Great Leaders

From time to time we have the opportunity to see great leaders. In recent weeks we have glimpsed two examples of great leadership. U.S. Representative Paul Ryan continues to stand tall in defending and explaining his budget plan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood tall when he addressed the United States Congress where he decreed where Israel will compromise and where his nation will not back down.

President Ronald Reagan was another great leader. He was the best United States President in my adult life because he stood tall in his leadership abilities, principles, love of country, and vision. The Foundry, published by The Heritage Foundation, considers Reagan to be “the greatest American president of the last 100 years.”

The Ronald Reagan Centennial Gala was held in Washington, D.C., on May 24, 2011. The Ronald Reagan Centennial Freedom Award was given to Lech Walesa, a leader who stood tall for Poland in her hour of need. Special keynote speakers were Robert M. Gates, U.S. Secretary of Defense, and Dr. Liam Fox, M.P., United Kingdom Secretary of Defence.

Nile Gardiner [blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner…] shared some of the “brilliant speech” given by Dr. Fox as he “paid tribute to the powerful partnership between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.” He called the relationship between the two leaders “an unbreakable alliance that defeated the Soviet Empire and won the Cold War.” He wrote that Dr. Fox has been a “true friend of the United States for decades” as well as a “star performer” in the cabinet of David Cameron.

Gardiner reported that Dr. Fox won great applause when he said, “It is impossible to assess the contribution of Ronald Reagan to the history of the 20th century without considering another political giant of the era – Margaret Thatcher – his friend, ally, and intellectual soul mate.

“… At a time when leadership was so needed they brought values, vision, and valor. The Cold War did not end. It was won. It was not an accident. It came about because the leadership of the free world was committed politically, militarily, and morally to the defeat of totalitarian ideology and the triumph of liberty and freedom.

“It was not an exercise in expediency but the application of conviction. Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher understood that our strength lay in people not governments and that liberated from the dead hand of the state – of the self-perpetuating bureaucracy –the innovation and drive of free people would triumph. They believed that competition is to be welcomed not feared – that it is the means by which we judge our talents, one against the other, without recourse to conflict.

“They understood that there is a difference between tolerance and surrender and that the moral relativism that blurs the distinction between right and wrong needs to be confronted. They knew what they believed to be right and had the courage to say so – and they knew what they believed to be wrong and had the fortitude to confront it.

“They knew that in a free society the market works – that the combined wisdom of millions of individuals, acting in their own interests, is always likely to trump the wisdom of the self-selecting elites of government.

“They were giants of history when history needed giants. We may never see their likes again in our lifetime. But living and nurturing their legacy is the greatest honour that any of us can do for their dreams, their endeavors, and their hopes. Let us not let them down.”

I am grateful for the reminder that the free world was once led by two truly great leaders. We are now in a time of political upheavals, economic distress, and great natural disasters. We need someone like Reagan and Thatcher – someone with courage, leadership, fortitude, vision, and good principles – to step forward to lead the free world once again. We need someone who will support members of Congress like Paul Ryan who are bravely and unwaveringly battling to save our nation. We need a President who will dare to stand beside men like Mr. Netanyahu in defending the rights of Israel to exist as a nation.

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, President of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews [ifcy.org], quoted Thomas Jefferson as saying: “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”

Paul Ryan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Lech Walesa, Margaret Thatcher, and Ronald Reagan have all shown us where to compromise and where to stand firm. They all showed true leadership.

The world has tremendous need for another great leader. Who will lead the free world through these difficult times? Is Netanyahu of the nation of Israel the next great leader of the free world? Can we find such a leader in the United States of America in our day? Where is the next Margaret Thatcher? Where is the next Ronald Reagan? Whoever you are and wherever you are hiding, please stand up now!

John Morton

The ancestors of John Morton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, came from Sweden in the early part of the seventeenth century and settled close to Philadelphia along the Delaware River. John was born in 1724, the only child of his father, who died before his son was born. While John was still an infant, his mother married a gentleman from England who accepted John as his own son. John's step-father was a highly educated and good practical surveyor who taught John mathematics and other elements of a good education.

John's first public office was his appointment to be justice of the peace in 1764. He was later chosen as a delegate to the General Assembly for Pennsylvania where his public services were vastly appreciated. He was a delegate to the "Stamp Act Congress" in 1765, and he was made county sheriff in 1766.

