On February 24, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an agreement with Cuba to lease the area surrounding Guantánamo Bay to the U.S. On February 24, 2016, standing before a portrait of Mr. Roosevelt, President Obama announced plans to close the military prison there.

I watched the president’s speech and the debate that ensued. Both sides center on national security. Mr. Obama claims that the prison hardens international resentment against the U.S. and makes Americans less safe. Opponents dispute this claim and counter that the president’s plan does not account for the most dangerous current detainees or future terrorists. (For more on the Guantánamo Bay debate, see Nick Pitts’s How does Guantanamo undermine our values?.)

Do you worry about national security? If so, you’re not alone. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, only eighteen percent of Americans think we are winning the war on terrorism. That’s the lowest percentage, by far, in ten years. The number of Americans who believe terrorists are winning has doubled in the same time span. According to surveys, national security and terrorism now ranks as the top priority for the federal government.

Continue reading Denison Forum – OBAMA WANTS TO CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO BAY: HOW DO YOU FEEL? →

For seven hours last Saturday night, Jason Brian Dalton drove from one target to the next across Kalamazoo County in southwest Michigan. His shooting rampage killed six and injured two others. In between the shootings, he apparently picked up passengers for Uber. According to CNN, “One question looms above all else: Why did the gunman do this?”

Here’s my question: Why do we care?

Of course I don’t mean that we should not care about the victims of this horrific tragedy. Jesus weeps for them, as should we. Or that we shouldn’t try to understand the shooter’s motives, since they are related directly to his prosecution.

But I’m focusing on a different question this morning: Why do we want to know why the gunman did what he did? Here’s my answer: Because senseless violence is the most frightening violence of all. If I don’t understand why it happened to you, I worry that it could happen to me.

Earthquakes in California are a different story where earthquakes strike than where they don’t. The tropical cyclone in Fiji is a different story for people who live on islands than for people who live inland. If what happened to you could happen to me, it matters more to me.

Continue reading Denison Forum – THE MICHIGAN SHOOTING: WHAT WE DON’T KNOW →

Donald Trump won the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina, while Bernie Sanders narrowly lost to Hillary Clinton in Nevada after being behind by twenty-five points just a few weeks ago. A recent Fox News poll put Sanders in the lead nationally. Jeb Bush withdrew from the race, an outcome no one would have predicted a few months ago.

This year’s presidential nominating process has been nothing like anything we’ve seen in decades. Why?

The Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan believes that “we’re in the midst of a rebellion.” She cites “the general decline of America’s faith in its institutions” and notes that “we feel less respect for almost all of them—the church the professions, the presidency, the Supreme Court.”

According to Noonan, those who support Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders are thinking, “Let’s take a chance. Washington is incapable of reform or progress; it’s time to reach outside.” They think Washington “will moderate Bernie, take the edges off Trump” and therefore “don’t see their choices as so radical.”

There is strong evidence to support Noonan’s view.

Continue reading Denison Forum – IS AMERICA ‘IN THE MIDST OF A REBELLION’? →

If zombies take over the world, Amazon is ready. The company has written software that will run heart-lung machines and autonomous vehicles if the U.S. Centers for Disease Control declares a zombie apocalypse. The provision is buried within the Terms and Conditions of Amazon’s newly-released video-game development software. As a result, people are talking about a software service most would have ignored.

This isn’t the first time a company has used zombies for publicity. In 2011, the CDC issued preparations for natural disasters and diseases, but their announcements weren’t getting traction. So they released “Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse” and that got our attention. Now zombies have taken over Jane Austen’s acclaimed work; for more, see Nick Pitts’s review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Zombies are one of the few problems we don’t face these days. Zika-linked birth defects are now known to cause significant brain abnormalities. Boko Haram suicide bombers recently killed fifty-eight at a Nigerian camp. Los Angeles will spend $1.9 billion to tackle the escalating homelessness crisis in the city.

