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Gary Bettman, Hang Your head in Shame

Dan Wetzel's column today is wonderful. 

As most of you know, I'm an avid hockey buff.  I grew up playing in Colorado.  I used to go to Colorado College games as a kid every weekend, and although I was fairly young and didn't fully undesrtand it, I mourned the loss of the original, hockey-playing-version of the Colorado Rockies when they became the New Jersey Devils in 1982. 

In 1995 Colorado got a second chance, and new life in the Colorado Avalanche.  In their first year, they won the Stanley Cup, won another in 2001 and had been a perrenial power in the NHL until Gary Bettman, the NHL's version of the Keystone Cops Commissioner further ruined a once proud team and league.  Wetzel's column, linked above, does a great job of laying out the many failures of the league during Bettman's seemingly unending tenure.

Suffice it to say, I'm frustrated with the current state of the NHL and think there needs to be drastic change.  We have some of the greatest talent in the history of the league, and frankly the best athletes on the planet, but an inept front office is killing our beloved game.

Great New Article on Smart Non Profits Online

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Life As We Know It

So the holidays are over...whew, what a whirlwind.  A good time, but stressful nonetheless.  Had the in-laws in town for Christmas and the New Year.  Also had about 4 feet of snow over two separate storms within a week and were basically stuck in the house for several days.  So it's been nice to see the Sun again the last few days and get a breather from the snow - well at least for 2 more days when more of the white stuff is forecast.

Work is going quite well, we're partnering with several other organizations in town to put on an NFL football camp for kids 7-14.  Should be a great experience for the kids and we'll provide scholarships to underprivileged kids that wouldn't otherwise be able to participate. 

Speaking of work, I mentioned to several of you that the Colorado Springs Youth Foundation was my biggest client, well apparently they liked me enough to bring me on staff in November full time as the Director of Communications.  It's a great fit and the Executive Director and I get along well and seem to have very complimentary experience and skills.  If you check out the site, keep in mind that it's still in process and I'm not finished with design, content, or basically anything about it except a general look and feel.  Please feel free to e-mail me with comments or suggestions.

The family is good.  All are healthy and happy.  Grant had a fantastic Christmas and we had a really nice get-together with some local friends this week to celebrate Jenn's 30th Birthday.  Good times.

I'm reading some Phillip Yancey, GK Chesterton and some Tolkien right now, as well as some communications books.  I'll let you know how they are as I finish.  I'm liking Yancey, I love Chesterton, and Tolkien, well he's Tolkien.

I would like to talk about some other developments over the next couple weeks.  In the immediate picture all of us in Colorado and Broncos fans across the country are mourning the senseless loss of Broncos Cornerback Darrent Williams.  It's a truly sickening story, but one that is all too familiar in our nation the last few years, of a young man cut down is his prime simply for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the Williams family and the extended Broncos family. 

The More Things "Change" the More they Stay the Same

We have a Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives.  It looks as though the Senate will follow suit.  It's very interesting.  I won't hide that I'm disappointed.  It reminds me of 1992.  George Bush (senior) was running for reelection and Bill Clinton won the Democratic nomination. 

In 1992 Clinton ran on the catch phrase "change."  "America needs a change," he would quip ad nauseum.  The trouble was he never defined what that change would be.  Bush was coming off the most successful military exercises in history with the 100 hour Gulf War aka Operation Desert Storm.  Clinton was the governor in Arkansas, a state with an economic and educational record (under his stewardship) that was near the worst in America.  One would think Bush wins in a landslide, and most of us Republicans thought so too.  Not so.  Apparently for the American electorate, "change" was good enough.  It was apparently unimportant what change actually meant, so we elected Clinton.

Here's where it becomes very similar.

In 2006 the Bush administration is overseeing a healthy economy, the highest stock trading numbers in history, the highest home ownership levels in American history and a successful record of protecting America from further attacks since 9/11.  This year the Democratic strategy was to use this same, vague notion of "change."  Again, like Clinton in '92, the Dems had no actual record on which to run and/or refused to share details of what that "change" actually means.  Chuck Schumer (D- NY) said that they wouldn't reveal their agenda/strategy for governing because "it would just give Republicans a target."  So they kept on with "change."  No details of a plan or an agenda, mind you, just something different.

Change, according to Dictionary.com means  -

1.	to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone: to change one's name; to change one's opinion; to change the course of history.

