Three American Values, inscribed on every one of our American Coins: E Pluribus Unum, Liberty and In God We Trust.

Three American Values, which lead to vastly different results than the French values: Libertė, Egalitė, Fraternitė my friend Robert Scott, who also periodically writes for the Edgefield Advertiser, wrote about in the May 8^th, 2019 print edition.

Robert’s editorial made it to the online version, and I encourage you to read it by clicking here!

We live in a time period of history where there is a lot of confusion.  Generally, I disagree with Mr. Scott’s conclusions on a wide range of fronts.  However, I am glad he is encouraging American’s to review the philosophical underpinnings which drive culture and ultimately politics and nation-states.  One thing Mr. Scott and I likely agree on, is that politics is downstream of culture.

Last month I shared in “Notrė Dame Revisited,” two tidbits of history about this historic French building.  First, it is owned, not by any church, but by the French Government.  Second, on October 10, 1793 the statue of Mother Mary was removed from Notrė Dame and replaced with a statue of the secular goddess “Reason.” 

This “modern” change was a change from a theological worldview to a secular worldview, over 200 years ago.  Many argue this change contributed to very different results between the American and the French Revolutions, both wars taking place during that era of change, and how our nations developed as a result.  I would encourage you to read that editorial, as well as listen to the commentary about Notrė Dame by Dr. Albert Mohler, which is linked within, by clicking here!

As it relates to the three American Values in the title of this editorial, as you contemplate these values, compared to the French Values Mr. Scott wrote about last week, I would encourage you to watch a short 5-minute video prepared by Mr. Dennis Prager.

Mr. Prager, founder of Prager University https://www.prageru.com/, is an online collaboration of dozens of world known thinkers from business, non-profit, government and academia whose vision is to prepare “Short Videos with Big Ideas!”  Their homepage states “with 2.1 billion views and counting, our videos are changing the conversation about American Ideas.”

Mr. Prager coined these three American Values: E Pluribus Unum, Liberty and In God We Trust as “The American Trinity.”  No pun intended!  In the video he compares the difference between the French value of “liberty” and the American value of “Liberty.”

He also discusses the inequality which true liberty allows.  Mr. Prager takes head on the reality that some American’s desire to replace American values with European values. Prager then discusses where such trends will take us.  Finally, Prager ends by stating “Which set of values Americans adopt will determine whether America remains free, prosperous and the force for good in the world that it has been.   With the exception of the Civil War, this is the greatest internal battle in American History.”

More next week.  Here’s wishing you a productive week!

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My March 29^th, 2018 editorial to the Edgefield Advertiser was about Notrė-Dame, how it was crumbling from within, and in my opinion was a potential symbol of the church at large. 

Rather than re-printing last years editorial, I would encourage you to read the online version:  http://www.edgefieldadvertiser.com/2018/03/notre-dame-at-risk-potential-symbolism/, prior to continuing with this weeks.

Monday April 15^th, 2019 the world watched in horror as this heirloom to our Judeo-Christian faith, as well as centuries of history went up in flames.  What has been interesting to watch, as well as encouraging, following this tragic event, is the outpouring of love for Notre-Dame coming from all sectors of our secular society, not merely those who adhere to the Judeo-Christian faith.

I would venture to say that even now, after all the publicity Notre-Dame received last week, that most global citizens don’t realize integral parts of its history.  For example, the structure is not owned by any “church,” but rather the French Government.  Or perhaps, that on October 10, 1793 the statue of Mother Mary was removed and replaced with a statue of the secular goddess “Reason.” 

This “modern” change was a change from a theological worldview to a secular worldview, over 200 years ago.  Many argue this change led to very different results between the American and the French Revolutions, both wars taking place during that era of change.

I could write more editorial, but I would rather encourage my friends who want to learn about the history of Notre Dame, and how it impacts the worldview’s at play today, to listen to last Tuesday April 16’s “Daily Briefing” from Albert Mohler.  It can be found by going to this link:  https://albertmohler.com/2019/04/16/briefing-4-16-19

Dr. Mohler’s Bio is taken from his website:

“Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. serves as president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary – the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world.

