Every Man is an Island

You've probably heard the expression "no man is an island." Frankly, I wonder if that's all wrong? I wonder if every man is an island is more like it. Let me explain...

I believe that you and I were created for relationship. I believe that you and I need relationship more than anything else in all the world. I believe that without truly relating to other people in our lives, we become "islands," completely separated from each other, which is not very healthy.

Why then are you and I so prone to times of isolation and broken relationships? Why do we unwittingly create barriers between us or establish "deep waters" that separate ourselves from the very people we should/could be relating to?

Has this been anyone else's experience or is it just me?

Take my important relationship with my wonderful wife, Ellen. She is absolutely one of the most highly relational people I have ever known. Thank God for that! She just thrives on relating to other people and sometimes I am just perplexed by how good she is at it. I really wish I was more like her some days. I really, really do! But instead, there are times when I sense that I am totally clamming up, creating an unwanted barrier between us. Usually I can't even figure out exactly why? Here's this highly relational, wonderful person in my life, and yet I am establishing "deep waters" around me to keep her at bay (so to speak). I don't get it?

And then there's my four children, those supremely important and wonderful offspring God blessed me and Ellen with as a family. I love them more than anything else in all the world, and I would do absolutely anything for any of them (I really, really would!). But, too often I sense that I am once again creating barriers between them and me. And I ask myself, "Why in the world am I doing this?" Here are these terrific young people in my life, and I'm establishing "deep waters" around me, keeping them at bay? What's with that?

How about other people in your life that you have opportunity to relate to? Like your parents, or those that you live around, or those you work with every day, or those you see at your church or school? Ever find yourself holding back from really relating to them? You realize of course that they probably are really great folks who also need relationship as much as you do, right? Why are we sometimes so prone to make "islands" out of ourselves when we were created for relationship?

Well, I have a couple of thoughts on this subject.

Relationships are hard. Relationships require a lot of us. Relationships frequently change. Sometimes we are not as willing as we should/could be to change with them. In an ideal sense, relationships are about us being willing to relate to that other person, not about whether that other person is satisfing my needs/wants/desires.

I also believe that you can only maintain a small number of truly deep and fulfilling relationships. We kid ourselves when we try to relate to hundreds or thousands of people. It just doesn't work. Large numbers like that are not true relationships. They are just casual acquaintances. People whose names simply fill up our address books and cell phones. True relationships are more intentional and more methodical and more sacrificial. They are also very rewarding and beneficial.

Yes, relationships are really the most important thing in this life. But, we frequently we mess them up, don't we? To the people we should/could love the most, we often become "islands" because we are afraid they might ask us to do something for them. Frequently we are unwilling to be that unselfish and vulnerable for them. Seems like we are often more willing to relate to someone and get along with someone in relationship as long as they agree with us and/or do what we want them to do. But when they demand something of us or ask us to commit to something that might interrupt our own selfish lives, we quickly become "islands."

So, it seems like every man is an island can be our relational experience. But, does it have to be? I am committing to working real hard from this moment to change that going forward. How about you? Will you join me?

No man is an island? Maybe they did get it right after all?

Lessons Learned from Defeat

First the easy one.

The Texas Rangers were soundly defeated by the San Francisco Giants in only five games in the 2010 World Series. I was bummed out about their defeat for days!

But, there was at least one obvious lesson to be learned from their disappointing defeat on November 1, 2010. That is: Great pitching almost always beats great hitting in baseball. Always has. Probably always will. While the Rangers made significant improvements to their pitching staff in the past several years, it wasn't quite enough to actually win a World Series.

I'm still a big Rangers fan, however! I can only hope that they will take note of this and other lessons learned from defeat.

Now for the more difficult one.

The Democrats were soundly defeated by the Republicans in the 2010 mid-term elections on November 2, 2010. Being a conservative, and generally a fairly routine backer of Republicans in most elections, I was kind of happy about that. As a matter of fact, I still am.

However, I think we all (regardless of our political persuasions) need to take note of some of the lessons learned from defeat while they are still fresh.

Now, I know that I'm kind of stepping out there with this blog and taking a big risk with some of you. These are simply my humble thoughts and are based on my long-held convictions. But, I hope you will understand that these words are not written to alienate any of you or have this become an issue that divides us in the future. I really mean that.

