A friend of mine recently commented on Facebook that “We need another Magna Carta type event today, led by the states towards the Federal Government.” The original event he refers to took place nearly 800 years ago in a meadow near Runnymede in England. It was there that a collection of influential barons forced King John, at sword point, to … [Read more...]
It’s Time for Optimism & Leadership – Oliver DeMille
November 11, 2013 by 2 Comments
It's time for optimism in America. Right now. I'm convinced that the best era of America is still ahead. And it's time to start building it, even if Washington won't, and even if the politicians are going to bring us both ups and downs in the years ahead. When we turn on the news, we hear of debts ceilings, a $17 trillion national debt, … [Read more...]
Ted Cruz and Mike Lee are Heroes by Oliver DeMille
October 12, 2013 by 1 Comment
At some point, America is going to have to face reality. We can’t keep increasing government spending, debt, and borrowing without eventually paying for it. But the problem is deep: When Americans are asked if they want to get rid of our $17 trillion debt and huge deficits, they say, “Yes.” When they are told that we need to cut any … [Read more...]
“The Book of the Decade”: Resolved by Orrin Woodward
September 12, 2013 by 5 Comments
by Oliver DeMille What if there were an award for “The Book of the Decade”? It would celebrate the most important book of the past ten years, the one that could have made, and still could make, the most positive difference in the world. If there were such an award, I know what my pick would be. Some books deeply matter. They change their … [Read more...]
Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
September 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
He wasn’t the headliner. His remarks at the Lincoln Memorial were not even part of his prepared text. At the time, few in the press even commented on his speaking role. But Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech has become one of the most iconic orations in American history. Few understood at the time that King was poised to become one of … [Read more...]
Charisma: The Key to Opportunity
September 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Everyone has experienced walking into a room of strangers and not exactly knowing what to do. Where do you sit? Who do you talk to? What do you do with your hands? Is everyone looking at you? What are they thinking? These feelings of insecurity are natural, but they don’t have to be permanent. In fact, one of the worst things that can … [Read more...]
Expanding Your Circle of Influence
August 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
One of the greatest truths I’ve ever learned came from a cave man in the film “10,000 B.C.” The film is set in prehistoric times and tells the story of two young nomads growing up together. After becoming the leader of the tribe, one of the young men faces an almost impossible challenge when a more highly advanced civilization kidnaps and … [Read more...]
Are We In for a “Second Great Depression”? by Oliver DeMille
July 30, 2013 by 1 Comment
In my recent class on current events, I documented the effectiveness of one scholarly media source in predicting future national policies, elections and other governmental events. The source is Foreign Affairs, a quarterly publication that seems to actually influence Washington more than simply provide forecasts. Of course, forecasts are always a … [Read more...]
Don’t Waste Your Failures
July 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I was in a bookstore one day browsing through the section on historical fiction. I am a sucker for a well-written novel set in a real historical time and involving characters from our past. Thumbing through the familiar names of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, and Jeff Shaara, I was surprised to come across a couple of books in this genre by … [Read more...]
How to Change the World: Lessons from Thomas Paine
July 25, 2013 by 1 Comment
Thomas Paine’s book, Common Sense, altered the course of history. Without it (and the impact it had on the American Revolution), it is doubtful that America would have won. At the beginning of the war, John Adams suggested that about a third of Americans supported Independence, about a third supported Britain, and about a third were … [Read more...]