Dr. Mohler has been recognized by such influential publications as Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. In fact, Time.com called him the “reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S.”

In addition to his presidential duties, Dr. Mohler hosts two programs: “The Briefing,” a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview; and “Thinking in Public,” a series of conversations with the day’s leading thinkers. He also writes a popular blog and a regular commentary on moral, cultural and theological issues. Called “an articulate voice for conservative Christianity at large” by The Chicago Tribune, Dr. Mohler’s mission is to address contemporary issues from a consistent and explicit Christian worldview.”

In closing, I have written many times in this venue about the cold civil war we are facing, and how ultimately the conflicts we face are conflicts of worldview.  It is my humble opinion that we will only prevent this cold civil war from boiling over, if our citizenry become passionate about understanding our history, and the conflicting worldviews at play.  The source I listed above is a daily venue to help one’s personal effort in that process.

Here’s wishing you a productive week.

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Last week I shared my personal experience of holding back vomit when I toured the Nazi Concentration Camp Dachau twice during the 1980’s.  I wrote about today’s trend of American millennials and even their parents not having a solid grasp of history as it relates to the horrific acts and statistics surrounding the holocaust in Europe and the extreme sacrifice of our immediate past American generations to restore liberty and sanity to the European continent.  Click here to read.

At the end of March, I wrote about The Cathedral of Notre Dame collapsing from within.  Click here to read.

I begin this week linking both articles as I believe there is a correlation.  Also, in both, I call for action from the coalition of the willing.

Thinking more deeply on the holocaust, we must recognize tyranny never ends.  It existed before the 20^th Century hell created by the German Nazi regime.  It continues today in many third world nations.  It prevails in the cultures dominated by particular worldviews.

What made the scenario of the holocaust in Germany unique and so devastating is the fact it took place in the homeland of Beethoven and Bach.  This evil thrived in the homeland of the great theological reformer Martin Luther.  Stated differently, this was a nation-state which had a history of exceptional culture, great faith, significance in the reformation, and was clearly impacted by the renaissance.

Yet there are multiple documented stories of houses of worship along the train-tracks of the beautiful Bavarian landscape who would choose to sing louder as the trains passed by, in order to drown out the cries of human life as their fellow citizens, loaded like cattle in train cars, passed by the church, in route to their forced labor, abhorrent bodily experiments, and for most their ultimate demise through the gas chambers.

What is it about human nature that causes so many, the multitudes actually, to do nothing in the face of evil?  How do we as a culture strengthen the spines of the few, so that culture will lean in the direction of principle and virtue?

Next week is a great opportunity to help strengthen the spines of some, in the best way we really can in my opinion, and that is through prayer.

Next week, Thursday May 3^rd is the annual National Day of Prayer.  The organizers of the National Day of Prayer, which was first created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman, recognize that as a republic we are facing forces dividing our citizenry in vitriolic camps which is extremely unhealthy for our country.  As a result, the theme this year is “Pray for America – Unity, based upon Ephesians 4:3 which challenges us to mobilize unified public prayer for America, “Making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

I encourage you to visit the website by clicking here and participate in one of the events in our region.  If you are a faith leader, and you are not yet leading your congregation to participate, I would encourage you to add an event for your individual community.

Here’s wishing you a productive week!

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I am on a journey.  The year is 1986.  I am half way through the privilege of living in and touring Europe for two years, ages 16 to 18.  I had already spent a fair amount of time in Bavaria, a region in modern unified Germany, dating to 555 A.D. 

This journey during the summer of my 17^th year I invested a large portion of a day at Dachau Concentration Camp. My mother and I travelled to this hell hole, where during World War Two an estimated 188,000 Jews were contained, subjected to ungodly bodily experiments and inhumane labor practices.  A compound where close to 32,000 humans were slaughtered via gas chambers then disposed of in incinerator’s.

I vividly remember being sick to my stomach as I walked into the chambers where human life was gassed.  Humans were led into the chambers in large groups, naked, told they were getting much needed showers.  Holding back vomit, I viewed the pictures of pyramids of human flesh, where they had gasped their final breaths, climbing on one another, attempting to get higher, gasping for air.

