By Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Author's program note. If celebrated biographer David McCullough didn't write so well, this article might not have been written. But McCullough is a masterful writer... and his book on President Truman compelling reading for anyone who wants to understand contemporary America and its place in the world. Thus, I saw on this second reading, a date I had overlooked before and which this time was glaring: That is February 27,1947, and it is vital for my story today; it being the day my distant cousin General of the Army George C. Marshall became Secretary of State of these United States and went forward to do battle with the dark forces of Communist Russia and its murderous leader Joseph Stalin.
I had been waiting impatiently for General Marshall (no one including the President ever called him anything else and when President Roosevelt had tried, he was well and truly snubbed), waiting, I say, since I was born on Sunday, February 16, 1947 at 10.15 p.m. Central time. I was an American boy conceived in liberty and ready for the orders of the man appointed to save civilization. I knew he'd need all the help he could get... the battle crucial, the outcome in doubt, Americans not yet recognizing the danger or the stakes... and, having just returned from war, they wanted the benefits of the peace they had so newly won and which they were about to learn was now at the mercy of the greatest tyrant history had ever produced and his determination to rule everything and dictate to all. General Marshall had been appointed to stop this man and his barbarous deeds... and so the Cold War took form.
I was to be a participant in this war... we all were... although no one knew it yet.
First Wedding Anniversary
Even today when my 87-year old father discusses the events of February 16, 1947 there is a note of exhaustion in his voice. And this cannot be wondered at since this sleepy Sunday of post-war America had been sharply interrupted at 6 a.m. by a baby ready to be born... and no nonsense about it. Its young parents, my father just 22, my mother 23, got into what my father remembers as a ramshackle Ford, battered but dependable, and headed from Maywood, Illinois to Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park across the railway tracks. Whether I was born on the right or wrong side of those tracks I cannot say, but I know that from birth I had a way of centering the discussion and keeping things focused, as this day proved.
It was my parent's first wedding anniversary... and no doubt along the way some mention of this was made... but cards, presents, kisses and congratulations... all must wait for a better time. Not least because there was a nervous young mother to help in her task. And this was difficult. She went into the labor room of the hospital; my father was directed by Dr. Morrison to the maternity waiting room... but my mother's nervousness made the birth difficult. And so from early morning until late at night, my exhausted mother was wheeled into -- and out of -- the labor room... the baby ready to be delivered... my mother not yet ready to do so.
And so the day passed, very slowly indeed.
In the waiting room anxious fathers, puffing one cigarette after another, passed the time. One of these fathers, John Kafka, fell into conversation with my father, glad to pass the time so, as expectant fathers will do. My father and Khafka hit it off. My father was not happy with his current job and Khafka offered him one better; at National Malleable, a foundry which made castings for cars on America's all-important railroads. And so on this red-letter day, my father, Donald Marshall Lant, passed his first anniversary by getting a son and a job he kept for seven years. As for the baby, my father recalls he was red-faced, waving his hands and feet for attention. He said he looked "feisty and determined." Some things never change.
General Marshall was determined, too...
The minute peace came in the Pacific war with Japan (August 15, 1945), the worldwide situation completely shifted and with astonishing speed. No longer was the U.S.S.R. our ally. The Nazis conquered, Russia became our greatest nemesis, far greater than Germany had ever been. While America's military might unravelled as servicemen demanded to go home and at once, Stalin, the murderous weapons of the dictatorship his to command, kept a million men and more under arms, to be directed when and how he commanded. And so, he directed the fall and absorption of every Eastern European nation... and was determined to get more, starting with Turkey and Greece, then casting an eye at Italy and even France.
China, too, was about to fall as none knew better than a frustrated, aggravated Marshall who had attempted to sort out the situation there before becoming Secretary of State. He had failed... and came to Washington with a growing understanding that Stalin, an ally just the other day, meant to destroy an America which, as yet, had no understanding of this matter. Marshall's opinion strengthened and his world view darkened after flyiing to Stalin and attempting to broker a deal for post war peace. Stalin instead wanted chaos in Europe and Asia, the better to control and dictate. He didn't need peace... and it took the "striped pants boys" (as Truman called them) in Washington too long to figure out that Communists only negotiate when they cannot dictate... but that dictating is what they like best. Marshall was among the first to know what the Communists intended... and what it would mean for boys like me in the years ahead.
And so he, with the ardent backing of President Truman, whose support for General Marshall was unwavering, went to work on a plan which had nothing less than the clear objective of saving civilization and containing the spread of Communism. President Truman outlined his vision in an address to a joint session of Congress, March 12, 1947, less than a month after I was born. It lasted just 18 minutes and changed the world; Truman announcing that he intended to save Turkey and Greece; to draw the line at further Communist expansion. He let it be known the very soul of the world was at stake. And so it was...
