Shall we save civilization?

I am preparing a short talk to present at the forthcoming annual conference of the National Association of Scholars. Here is the proposed text:


Western civilization is doomed. Unless we find the character and courage to fight for the culture of freedom, our day is done. History’s greatest store of truth, beauty, and goodness shall disappear beneath the sands of time.

Military might cannot save us. Force of arms alone cannot preserve for our posterity the legacy of freedom given us by our fathers’ sacrifice.

To save civilization, we must wage cultural war. Undefended rights inevitably perish, and we have failed to give our youth the understanding of and love for civilized values that inspire them to defend their legacy. Freedom lives only when people will die for it.

As usual, Thomas Jefferson said it best: "the nation that expects to be both ignorant and free expects what never was nor ever shall be."

So, the real danger is not the blood-soaked, tyrannical evil that masquerades as a great religion of peace while flattening our towers and attacking the foundations of freedom. Our true enemy is ignorance and our only real danger, cowardice, a shameful lack of moral certainty.

Without the courage to even name the evil that destroys us, we cannot survive. My name is Mark Draper and I am one of a small band of scholars making a stand. We are raising up in our time the greatest school of all time. We shall build a great new temple of truth where the free and open, passionate pursuit of truth, knowledge, and wisdom is held sacred and fiercely defended.

We must wage cultural war. We must raise up an army of intellectual warriors who, fighting with no weapons save words, defend for all humanity, the foundations of freedom.

We believe but one force can save us -- universal education. Academia is incapable of reform. We must start anew.

To this end, we shall build history’s greatest school, Librescu University, the first of the great Third Millennium schools that will define our age. We name this school to honor the professor who lay down his life for his students at Virginia Tech. Our first mission is to offer the world a superb liberal arts education delivered at a price the poorest man on earth can afford.

To do this, we will use three tools. First, is cutting edge technology – intelligent tutoring systems, latent semantic analysis, speech recognition, computer vision, and open-source content and learning management systems. Artificial intelligence will automate all routine teaching tasks. The vital human component will be provided largely by a robust and dynamic global
community. Every student will have and become a mentor encouraging lifelong learning.

Second, we will exploit the best concepts and best practices from the fields of knowledge management, modern management theory, behavioral psychology, and constructivist pedagogy. The result will be the establishment and aggressive defense of an intellectual milieu that fosters trust, innovation, communication, collaboration and productivity.

Third, we will build this great temple of truth on a foundation of the best thoughts of the greatest minds of all time. Here the free and open quest for truth shall reign supreme, unlimited civil reasoned discourse defended as humanly sacred. Here the most outrageous and unpopular ideas are expressed freely with no fear of consequence.

If I am right, this is the hour of destiny. But two paths lay before us. One leads to light and life. The other to darkness and doom. Which future shall we create?

In potential, we are quivering on the very brink of the greatest era of all time, an era of astounding achievements, amazing new glories, the attainment of vast intellectual heights. These magnificent ideas and ideals will mean the elimination of poverty, crime, disease, hatred, fear, violence. We can create an earthly paradise. If I am right, future historians will mark our day as the beginning of the Neo-Renaissance.

But if we refuse to face a frightening reality, if we continue to embrace a poisoned false tolerance, we not only disgrace ourselves, we fail to play our part in the outmarching of human destiny. Most shameful of all, we deny to our posterity the glorious legacy of freedoms with which our fathers entrusted us!

The question of our time is this: Do we have the faith and courage, the will to prevail? Do we love the truth enough to fight and die for it?

Join me and show the world we do. Let us act boldly to create the future that humanity deserves! Let us prove in this dark hour that we are worthy of freedom! Do not fail the dreams of our fathers. Do not deny the dreams of our children. Take my hand and let us step forward into that new and brighter day in which around the world, the light of freedom shines!

Taps

Every veteran knows “'Taps.” It’s the haunting tune we’ve heard from our
bunks at lights out. Traditionally played at funerals, it’s a tune that gives us a
lump in our throats.

But, do you know the story behind the song?

Reportedly, it originated in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army
Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in
Virginia . The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of
land.

During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay
severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate
soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for
medical attention Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain
reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment.

When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a
Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead. The Captain lit a lantern and
suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he
saw the face of the soldier.

It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the
war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy had enlisted in the
Confederate Army.

The morning after finding his son dead on the battlefield, the heartbroken
father asked permission to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy
status. His request was only partially granted.

The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a
funeral dirge for his son at the funeral. The request was turned down as the
soldier was a Confederate.

But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one
musician.

The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical
notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's
uniform.

This wish was granted. The haunting melody, we now know as 'Taps' used at
military funerals was born.