Continue reading Denison Forum – AMAZON IS PREPARING FOR ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE →

Forty percent of American’s teenagers are using an app called Kik. Why does this matter?

Kik allows users to text anonymously. All they need is a user name which they can make up. As a result, it is difficult for parents and law enforcement to trace conversations. And that makes Kik popular with predators.

Nicole Madison Lovell was a thirteen-year-old liver transplant and cancer survivor. Two Virginia Tech freshmen communicated with her via Kik and are now charged with her murder. Several other cases involving child abuse are linked to the app. The company does its best to cooperate with law enforcement authorities. However, it does not retain the information sent on its app, so its help is limited.

One expert on child abuse cautions us against “technophobia.” He says the problem has to do with character traits, not technology. Those who are depressed, socially isolated, dealing with parental conflicts, or bullied at school are at higher risk.

Continue reading Denison Forum – AN APP YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT →

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders won last night’s New Hampshire primaries. What do their victories mean for the rest of us?

The winner of New Hampshire’s primary doesn’t always wins the nomination. Since 1952, primary voters have elected the eventual Democratic Party nominee only five out of ten times (excluding incumbents). New Hampshire voters have elected the eventual Republican nominee seven out of ten times (excluding incumbents).

The New Hampshire primary has often been more significant for those who lose than those who win. After President Truman lost New Hampshire in 1952, he dropped out of the race. When President Johnson barely won the primary in 1968, he withdrew as well.

Last night’s results are important politically, but I think they’re even more important culturally.

Continue reading Denison Forum – THE NEW HAMPSHIRE RESULTS: WHY THEY MATTER →

Last night the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 50. Here are some facts about the teams and the game that you might not know:

• Peyton Manning became the oldest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl.
• He is also the first quarterback to reach the game with two different teams.
• For the first time, two quarterbacks who were number-one picks in the NFL draft competed against each other in a Super Bowl.
• The age gap between Manning (39) and Carolina quarterback Cam Newton (26) was the largest in Super Bowl history.
• John Elway, Denver’s general manager, became the first to win a championship as a player and as a GM.
• Over the last fifteen championship games, the favorites won only three times.
• A thirty-second Super Bowl ad cost at least $5 million.
• Around 170 million people worldwide watched the game from 180 different countries.
• People eat more food on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year except for Thanksgiving. Around 4,000 tons of guacamole were consumed yesterday, with the assistance of 13,500 tons of chips. Around 90 million pounds of chicken wings were eaten yesterday as well.

I admire the way Peyton Manning prepared for the game and handled victory afterwards. In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, he consistently deferred attention from himself and focused on his team. After last night’s win, he refused to answer questions about his possible retirement, lest his story overshadow his team’s victory.

Continue reading Denison Forum – BRONCOS WIN SUPER BOWL 50: WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW →

Most of us remember Michael Oher as the subject of The Blind Side. The inspirational movie told the story of his childhood poverty, adoption by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, and eventual career as an offensive tackle in the NFL. Now Michael Oher is playing in the Super Bowl for the Carolina Panthers, protecting quarterback Cam Newton from Denver’s defense, the best in the NFL.

But only because Newton asked him to. Here’s their remarkable story.

Oher played several years for the Baltimore Ravens, then was signed by his home state Tennessee Titans. His season there was disastrous—he allowed six sacks and twenty-six quarterback hurries in eleven games during a 2–14 season. The Titans later cut him. What he didn’t tell anyone was that he was playing with a torn bicep and an injured toe.

Cam Newton’s brother had played with Oher in Baltimore and thought Michael could help protect the Carolina quarterback. So he notified Newton, who texted Oher to say he needed his help. The Panthers then signed Oher to a two-year contract that was widely criticized. But Oher had an outstanding season for the team that is widely favored to win the NFL championship.

Continue reading Denison Forum -‘THE BLIND SIDE’ PLAYER’S SURPRISING ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL →

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: “A televangelist and a Catholic Sunday school teacher were talking one day . . .” But Tuesday night it really happened: Pastor Joel Osteen appeared on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show to discuss Osteen’s latest book, The Power of I Am.