The following summer, touring my best friend from the States around Europe, I invested another day at Dachau. I couldn’t lead him through Europe without him seeing this hell hole, which had been created and thrived in the land of Beethoven and Bach, during our Grandparents generation. Just like my personal struggles the previous summer, I remember his working to contain vomit during his visit to Dachau.

By God’s Grace, our grandparents’ generation liberated the European continent from this evil a mere 42 years prior to our visit.

Last week, April 12^th, 2018 was Holocaust Remembrance Day, 73 years since liberation and 31 years since my last visit to Dachau.  A report was released last week showing that “66 % of American millennials and 41 % of American adults could not explain the significance of Auschwitz (another concentration camp) and that 41 % of millennials believe that fewer than 2 million Jewish people were killed during the Holocaust.” https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/66-percent-of-us-millennials-dont-know-what-auschwitz-was.

We are now three generations removed from the liberation of Europe, from this insanity, and most of today’s American’s don’t know the history or the sacrifice of our immediate ancestors.  This is problematic and requires action.  What can we do?

We must not simply grieve about the loss of this historical knowledge, and the inevitable risk it creates for each of us.

It is not enough to simply get angry about the lack of education, bureaucracies which might be exacerbating this trend and textbooks which are not accurate. 

Like our responsibility for our individual immediate and extended families’ financial well-being, we are also responsible for our individual immediate and extended families’ educational well-being, as both responsibilities impact our individual future generations.

As a parent, grandparent or perhaps even a great-grandparent; as an aunt or an uncle, here are three easy things you can do.  First, educate yourself.  We live in the greatest generation in history as it relates to the capability to invest time in one’s own education.  Second, rather than planning a family vacation to Disney World or to go on a cruise, plan a trip to Washington, DC.  Among the many sites which every American should visit, be sure to visit the interactive Holocaust Museum.  Be sure to invest several hours in the exhibit “Propaganda” on the lower level.  In that exhibit, your heirs will learn the concept of “fake news” is not new.  It was used in the 20^th Century very effectively, to the demise of over 6 million human lives.  Third, find ways to incorporate historical education into your extended families’ routine.  In my humble opinion, the dividends your individual family will receive from such investments will exceed the dividends received from that trip to Disney World.

Here’s wishing you a productive week.

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As I prepare for Hump Day, which also happens to be Master’s Week, I am beginning the day sipping coffee, sitting in the dark on my great-grandfather’s front porch, listening to the rain fall, the wind blow, the thunder roll and watching the lightning. As dark turns to day, and the rain tapers off, I also am enjoying the sounds of birds, insects and the steaks (cows) in the field. I am also keeping track of the traffic count, which each passing year increases on this beautiful country road our family has been blessed to know for well over a century.

I am thinking about life 100 years ago and am wondering what my 12-year-old grandfather and 44-year-old great grandfather would be thinking, as they potentially sat on this same porch, drinking coffee as they prepared to go to work. As there was a 32-year span between the two men, I am confident that in addition to the labor that was ahead for that specific day, they were thinking of different things. Yes, I called my 12-year old grandfather a man, as the expectations of 12-year old farm boys 100 years ago was vastly different than the expectations today’s society places on 12-year old individuals.

My great grandfather’s mind might have been on the devastation of World War I, which was six months away from ending, a fact no one knew at that time. He may have only been thinking about this year’s agricultural business, so focused on the immediate that he couldn’t think beyond what was right in front of him. Having been blessed to know my grandfather during the last decade of his life, I can safely assume my great-grandfather was thinking further ahead than one year.

No doubt, much like today’s agricultural business owner he was concerned about the labor force, the weather and cost structures he couldn’t control. Since he died in 1926, I am confident he couldn’t have imagined industrialized agriculture as we have witnessed in the last half a century. I am confident he couldn’t have imagined the future of agriculture being in hydroponics or aeroponics, where entire cities could see their greens and vegetable food supply being produced vertically inside containers or high-rise buildings, with high-tech systems monitoring lighting and water with unimaginable specificity, as we are witnessing in the 21st century.