The words are:

Day is done.
Gone the sun.
From the lakes
From the hills.
From the sky.
All is well.
Safely rest.
God is nigh.

Fading light.
Dims the sight.
And a star.
Gems the sky.
Gleaming bright.
From afar.
Drawing nigh.
Falls the night.

Thanks and praise.
For our days.
Neath the sun
Neath the stars.
Neath the sky.
As we go.
This we know.
God is nigh

We have all felt the chills while listening to “Taps” but few the words of the
song until now. Remember next time you hear this tune or find yourself in
trouble: God is nigh.

What a job!

One of the most recent heroes we're helping is a young Army medic with about a dozen pieces of shrapnel in his brain and much of both hands gone. Specialist Kevin H. was driving a humvee in a convoy behind a tank when a rocket fired by an Islamic terrorist intended for the tank blasted through Kevin's vehicle.

Kevin is the kind of guy any father would be proud to have as a son. The last year has been filled with pain and struggle and suffering for Kevin, but he never complains and is positive and upbeat.
His dream is to have his own home near Fort Hood, Texas and to become a teacher. (He was thinking law enforcement as a career but he no longer has a trigger finger.)

We are helping Kevin reach both of those goals. Thanks to his five years of military service, he has plenty of education credit, so that part is already largely taken care of. Right now, we're focused on finding him a home. We're a small charity without the funds to just outright buy a house for Kevin and his almost-fiance, but we're seeking help from other charities. And, hey, if you feel an overpowering urge to make a contribution earmarked for him, don't let reading this blog get in your way!

While our goal is to attract the resrouces necessary to give him a home outright, plan "B" is to find a foreclosure in Copperas Cove, Texas, put up the cash for the down payment, get a loan from a local lender. The median price of a home there is $102,200. We're looking for one we can pick up for around $50,000 to $60,000.

Even with his mangled hands, Kevin could do a lot of the work needed to fix up a place with lots of deferred maintenance. Plus, we think that working with Mary Smith, the president of the local Chamber of Commerce, we ought to be able to find some good Texas volunteers to pitch in. Hopefully, with, say, $20,000 invested in rehab, Kevin can make that $50,000 house worth $110,000 to $120,000. By adding that $50,000 to $60,000 in value to the house, he should be able to borrow $100,000 which would give him a mortgage payment of about $600 a month.

As he will probably get about 90% disability payment from Uncle Sam, this should be very affordable. That $50,000+ equity would give him enough working capital to buy another foreclosure and fix it up and flip it or rent it. Plus pay OurFinest.Org back the down payment so we can use it to help another wounded warrior.

So, that's our worst case plan to get Kevin started on a new life. It's not as good as giving him a house outright, but we think it's a workable plan. Any thoughts?

The very best thing about running OurFinest.Org is the chance to meet heroes like Kevin and their families. Kevin is blessed with a Super Mom, a woman with all the protective drive of a mother bear for her cubs. I sent her an email this morning thanking her for all the help in going after resources that might be available for Kevin and complimented her on her energetic support and got the following response:

"Ahh Mark – that was so very sweet of you to say – yes, indeed, I have a great deal of love and support for our son Kevin, as I do for each of our sons. It’s only natural, don’t you think? Indeed, I am extremely motivated and very supportive of him, and of course only want to make all his dreams become a reality….. I have attempted to maintain clear and accurate contact information since Kevin’s injury on September 30 of ’07 – it’s hard to believe it has been over a year. I am longing for that precious day for him to be totally out of D.C. and on with his life in hopefully Texas – and the Ft. Hood/Copperas Cove area. I want so very much for all his dreams to become a reality. I forwarded Kevin your last email so he too knows how very hard you are working on everything Mark – thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!! "

So do I have a great job or what? While a paycheck does not come with the job -- OurFinest is an all volunteer organization -- the appreciation of people like Kevin and his Mom is worth more than gold.

While I served four years in the U.S. Navy, my military career was undistinguished: just a swabby on an aircraft carrier. I'm no hero but I am so grateful that I get to hang with heroes.

Warrior care!

Christmas on patrol

This morning, I was reflecting on what our wounded warriors need and want. My experience is that most of all they want to know that their sacrifice means something, that their pain and suffering and loss of the life they would have lived if whole and healthy is appreciated. These heroes and their families have a great many needs.

But perhaps most of all, they need to hear from you this Christmas. In the midst of these reflections, I received the following poem from Corporal Jacob Schick, USMC RET.

The Sentry's Christmas

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the

sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light

Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"

Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram

always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a

feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son."

Then in his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."
* * *
Take a moment to pray for those who serve.

