Lamar Hunt, Jr.

This piece was written by my friend, Antonio J. Soave, and is posted here with his permission.  My thanks to Antonio for a wonderfully-written piece.  – Lamar Hunt Jr.

This past weekend’s March for Life in Washington, D.C. was one of the largest civil rights demonstrations to take place in recent history.  With estimates ranging from 500,000 to 750,000, the campaign should have been a force with which to be reckoned.  However, it was largely ignored by mainstream media and cast-off as some form of mass hysteria.  The fact that we have destroyed over 50 million fetuses since the inception of Roe v. Wade seems to have little to no impact on today’s modern society.  Unfortunately, this is another sign of the times – a very disturbing one at that.

It was fitting that the March for Life coincided with the events surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in America.  Dr. King stood for the protection of life and most certainly all life – regardless of race, color and creed.  Just as Dr. King said, “I have a dream … ,” so, too, do I have a dream.  I have a dream that all life, regardless of size, gender and disposition will be respected and protected by society.  I have a dream that humankind will understand the abuse that is being perpetrated as millions upon millions of children are being exterminated.  It is most certainly an act of genocide.

What is genocide?  According to Merriam-Webster, it is “the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group.”  In my opinion, the unborn are members of a cultural group, one that is being ignored and spurned.  It is a group that has no rights.  It is literally an unprotected group in society.  Although Merriam-Webster has no official definition of “cultural group,” it is widely defined on the web as follows: “A cultural group is a self-defined group of people who share a commonality of cultural experience.”  People who oppose abortion are also members of a “self-defined” group of people who share a common cultural experience related to defending the unborn.

Many on the left of the political spectrum like to note that a fetus is technically not classified as a human being in the first – or perhaps even second – trimester.  Yet few would argue that a fetus is more than just an ambiguous living organism in the third trimester.  Why is this the case?  A fetus can only grow into one thing: a human being.  And it happens in a very, very short period of time.  A fetus does not grow into a tadpole, although Darwin supporters might like to see that.  A fetus does not become a plant or a dog or a car or another mammal such as a dolphin.  It becomes a full-fledged human being – nothing more and nothing less.  It is the concept of nothing less that affects me.

People protecting the lives of unborn children are doing just that: they are protecting those that cannot protect themselves.  They settle for nothing less, and why should they?  When millions of babies are being killed, we go about our daily lives as if nothing is wrong.  We seem to consider them – the unborn, that is – as something less.  Yes, these unborn children are members of a common cultural group – a group that is ‘easy prey’ for those exterminating them.

Many anti-life/pro-abortion activists tell me that they are protecting a woman’s right to choose.  I ask this in return: Choose what?  Do these women have a right to choose death?  Are they fully aware that the organisms in their bodies become actual human beings?  Can they conceive of anyone they love having been exterminated in a mother’s womb prior to being given a chance to live?  Consider this: Someone you love dearly could have been randomly selected to die in a womb.  You would not have known this person today and you would not have been able to love that person.  Anyone could have been in that predicament.

As the March of Life was occurring in DC, I was returning from a business trip in Chicago.  As I awaited my delayed flight, I happened to catch a bit of CNN.  I was surprised that CNN covered the March, albeit slightly and in a distorted fashion.  CNN’s coverage was short and not complementary to the pro-lifers.  The coverage lasted about 30 seconds before it shifted the discussion to Texas and the supposedly ‘inhumane law’ there that requires women to view or listen to an ultrasound prior to having an abortion.  CNN gave this scenario extensive coverage, thereby clearly implying that the preferred stance of CNN was this: support abortion and oppose life.  An executive with an abortion clinic in Texas was interviewed by CNN in that report.  She complained about Governor Perry and his unfair and overreaching stance that forces women to listen to the very real sounds of the child inside of them.  It was as if the abortion clinic executive was the victim.

