This day in history - July 15, 1979: Jimmy Carter does not use the word "malaise" in a speech

By Richard K. Barry

In one of the more interesting examples of an important political speech that did not contain the word most associated with it, President Jimmy Carter, on this day in 1979, gave his so-called "Crisis of Confidence" speech, which is more commonly known as the "malaise" speech, though that word is never used.

In the speech, Carter spoke of "this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation," which apparently suggested malaise to a lot of people.

A year and a half later Ronald Reagan was president. The moral of the story would appear to be: don't ever get all philosophical with the American people, and for god's sake don't try to tell them the truth about themselves. That's never a good idea.

Better to tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear, if your goal is to win elections.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

Day 17 - Finding God in Narnia

‘When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”’ Matthew 5:1-11

For Reverend Mills, Jesus’ teachings on the kingdom make him think of the magical land of Narnia created by C. S. Lewis, especially as it is discovered and explored by Lucy and the other Pevensie children.

Parallel worlds are in fact one of the best ways to understand many of Our Lord’s teachings.

Sometimes daily life offers similar glimpses which we can share.

This past week I agreed to speak to a group of seniors from our parish on the topic of Adoration—the History of Adoration in the Catholic Church in 8 minutes or less was actually my assignment—if you can believe it.

I agreed to do it because I love Adoration, full stop. Trying to imagine doing justice to such an important topic in only 8 minutes—much less anything less—I never took seriously even before I started my research. I mean really? We’re talking two thousand years of Catholic Church history here. It simply can’t be done.

Throughout the week I made sure I spent at least an hour with Jesus every day in our Blessed Sacrament Room talking to Him about what He wanted me to say about Him.

Without a doubt it’s been the best week of my life. I worked ten hour days, fourteen on Wednesday but somehow everything came together. The talk went well. I know I went over my 8 minutes but no one complained. I’ve never been less nervous in front of a group of people in my life. Never. And I would say that usually I prefer dental visits to public speaking.

However, last evening I was thrilled to speak. It was the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, a feast closely associated with the Holy Eucharist.

Just the day before, I had received a lovely gift from a dear blogging friend, Julie Cameron, two autographed books which she picked up for me. The one book she’d told me about, the second was an extra surprise. I look forward to reading and reviewing both books for her. God bless you Julie!

Seek the Kingdom of God, the Pearl of Great Price. He is worth it!

He is waiting there for you and He is Everything!

Different Presidents, A Different Corps

I don't know how much longer this video will be around to be viewed ... in my country of supposed free speech. I know it's a political 'statement' ... of the wrong kind and therefore dangerous.

What can I say? As a Pro-Life, practicing Roman Catholic, military vet who is against gun control, same sex marriage, right-to-die, and embryonic stem cell research legislation, married to someone who shares all those same 'heinous' characteristics/views, I've become public enemy number one in my own country today.

But if I was in both of those crowds, I'd cheer Dubya and I'd stand there when Barry came swaggering in. Oh how I miss you George W.! Still I hope you and Laura are enjoying a well-deserved retirement! God bless you both!

booklady

Acceptance Speeches

Did you watch the Presidential Acceptance Speech last night?

Did you find it as eerie as I did? Did you watch the women in the audience carefully? They look at him with love-sick eyes. Their eyes look glazed over, almost like they are in a drug-induced trance. Either that or they are crying or swooning as if Christ had come. And then there is the rhythmic chanting of "Yes, we can!" Huh? What gives? Are we hearing a Presidential Acceptance Speech or is this a high school pep rally? I thought about posting it from YOUTUBE but after several aborted attempts (bad pun I'm sorry) decided I didn't want that clip on my blog anyway. If you do watch it, look for the close-up pans of Oprah and Jesse Jackson.

He wasn't kidding: Change Has Come!

But as a friend reminded me when we were discussing the bleak prospect of four years of this, really we should rejoice! Rejoice? Yes, rejoice! Let us offer up prayers of thanksgiving for all the Lord does and is doing for us. It may not seem like it today but remember He has overcome the world. It's a great day to be a Christian. Let us rejoice and be glad in the Lord.

Now if you want to hear a real Acceptance Speech, try listening to this!