A Foundation of Trust

The cornerstone of what we here attempt to build is community. The foundation of any genuine community is trust. We seek to build something that will last for centuries. The pyramids built by the ancient Egyptians remain standing today, because their builders gave them an enduring foundation.

We want to do the same. We are not any better, nor a whole lot worse, than the average person. We are just as prone to error as anyone. So, our only hope of creating an enduring foundation of trust is to operate entirely in the open, completely subject to observation, analysis, criticism.

We intend to build trust by deserving it. This is not to say that we won't make mistakes. All we can guarantee is that we will persevere in trying to get it right. Though we may err, at least we will do our best to be open to correction.

It has been said that the truth in any proposition varies in inverse proportion to its argumentative defense. So, we're going to try to avoid defensiveness. Anything we say or do is open to your -- or anyone else's -- criticism.

While we are totally devoted to warrior care, our ultimate mission transcends even this lofty purpose. As much as we love our wounded warriors, what we would really like to do is to dramatically change the future so as to remove the inevitability of the wars which tear apart the bodies of our best and bravest.

The only force capable of this, in our view, is universal education. Our ultimate goal is to launch the greatest school in all of human history. We envision not just a new and better university, but a new paradigm for education, a superuniversity, a great Temple of Truth served by scholars whose lives are dedicated to the quest for knowledge, wisdom, truth. The purpose of this school is to teach people how to live better lives.

But it is not just learned, reasoned, civil discourse that we seek to advance. We want to create a school that welcomes everyone who wants to learn, that accepts each student as he is and develops a comprehensively individualized curriculum just for that person. As each individual is unique, so will each program of instruction be unique.

In order to dissipate the dark clouds of ignorance which threaten to engulf our planet, we must create the greatest school that ever existed. The bad news is that we are completely incompetent to achieve such an enterprise. The good news is that virtually everything needed to create such a school is already at hand. What we cannot do when few in numbers, we can do together, working together as an army of non-violent but assertive intellectual warriors.

What we need to do is to raise the banner and sound the call to arms. Let every honest student and every true scholar step forward. If you love the truth and are willing to follow it wherever it leads, in this you have the only required credentials. You are part, if you wish, of one of the noblest enterprises ever attempted.

If we are successful, we shall change the world. If we fail, we fail knowing that our cause is just and good. We also know that ultimate victory for our cause -- be in eons in the future -- is certain, for the final victory for truth is inevitable. The world of which we dare to dream -- the vision of a peaceful paradise crowned by truth, beauty, and goodness which has inspired dreamers of all ages -- will not appear in our time.

But if we fail to struggle to move humanity towards that goal, it will be that much farther in the future and its attainment will be the achievement of others, not ours. We have faith in the goodness of God and in the ultimate triumph of his plan for humanity. Like other visionaries, we know that we will not reach the promised land. But we see it, and to know that through our efforts it shall be obtained is enough.

I wish it were possible to talk about these things without grandiosity, but I just don't know how. I have to give up my fear of being thought mad. Besides, history suggests that being thought insane is a necessary if insufficient criterion for greatness. Regardless of others' opinion, I know what I know and I shall do what I can do.

On January 1, 2009, we plan to officially launch this community. By now, a smart person like you will have figured out that you will receive an enthusiastic welcome if you want to help.

Victory in Baghdad. Defeat at Home.

While our troops are winning the war against Islamic terror in the Middle
East, we are losing it at home. The enemies of America use our strengths
against us. They take advantage of the openness of our society -- our freedom
of speech and freedom of religion – in their relentless campaign to overthrow
our way of life.

I believe that the greatest threat to civilization today is Islam. While China is,
no doubt, a major threat to the crowning feature of Western life: democracy
based on individual freedom, that country is the home of the one of the
world’s oldest civilizations. Even if America were destroyed in an all out
thermonuclear war with China, civilization itself would survive.

What we need to wake up and face today is the most pressing issues of our
time: the shockingly rapid and rabid advance of Islam’s virulent violence.

In the name of religion, Islam toils and plots to destroy us. Its most extreme
followers are delighted to sacrifice their own life in order to attack the “Great
Satan” as we are known to hundreds of millions of Muslims.

The plain and simple truth is that Islam is not really a religion at all. It is a
political movement which seeks to convert or destroy all who stand in the way
of the worldwide domination by Islamic law. There is no moral equivalency
between faiths that promote peace and love with Islam, which promotes fear,
hatred and terror.