It makes sense that a woman about to have an abortion would not want to listen to or see the fetus: it would probably make her re-think her action.  For if that woman were to really understand that the fetus inside of her was truly alive and would soon become a wonderful new baby, she could hesitate and perhaps change her mind.  To listen to and/or view the fetus would bring the fetus to life both visually and acoustically.  The fetus would no longer be an antiseptic scientific description, a description that sanitizes, dehumanizes and downgrades the unborn child.  Just for reference, Merriam-Webster states the definition of “sanitize” as follows: to make more acceptable by removing unpleasant or undesired features.   Is the baby so ‘unpleasant’ that it needs to be removed or killed?  Is the dead fetus now ‘more acceptable’ to society?  Is the mother better off now that this has occurred?

Liberals like to think of themselves as protectors of the downtrodden and underprivileged, often being described as “bleeding heart liberals.”  I wonder why their hearts do not bleed for an unborn child, a child that is truly bleeding when removed from the womb prematurely.  I wonder why these bleeding heart activists are not taking to the streets to defend those that are clear victims of systematic murder and extermination.  I wonder why they aren’t outraged.  Maybe they would be if they knew the truth about living fetuses.  Those fetuses are human; they are nothing else.  They will not become less human just because we attempt to justify our actions or sanitize our description of the act.

I find it interesting that many of the same folks who oppose the one-child policy in China and often view the policy as ‘barbaric’ are the same people who support abortion in the United States.  It must be that abortion looks less attractive in China, especially when we view hopeful parents literally plea for their children’s lives.  The mothers of these fetuses are brutalized and, in some cases, beaten and tortured.  These women and their unborn children are truly victims, for are they forced to uphold the law – a law that is inhumane, insensitive and immoral.  In fact, when we see these images from our U.S. perspective, we condemn China for its violation of human rights.  So why don’t we condemn ourselves for human rights violations as well?  Is a child any less a child in the U.S. than in China?

I also ask this: If dogs were being aborted inside of their mommy’s stomachs, would these same “bleeding hearts” defend the unborn animal?  My contention and belief is that they would defend the unborn animal and they would do so in droves.  Yet they wouldn’t dare defend a human fetus or come to its aid.  I admit, animal rights are important, but so are the rights of unborn children.  At least arguably, the rights of an unborn child should exceed the rights of an unborn animal.  In today’s society, I am not sure we see it that way.

Perhaps it is time for a true campaign of civil disobedience, the kind of campaign that may have made Dr. King proud.  I believe that he would have supported a sit-in or a demonstration or a march that was designed to defend human life.  After all, he was a man of God and a man of the cloth.  He truly stood up for others that were being treated as less than human; he even gave his life.  How could he have seen this any differently?  From what I have heard and read about Dr. King, he had a dream to eradicate racism, not a dream to eradicate life.

In my mind, it is no wonder we have a society in rapid moral and ethical decline.  We have become desensitized and sterilized.  We are far too busy with our lives, so children have become roadblocks for us.  After all, we have important things to do and people to see.  We cannot possibly be bothered by these little tikes running around and tugging on us.  But, if the kids do come around and are eventually born – despite our attempts to eradicate them, we can just go ahead and outsource them to daycare.

Unfortunately, children have become disposable and dispensable, especially the unborn.  At certain times, we seem to more actively, devoutly and fervently defend the rights of animals than we do the rights of children.  We disregard the heartbeats and sounds of an unborn child while – at the same time – attempting to defend the civil rights of others around the globe.  This is inconsistent and it is an incorrect position.  If we defend life then we must defend it from start to finish – from natural inception to natural death.  All life is precious.

Many people have turned their attention to the political conventions these past few weeks, where many speeches outlined various positions of both the Democratic and Republican parties. There can be no doubt there is a feverish push to win over voters, because much is at stake. Anyone voting in the presidential election should take the time to become informed about the issues and try to understand where each party stands on these issues.

We live in an age of information in which knowledge would appear to be everything. In the worlds of business and politics (i.e., statesmanship), it seems that those who control the flow of information rule their domain. Hence, political parties put a “spin” on their versions of reality in the hope that individuals will be persuaded to vote for this or that political platform.