I am confident he couldn’t have imagined the traffic count in front of his driveway being what it is this morning. I am confident he couldn’t have imagined the only region he had ever known being transformed by industries called cyber-security or golf. The idea of his neighbors’ homes being rented for thousands of dollars a week during a golf tournament would have been ludicrous – especially when he had only a few years prior constructed his home for $ 300 and a motorcycle!

As for my 12-year-old grandfather – he very likely was only thinking about how quickly he could accomplish his morning chores before school! While the events of his life would later force him to think long term, and become adept at it, at that point in his life, he was very likely focused on just getting through the day.

For me, thinking about history, both at a high level, as well as the individual family level, I am grateful for our heritage. As you look at your personal family heritage, I hope you are grateful as well and that you can glean wisdom from both family failure and success.  Then, regardless of where you are today as an individual, will choose to put your hand back on the plow with vigor, in such a way those coming behind you will look at your life’s work and be grateful for your effort.

I hope you can focus on more than simply getting through the day, sometimes a great challenge, I know.

However, you choose to begin your Hump Day – I sincerely hope you have a productive day!

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Last week my column discussed our collective need to work on “Improving Our Communication Skills.”  The previous editorial discussed “Starting the Investment,” specifically thinking about a summer reading list for those graduating from Middle School.  “Starting the Investment,” compared the relative maturity of young men and women graduating from the 8^th grade 100 years ago to today, and recommended a book, Do Hard Things, written by modern teenagers, sharing history of some heroic teens of other era’s, as an inspiration for today’s teens to initiate a “rebelution against low expectations!”  Yes, it’s a play on words, combining rebel and revolution.  Their website is www.TheRebelution.com.

This week, as Independence Day celebrations approach, we should remember the American Patriots who simply wanted individual liberty were considered rebels and that their effort began formally legislatively, but ultimately led to a revolution.  In that light as we consider how to improve our communication skills about our struggle for liberty today, I urge all of us to add two books to our summer reading list, which I believe will expand our thoughts about what the celebrations this coming weekend really mean.

The financial entanglements our ancestors fought against prior to our first Independence Day were far less significant than the financial entanglements we face today.  Today our central government rewards itself and “the players” both inside and outside of government for doing the exact opposite of what we celebrate this weekend.  Expanding dependency has become the largest byproduct of virtually every government program.  Yet this weekend we continue to celebrate independence and liberty, while at the same time embracing policies which limit choice and increase dependence.  I find this curious, and troubling.

The two books I recommend are:

• Rediscovering Americanism released this past Tuesday by Mark Levin.
• The 5,000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen

Future editorials will disc

uss the books in more detail.  I am confident that some of the polarized advocates I referenced in last week’s “Improving our Communication Skills” will have choice words about the first author.  When you find those, remember, they are attacking a person, but not the content.  Remember, that tactic is an effort to stop discussion by demeaning the person.  I call on all of us to do and demand better, and I hope you will too!

As you read the books and have thoughts about the content, I would love to discuss the thoughts with you either on the Edgefield Advertiser editorial page, where this will be posted, or on my Facebook page, where it will also be posted.

Here’s wishing you a very rewarding Independence Day Weekend Celebration with family and friends.

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Last week (http://hscottcooper.com/contrasting-three-events-on-memorial-day-ea-may-31-2017/) I closed my editorial with the following paragraph:

“What encourages me about our time period in history, where our collective knowledge of these conflicting worldviews is so poor, is that we can rapidly improve our knowledge, if we are willing to make the investment.”

When it comes to making the needed investment, there are two critical points I believe we must begin with:

First, parents must be willing to make the educational investment in their children.  Dropping them at the schoolhouse isn’t enough.  To grandparents – if, for whatever reason, your children are not making the required investment in your grandchildren’s proper education, you have a civic duty, indeed a moral obligation, to ensure your lineage is properly educated.  Your legacy depends upon it.

Second, we must begin as early as possible.  There is a lot of focus this time of year on Graduation.  Graduation from High School, Graduation from College and perhaps graduate school.  If we look back in history, say a century ago – young men graduating from eighth grade had great expectations placed on them.  Many had already become men, bearing responsibility for helping provide their families’ sustenance.  Young women graduating from the eighth grade were also being taught to think about their role in providing for the family, both existing and future families.

