Hertford Talent

            Anyone crossing the Perquimans River on Route 17 in Hertford is reminded by signs and by the name of the bridge itself that this little town produced a great baseball talent in Jim “Catfish” Hunter.  The people who knew Jimmy—and never called him Catfish--were proud to see him rise from the high school ballfield directly to the major leagues and eventually to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.  Such a talent is rare and, as some would say, put Hertford on the map.

            But there are other talented people in Hertford.  Some will be seen on the stage of our little theater on Grubb Street on May 6, 7, and 8. “Anybody Out There?” will be the fifth play produced by the Carolina Moon Theater Group, quite an accomplishment for such a small town as Hertford. 

This show’s three performances will likely be sold out, as were the previous four.  Returning in a starring role is Hertford’s own Matthew Johnson who previously starred in “Over the River and Through the Woods” two years ago, as well as in several Perquimans High School plays and musicals.  Also in the cast will be Tom Loughlin who was the director of the two previous plays. This time he turns the direction of the play over to Carly Pastorak of Edenton who is also responsible for bringing three actors from Edenton to join the cast of seven men and three women.

Some of the real talent for this show will be behind the scenes--or I should say behind the scenery.  Lynn Raymond, the play’s producer, is faced with the challenging task of pulling off six scene changes in three distinct sets: a bank, a bedroom, and a doctor’s office. This would not be possible without Steve Burket who designed the scenes and the lights and sound system, Ray Sawyer who built the sets, and Tom Dabolt of Snug Harbor who brought his experience in Elizabeth City theater productions to help with the design.

What we have here is a beneficial symbiotic relationship: What the theater does for the community and what the community does for the theater. It’s a rewarding experience that would not be possible without all the marvelous local talent that will be on display in the little theater on Grubb Street starting May 6.

Where is Truman?

            In the fall of the presidential campaign of 1980 I came within a few feet of Ronald Reagan as he exited the Hearst building in New York where I worked. But the only president I’ve ever seen in person while he was in office was Harry Truman. I was an eight-year old boy riding in a car with my dad when we stopped at a railroad crossing in Framingham, Massachusetts, as a train went by. There, on a platform at the back of the last car was Truman waving to the people lined up at the crossing.

            I was thinking about Harry Truman last week when I wrote about our need to find a statesman like Winston Churchill to lead us out of our current political morass. Why Truman? Because this unprepossessing haberdasher from Missouri rose from relative obscurity to become President of the United States. And he rose to the occasion.

            Upon the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry Truman was faced with enormous challenges. His first major decision was to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a decision he defended, arguing that it ended the war and prevented the potential loss of 100,000 American lives had the war gone on. After dealing face to face with Stalin at Potsdam, he put forth the Truman Doctrine that effectively contained the spread of Soviet Communism, defied the Soviets with the Berlin Airlift, oversaw the creation of NATO, and got the Marshall Plan enacted to help rebuild Western Europe. He helped found the United Nations and obtained its support in defending South Korea in the Korean War.

            At home he successfully guided the domestic economy through its post-war challenges. He also submitted the first comprehensive civil rights legislation and issued executive orders to begin racial integration of the military and the government.

            In spite of his successes he faced severe criticism that brought his popularity down to as low as 22%. But he has been vindicated by history: President Truman is now ranked favorably among the near-greats.

            Last week I asked, “Where is our Churchill?”  Today I ask, “Where is our Truman?”

Where Is Our Churchill ?

            In this period of electioneering frenzy, what we need most of all is a calm reflection on our purpose as a nation. At the same time we need a statesman with the talent to lead us out of this political morass.

            On June 4, 1940, Winston Churchill gave a speech to a nation beaten down by the disaster at Dunkirk and ready to accept inevitable defeat. Churchill was expected to salvage what he could by negotiating with Hitler for the best terms he could get. Instead the people of Great Britain heard Churchill vow never to surrender. And they rallied behind him. Why? Because Churchill, perhaps the greatest statesman in history, was a man of character, courage, and genius--the right man at the right time.

            Where is our Churchill? Who among our national figures has the moral character and bedrock principles to restore our faith in America? Is it our fate to have a presidential campaign pitting a corrupt liar on one side and an unprincipled charlatan on the other?  We must do better than that.

            So what should we look for in a yet undiscovered statesman? Using Winston Churchill as our model, we should look first for a person who embodies the values that made this country great: liberty, free enterprise, individual responsibility, and belief in our constitutional democracy. Second, we should look for a person with a moral compass who would never compromise principle for the sake of ambition or violate his oath of office to advance his ideology. Third, we need a person with a belief in America’s exceptionalism, who will acknowledge our leadership role in this world and never apologize for it. And fourth, we need a strong defender of freedom who will never appease the enemy or abandon our allies.

            Is there such a statesman hiding in the wings, ready and able to respond to the call of duty?  If an ineffective system of primaries and caucuses cannot produce a Churchill of our own, perhaps an open convention—in either party—can.

Progressivism vs. Conservatism

            It’s no secret that I think Donald Trump is unqualified to be president.  I sense that after he “stepped into it” on a number of issues last week, more and more people are coming to the same conclusion.  Nevertheless, Trump hits the bullseye on at least one issue I agree with, and that is his disgust with the mismanagement in Washington that has created a national debt approaching $20 billion.  Unfortunately, his solution to the problem—cut waste and fraud—wouldn’t begin to reign in the debt.  Much more than that will be required to bring the debt under control.

            As I see it, the solution lies in resolving the national argument between Progressivism and Conservatism.  Those who support the Progressive agenda see big government as essential.  They want a government that “cares about them.”  They might think that government over-spending is bad for the country, but indispensable for their well-being.  That’s why young people in college flock to Bernie Sanders and cheer when he promises them a free education; it’s only right for the government to soak the rich so they can get their benefits.
            Conservatives, on the other hand, preach the virtues of small government, individual responsibility, and entitlement reform.  But their voices are drowned out by career politicians whose main goal is staying in office.  And if that means compromising principles, so be it.
            Of course, I’m over-simplifying.  But when we come right down to it, we Americans must decide on what kind of country we want.  Do we want a European-type socialism in which government makes all the decisions, has all the power, and controls all the resources in exchange for providing all the free stuff we want?  Or do we want a country that values individual responsibility and free enterprise, and a government that removes the shackles of regulation and excessive taxation?
            If we’re going to bring the national debt under control, we have to forgo the illusion that big government has all the answers.  As Ronald Reagan was fond of saying, “Government is not the solution to our problems.  Government is the problem.”