However, there is a danger in clinging to a certain kind of knowledge that can separate us from others and make us feel superior to them. There is a self-deception in thinking that we have the world figured out and that we are in control. Knowledge is a good thing, but it needs to be brought into proper perspective. We must use our intellect to understand the world but also consider what it means to be a human being in relation to other human beings. There is a dangerous illusion to believing we have life “well in hand” and can succeed on our own terms. Even the Bible warns of this explicitly by saying, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written . . . God catches the wise in their own ruses . . . and again . . . the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

Back in 1973, a gentleman by the name of E. F. Schumacher wrote a book entitled Small is Beautiful that promoted a view of economics that operated “as if people mattered.” One of Schumacher’s principal concerns was that an economic system focused myopically on growth, efficiency, and production without consideration for the moral, spiritual, and genuine economic needs of the individual was a system headed for disaster. While serving on the British Coal Board, he concluded that the traditional view of economics was a kind of religion mostly based on a materialistic view of reality. Instead of loving and valuing people, things like growth, efficiency, and production became foremost in the corporate climate – be they within government, academia, or the corporate world. Schumacher noted that society was approaching a time when the Earth would be under great stress and at the loss of a body of wisdom to actually live by. “In the excitement over the unfolding of his scientific and technical powers, modern man has built a system that mutilates man.”

So if politics puts a “spin” on things (what can we really believe?), economic systems do not value the individual (they are just discarded), and if the materialistic desire to have “things” is at the foremost of peoples’ thinking (and desires), then how do we make sense of the rhetoric and dialog that fills our heads with information and so-called “knowledge”? This is where we seek wisdom and, ultimately, truth. This is where we identify our core values and beliefs that we will act upon for the good of others, not just ourselves. Core values provide an identity and self-worth. They give meaning to life.

Core Value #1:  Life is precious, sacred, and valuable. The human being in the womb is not a “potential” human being. It is a human being with “potential.”

Core Value #2:  People should be free to worship and practice religious liberty. We are subject to governing authorities, and both church and state can co-exist and be helpful to each other. The problem arises when government begins to trample on these rights of religious liberty and freedom. In the Old Testament, King Darius took away religious freedom from the Jewish people, but the prophet Daniel, a man of wisdom, chose to continue to exercise his freedom to worship. Daniel was punished, but he gained freedom for the Jewish people because of his obedience in putting God first.

Core Value #3:  Family. Men and women have been created to come together and form relationships through marriage and have children. Wisdom, the course of history, and even social scientists all agree that marriage between a man and a woman open to the procreation of children is the “basic cell of society.” Alternatives have not worked in the past nor will they in the future.

Core Value #4:  Honor the Body. The body is sacred and the use of it for the creation or consumption of things like pornography is harmful to all involved, including the participants, the producers and the spectators/consumers. Pornography is harmful to children, families, and is idolatry. Pornography reduces the human person to being just an object to be consumed and ultimately discarded.

Core Value #5:  Parents should be the primary educators and role models for their children. Many parents abdicate their sacred duties to the government to raise their children. The notion that it takes a village to raise a child is wrong-headed. Once again parents, per all the scientific research on hand, are the best way for a child to learn the difference between right and wrong.

Core Value #6:  The leaders of our nation are called to defend life and liberty and not be involved in promoting a culture of death.

We must live fully as citizens of this world without letting ourselves be controlled by its spirit of consumption and competition.  This is no small task.

Please consider carefully who you vote for this November. Your very freedom may be at stake.

How do we reconcile the recently deceased ”hatchet man” of the Watergate scandal versus the “humble” (and perhaps even holy) man of prison ministry? Who wouldn’t be a skeptic in the face of two different people manifested in one man – a ruthless political operator and a servant of Jesus Christ? What comes between that time of being a ruthless person and living one’s life as a servant of God? The short answer is failure, brokenness, and repentance. Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer said “it is in our pain and in our brokenness that we come the closest to Christ,” and that is what Chuck Colson (and all the men he helped in prison throughout the world) would also tell you.

