DennisMansfield.com

Like William Wallace...I'm goin' to pick a fight.

The whole idea of Hillsdale College being a sort of Mecca for conservative college students - a sort of Harvard for the GOP - gives me the willies. I'm not completley sure why...

Maybe it's because when I receive the regular issue of Hillsdale's Imprimis magazine each speech featured within it seems to have a strident party-line to it. "Here's what good conservative GOPers think, Here's what bad liberal Dems think." It's a sort of Stepford Wife in-house organ for 1.5 million people each printing, it seems. Maybe I have it wrong, though.

And people seem to treat it like it's a convenient truth for them to enjoy. With just a few exceptions, I feel like I'm eating plastic fruit when I read it.

So...I "said so"....to a young up and coming journalist at the college's paper, Daniel Williams...and to Hillsdale's credit, they printed his piece.

Like William Wallace, I seem to have painted my face half blue and I'm goin' to pick a fight....

Young Daniel Williams had a hard-as-hell time finding a dissenting voice for his article (and had to settle for a Boise, ID blogger..tee hee). Why? Where are the passionate William Wallace-voices of faith who are sick and tired of conservative group-organs ignoring cries of the heart by faith-based folks - in favor of fairly heartless neo-conservatives?  Hmmm...

Boy, do you think that'll get me invited to speak there? ha!

Den

Welcome Hillsdale students

Reporter Daniel Williams of Hillsdale College's Collegian emailed me today telling me this blog made the grade with you Hillsdale students - with my being critical of Imprimis magazine. Welcome aboard our blog.

You're probably gonna feel uneasy at times reading this, if you're a true neo-con. In fact, you may only visit a time or two. Understandable.

If you're a searcher for less bark and more wag in life, come back. If your heroes are Newt Gingrich, Ann Coulter, Brent Bozell and others in the neo-con world, this blog's probably not for you.

If you like Keith Green's ancient music, Bob Dylan's even more ancient music, Robert Knight's current writings and the Wittenburg Door and you are big of heart, living from your spirit - you'll find peace, challenge and laughter here.

Welcome young warriors.....

Dennis Mansfield

Christian America, er, I mean Viking America

John Eidsmoe's book Columbus has been sitting on my book shelf since 1992. It was published during a period of time within the Christian community's rush to embrace our nation's original roots of Christianity. Folks like David Barton and others began their careers during that same time period, writing, publishing and speaking throughout the US on our biblical background as a nation. Many people didn't like what they've had to say. Many did.

These many years later, I'm finding the book very interesting. Not because I'm a Christian Evangelical (which I am) but because I love a good mystery...love to read up on things. I love history and the historical record. So, having completed the recent book on Lincoln, I decided to dust off this book on Columbus and give it a go.

It's, well, it's interesting in a way I didn't expect.

The book starts out in a scholarly review fashion of several Icelandic and Greenlander journals...no kidding. Where was Columbus, I thought. I found myself amazed as I read on about Vinland and Erik the Red and a whole host of Vikings. Maybe it's just me but I did not know that there were all sorts of journals and histories written from the late 900's into the 1200's by norsemen. All intact today. All historically accurate. And get this....all agreeing that the men and women who came to North America did so as Christians. Yeah, no kidding. Jesus people with axes and horn-hats. Ha! I loved it.

Then, I found out that there had been an amazing discovery of a skeleton in medieval armor in 1831 in Fall River, Mass. The Danish archeologist Carl Rafn concluded that it was the body of Thorvald Ericson, son of Eric the Red and brother to Lief Ericson. Unearthed in Mass. In the US. A Viking from 1000 AD. Longfellow was so moved he wrote a semi-epic poem called the Skeleton In Armor.

So there you have it, Olly. Christ was a Swede, er...swedes were Jesus freaks . (something like that) Intersting, odd and historically true!

What are you?

Dennis

No Fiscal Impact?? C'mon be forthcoming with us.....

I spent time at the State Senate today wondering if we'd see transitional housing for ex-inmates start the process of dying in Idaho...the Senate has it on the calendar for Tuesday, saying there is no fiscal impact...though our numbers show that this bill may well cost Idaho taxpayers in the range of $30+ millions of dollars, given certain things happening.

The bill allows many problematic areas, but two gross errors to enter  its public policy on ex-inmates/ex-addicts:

1. It creates an illusionary/artificial division between ex-addicts and ex-inmates and tells the ex-inmates they may well be zoned out of a city's SFD neighborhood. (reminding us of "Red-lining" supposed-undesirables out of neighborhoods from the 1950's and 60's). This is Federally offensive and patently illegal. The Senate has a chance to refer it back to committee and should do so.
2. It allows the supposed threat of harm to act as a catalyst for neighbors to trigger city action. One person's bias against another person's legal right to occupy a home, may be the only thing needed to allow city-supported tension to grow in an otherwise pleasant neighborhood. That's why these ex-addicts have federal protection.