So it's interesting to me that the Democrats won, and won handily yesterday.  Here's my take on why. 

1.  Republicans suck at communicating their ideas (witness the Bush White House for 6 years)

There are plenty of compelling reasons to continue in Iraq, and to have gone there in the first place, but all you ever hear about is WMD's, suicide bombers, insurgents and American casualties.  The economy is better than it ever was under the "Clinton glory days," but all you hear is that it's slowing, or Enron comparisons or that only rich people get tax cuts.  Had the Republicans communicated effectively about those two issues alone (never mind homeland security success) they likely could have had 60 seats in the Senate and 250-255 in the House.

2.  The media hates the Iraq war.

First there are serious problems in Iraq (it is after all a war). That being said, it doesn't matter how well the troops do, how many Iraqi's voted, how successful training Iraqi's to protect themselves goes.  The American press hates this war.  You're not going to hear about the good things in Iraq unless you're a. in Iraq, b. know a soldier in Iraq or c. you're President Bush.  It's amazing that the war in Iraq is likely more popular with Iraqi's than it is in America. Again there are problems there, but this is nothing like Vietnam, and anyone who tells you otherwise is either stupid, or selling you something you don't want to buy.

3.  Power corrupts/Scandals.

Nearly a full third (30%) of Evangelicals voted Democratic this year according to exit polling. Witness the recent Mark Foley (R-FL) and Ted Haggard(see article below for more detail) scandals.  Both of which mysteriously disappeared from the headlines today and yesterday.  And both of which upon discovery resigned, apologized and were handled properly in rapid, efficient form.

The other interesting thing to note here is the Democratic handling of similar scandals in their own ranks.  When Republican/conservative/evangelicals are at the center of these Democrats call for their immediate removal - rightly so.  When Democrats are accused they issue an apology (sometimes) and continue in power for years.

So regardless of the Dems or Repubs handling of their respective failings, values and integrity matter to Americans, or at least to swing-voting Americans.

4.  Values & Ballot Initiatives

There is an interesting lesson here when you look at the congressional elections in connection with ballot initiatives across the nation.  What they tell me is that this is likely backlash from the above issues, but the vast majority of initiatives - which tend to have closer ties to everyday life - passed or failed largely along conservative/value voter lines even though they were largely outspent by the liberal issue backers.  Gay marriage, immigration, taxes, government limits et al were on the ballot in many states and regardless of elected official race results - these issues fell along value-based voting lines.  Since these are all down-ballot from the races, and they are designed in part to get out the vote for particular candidates/parties, they usually fall along a coat-tail trend.  If Democrats win, liberal issues usually fair well and vice versa.  but that was not the case this year.  democrats won, but conservative issues did also.  A clear vote for- uh, balance?

At the end of the day, this isn't going to destroy our country, no matter what ultra-conservative talk radio may say.  I think there will be some consequences.  We may lose some tax benefits, judges awaiting approval after presidential appointment will continue to be delayed, and the war in Iraq may get worse.  But the Democrats may surprise us and actually work to make things better, instead of their usual tactic of not actually doing anything on an issue so they can continue to use it in elections. 

One thing is sure, if Republicans hope to recapture congress in 2 years, let alone retain the Presidency, they better learn that communicating ideas, and staying true to values are the keys to turn out.  Republicans have been winning since 1994 because people perceived them to be the party that reflected their values - that can change on dime as we've seen this year.

Tragedy & Hope

It is with sadness, and with hope that I convey news this bright, sunny Monday morning in Colorado Springs.  As many, if not all, of you know my Pastor and friend of 15 years, Ted Haggard, has been dismissed from his duties at New Life Church for sexually immoral conduct.  This has been very difficult for all of us at the church, and likely for many people across our nation and the world.  It is a saddening, frustrating situation and it is painful.  But you know all of that.

What you may not know is, as Paul Harvey quips, "the rest of the story."  Of course we are still in the very early chapters of that tale, but if they are any indication of things to come, New Life Church, though battered and bruised from this scandal, will be just fine.  That may sound a bit fanciful, and writing it is even somewhat surprising to me, but given the evidence, I think it to be true.

Consider that the man appointed as our interim Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, has been with the church for 15 years, and is beloved, trusted and capable.  The others in the executive staff circle include men who have been with the church nearly since its inception like Lance Coles and younger, but wise and talented folks like Rob Brendle and Bryan Newberg.  Not to mention the hundreds upon hundreds of volunteer and staff leaders in our body who deserve full credit. You may have heard some of these names in news reports as they have been handling many of the inquiries, and you can rest assured that all of them have performed more than admirably in the immediate aftermath of this crisis.