Lesson # 1 - A "big shift" towards a certain political direction (be it left or right) in one election usually shifts back in the next election. It is really, really difficult for one political party to win election after election after election in this country. There will occasionally be big swings in our voting results to the left or the right . But, these have a way of correcting themselves the next time people are given a chance to go to the polls. In other words, winning one election doesn't mean that much. Multiple elections in a row are what is significant.

Lesson # 2 - Politicians who primarily push their political ideologies and ignore the general will of the people do so at their own peril. I'm certain that a lot of Monday-morning quarterbacking must have been going on in several political circles following the 2010 elections. "Maybe we shouldn't have pushed so fast and so hard on certain volatile issues?" "Maybe we should have listened more closely to the overall mood of our country, paying closer attention to what many of the people of this country were trying to tell us?" I think the old adage of live and learn applies here.

Lesson # 3 - Liberty and freedom matters more than "progress" and change in this country. The United States of America was founded on the principles of individual liberties and freedom from any form of governmental tyranny. We as individual citizens still don't like being categorized into various "classes," or being told by the ruling party to pay excessive taxes to support stuff we really don't agree with. Americans didn't like that infringement by the British government on their liberty and freedom 200 years ago, and we still don't like it today. Don't mess with our liberty and freedom if that's what it takes to enact "progress" and change. It won't work.

Lesson # 4 - Strong support for and defense of our Constitution with governing based on same (versus political ideologies) is what works in this country. Going forward as a nation, everything we do in the halls of Congress should be checked against the Constitution first and no laws should even make it out of committee without passing a test of Constitution-compliance first. Adherence to the United States Constitution is what has made this country great, not political ideologies. Deviation from the long-standing principles of our Constitution will be the end of this nation's greatness.

Lesson # 5 - If you don't have the money for something, don't spend what you don't have. No matter how much you might want something to change or something to be a certain way, if you do not have the means by which to pay for it, it's just not the right idea. Period. Borrowing money and going into debt is only a good idea for rare occasions. You should only borrow money if you have a reasonable plan for how you plan to pay off that debt in the future, and that needs to square with all of your other obligations as well. It is foolish to spend borrowed money when you have no credible plan to pay it back in the future.

Well, there you have it. My thoughts on lessons learned from defeat. Not sure if what I've written aligns with your thinking, or if it is completely contrary to same. At a minimum, I hope it will cause you to consider the implications of elections in this country and prepare you to be an even better citizen the next time we go to the polls in 2012.

Go Rangers!

His was a life well-lived

Vernell G. Kvale - born September 30, 1931; died September 30, 2010. A complete life. His was a life well-lived.

I am thanking God today for the life of one of my favorite uncles. For the love he showed to me throughout his life, and for the inspiration he's been to me ever since his death.

Although it is usually ill-timed, we tend to appreciate someone we have loved and admired even more after they are already gone. I wonder why that is? Why do we tend to get so preoccupied with our own lives and our own affairs so much that we forget to honor those among us who have lived their lives well, and have blessed us (and others) immensely?

I don't have the answer to my own question. But, I can tell you this. Attending my uncle's funeral recently impacted me greatly. His was a life well-lived.

My Uncle Vernell lived most of his life in Lake Mills, Iowa. Except for a couple of years spent farming with my Dad following high school, and two years of active duty service in the United States Army following that, this small town of a few thousand people was his home. I admire the simplicity and wholesomeness that represents. I also admire the fact that he appeared to be perfectly content with living in the same community his entire life.

He married my Aunt Violet in 1956. That means that they were into their 55th year of marriage at his death. I admire the faithfulness and longevity that represents. He loved her greatly and it showed! A testimony to his incredible love for her and his thinking of her needs all the way to the end was this story told to me by his son following the funeral. My aunt's birthday was just a week after his. So, a few weeks before he died when he was being taken to hospice, he made sure that his son purchased a birthday card and gift from him so that it would be there and given to her in case he wasn't around to give it to her himself. His was a life well-lived.

He was a loving and dedicated father to four living children, two daughters and two sons. He loved them greatly and it showed! He was also grandfather to four young grandchildren whom he loved dearly and they loved him back. I admire the commitment and dedication to others that represents. Another story told at the funeral conveyed the mutual love shared between my uncle and his grandchildren. When his life was coming to a close and he was already very weak and at hospice, one of his granddaughters really wanted to be with him, missing his tender, loving touch. So unprompted, she crawled up in the hospital bed with him to snuggle. Even though in a terribly weakened state, he still wrapped his arm around her as they lay there together quietly for several minutes. His was a life well-lived.