HB 465 appears to no longer be a Freshman fluke - the situation since its introduction fails the test of veracity simply because "the new guy didn't know protocol"...which I thought.

I was wrong.

This is an egregious act against a federally protected group of medically ill addicted individuals who need our state's support, not its Legislature's condemnation.

Do these legislators want to help cure the addiction problem in Idaho? Only if they are strong can they do so. It's lazy for Legislators to say this is a conservative measure so therefore they'll vote for it.

Few in the current Legislature hold the conservative credentials I hold, nor the longevity of having held them. Yet, this is REALLY not a conservative vs liberal issue. It is an issue of us having the strength to communicate and choose wisely as a community...as a state.

The fact that it was presented with an incorrect fiscal impact should stall the bill ASAP and send it back ASAP (til next year). The fact that the author(s) have not brought all the parties together to have any desired communication is a slap in the face to all who care about these ex-addicts.

Dennis

Why Legislators need to lead.

I've been in politics since 1978. Been schooled by some of the best and some of the worst.

What made the good ones "good" and the bad ones "bad'?

I believe it was the simple ability to, at key times, tell their consituents to be quiet and sit down. That's what visionary leaders do. Vox populi need not always be a correct voice....

Such is the case now in Idaho on a number of bills. One in particualr is looming for me and I will be following it closely, possibly even speaking out on it at the Capitol Annex. We'll see.

My hope is that I do not have to. My hope is that the mere gravity of the realization of the law of unintended consequences will cause legislators to lead.

I don't need to spill the beans right now. I just need to watch and wait. But rest assured that the day I return to the Capitol to defend or defeat legislation, it will be my purpose to do so with grace and dignity and not fire and brimstone. Didn't work then, won't work now.

Stay tuned.

~ Den

I choose....anything but "choice".

I'm a bit sick and tired of something.

It's the word "choice". Am I the only one?

I'm sick of the word...it's as if the word "choice" is an object enshrined for all to see.

It's ironic that conservative abortion-foes cry "foul" when abortion-friends lather themselves with the semi-sacred ointment of the word "choice"....then conservatives go out and enshrine the same word themselves when talking about non-traditional education (ie: Pro-choice in Education)

C'mon, how disingenuous of us...all of us.

I'm reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals" about Lincoln's ascent to the nomination and Presidency in 1860. She draws the unintended comparison between the political dynamics of the ante-bellum "these" Unted States... AND the post-Roe "this" United States....each wrapped in CHOICE.

Today's "slaveholders"  of the word "choice" whip it like a rented mule. Just look around - from burger joints to car dealerships, hair cut places to grocery stores. Everybody's for "choice". Say what?

At least in 1856 Chief Justice Taney called it like any bigoted Southern-sympathizer/blow-heart would call it: the object of the choice doesn't matter. He went waaaay beyond the Dred Scott case FACTS and pushed his own warped agenda into what today's Justices call the "sinlge worst moment in Supreme Court history". (Their words not mine)

All this stuff (both then and now) presented at the "altar" of a goofy word that has not substantial absolute foundation to it. It's not even a "thing"...it's an alternative.

Poverty of the Soul...and of a nation?

Poverty of the soul is the worst thing imaginable. Second worst is bare naked poverty.

The men and women I am honored to be around are often poor in clothes and rich beyond belief in God's coverings. Often the dirtiest drug addict with whom I come in contact is the only one open to the spiritual things of Jesus. Bless-ed, Jesus called them. As Tony Compollo is accused of saying once: "The rich don't really give a shit"..and the religious seem to care more that he used the S-word in their midst than if they actually have poor people and ex-addicts in their midst.

By the way, rich people are conservative and liberal. Go ask Hollywood....

So what's the clarion call for the rest of us? Well, the NY Times had a February 18th guest opinion that was presented to me on Monday by a new friend. I'm placing it here for your review and comments.

~Den

February 18, 2008

Op-Ed Columnist

Poverty Is Poison

By PAUL KRUGMAN

“Poverty in early childhood poisons the brain.” That was the opening of an article in Saturday’s Financial Times, summarizing research presented last week at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

As the article explained, neuroscientists have found that “many children growing up in very poor families with low social status experience unhealthy levels of stress hormones, which impair their neural development.” The effect is to impair language development and memory — and hence the ability to escape poverty — for the rest of the child’s life.

So now we have another, even more compelling reason to be ashamed about America’s record of failing to fight poverty.

L. B. J. declared his “War on Poverty” 44 years ago. Contrary to cynical legend, there actually was a large reduction in poverty over the next few years, especially among children, who saw their poverty rate fall from 23 percent in 1963 to 14 percent in 1969.