I was less than a month old and was no doubt sleeping peacefully that day because of what came to be called the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan which followed, providing the details -- and the money -- that would make the President's strong and uplifting words a reality... so much so that I have slept soundly from that day to this. In due course, June 5, 1947, General Marshall traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts to accept an honorary degree and to give the most important and historic commencement speech in all Harvard's 375 years. How well I can picture the scene, which took place right across the street from where I am writing today. It was charged with pageantry and over shadowed by deep concern and apprehension. General Marshall was not a gifted speaker, but he had formidable presence, an immense sense of occasion.... and his subject commanded total attention.
Marshall, looking beyond the assembled guests and worthies, spoke to the great American public, advising them that it was "virtually impossible by merely reading articles or looking at photographs to grasp the real conditions in Europe -- 'and yet the whole world's future hangs on proper judgement, hangs on the realization by the American people of what can best be done, or what must be done'."
22 years later I arrived at Harvard as a student myself. I wonder if that would have been possible, even conceivable had General Marshall and the President who so supported him failed. But they did not fail and as a beneficiary of all they did, I take this opportunity to recall their achievements and what they did for that feisty child born February 16, 1947, whose life was secured by a distant cousin he never knew, always grateful. This was America at our best... an America of leaders who saw far, told the truth, and worked diligently for the people, finding solutions, without fear of retribution or criticism.... who truly believed in and worked for the good of all. Where is General Marshall and his like today, when we need him so? For them all, then, "Taps", which you can find in any search engine:
"Day is done, gone the sun From the lakes, from the hills, from the skies All is well, safely rest; God is nigh."
But God can only help those who help themselves.
About the Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Your response to this article is requested. What do you think? Let me know by posting your comments below. Republished with author's permission by Lance Sumner http://Profit2Riches.com . Check out Commission Commando -> http://www.Profit2Riches.com/?rd=qo0k13rn
Friday, October 21, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
A great sadness in the land. An open letter to my president, the Honorable Barack Obama.
By Dr. Jeffrey Lant
A special preface for my readers worldwide. Today, with a measure of reluctance, I step outside my usual role as a commentator on a myriad of facts, occurrences, events, trends and happenings to be what from my birth I have been and treasured, a Citizen of the United States, my country.
Today I shall not merely report on the news in all its many aspects, at home and universally, but I shall, in a small but not insignificant way, make history... which is what Citizens do when they consider their nation, its affairs and directions, its misadventures and glorious achievements and report their opinions, feelings, complaints, concerns and admonitions to the individual who is, for the moment, the chief magistrate of the Great Republic, a position granted by the people who remain the ultimate repository of all power... and who, therefore, are, in such reporting doing what they have the right and indeed the obligation and responsibility to do... for all that their language may, from time to time, become choleric, injudicious, and intemperate.
As one of these people, these Citizens, I am today writing for and immediately thereafter sending to my president my thoughts and observations at this moment in our history, for I sense a great sadness beginning to move across the land, which must give pause to every thoughtful member of the body politic.
I want you, Reader, to note the matter of how I have headed these remarks, for I am sending them not just to the President of the United States, but to "my president," for first and foremost he is not just a quondam official, holding office from such a time to such a time. He is, instead, the lawful leader of my country, a nation in which my hopes and dreams, along with the hopes and dreams of unseen millions of my countrymen, reside. I therefore write because I must... for the stakes are far too great to be silent... and I trust that the first lesson to be drawn from this letter is that you, too, shall, with thought and high seriousness of purpose, send to your president the fruit of your wisdom and concern, for whatever divides us, we have everything to unite us.... the articles and means of governance, centuries of shared triumphs and adversities, the first fashioned, the second overcome by our united actions. We share hopes, dreams, visions, and the abiding knowledge that, of all peoples on this earth, we have created our realities... and so we must take action when our direction falters... and our vision is obscured.
... as it happening now, to the growing certainty, concern, lamentations and jeremiads of the people. And because all these are not the best of us... we call upon you, as we are in duty bound to do, to lead the people... exhort the people... lift up the people and return us intact, renewed to former greatness and greater greatness yet to come.
Mr. President, you came into office in a flood tide of exclamations, gratitudes, hosannahs... a man not merely of destiny but a man of reconciliation, joy, and healing purpose. You broke the stringent and oppressive color barrier, for every office and high position in the land, an invidious reality that too long oppressed a nation dedicated to eradicating the oppressions of others, yet for long unable to eradicate the oppressions we inflicted upon ourselves. You were a living symbol of all that is best in us. And we were glad of it... and thanked you for liberating all the people from the cancer of oppressing.
Now, however, the man who verily walked upon the water, is in danger of being swept out to sea, a victim of expectations too high, a man perhaps to be remembered and derided, for having peaked as president in his first hour on the job. What has caused this implosion, this great fall from grace and on high?