Ross, Lance and Rob are all people whom I've known for a long time and been able to watch and learn from as they have led our church alongside Ted.  I've known Ross and Lance since 1991 when I began attending the church and they've been a great support in my life many times. And Rob, who is my age, has quickly become a fast friend and a trusted leader in the few years that I've known him.  I look forward to their continued leadership in my life and in the life of New Life Church.

Consider also that while this scandal has rocked evangelical America, and our church, to our emotional core - it has not changed our mission or our focus one iota.  Evidence of that fact were the three, packed out, standing-room-only services of yesterday morning and evening.  It has been a long time since I've seen the church this passionate abut seeking God and about making Him known.  The breadth of forgiveness and grace extended to Pastor Ted in the wake of his fall has been tremendous, and in my opinion - miraculous. My dear friend Patton Dodd said it well in reference to Ted - many of us have great reasons to be thankful that Ted Haggard impacted our lives - and none of those reasons have become past tense.

I've been involved with other churches when a similar crisis hit.  I've never been involved with a church that, thus far, has handled it so well.  That's not to say there aren't plenty of angry people, but they are outnumbered by those who are grieving while working through forgiveness.  That's not to say there won't be attrition - but those that leave are firmly outnumbered by those that plan to stay, and remain faithful.  It's not to say that there aren't people who are devastated emotionally, including myself, by a man we loved deeply and trusted innately, but we are all working together and leaning on one another to continue in the call.  New Life Church has never been about furthering itself - it's always been about furthering the Gospel, and about taking care of people.  In that  light, this is simply another opportunity to shine.

Life as We Know It

It's unfortunate that I haven't been blogging as of late.  Mostly because of the membership fee at typepad, but partially because I've had plenty to talk about but no time motivation to do so.

I suppose I could begin with employment.  My partnership with fancy consulting firm(FCF) has ended, and I'm back to Mars Hill Consulting (MHC)full-time.  This is both good and bad, but mostly good considering the experience I gained from FCF and the freedom and working environment at MHC.  I have a couple of opportunities with clients right now that look like they'll be good for all parties involved and it's always exciting to be doing work you like and feel makes a difference.

I'm also working as an Associate Producer on an upcoming film Called Through The Glass Darkly. The film is being done by Red House Productions and we're currently in the thick of pre-production.  We recently hired a Director of Photography, Andy Sparaco, and are moving through the initial marketing and investment phases of trying to get the film produced.  So if you know of anyone with expendable cash interested in independent film, send them my way.

There are plenty of other things to discuss, including the current state of politics, the fantastic defense of the Denver Broncos, and the ruining of top tier NHL teams by Gary Bettman, but we'll get to those soon.

Life as We Know It

It's time for an update. 

Life has been moving steadily along at a rapid clip as of late.  Lots of stuff going on. 

Work is challenging and interesting.  We landed a major hospital in the Denver area and that project has kept me more than busy.  It's a pretty extensive, and exciting project, so when I have more time I'll update you on the specifics.

Grant, our son, turned 2 and we had a couple great celebrations for him all of which included as much Thomas the Train as humanly possible.  The kid loves trains, what can I say.

I've also picked up my acting chops from the floor and been involved in a pretty major production called The Thorn.  The Denver Post said that it "...rivals a Broadway production in scope and ambition."  There's also a pretty kind review here in The Gazette.  I'll try to post some pictures within the next week or so.

If you're in town, try to get tickets, the last I heard there was only one show not sold out and that's this Saturday at noon.  You can check out ticket availability here.

Once Upon a Time...

Human beings are storytellers and participants.  Andrew Lester once said that, "Human beings only understand their lives within the context of a story."  We grow up listening to bed-time stories, the best time at school, aside from recess, was story time, we watch movies, TV and read books, we are always telling jokes or other types of stories and until Gutenberg came along nearly our entire history was handed down orally.

I think Steven Speilberg once said, and there's an argument to be made that he's right, that the four most powerful words in the English language are, "Once upon a time..."