As to his vocations in life, he was a farmer, a manager of the Lake Mills Creamery, and a custodian at the Lake Mills Community School. Following his official retirement about thirteen years ago, he continued to perform some part-time carpentry with a friend and assisted various farmers in his community with their harvests. I admire the hard work ethic and lifetime productivity that represents. Knowing that he would eventually lose his battle with cancer after fighting it for ten years, he actively participated in the planning of his own funeral service. Because of his genuine love for children at the school where he was custodian for ten years, he requested a choir from the school sing at his service. And they did. It was an absolutely wonderful and refreshing patriotic tribute to America. His was a life well-lived.

Finally, nearest and dearest to my heart is the fact that my uncle was a writer, and a believer in Jesus Christ.

As to his writing, throughout his life he wrote prose and poetry and shared many of his original writings at Memorial Day and Veterans' Day ceremonies. With only a simple high school education, he also wrote meaningful pieces for friends and family in his community, blessing them at birthday or retirement celebrations.

As to his Christian faith, it was obvious to me from words spoken at the funeral that my uncle had a deep and abiding faith in Christ. The pastor who conducted the services reflected on numerous conversations with my uncle and communicated effectively some intimate references to assurance of my uncle's salvation and personal relationship with Christ.

Yes, his was a life well-lived. Thank you, Uncle Vernell.

May we all express our love and openly appreciate someone we admire while they are still living.

I absolutely LOVE Texas Rangers baseball!

If you know anything about me, you probably already know that I absolutely LOVE Texas Rangers baseball! I love almost everything about it! And, this year, my love for this team may payoff in new ways as "my team" is actually going to the playoffs! Yay! And, hopefully they will go deep in the playoffs! Hopefully...

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, we went to a Rangers game at the Ballpark in Arlington (we also went to another game on my birthday, and are going to their final game of the season again today, too!). At that game, I told my sweet wife, Ellen, that I wanted to write down all the various experiences of a Rangers game so that I could blog about it later. Why shouldn't everyone who reads this blog learn more about one of my absolute favorite things? :-)

So, here's a portion of my list of experiences so that you all can better understand why I absolutely LOVE Texas Rangers baseball:

• Even as you enter/approach the stadium, there are the nicest people who greet you with a smile and say, "Welcome to the Ballpark!" I love that.
• I'm normally not much of a "groupie" type guy, but I love it that almost everyone wears Rangers shirts/gear to the games.
• I love seeing all the young kids at Rangers games! They are usually so happy and smiling and just delighted to be there with their parents/grandparents (well, at least most of them are!).
• I love the neatly manicured grass of the field and how the maintenance crews spray down the infield with water, getting it to look picture perfect before play begins.
• They usually have a ceremonial first pitch, giving one special person the privilege of having his or her moment in the sun. I love that! The other night it was a boy who was born without arms. He made the first pitch! He threw the ball with his foot. The ball actually made it to the catcher's glove, too! Amazing! What a thrill for that boy. He'll never forget that, I'm sure.
• I love the excitement of the crowd as the announcer gives the starting line-ups for "Your Texas Rangers!"
• I get chills up and down my spine as The Star Spangled Banner is played, and we all remove our caps, stand in attention gazing at the flag and salute our country.
• I love it that you can still bring your own food/drinks into the Ballpark if you want to. We (well, actually it's Ellen!) usually pack a lot of snacks and eat way more than we should. But, it's baseball, for goodness sake!
• I love the video board and highlights from previous games. And, they always show the "positives" from those games, never the "negatives."
• I love that they have short clips of songs for each Rangers batter as they come up to the plate. I love it that several of the Rangers have Christian songs/messages for their clip.
• When you are at a baseball game, you get a chance to sit outside for three plus hours. Most of the time it is really glorious to be out there enjoying the fresh air and cool evening breezes.
• At certain points in the game, the organist will play certain little songs/chords that help get the crowd fired up again and cheering for the Rangers. I love that!
• I love the fact that you can just sit there for three plus hours if you want to and watch the game and/or the people around you and/or the video board and not say anything if you don't want to. To me, baseball is a lot like what other people might enjoy about fishing.
• I love it that they shoot off fireworks when a Rangers player hits a home run.
• I love the fact that even though individual players probably can't hear us when we yell encouragement to them from the stands, we still do it anyway. It creates a constant murmur and/or buzz in the crowd, and that's just baseball.
• Being at Rangers games is still very much a family-friendly activity. I love that! It is still an affordable form of entertainment, there are lots and lots of activities for kids (like one of my favorites, the Longball Blast), and you can simply just enjoy being together during the games without any pressure to be involved in anything else.
• I love the "bump music" between most innings and the standard favorite of singing of "Deep in the Heart of Texas" (complete with clapping) around the 5th inning.
• Who doesn't like the Dot Race? And who doesn't slip back into being a kid again for just a minute while those silly people dressed up as dots run? I love that.
• I love it that they play Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" when the opposing pitcher is in trouble and "give him the boot" when he leaves the game.
• I love the "Stealing Third Base" moment when some kid gets a chance to run like mad to try and steal the base (literally) and make it back to where he or she started before time is up. Plus, if they do it (and a lot of grace is usually extended for this), they get to take that base home with them. How cool!
• I love it that the Rangers still have Dollar Hot Dog nights. Not a big fan of hot dogs myself, but they are so much a part of baseball. And, only a buck for one of those things? What a bargain!
• I love singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch and then dancing to "Cotton-Eyed Joe" after that. It gets everyone up on their feet moving and smiling and getting their groove on! Even me!
• When they do it, I love the "Kiss Cam" during breaks between innings late in the game. So fun to see the cameras catch couples unexpectedly and then watch them kiss (or not if the couple happens to not be a couple and only on their first date! Ha.)
• In some ballparks they have someone sing "God Bless America" after the 7th inning also. Love that song!
• And finally, at the ballpark you sometimes end up talking with the people around you during the game and nearly become friends by the time 9 innings are over. How many places does that occur these days?

So, that's a little bit about why I absolutely LOVE Texas Rangers baseball! I hope the Rangers play well into October, and can I even dream that they make it all the way to the World Series?

My biggest concern now is: What am I going to do from November through March without baseball?

I absolutely LOVE Texas Rangers baseball!

It had been 30 years

I believe that God gives special gifts to each of us in the form of wonderful people along the way in the span of our lives. He seems to bring these relationships into our lives at strategic points in our development in order to bless us in unusual ways. Our job is to notice the blessing He sends our way, and then thank Him for them, too.

God really blessed me when He allowed my life to overlap with Herrick and Mary Smith.

For a little over six months, this wonderful couple ministered to me at a vulnerable time in my life. I will be forever grateful to God for them!

Let me tell you the story...

It was late 1979, and I was a 25 year old single man working for HDR Architecture in Omaha. Kind of out of the blue, I was presented with a very unique opportunity to teach at the University of Florida for a limited six month period. In order to do this, however, I would need to take a leave of absence from my job, which I did.

Upon arriving in Gainesville, Florida (all alone, not knowing another soul there and a week before Christmas), I soon met Herrick (as he would be my boss for the next six months). He subsequently introduced me to his sweet wife, Mary, over dinner. We three became fast friends! Their overflowing love and selfless generosity spilled over onto me in numerous ways. They even quickly made me "part of their family" and invited me to their home for Christmas Eve.

I could go on and on about all the other things these two wonderful people did for me from that cold December to hot and muggy June in Gainesville. But, that one act of extreme kindness at Christmas impacted me in a very profound way. So much so that I decided I would commit to talking with them by phone every Christmas Eve thereafter (if possible), telling them how I would never forget their generosity towards me and thanking them again for it.

Fast forward to the year 2010.

Last weekend (just before the Labor Day holiday), I traveled to Florida to visit my long-time friend, Herrick, who lost his sweet wife of over 53 years in early August. She succumbed to the ravages of Alzheimer's, a terrible disease that had been diagnosed only a couple of years ago. Alzheimer's cut her wonderful life short, just a few months before her 85th birthday.

After receiving the news of Mary's untimely passing, I wanted to be with Herrick in the worst way. Since I was not able to attend her funeral, I felt compelled to go there and be with him. But, it had been 30 years since we had spent any time together.