Chuck Colson was not at all an “evil genius” as the Associated Press described him in their obituary. He did perform a handful of dirty tricks during the 1968 and 1972 Presidential elections, but so did a lot of other folks, both Democrat and Republican. Besides doing things such as funding false committees and getting Ted Kennedy photographed in a Paris nightclub dancing cheek to cheek with a starlet, Colson did contribute and encourage an unsavory moral climate in the Nixon White House from 1968-1972. However, the tapes of him conversing with Nixon did not provide a lot of hard evidence against Colson so the prosecutors had a problem. What the prosecutors didn’t know was that Colson had embarked on a spiritual journey that would take him to prison with a remarkable plea of “guilty” to the Watergate-related crimes.

Colson left the White House under a cloud of suspicion and attempted to rebuild his life as an attorney. He admitted to having no moral compass during the first 41 years of his life, and when he met with Tom Phillips, CEO of Raytheon in an effort to land some of Raytheon’s legal business, he met a man on fire for Jesus Christ. Now Colson, of course, was a skeptic and thought all of this talk of the Gospel was “pure Pollyanna.” But he read Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, and was thunderstruck by the chapter on pride.  Of course the “old ways” were not easily put to rest and, as Colson began to pray and meet with other men about the Gospel, his was still a soul in torment.

But the journey to a changed life had begun, and Chuck Colson went from self-centeredness, self-deception, and self-justification to Christ-centeredness and justification by faith. He was no longer deceiving himself, and the extraordinary proof of that came when Colson, against the advice of his own attorney, plead guilty to the Watergate-related crimes. To plead guilty was a legal oddity and Colson had to find a unique section of the criminal code to do this. The judge accepted his plea and Colson was sentenced to a one-to-three-year prison term.  After serving seven months, he was paroled and wrote a bestselling book, Born Again, and founded Prison Fellowship, the Christian ministry that offers prayerful and practical support to those in prison in more than 150 countries worldwide.

For half of his life, Chuck Colson lived with little regard for God and others.  For the last half, he gave all his time and attention to God and others. He crossed the bridge to new life with past failures nipping at his heels and a life in disarray.  When he finally admitted his wrongdoing, his life changed more than he could have imagined. Chuck heard the “still small voice” of God and not only obeyed it – but also stayed faithful to it. This is the Christian life to which we are all called. God changed this man and used him for good.  I wish that we call could be so fortunate.”The evil that men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their bones.” Shakespeare, “Julius Caesar”, Act 3, Scene 2.

At one end of the debate over appropriate and necessary health care reform is Obamacare, which is rather easily characterized as a heavy-handed approach laden with government intervention. It will be a huge challenge for yet another layer of governmental bureaucracy to solve the problems inherent in the health care needs of over 300,000,000 Americans. Consider now that even some in President Obama's party are now having strong regrets over the passage of Obamacare. "I think we would have all been better off – President Obama politically, Democrats in Congress, and the nation would have been better off – if we had dealt first with the financial system and the other related economic issues, and then come back to health care" (Rep. Brad Miller, D-NC).

Besides tort reform, the Republican approach is to put the citizens of the United States, rather than government bureaucrats, in charge of health care.  The Republicans have several ideas that are of real substance to achieve this. The first would be to set up more functional "high-risk" pools that would allow individuals with pre-existing conditions to obtain health insurance that would otherwise cost a fortune. Next, extend tax breaks to individuals, affiliated groups, and small businesses so that health insurance can be more easily purchased. This tax break, now only extended generally to larger employers, would dramatically expand coverage to the uninsured. A third idea is to expand the portability of health insurance by allowing cross-state purchase of health insurance. This model has been very effective for lowering the cost of automobile insurance – so why not do the same with health care coverage? The motto here should be "don't fence me in!"

A more hands-off approach includes ideas such as allowing people to escape from Medicaid by providing them with health credits so they can purchase private coverage as necessary. Currently, over half of all doctors will no longer take patients in a program (Medicaid) that has typically addressed poor people. Legislation has been introduced to prohibit insurers from imposing annual or lifetime limits on spending for coverage. This legislation would prohibit insurers from canceling a policy after a person becomes sick. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) will also have severe limits placed on them by Obamacare, and this is clearly a move that will discourage those who want to be more responsible stewards of their health care resources. Government should encourage responsible behavior, not discouraged it. Individuals cherish freedom and the autonomy to make their own decisions whenever possible.