But progress stalled thereafter: American politics shifted to the right, attention shifted from the suffering of the poor to the alleged abuses of welfare queens driving Cadillacs, and the fight against poverty was largely abandoned.

In 2006, 17.4 percent of children in America lived below the poverty line, substantially more than in 1969. And even this measure probably understates the true depth of many children’s misery.

McJesus?

As a long-time faith-based political conservative (who has earend my wings/stripes/bruises/self-inflicted scars/and any other goofy idiomatic expression), I'm tired.

Tired of the "fight"? Maybe, though I don't think so.

Maybe, instead, I'm tired of national leaders in the Christian movement who refuse to see the good in people they oppose. I think I can speak with a tiny bit of authority, having demonized opponents into "enemies" in the early and mid '90s. (I simply was wrong.)

It's as though many evangelicals WANT to have enemies...a sort of satan-esque flesh/blood person to flog. (All said by them in loving tones, of course.) "So, instead, let's elect good, solid Christians to fight the fight".....we're told by our national leaders.

Then, suddenly, elections don't go our way....McCain becomes the possible nominee instead of McJesus.

And the long (and short) knives come out.

Ann Coulter for Hillary, rather than a POW hero? Non-veteran Rush Limbaugh mocks McCain. Grover Norquist shakes his head disdainfully at his failure to obtain a signature by the Senator agreeing to NEVER raise taxes. It's like a bad movie script, with really bad national actors. Neo-cons everywhere scream like young Regan as she meets the Priest....

And Even Jim Dobson says he would never vote for John McCain, because of the Senator's ambivalent stand on abortion (at least Dr. Dobson is consistant - this has been his stand for decades) even though pro-life champion Senator Sam Brownback backs (cool alliteration!) McCain.

Hmmm...but they are not the only voices.

Bob Knight speaks with balance. Sam Brownback does, too. I hope I do, as well.

But it's Gary Bauer who REALLY has it right. He's a voice of reason and balance on this issue of McCain's ascent to the nomination. (And watch, he may get "caned" in short order. Here's what he wrote to his friends by email today:

Gary Bauer's Daily Email:

McCain Reaches Out

Thousands of activists responded enthusiastically yesterday to a solidly conservative speech by Senator John McCain at the Conservative Political Action Conference. After the speech, I met with key officials in his campaign and laid out the areas where he could do more to reassure pro- life, pro-family voters. I am scheduled to speak personally with the senator this weekend.

Blogging from within the Lincoln Tunnel

There's an AP story by John Miller (Idaho Statesman link) that I thought you'd like to read. Primary reason is not because my name is listed as many of you might believe, but it talks about the growing topic of how WE are going to effectively deal with people coming out of incarceration. Some of you may or may not agree how I'm trying to deal with former convicts, but if you have a better idea I'm open to it, as long as the ideas are real and you consider the lives that your idea would impact.

btw, We were at the World Trade Center/Ground Zero. Very moving experience. We shot these pics while there. Something surprised both of us-very little to do with the day of the attack. No photos with the exception of those from street merchants and peddlers. It's as if in the desire to move forward, the Political Correctness Police of NYC have scrubbed the sight of all Islamo-fascist fingerprints. Sad. Sadder for the families. Kinda looks like they were killed by the Invisible Men. Check out the pics.

Also ate at Amici's II in Little Italy (<--). Dennis' favorite :) (as well as the noted political scientist, Jeff Anderson). On the way out of the city, we stopped by to have a look at Broadway (^)

Driving in and through the Lincoln Tunnel at this moment - click the link or this one from Wikipedia if you're into learning cool factoids. Read on further if you cannot get to the Idaho Statesman's link to read John Miller's complete piece.

Dennis and Colin

Are We Almost There?

Thank you Dennis for letting me "pinch hit" on an environmental topic, which is something that makes my heart beat, almost like watching the original Star Trek, listening to Bob Dylan's Forever Young, and sipping on a good port wine. I know, I know, what a crazy combination...

There are so many things happening lately in the news related to solar, wind, fuel cell, electric cars, green /yellow fuels, waste recycling, and more. Used to be that you had to frequent fringe sites like TreeHugger to get your fill of this kind of news, but now USA Today (solar article), Business Week (wind article), and other "mainstream" publications are frequently posting articles and posting them before the more fringe sites. And if you watch investments in stocks related to solar, ethanol, and other "green" technologies/companies you'll see a large movement of money into that realm. In addition The Science Channel (part of Discovery Channel) has along with other channels new shows that are showing that green is not something 10, 15, or more years off - we are closer than ever before. I hear rumors that Discovery Channel is even going to start a whole channel on green. I'm looking on YouTube for the Eco-Tech shows that recently were on August 20-24 - they were amazing! if you can find them in digital form please check it out.

So are we almost there?