What would it be like to be with him again, even if only for parts of two days? Would we even have that much to talk about? What could I do to bring comfort and companionship to this special friend who now found himself all alone in a house he shared with his wife for over 44 years? Was I even the one who should try to do this?

Needless to say, I was a little nervous as I flew on Southwest Airlines from Dallas to New Orleans to Tampa to Jacksonville, and then rented a car and drove the final leg of the journey into Gainesville. I so much wanted my visit to be helpful to Herrick in the midst of his grieving process. But, it had been 30 years.

What if it didn't go well talking with him? What would I do then? What if it was just too hard for either/both of us without his sweet wife, Mary, there? She was always the great conversationalist when we were together.

Well, suffice it to say, the visit ended up going very well. As a matter of fact, I believe we both benefited from our time together. It was a time of healing and a time of hope. I'm so very glad I followed through with the promptings I had to take this trip and spend that time with Herrick.

What lessons can be learned from all this?

• Don't forget to look for the special people God puts in your path to bless you.
• Don't forget to be one of the special people God may choose to use to bless someone else in a time of need.
• If you have been blessed, don't ever forget that blessing and remember to pass a similar blessing on to someone else if you are given the chance.
• If God lays a long-time friend on your heart, follow-through with contacting them now. You never know how important your friendship may be to them and/or how timely a call or a visit from you might be in their life right now.
• Thank God for all the special people He's placed in your path along the way.

It had been 30 years. Both of us said we wouldn't let that much time pass before we got together again.

Sometimes You Just Gotta Laugh Out Loud About Life

I'm usually a pretty serious guy. Just ask my wife, Ellen, and/or my family about that! I'll admit that I have frequently used this blog for "getting on my soapbox" about a lot of things that are going on in this world. Usually I write about things that appear to be going bad or wrong out there. And, there certainly are a lot of things that trouble me and cause me to get serious sometimes. But...

Sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud about life.

It was just a couple of days ago on Friday, sometime in the mid-afternoon. I had just received an e-mail at work that hit me kind of funny. So, I decided to forward it on to a couple of people I really love, who I thought might be amused by it as well. As fate would have it, the forwarded e-mail ended up triggering some persistent giggles on the part of at least one of the loved ones who received my forward. Then she called me. At the office, mind you! Well, my apologies to anyone who happened to be sitting around me at work that afternoon, particularly if they were trying to get something done on a Friday afternoon. In a truly serendipitous moment, we both absolutely lost it on the phone! Once the laughter started, it began to snowball even further, to the point of being just a little bit ridiculous! Tears flowed. Knees were slapped. Hilarity became contagious. And finally, I ended up saying, "Stop! Stop!" as I gasped for my next breath. It was a really, really big surprise to both of us! Not what either of us was expecting when the call commenced.

Sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud about life.

Earlier in the week, I received a series of e-mails about a particular subject from family members, including the one who caused me to get completely out of control on the phone on Friday. For some unknown reason, a little birdie inside of me said, "Oh, go ahead! Have some fun with this why don't you?" So, relatively uncharacteristically of me, I did have fun with it. Probably fooled a lot of my family members who don't normally see me pulling pranks or laughing that much or hearing jokes emanating from my mouth. But, I just couldn't resist! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to smile, giggle, and/or laugh to myself. Maybe the stresses of life have been taking their toll on me lately? Maybe it was time for me to just have some fun and relax a bit? Chill out about things happening in my life? I don't know exactly what was going on, but...

Sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud about life.

Many, many years ago, I remember experiencing totally uncontrollable laughter unexpectedly with my Mom. Neither of us are particularly funny people, as a rule. But, in this particular instance, we were over-the-top ourageous in our laughter. We just could not stop no matter what we did. It was another tears flowing, knees slapping, unending hilarity, gasping for a breath moment. Too funny! What made it even funnier was that my Dad was there, but he wasn't getting what we were laughing at. The more my Mom and I laughed, the more my Dad appeared to become completely disgusted with the two of us. It was a completely infectious moment for my Mom and me. We literally could not help ourselves. I am beginning to giggle just thinking about it! Have you ever had one of those moments (kind of like the "I love to laugh" scene in the movie Mary Poppins)? If so, cherish the memory! Remember moments like that when life gets hard and when things don't seem to be going the way you want them to go. Let it go because...

Sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud about life.