Investing in a new government program is bad business, and will not be fair to those who are willing and able to be responsible citizens – free from dependency on government programs. These alternatives to Obamacare seek to address those individuals who need the help the most, and that is a goal all people of good will can share in. "There will be no meaningful cost control or improvement in health care until we are all cost controllers in our own right"  (Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels). All citizens of the United states should be encouraged to strive for the highest levels of personal responsibility and, when they can't, we should all be willing to help those who, through no fault of their own, may well slip through the cracks in the health care system. Let's be creative and build on what we have with health care and not tear it apart at great expense. Otherwise, we risk as a nation not even being able to help those who may need health care the most – the poor and underserved.

In 1634, a mixture of Catholic and Protestant Christian settlers arrived in southern Maryland from England aboard two ships, the Ark and the Dove. They had come to Maryland at the invitation of a Catholic Lord Baltimore who had been granted the land by the Protestant King Charles I of England. While Catholics and Protestants had been killing each other on a regular basis for a number of years in Europe, Lord Baltimore articulated a vision for a community where people of different faiths could live together peacefully. His vision was soon crafted into the “Toleration Act” in 1649 or “Maryland’s 1649 Act Concerning Religion.” This was the first law in the history in our nation’s history to protect an individual’s right to freedom of conscience.

Like any freedom, religious freedom requires constant vigilance and protection or it will disappear. Maryland’s experience with religious toleration ended within a few decades. The colony was placed under royal control and the Church of England became the established religion. Discriminatory laws, including the loss of political rights, were enacted against those who refused to conform. For Catholics this meant the closing of chapels and a restriction to practicing their faith in their homes. The Catholics and other Christians lived under this coercion until the American Revolution.

By the end of the 18th century our nation’s founders embraced freedom of religion as an essential condition of a free and democratic society. Thus when the Bill of Rights was ratified, religious freedom had the distinction of being the First Amendment. Religious liberty is the first liberty. Within our American heritage, this is our most cherished freedom. If, as Americans, we are not free in our conscience and our practice of religion, then all other freedoms are fragile as well. Scripture is quite clear that our obligations and duties to God come first and if those are impeded or contradicted by the government, then American is flirting with becoming a land where freedoms of all sorts will be rare commodities.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has declared a “Fortnight of Freedom” from June 21 through July 4. For Catholic Christians this is to be a time of prayer, further study, teaching, and public action. We are to witness for religious freedom, our first freedom. The Dept. of Human Health and Services (HHS) has mandated that almost all private health plans cover things such as contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs. Catholics and many other Christians (and even non-Christians) clearly see this as contrary to sound moral common sense. No one is asking the government to prohibit contraception or even stop supporting it. It is a matter of whether religious people and institutions may be forced by the government to provide coverage for contraception and sterilization, even when it violates our religious beliefs.

Go to www.usccb.org/conscience today and let your voice be heard. Tell Congress and HHS to stand up for religious liberty and conscience rights.

The last couple of weeks, my wife and I decided to spend more time exploring all the “good” there is in the Kansas City community.  By “good,” I mean all the fun and rewarding things to do as well as all the people serving others in remarkable ways.