Colbert, one of the most biblically literate Hollywood celebrities, noted God’s description of himself as the “I Am” (Exodus 3:14). It turned out, the book is about something else entirely.

Osteen explained to Colbert that he wrote about what follows the words “I am” in a person’s mind. He illustrated: Sometimes we say “I am slow” or “I am unlucky” or “I am not attractive.” Instead, he wants us to say “I am blessed” or “I am strong” or “I am talented.” According to Osteen, “We don’t realize how many times we speak negative things about ourselves.” To which Colbert responded with his typical wit: “I do that all the time. I’m so stupid.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – JOEL OSTEEN ON STEPHEN COLBERT’S ‘THE LATE SHOW’ →

Susan Jordan was principal of an elementary school in Indianapolis for twenty-two years. Tuesday she was standing outside with her students when a stationary school bus inexplicably accelerated and jumped a curb. She pushed several students out of the way before the vehicle struck and killed her. A fire department spokeswoman said, “Up to the minute she was alive, she was helping the kids.”

Her superintendent said of her, “Quite frankly, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about a legend.” He described Jordan as “a phenomenal individual that truly cared about children.” Last May, dozens of students, faculty, and staff made a video about her. The students called her “friendly, focused, smart, organized, inspirational, dependable, determined, positive, and awesome.” The district closed all schools yesterday in her memory.

When the bus careened toward her students, Susan Jordan didn’t have time to decide whether she would risk her life for them. In that moment, her reaction revealed the sacrificial commitment she had already made.

Like her, the time for us to decide our life priorities is before they are tested. Only then can we be ready for challenges when they come.

Continue reading Denison Forum – PRINCIPAL DIES SAVING THE CHILDREN SHE SERVED →

Darius Fleming is a linebacker for the New England Patriots. As his team prepares to face the Denver Broncos this Sunday for the right to play in Super Bowl 50, Fleming’s heroics off the field are making as much news as his play on it.

He was driving home from practice last week when he came upon a three-car collision. A woman was trapped in her car. “I saw her panic on her face,” Fleming said later. He kicked in the passenger side window and pulled the woman to safety, cutting his leg in the process. He needed twenty-two stitches to close the wound.

Here’s where the story takes a sad turn. The website TMZ Sports published a story claiming that officials had no record of the crash Fleming described. Critics soon began asking if he made up the story to disguise an injury or to raise his stock with the Patriots.

Then it was discovered that the local police department had, in fact, responded to an incident matching Fleming’s description. According to their report, the woman in question told an officer that a person “kicked in my window, I think he was a Patriot.” Fleming later tweeted, “People are quick to try and bring you down…so sad.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – PATRIOTS PLAYER RESCUES WOMAN TRAPPED IN CAR →

A year from yesterday, a new American president will be sworn in. What will he or she face?

The stock market declined another 249 points yesterday. Militants attacked a university in Pakistan, killing at least nineteen. A car bomb in Kabul killed six. Teacher protests in Detroit closed most public schools there. A new study indicates that “no religion” is now the majority religion in Great Britain.

A new poll tells us that ten percent of college graduates think Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court. Atheist Michael Newdow has again filed a lawsuit seeking to remove “In God We Trust” from our currency. And North Korea claims to have invented hangover-free alcohol.

It gets even worse, apparently: Stephen Hawking, the best-known physicist in the world, is quoted in a Time headline as predicting that disaster on Earth is becoming a “near certainty.” However, it turns out the cosmologist is talking about “the next thousand or ten thousand years.” Within the next 100 years, he believes, we will have learned to colonize space, so our race will survive. We just need to avoid destroying our planet until we learn how to leave it. We all hope the next president is up to the challenge.

Continue reading Denison Forum – IS JUDGE JUDY ON THE SUPREME COURT? →