It says in Proverbs 17:22 that "A joyful heart is good medicine." Also, I believe it was author and humorist Erma Bombeck who once said (after she found out she had terminal cancer) that if she had it to do all over again, she'd laugh more. Good advice! Let's all laugh more!

So, for today - nothing serious, nothing dire, nothing too spiritual or intellectual or political. I'll save all that for some other blog, some other week. Rather, for today...

Sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud about life.

Got a good laughter story to share? I'd love to hear it. :-) Oh, and did you heard the one about...

There ought to be a law!

This past Friday, I spent the whole day in a seminar entitled, "Legal Issues for Texas Architects and Landscape Architects." Since I am a licensed Landscape Architect in the State of Texas, I needed some continuing education credits for my annual license renewal and this seminar gave me eight TX CEPHs, including the required one for Sustainable Design and the required one for Barrier-Free Design. Those of you not in the architecture or engineering profession might be saying to yourselves right now, "Ho-hum..." Keep reading.

The whole purpose behind requiring licensed design professionals in the State of Texas to garner a certain number of continuing education credits each year for renewal of their licenses is to keep them current in their professions. It also helps remind them on an annual basis of their overall charge in having a license issued by the state - that is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Texas as we practice. Whew! Some of you might still be saying, "So what?" Keep reading.

Well, about halfway through the seminar the thought occurred to me that everything I was hearing that day (from eventually all six attorneys who spoke to us), had to do with the miscellaneous interpretations of laws that had been passed by either our federal or state governments in recent years. Needless to say, there were times when I even felt like the speakers did not fully comprehend the laws that had been passed, even though they were declared to be the experts of them! Very frequently the speakers went back through all of the numerous, progressive "add-ons" to the original laws that had been passed, describing the necessities for how laws had to be modified to address issues that weren't covered or even fully considered by the initial piece of legislation. Ugh!

That is when it hit me. I remember hearing this phrase many times growing up. We in this country for too long have been all too quick to say, "There ought to be a law!" Something doesn't set well with us, we see something we don't like happening, someone we know is somehow made uncomfortable by a circumstance and we immediately say to ourselves, "There ought to be a law!"

I'm here to tell you that I think our mantra going forward should rather be, "There ought to be fewer laws!"

For the past 40-50 years when we as a nation have come up against something we don't like and/or don't think should be happening, our knee-jerk reaction has frequently been to introduce legislation attempting to fix or change whatever we personally deem wrong. Oftentimes without regard for any other point of view. After all, too frequently in this country it's all about me, right? And then, when a law is passed in its oftentimes compromised state, we frequently have to go back and amend that law over and over again to get it right. We seldom do.

I am beginning to think that this is no longer a good way to run a country. Rather, we should all just look around us, determine what each of us can do as individuals to make the necessary adjustments in our own lives to demonstrate a better way for others to follow, and then do that. Even if others don't follow, so what? Just live a life, set an example, prove that your way is the best way by living it and leave everyone else to their own business. It's still a free country, right? Right?

Case in point - one of the topics at my seminar on Friday had to do with laws dealing with accessibility. What a great cause! We as a design community should be making sure that everything that gets built is as accessible as possible. However, universal accessibility for each and every possible instance everywhere in the world (no matter when it was built) is probably unrealistic and a big distortion of what was originally intended. Similarly, another topic at the seminar had to do with the "greening" of our buildings. Once again, a great cause! I support it. We as a design community should be making sure that everything we do in our responsibilities as licensed design professionals promotes sustainability. That just makes good common sense. Local materials, less energy, better health for occupants of our buildings, etc. However, you cannot legislate compulsary "greening" for each and every building type all over the world, nor should we even try to! It's just unrealistic to think it will happen! And the costs of attempting to do so will ruin us financially.

So today, we have a lot of cries for laws that mandate proper foods to eat, or mandate generic details for universal healthcare, or mandate the prohibition of certain activities, etc. I'm telling you, all of that is dangerous, and someday soon we may all discover that it is also probably regrettable.

Therefore, starting today, I'd like to advocate a nation-wide campaign that says we should change the language in our country from one that says, "There ought to be a law!" to one that says, "There ought to be fewer laws!" Anyone care to join me in this cause? In my humble opinion, our freedoms and liberty in this country depend on us doing this different in the future than we have done it in the immediate past.

There ought to be fewer laws.