John was active in the patriots' cause of liberty. After the battle in Lexington, he was offered the opportunity to be commander of a newly formed military corps in Pennsylvania, but he declined the offer because of other public duties. He was the presiding Judge of the Quarter Sessions and Common Pleas and was appointed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court about the same period of time.

Morton was appointed in 1774 to be a Pennsylvania delegate to the General Congress, and he was re-elected in both 1775 and 1776. John was present on July 4, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was adopted. In fact, the delegates from Pennsylvania were divided about whether or not to declare independence: two delegates were absent, two were against independence, and two were in favor of the declaration. John cast the deciding vote for Pennsylvania. His vote in favor of the declaration produced a positive vote for Pennsylvania and a unanimous vote of the Colonies for independence. He signed the Declaration of Independence in August 1776.

John died without seeing the blessings of peace and independence of America. He died in April 1777 at age 54 and left a widow with a large number of children.

Facts are from Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, pp. 112-113.

Taxes for Defense

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I.8.1: "The people of the states empower the Congress to spend taxes for the common defense."

The phrase "common defense" means to defend all of us - the entire nation. This constitutional principle means that Congress has the authority to spend some of the revenue collected from the people to "provide for the common defense" of the nation.

It is important that we remember that the men gathered in Philadelphia to write the Constitution were veterans of the Revolutionary War, a war that lasted for eight long years. We also need to remember that our soldiers were not adequately dressed or received proper food for much of that time because the Continental Congress did not have the authority to assess taxes to pay for the military.

Under the Constitution, Congress has the power to declare war; therefore, Congress also needs the authority to fund any such war.

Gifts of the Spirit

Each newly baptized person is later confirmed as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and commanded to "receive the Holy Ghost." This ordinance is performed by men holding the Melchizedek Priesthood.

If we are willing and worthy to "receive" the Holy Ghost - the greatest gift a person can receive in this life, we can have His influence with us continually. Through the Holy Ghost, each of us can be blessed with certain spiritual powers called the gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are given to those who are faithful to Jesus Christ to help us know and teach the truths of the gospel. These gifts help us to bless others and will lead us back to God. It is important that we know what these gifts are, how we can develop them, and how to recognize Satan's imitations of them.

According to many scriptures, these gifts have been given to members of the true Church of God whenever it has been on the earth (see Mark 16:16-18). The gifts of the Spirit include the gift of tongues, the gift of interpretation of tongues, the gift of translation, the gift of wisdom, the gift of knowledge, the gift of teaching wisdom and knowledge, the gift of knowing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the gift of believing the testimony of others, the gift of prophecy, the gift of healing, the gift of working miracles, and the gift of faith.

In order to develop our gifts, we must first know what they are. We can gain this knowledge through fasting and prayer. Sometimes this information is given in patriarchal blessings. We are to seek after the best gifts according to Doctrine and Covenants 46:8. Obedience and faithfulness are required before we will be given gifts. We are then to use those gifts to do the work of the Lord.

Satan has the power to imitate the gifts of tongues, prophecy, visions, healings, and other miracles. Moses had to compete with Satan's imitations while trying to convince Pharaoh to let his people leave Egypt (see Exodus 7:8-22). Satan uses imitations to convince us to believe in his false prophets, false healers, and false miracle workers. These imitations may seem so real that they may be detected only by asking God for the gift of discernment. Satan himself may appear as an angel of light (see 2 Nephi 9:9).

Satan wants to blind us to the truth and to keep us from seeking the true gifts of the Spirit. Satan uses his power through mediums, astrologers, fortune tellers and sorcerers. They may claim that they follow God, but their works are an abomination to the Lord (see Isaiah 47:12-14; Deuteronomy 18:9-10). We should avoid all associations with the powers of Satan.

Spiritual gifts are sacred (see Doctrine and Covenants 6:10) and are given for our profit and for salvation. They are not to be boasted of or spoken about before the world. We should express gratitude to God for all the gifts that He gives to us.

Look-at-me Beast

Families are strengthened when parents give enough attention to their children but do not overdo the attention. Parents need to insist that their children accept the fact that neither the family nor the world revolves around them. Children need to understand that no human being deserves to be the center of anyone's attention and especially not on a near-constant basis.

Psychologist John Rosemond, well-known parenting expert, recently wrote a column about the Look-at-me Beast. A mother wrote to him about her five-year-old daughter who was demanding far too much attention from her mother. Her demands included getting her a glass of water, watching her play, putting on her shoes, and lying down with her until she went to sleep.

