Discerning Moments

. . . it highly concerns us to know by what methods [nations] were founded; by what steps they rose to that exalted pitch of grandeur which we so much admire; what it was that constituted their true glory and felicity; and what were the causes of their declension and fall.

But another object of infinitely greater importance, claims our attention . . . [History] proclaims universally the greatness of the Almighty, his power, his justice, and, above all, the admirable wisdom with which His Providence governs the universe . . . that God disposes all events as supreme Lord and Sovereign; that he alone determines the fate of kings and the duration of empires; and that he transfers the government of kingdoms from one nation to another because of the unrighteous dealings and wickedness committed therein.

If the blessings of liberty are to be maintained, they need to be carefully identified and cherished by each generation. Let us not break faith with those whose blood was shed in behalf of us--their posterity. Let us be faithful to the next generations who follow us.

Rollin's Ancient History, 1730 quoted in Verna Hall's
The Christian History of the American Revolution: Consider and Ponder, p. 602, 604-605.

Political Numeracy

It's election day and I'm sitting in the lobby of a Fortune 500 company watching capitalism at work. (Note that I voted by absentee ballot). Any post on this site can represent 1 to 10+ hours of reading, thinking, researching, etc. And for every post you see, there are at least 5-10 that I haven't written but have thought about.

The number of politically related posts have increased with the election season... but admittedly many are superficial. I was inspired to start something new (and still keep The Brownsville Experience).

So today, I am announcing the launch of Political Numeracy. The first post is scheduled for January 20, 2009.