So why is it so hard for businesses to communicate effectively?  It's almost as if somewhere between elementary school and adult life, we throw out all the lessons we needed most.  I've heard it taught that when communicating, you should always do three things for your audience;

1. Tell them what you're going to tell them.

2. Tell them.

3. Tell them what you told them. (And within all of it weave stories to illustrate your points)

Have you ever been in an audience?  Maybe you were at a seminar, in church, a company presentation or pitch.  Ever notice that when the presenter is giving facts and figures you can generally here a pin drop, but  - just like magic - when they begin to tell a story the audience sits up, leans forward, laughs, cries, reacts?

It's because we all want to hear a story, and things make more sense within that context.  The most successful people and companies you can think of, all have at least one thing in common: they're good at telling a story. 

Islamic Cartoons

So I've been following the "reaction" by Muslims to the cartoons of Muhammad published by Danish papers.  The one cartoon that has sparked most of it is one of Muhammad himself.  I have published it here to illustrate what exactly it is that is causing people to be killed. As you can see it is simply a depiction of Muhammad, his turban containing a bomb.  This is of course inflammatory, no question.  But, historically speaking, it is not completely off the mark.  Islam has a history, a history that many fail to recognize in their acquiescence and pandering by calling Islam a "religion of peace."

Please don't misunderstand me, I have Muslim friends and they, along with many(probably most) of their compatriots, are wonderful people, but their faith has been, pardon the pun, hijacked by jihadists and islamists. 

Ironically those who are angry over these cartoons are apparently not sophisticated enough to understand that their actions only reinforce the message of the cartoons.

Diana West had a wonderful column in the Denver Post today, originally published last week in the Washington times.  In it she talks about the culture of fear, and violence that we are attempting to placate by not publishing the cartoons further in the West.  There is a difference between publishing something to educate and inform, and publishing to mock, abuse and harm.  I certainly do not endorse publishing inflammatory remarks  or cartoons for the sake of inducing harm.  But there is something more insidious about this outbreak of violence over cartoons. 

It is completely inappropriate for Westerners to cow-tow to Islamic extremists.  Their violent, knee-jerk reaction to being called violent is precisely the reason we cannot, and should not give them credence.  This kind of behavior is exactly the opposite of what freedom, democracy and good governance stand for.

There is of course another possibility, one that West alludes to in her column, that it isn't unsophistication that causes this type of reaction.  There is a more frightening option.  It is possible that these types of reactions are not only sophisticated, but they are preordained by those in power in the Islamic world, that these are pre-planned and carefully orchestrated responses (the cartoons were originally published last September) by Islamists as an effort to create fear in the West and to carry out their obvious and well-documented goals of creating an Islamic world in which Shari'ah law is king.

This may sound crazy to many of us in the West, but it is the same variety of insanity that afflicted Hitler, Marx, Lenin and their followers, that dominated the thoughts of Napoleon, and Alexander before him.  It is in fact the same pattern that ran incessantly through the brain of Muhammad himself as he conquered much of the Eastern and Middle-Eastern world centuries ago.  Conversion by the sword, or by fear, is not a new concept, and unfortunately it is also not dead.

State of the Union

Maybe it's just me.  Perhaps I'm totally out of touch.  That's the only rationale I could come up with that made sense this morning on the way to work.  I was listening to NPR, as is my morning-drive custom, while reporter after reporter, and story after story confirmed how naive, and silly I must be.  I'm learning that I'm more of a novice than I previously understood, and that I apparently understand little of nuance, and even less of the facts. 

You see I thought last night's State of the Union address by President Bush was one of the best speech performances of his tenure.  I thought he found the right balance of form and function, I thought his tone was spot-on and I thought he delivered what, in some instances, was a particularly moving oration.  His use of verbal imagery was as good or better than any I've heard from him.  His grasp of the issues was not in question (as we all know, it is sometimes in question) and perhaps most importantly, he seemed to be in command.

I thought he looked comfortable, which is saying something if you've watched much of this president, and he seemed supremely confident.  That is to say he did not seem cocky to me, and I have intuited a great deal of his Texas swagger in the past.  But this performance was not that. 

I thought the initiatives he unveiled were, in large part, good and useful ideas.  It also was apparent to me that he understood his audience, that of a much divided chamber, but found ways to incorporate genuine enthusiasm on both sides of the aisle(of course there was more on one side than the other, but that's to be expected.)

In any case, as far as the president's body of rhetorical work is concerned, I thought this was one of his best.  He seemed to have found his voice, hit his stride.  But like I said, I apparently don't know what I'm talking about...the radio this morning told me so.