This week, I encourage you to think about the young adults you know graduating from Middle School.  I think two of the books which should be on the summer reading list for these young adults, ages 13 and 14, are:

The first book was actually written by two teenagers. Alex and Brett Harris, at the age of 19. Do Hard Things, A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, in short tells stories of great teenagers from our history who accomplished amazing feats during their teenage years, and contrasted those stories with today’s culture where adulthood (responsibility) is actually being pushed further and further into an individual’s future.

The second book deals with Economics.  In my opinion, we must educate all young adults entering High School the truth about Economics.  Specifically, how government run systems created in the last two generations have placed a tremendous economic burden on them.  Much of that burden, which they will bear, began prior to their conception!  The author states, “this upcoming generation has been plundered and deceived.”  Thus, the title of the book is Plunder and Deceit: Big Governments Exploitation of Young People and the Future by Mark Levin.

I am hopeful The Edgefield Advertiser will place my editorials online, so after your Middle School Graduates, or you, have read the books, we will be able to discuss the merits of their content online.  They will be placed at my website, www.HScottCooper.com as well as my Facebook Page, www.Facebook.com/ScottCooperSC.

Here’s wishing you a productive week!

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I watched three programs this weekend which I greatly appreciated, because I learned things I didn’t know which are worth appreciating. One was Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Michelle Obama.  One was the Fox News program Donald Trump: Objectified.  One was Breit Baier’s interview with Charles Krauthammer.  Each program highlighted these individuals for an hour.

Both Obama and Trump have raised accomplished children, who grew up with the tremendous pressure of living in the spotlight in a way 99.9 % of other individuals will never have to navigate. The poise and resilience their children demonstrate is indeed impressive and says a tremendous amount about their parents, which is positive.

Krauthammer is a man whose fierce determination as a very young man enabled him to complete Harvard Medical School while lying on his back in a hospital bed following a freak diving accident resulting in a broken neck.  A feat never accomplished by anyone before.  Krauthammer is a man who has worked for individuals at the highest level of political office on both sides of the ideological spectrum.

As a very young man Trump spent five years leading in many, many categories at the New York Military Academy, graduating in 1964 at the top of his class. Interesting.  Perhaps that is where he garnered so much respect for the military.

Obama has a legitimate concern of our food supply and its connection to healthcare, and attempted to speak out about it in a way not previously done.  Personally, I find it interesting her effort didn’t convey into the healthcare debate more than it did, and I hope it does in the future.

I could list more about these individuals; however, the main thing solidified for me this weekend is that our systems – media, political and educational systems specifically – foster environments where we don’t listen to others very well.  These systems spend more time demeaning and deconstructing people than trying to legitimately listen and understand them.

Also this weekend I thought quite a bit about Christmas 1986, 30 years ago.  That vacation at our family farm 30 years ago was spent reflecting on a year where I had eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner for close to 180 days with students from around the globe.  Literally all my meals at school were eaten at a table of 12 where I was the only American.  For example, the morning of the bombing of Libya on April 15, 1986, following the terrorist attack in Berlin, I was eating breakfast between my two Libyan schoolmates, both of whom had parents in Tripoli, who were unreachable.  I could invest over 500 words on that one breakfast alone! I elaborated on it in April. (linked).

The bottom line for me is we have some serious ideological worldview issues which are struggling for the dominance of our American culture. This struggle ultimately streams into education, media and politics; however we need citizens who can engage in the process thoughtfully, articulately and truthfully without degrading to name calling, which is so prevalent in today’s reality based culture.

As we think this week about “Peace on Earth,” I pray each of us, on both sides of the political aisle, will contemplate how we might get outside of our own echo-chambers and try to understand the human that is on the other side of our ideological divide.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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In the course of my writing for The Edgefield Advertiser, I have shared that I believe many of the issues facing us today are “non-respecter of person issues.”  I stated I would at times be returning back to this theme.

This week, while working on the farm my index finger got caught in a piece of equipment and ripped out a decent piece of skin, measuring about an inch in length, a quarter of an inch in width and a significant depth – enough to hurt like the dickens, but thankfully not deep enough to catch a vein.