It is not the problems which assail us, for the Great Republic was conceived, born and grew strong and proud because of great problems greatly engaged. Because we believed -- and still I trust believe -- that only from great problems solved can a great people evolve towards perfection.
It is not that the political climate is more divisive, harsh, noisome and belligerent than our Founding Fathers and their generations of descendants faced, for the political atmosphere and actions in this pantheon of strong opinions have often been incendiary, ad hominem, vulgar, and abusive. As a people we know the alchemy for turning such bile into unity. It is our particular genius.
Nor is it that we are less dedicated and committed to the usages of our great system of governance and life, for the blood and passions of our forefathers run strong in us, too.
What then is the cause for our disappointment, dismay, and of the incipience of despair and growing disillusion? And what then must we do?
There are many causes, profound, significant, challenging... and many are at work even now to bring solutions to the problems at hand. But your office, our customs and immemorial usage all dictate that you, our oathed and solemnly sworn leader take precedence in action and constructive purpose. And here you have faltered, and I wish to suggest why.
I am writing to you now from a neighborhood and institution you know well and loved, Cambridge and The Harvard Law School. There you learned and then mastered the principles and procedures of the law, one of the glories of our entire civilization. Here amongst the grassy precincts and serene buildings redolent of learning, judgement, and, above all, due process you found yourself and grew. You were happy here... but it did not prepare you for your current responsibilities, turbulences, conundra, attacks and altercations. As a result you are suffering... for lawyers learn how to divide pies... not how to make them. You are now the duly chosen Chief Baker... but without a recipe for sustaining and improving your aggrieved customers to be had.
These good people were at first confident, then patient, then exasperated, frustrated and irritated, now they have turned angry and exigent. They know what you should know: the casualties inflicted by global economic maelstroms and a host of related economic and social realities are greater than the greatest of wars. If a wreath was placed on the door of every individual adversely affected we should fall down in disbelief and horror. For the people know how great is the trouble in the land where God once shed His grace.
Your job, your only job, is to put America to work... for only an employed America can be a happy land of serenity, security and sustained peace of mind. You are Commander- in-Chief. Thus declare war on America's most pressing enemy, unemployment
Create a "war cabinet" and set up your headquarters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, already hallowed as a place to secure and defend America's interests. Make it known throughout the land that this is not an Obama initiative; it is an American initiative and therefore you call upon all Americans to do their bit, as their parents and grandparents did in World War II. And if some oppose, let them. You have God's work to do and cannot allow little men and their self-serving objections to hinder you. You are America's leader, and you have America's work to do.
Every time any business or organization adds a job, post a notice and laud the job creators. They are all heroes in a war we must fight and we must win. They deserve recognition. Set up a website where you list jobs created. Go live on the Internet at least one each day and show and tell the American people just what you are doing and results achieved. Our people do not understand our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. But they will all understand this. You are at a crossroads of your life and office. But there is a grand, honorable and necessary thing which you can do. Leave the many good things you would do if you had world enough and time. Focus on the one thing we must have now and without which we can achieve little else. Embrace your true calling, sir, and lead the endeavor to put America to work. It is what's needed... a goal we can reach together and must start today.
About the Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Jeffrey Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Lance Sumner http://Profit2Riches.com . Check out Affiliate Ownage -> http://llsumner.affownage.hop.clickbank.net
A special preface for my readers worldwide. Today, with a measure of reluctance, I step outside my usual role as a commentator on a myriad of facts, occurrences, events, trends and happenings to be what from my birth I have been and treasured, a Citizen of the United States, my country.
Today I shall not merely report on the news in all its many aspects, at home and universally, but I shall, in a small but not insignificant way, make history... which is what Citizens do when they consider their nation, its affairs and directions, its misadventures and glorious achievements and report their opinions, feelings, complaints, concerns and admonitions to the individual who is, for the moment, the chief magistrate of the Great Republic, a position granted by the people who remain the ultimate repository of all power... and who, therefore, are, in such reporting doing what they have the right and indeed the obligation and responsibility to do... for all that their language may, from time to time, become choleric, injudicious, and intemperate.
As one of these people, these Citizens, I am today writing for and immediately thereafter sending to my president my thoughts and observations at this moment in our history, for I sense a great sadness beginning to move across the land, which must give pause to every thoughtful member of the body politic.