True, not all Muslims are terrorists. But nearly all terrorists are Muslim. We
can differentiate between Islamic extremism and peace-loving Muslims. But
we must honestly acknowledge that even peace-loving Muslims are a very real
part of the problem: they provide the sea in which the terrorist sharks swim.
Overwhelmed by massive immigration, we are simply unable to identify and
bar entry to those who wish to destroy us: We welcomed into our country all
of the 9/11 Saudi Arab terrorists.

The existence of large Muslim communities in our midst made it possible for
Islamic terrorists to live here – even learn to fly jet liners here – and plot
together the fall of the World Trade Center towers. The plain truth is that if
not one mosque stood in America, the twin towers would still be standing.

By twisting the interpretation of the Koran’s inflexible hatred of infidels, some
Muslims manage to live peacefully among us. But an honest reading of the
Koran makes clear Allah’s implacable hatred of all people and things which do
not conform to Islamic dogma.

The aggressive terror movement that is at the heart of Islam quite literally
threatens the very existence of Western Civilization and the freedoms of every
single person on earth.

Europe is already probably lost to Islam. The future belongs only to those
who reproduce and non-Muslim Europeans are not having children. In
France, the #1 most popular name for a boy is Muhammad. Recently,
French law enforcement officials are calling for help, noting that what Islamist
extremists and hoodlums are waging against them in France is an actual
intifada. The Dutch, also overwhelmed with angry immigrants who refuse to
assimilate, is likewise facing an epic clash of cultures. In England, key cities like
London are on the brink of becoming majority Muslim--a frightening
percentage of whom believe that terrorism is a viable, moral option.

Could this happen in America? It is already happening. In fact, the seeds have
already been planted. If you have been unaware or dismissive of this threat to
the existence of our nation, you might want to read America Alone, a book by
Mark Steyn.

This is not a partisan book . It doesn’t matter if you are a "conservative" or a
"liberal," if you love America; if you love your family; if you love
freedom...you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to get informed and get
involved.

This is not a book of racism or bigotry. Steyn does not attack an ethnic group
or, specifically, those who practice the Muslim faith. In fact, he sheds light on
why Islamist extremism is the greatest danger to Muslims in the world today.
(It should be noted that more Muslims and Arabs have been killed and
persecuted and enslaved by Islamofacism than any other force.)

The greatest danger is the one whose existence we refuse to admit. An
unwillingness to look frankly at an ugly and frightening reality makes ome
commentators dismiss the threat. Most Americans do not remember or do not
understand the threat that we faced in World War II. We do not know what it
feels like to experience our way of life in dire jeopardy. As a result, we
discount any talk of menace or serious threats to our way of life. This
dangerous mindset is perhaps the inevitable result of decades of complacency
and relative peace. The doom looming just over the horizon is simply
inconceivable to many. But Pearl Harbor was real. Nazism was real. And so
was 9/11.

For the sake of the world and civilization, America must prevail. It is vital for
all --including moderate Muslims--that America (and all of the virtues for
which it stands) survives.

It is time to speak out boldly against all the self-loathing, America-hating,
traitorous professors and politically correct pundits who blame the USA for
every ill on the planet. The truth is beyond dispute that America has been an
overwhelmingly positive force for good in this world. The survival of America
-- history’s greatest defender of democracy -- is crucial for the survival of
civilization and its preeminent virtue: individual freedom.

We need to face the unpleasant face that war has been declared and is being
waged against us; we ignore it at our own peril. We need to overcome our
fear of being seen as intolerant or racist or xenophobic and speak the truth
courageously. Our troops are risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan; do
we not need to match their courage?

We are at war!

Our nation is at war, fighting for the survival of freedom and democracy, but the vast majority of Americans don’t seem to get it. We are in the fight of our life, battling with an implacable foe who hates everything our country stands for. They hate who we are, what we believe, and they want us dead and every memory of our society destroyed.

The plain and simple truth is that more devastating attacks like the Islamic terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, are a real possibility. In fact, it is probably more accurate to say that future incidents like this are a near certainty.

As you read these words, Islamic terrorists are planning, plotting, and preparing new and more dreadful attacks on our homeland. This is not a paranoid fantasy: this is reality.

But our countrymen seem to want to turn away from this unpleasant reality. They would rather not think about such things. While our troops leave their blood on the sands of the Middle East, we hide our head in the sand. We seem to want to ignore the frightening fact that only the unrelenting guardianship of our troops fighting on foreign shores is what has kept more and worse attacks from happening in our own towns and cities.

A natural consequence of this avoidance behavior is that we have forgotten our fallen heroes, those who paid the price for the security we have enjoyed thus far since 9/11. If the public can’t even keep in mind that our nation is at war, it is unrealistic to expect them to remember the men who fought and bled in that war.

Well, WE remember and we are here to do our best to make them remember as well.

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