling a history of the U.S. and the world and showing one man's journey through it. Different themes were: World War 2, the Cold War, the brave men and women in our military, and even taking to the west, being an entrepreneur, and trains! I didn't know the Bush family was so fascinated with trains!
What was really cool was the temporary exhibit on trains (which I mostly skipped due to lack of time), had a display of "the golden spike" - THE actual golden spike that connected the transcontinental railroad. It was neat.
But, one thing that really struck me about Bush's presidency was how so much world history happened during it (and of course they're going to hype that up, but it's still the truth). In the orientation video, Bush even said something like: "So much happened during my Presidency, I'm not saying that we made it happen, but we experienced it." The Berlin Wall fell, and so did the Soviet Union, the Cold War ended, the "new world order" began, the Iraq war conflict, apartheid ended in South Africa, and many other key events. I even got to walk through just a small portion of an Air Force one plane.
I wasn't even expecting to stop at this library today, but I had just an hour or two of time to fit it in and I did. Once I was there, I was fascinated and wish I had more time to read every detail. And now I'm even more anxious to get to the Reagan library. I'll be sure to schedule a good half-day there, minimum.
What was really cool was the temporary exhibit on trains (which I mostly skipped due to lack of time), had a display of "the golden spike" - THE actual golden spike that connected the transcontinental railroad. It was neat.
But, one thing that really struck me about Bush's presidency was how so much world history happened during it (and of course they're going to hype that up, but it's still the truth). In the orientation video, Bush even said something like: "So much happened during my Presidency, I'm not saying that we made it happen, but we experienced it." The Berlin Wall fell, and so did the Soviet Union, the Cold War ended, the "new world order" began, the Iraq war conflict, apartheid ended in South Africa, and many other key events. I even got to walk through just a small portion of an Air Force one plane.
I wasn't even expecting to stop at this library today, but I had just an hour or two of time to fit it in and I did. Once I was there, I was fascinated and wish I had more time to read every detail. And now I'm even more anxious to get to the Reagan library. I'll be sure to schedule a good half-day there, minimum.
ISI at Texas A&M
This afternoon, I drove from Austin to College Station, Texas. A big difference in campuses. UT-Austin is in the middle of a city, a very urban campus. And the university is a very large part of the city. Texas A&M, on the other hand, is pretty much "in the heart of Texas." In other words, practically in the middle of nowhere. But, don't let me slight the cities of College Station and Bryan, which economically flourish because of the university.
While UT-Austin was a very urban campus, Texas A&M was a much more planned agricultural "land grant" university. It's large, very laid out nicely, and very well groomed. Also, the football stadium is huge. Then again, the Longhorns' stadium was pretty darn big too.
I stopped in College Station to have lunch with our ISI Group there, which was great. The four members that came, led by Chris Garrett, a grad student in English, are very much into "big ideas" - very philosophically oriented and you could tell they liked to keep talking about the philosophy and political philosophy. They are a small group, but they are looking for ways to expand and reach the broader Aggie community - to increase the size and effectiveness of their group. Their best idea was to blend their readings with the lectures they bring in. For example, if in the fall they want to bring in Peter Lawler, they might take up reading his book, "Stuck on Virtue," and then prepare themselves to have a discussion with Lawler with the readings preparing them for the lecture. Also, the public aspect of the lecture will allow them to engage a broader audience on campus and perhaps entice others to join their group. In any event, it will be even more entertaining and intellectual for them.
They described Texas A&M as: "the students are conservative -- the professors aren't." They also wanted ISI to provide them with better reading lists (I offered the student's guides as the first thing they should look at in this respect, but they wanted something more concrete, more like a curriculum or syllabus). They seek and crave intellectual direction. Obviously something is missing inside the classroom. But, they're doing all they can to get that secondary education outside the classroom. The secondary education will probably end up being their primary education.
While UT-Austin was a very urban campus, Texas A&M was a much more planned agricultural "land grant" university. It's large, very laid out nicely, and very well groomed. Also, the football stadium is huge. Then again, the Longhorns' stadium was pretty darn big too.
I stopped in College Station to have lunch with our ISI Group there, which was great. The four members that came, led by Chris Garrett, a grad student in English, are very much into "big ideas" - very philosophically oriented and you could tell they liked to keep talking about the philosophy and political philosophy. They are a small group, but they are looking for ways to expand and reach the broader Aggie community - to increase the size and effectiveness of their group. Their best idea was to blend their readings with the lectures they bring in. For example, if in the fall they want to bring in Peter Lawler, they might take up reading his book, "Stuck on Virtue," and then prepare themselves to have a discussion with Lawler with the readings preparing them for the lecture. Also, the public aspect of the lecture will allow them to engage a broader audience on campus and perhaps entice others to join their group. In any event, it will be even more entertaining and intellectual for them.
They described Texas A&M as: "the students are conservative -- the professors aren't." They also wanted ISI to provide them with better reading lists (I offered the student's guides as the first thing they should look at in this respect, but they wanted something more concrete, more like a curriculum or syllabus). They seek and crave intellectual direction. Obviously something is missing inside the classroom. But, they're doing all they can to get that secondary education outside the classroom. The secondary education will probably end up being their primary education.
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