That experience got me to thinking about two non-respecter of person issues: work ethic and intergenerational dependence / training. It got me thinking about both of my grandfathers, and their hands!

I remember thinking both of my grandfathers were extremely smart, hard working men. Neither man went to college; however, both men showed up for work daily, one seven days a week on a dairy farm.  Both provided well – not only for their immediate family, but for extended family during times of need.  I could tell multiple stories of both men meeting needs of others beyond their immediate family.

One died just before I was a decade old and the other died before my sixteenth birthday.  Both men had strong hands.  Honestly, I remember looking at both men’s hands at their viewings just before their funerals and marveling at how used they looked, and how strong at the same time.  I was fortunate to spend time with both men. One, on his farm, which I now have the privilege to work and the other in his multiple gardens.  Both men demonstrated extremely strong work ethic, even in their latter years. In addition, both men demonstrated an ability to have fun with their grandkids.

We are currently in an election year hearing about all government should do, and some say must do for us – but I don’t hear our leaders speaking about the importance of work-ethic, encouraging elders to demonstrate it for the next generation – and perhaps even for the generation following that.  I don’t hear our candidates speaking about the travesty of fatherlessness in our culture, which invariably leads to a lack of grandfathers, and the devastating impact that is having on our nation.

As I reminisced on my grandfathers this week, and the profound impact they had on my life, I realized how blessed I am.  I also realized how deprived of leadership many young boys and girls are today.  This year’s election isn’t going to repair this void in leadership – but if repaired, would have the greatest impact on the next generation(s).

Inter-generational training, the issue of fatherlessness and the improvement of our nations work-ethic are areas, which if improved, could have the greatest impact on making America great again.

Would you consider joining me in prayer for the issue of fatherlessness and work-ethic in our nation?

I hope you have a blessed week!

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I hope each of you had an amazing Resurrection Sunday Celebration, otherwise known as Easter.  If you happen to be among the percentage of American’s who don’t celebrate any portion of the Judeo-Christian history celebrated this past week, I at least hope you had a great day of rest!

Both of our church services were overflowing with people.  It literally was standing room only all the way back in the atrium, outside the sanctuary, likely with many folks who attend services twice a year – Christmas and Resurrection Sunday.  That is a great thing!

That got me to thinking – each of my writings thus far has talked about virtues. Most of my writings have said critical things about Washington, DC.  Indeed, my March 2 editorial referred to Washington as Rome, being under massive construction – while burning at the same time!  My March 9 editorial shared my belief that the most critical issues we face are “non-respecter of person” issues, which I would be writing more about in the future.

This week, I want to share with you a building under construction in Washington, scheduled to open in November 2017, which I believe will have a profound impact on our republic, indeed our world.  The Museum of the Bible will be located two blocks south of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and 4 blocks SW of our Nations’ Capitol Building.

Through a series of events, on March 15, 2016 I had the privilege of touring the construction site of this incredible undertaking.  Pictured above, after climbing to the future top floor is my oldest son Robert, his new bride Brittany, my parents Hank and Bobbye and me.  You can see the proximity of the future Museum to the capitol in the photo.  The top floor will be glass enclosed, providing amazing views of our nations’ capitol.

500 words is not enough to explain why I am sharing this, so let me just share a couple quotes:

“The Bible ought to be a part of our education, because of its literary culture. There are countless phrases in our culture, that come from this book.” Richard Dawkins, world famous atheist, and author of the book The God Delusion.

“We just want to be honest brokers of the information. We’re just wanting to present the facts and let the people make their own decisions. We don’t want to embellish anything; we don’t want to be negative either.” Steve Green, President of Hobby Lobby and Chairman of the Museum of the Bible.

Personally – I believe this book points to the virtues required for a civil society, regardless of one’s faith tradition.  Today we are likely the least educated generation in our nation’s history on its subject matter, and this museum will help improve that situation.

For more information, I recommend listening to the interview conducted by Family Life Today, and Steve Green, Chairman of The Museum of the Bible.  That interview can be found at http://familylifetoday.com/program/the-bible-a-story-worth-telling/.  The museum website is https://www.museumofthebible.org/.

I hope you have a blessed week!