Dr. Rosemond suggested that the mother spend about a week making a list of all the unnecessary demands from her daughter. When she had written approximately thirty demands, she was to put the list on the refrigerator and then read the list to her daughter. The mother was to explain to her daughter that a doctor said that she was too old to be asking for so much assistance, and the doctor wanted her to cross two items off the list every week. He said to call it the "I'm-Growing-Up List" and to tell her, "This is how children grow up. They begin doing things for themselves."

The child is to choose which two items are to be crossed off each week. Once the item has been crossed off, the mother is to remind the daughter that she crossed off the item because she is growing up and refuse any requests to do it. After a few weeks the child will be doing things that she has not crossed off, and she will be proud of her new abilities.

I found this statement by Dr. Rosemond to be very interesting: "Contrary to the prevailing myth, children who act `starved' for attention have received too much, not too little. They've come to depend on being the center of attention, and the more the Look-at-me Beast is fed, the bigger it gets and the more demanding it becomes. Children who don't get enough attention usually withdraw into their own little windowless worlds."

Dr. Rosemond explained that a parent's decision is not wrong simply because it upsets the child. "The fact is children don't know what they truly need. They only know what they want, and they believe that what they want they deserve to have, and no one has a right to deny them. That belief defines a child, in fact; therefore, lots of children in question are much older than twenty-one. It takes some people a long time to grow up."

Parents can do their children a big favor by insisting that they grow up. A Growing-Up Chart is a good way to motivate children to become more independent and to do things for themselves. Families are strengthened when children grow up and meet as many of their own needs as possible. As they learn to care for themselves, they become more capable and more productive members of the family.

Written Constitution

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is that a written constitution outlining the principles of government will better preserve the inalienable rights of the people.

The Constitution of the United States is the result of many men working together to create a written document better and stronger than any individual among them could have produced. The Constitution of the United States was the first of its kind, and it has been the pattern for other national constitutions. It is a remarkable document that has guided our nation for more than two hundred years.

For the past one hundred years progressives have been chipping away at the work of the Founders, and they continue in their efforts to change the original intent of our Founders. If our Constitution had not been written and available for all citizens to study, progressives would have surely fundamentally transformed our nation long ago. Our written Constitution continues to slow down efforts to destroy the rights of the people, but it is currently on "life support" and "hanging by a thread." Our Constitution needs the support of all true Americans in order to keep it as the supreme law of our land.

Deborah Read Franklin

Deborah Read married Benjamin Franklin - a great patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence - on September 1, 1730. Deborah was a twenty-five year old native of Philadelphia at the time of her marriage - a few months older than Benjamin.

Benjamin wrote about their first meeting on a Sunday morning in October 1723 in his Autobiography. Franklin was a 17-year-old young man with a loaf of bread under each arm and munching on a third loaf when he walked "up Market Street as far as Fourth, passing by the door of Mr. Read, my future wife's father; when she, standing at the door, saw me and thought I made, as I most certainly did, a most awkward, ridiculous appearance."

Franklin established himself as a printer a few months later and became acquainted with Deborah. They were engaged when he went to London to further his business experience. He wrote to Deborah once during his time in England; Deborah married a man name Rogers who was a potter soon after Benjamin departed to London. Potter deserted his young wife soon after their marriage and left only his debts behind him. There were rumors that Potter had another wife somewhere so Deborah might not have been too heart-broken to hear of his death.

Benjamin returned to America in July 1726 and married Deborah more than four years later. Deborah and Franklin lived happily together for more than forty years. Deborah was a "handsome woman" with a "comely figure," but she was also "industrious" and "frugal." Franklin wrote that Deborah was a "good and faithful helpmeet; … we … mutually endeavoured to make each other happy."

Deborah and Benjamin had two children together, a son who died in infancy and a daughter who lived to adulthood. They also raised an illegitimate son of Benjamin's that was born soon after their wedding.

Deborah died of paralysis in December 1774 while Benjamin was in England as the agent for the Province of Pennsylvania. Their daughter, Sarah Franklin, took her mother's place as mistress of the Franklin home before the Revolutionary War started. She was also very patriotic and had great public spirit. I will write later about Sarah.

Facts and quotes are from Wives of the Signers: The women behind the Declaration of Independence, pp. 174-179.