I want you, Reader, to note the matter of how I have headed these remarks, for I am sending them not just to the President of the United States, but to "my president," for first and foremost he is not just a quondam official, holding office from such a time to such a time. He is, instead, the lawful leader of my country, a nation in which my hopes and dreams, along with the hopes and dreams of unseen millions of my countrymen, reside. I therefore write because I must... for the stakes are far too great to be silent... and I trust that the first lesson to be drawn from this letter is that you, too, shall, with thought and high seriousness of purpose, send to your president the fruit of your wisdom and concern, for whatever divides us, we have everything to unite us.... the articles and means of governance, centuries of shared triumphs and adversities, the first fashioned, the second overcome by our united actions. We share hopes, dreams, visions, and the abiding knowledge that, of all peoples on this earth, we have created our realities... and so we must take action when our direction falters... and our vision is obscured.
... as it happening now, to the growing certainty, concern, lamentations and jeremiads of the people. And because all these are not the best of us... we call upon you, as we are in duty bound to do, to lead the people... exhort the people... lift up the people and return us intact, renewed to former greatness and greater greatness yet to come.
Mr. President, you came into office in a flood tide of exclamations, gratitudes, hosannahs... a man not merely of destiny but a man of reconciliation, joy, and healing purpose. You broke the stringent and oppressive color barrier, for every office and high position in the land, an invidious reality that too long oppressed a nation dedicated to eradicating the oppressions of others, yet for long unable to eradicate the oppressions we inflicted upon ourselves. You were a living symbol of all that is best in us. And we were glad of it... and thanked you for liberating all the people from the cancer of oppressing.
Now, however, the man who verily walked upon the water, is in danger of being swept out to sea, a victim of expectations too high, a man perhaps to be remembered and derided, for having peaked as president in his first hour on the job. What has caused this implosion, this great fall from grace and on high?
It is not the problems which assail us, for the Great Republic was conceived, born and grew strong and proud because of great problems greatly engaged. Because we believed -- and still I trust believe -- that only from great problems solved can a great people evolve towards perfection.
It is not that the political climate is more divisive, harsh, noisome and belligerent than our Founding Fathers and their generations of descendants faced, for the political atmosphere and actions in this pantheon of strong opinions have often been incendiary, ad hominem, vulgar, and abusive. As a people we know the alchemy for turning such bile into unity. It is our particular genius.
Nor is it that we are less dedicated and committed to the usages of our great system of governance and life, for the blood and passions of our forefathers run strong in us, too.
What then is the cause for our disappointment, dismay, and of the incipience of despair and growing disillusion? And what then must we do?
There are many causes, profound, significant, challenging... and many are at work even now to bring solutions to the problems at hand. But your office, our customs and immemorial usage all dictate that you, our oathed and solemnly sworn leader take precedence in action and constructive purpose. And here you have faltered, and I wish to suggest why.
I am writing to you now from a neighborhood and institution you know well and loved, Cambridge and The Harvard Law School. There you learned and then mastered the principles and procedures of the law, one of the glories of our entire civilization. Here amongst the grassy precincts and serene buildings redolent of learning, judgement, and, above all, due process you found yourself and grew. You were happy here... but it did not prepare you for your current responsibilities, turbulences, conundra, attacks and altercations. As a result you are suffering... for lawyers learn how to divide pies... not how to make them. You are now the duly chosen Chief Baker... but without a recipe for sustaining and improving your aggrieved customers to be had.
These good people were at first confident, then patient, then exasperated, frustrated and irritated, now they have turned angry and exigent. They know what you should know: the casualties inflicted by global economic maelstroms and a host of related economic and social realities are greater than the greatest of wars. If a wreath was placed on the door of every individual adversely affected we should fall down in disbelief and horror. For the people know how great is the trouble in the land where God once shed His grace.
Your job, your only job, is to put America to work... for only an employed America can be a happy land of serenity, security and sustained peace of mind. You are Commander- in-Chief. Thus declare war on America's most pressing enemy, unemployment
Create a "war cabinet" and set up your headquarters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, already hallowed as a place to secure and defend America's interests. Make it known throughout the land that this is not an Obama initiative; it is an American initiative and therefore you call upon all Americans to do their bit, as their parents and grandparents did in World War II. And if some oppose, let them. You have God's work to do and cannot allow little men and their self-serving objections to hinder you. You are America's leader, and you have America's work to do.
Every time any business or organization adds a job, post a notice and laud the job creators. They are all heroes in a war we must fight and we must win. They deserve recognition. Set up a website where you list jobs created. Go live on the Internet at least one each day and show and tell the American people just what you are doing and results achieved. Our people do not understand our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. But they will all understand this. You are at a crossroads of your life and office. But there is a grand, honorable and necessary thing which you can do. Leave the many good things you would do if you had world enough and time. Focus on the one thing we must have now and without which we can achieve little else. Embrace your true calling, sir, and lead the endeavor to put America to work. It is what's needed... a goal we can reach together and must start today.
About the Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Jeffrey Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Lance Sumner http://Profit2Riches.com . Check out Affiliate Ownage -> http://llsumner.affownage.hop.clickbank.net
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