On Friday evening, June 15th, at least 400 people gathered at Livestrong Park (home of Major League Soccer’s Sporting KC soccer team) and honored Monsignor Tom Tank, the current pastor of Ascension Parish in Overland Park, Kansas.  Monsignor Tank had the vision to challenge local clergy, bankers, and community leaders in Wyandotte County to help tackle the problem of inadequate and deteriorating housing that was quickly leading to unsafe neighborhoods. In 1996, an organization called Catholic Housing (now known as Community Housing of Wyandotte County, or CHWC) was formed, and a slow revitalization of historic neighborhoods began to occur. CHWC has helped hundreds of families realize the “American Dream” of home ownership, and prompted development in a community that had not seen new construction in 85 years. CHWC also facilitated low-interest loans and home-repair grants for existing home owners, helped first-time buyers educate themselves regarding the home buying process, and offered financial and budgeting classes. So what has been the economic impact on the Kansas City community? Since 2006, CHWC has directly invested more than $16.5 million into these neighborhoods and, in 2011, CHWC created or sustained 23 construction-related jobs and served 117 families. The total direct investment for 2011 was over $3.1 million. This outstanding result illustrates not only the power of faith, but the power of faith coupled with a vision to serve others. “To leave the world a better place . . . is to have succeeded.” (Emerson) Thank you, Monsignor Tom Tank!

As for the fun and rewarding things to do in Kansas City, my wife and I took a “stay-cation” during the first week of June.  We visited sites in Kansas City that we had never visited or had not seen in many, many years. Thus included a trip to the new aquarium in Crown Center, a visit to the World War I Museum (a spectacular experience, for a history buff like me), a trip to the Kansas City Zoo with our grandchildren (the African Veld is wonderful, and so were the grandkids), and some time at the Nelson-Atkins Museum (where the painting of John the Baptist by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is stupendous. Caravaggio (1571-1610) was, by most accounts, very difficult to get along with and appeared to enjoy brawling and fighting after spending hours producing his amazing art. He even killed a young man in a brawl and had to leave the community where he was staying with a bounty on his head. This is very un-artist-like behavior! Caravaggio was forgotten after his death but he was soon thereafter rediscovered and became known for the use of “chiaroscuro” in his paintings. Chiaroscuro literally means “light-dark” in Italian and refers to Caravaggio’s use of clear tonal contrasts within a painting. His art is a realistic portrayal of the human condition (which includes struggle, at times) and his paintings capture the physical and emotional dimensions of the characters with dramatic lighting. Caravaggio, after his death (under mysterious circumstances – no surprise there!), influenced Baroque painting mightily.  There are 80 known works of his that have survived to this day. The fact that the Nelson-Atkins Museum has a painting by Caravaggio in its collection is a treasure, and I encourage all Kansas City residents to see it. You might also enjoy the book entitled The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece by Jonathan Harr.  It’s worth reading because it is a true detective story about the recovery of a work of art thought to be long-lost.

Speaking of art, there has been some real controversy about a sculpture of a nude and headless adult female taking a picture of herself at the Arboretum in Overland Park. The exhibit was assembled by a gentleman from China, and this particular piece is so controversial that a young mother, with help from the American Family Association, began a petition drive to force a city council hearing on the matter.  Her goal was the removal of the sculpture from the Arboretum. However, the mayor of Overland Park was not swayed by the petition (which apparently got enough signatures to force a hearing). Now the matter has been forced to a grand jury hearing based on a charge of “promoting obscenity to a minor.” An editor for the Kansas City Star said the whole thing has been blown out of proportion because the work of art is not even that good, and that it could be interpreted in several different ways by the viewer.

When I hear all of this, I am reminded of the story of putting a frog in water and turning up the temperature gradually. The frog will attempt to adjust to the temperature changes but will ultimately boil to death. This is what our society has come to:  obscenity and vulgarity promoted as “art.” The editor of the Star is correct – the sculpture is not good art, and the mother is right – it is obscene and has no place in a family venue. What has not been mentioned is that it disfigures what a true human being is – body, mind, and soul. Certainly it is obvious that there is a body present but the piece is headless (there is no mind without a head), and it is lacking soul because there is no dignity in the sculpture. It is just exposed flesh taking a picture of itself. What a symbol for a narcissistic culture – “the cult or worship of the body.” Eliminating a person’s head (and thus face) dehumanizes the person and suggests that humans do not possess a spirit that yearns for the eternal and ultimate union with God. Come on, Carl Gerlach – admit the mistake and get rid of the statue. Put something in its place that is not so vulgar and narcissistic. Art should enrich our environment not degrade human beings as just a bunch of body arts thrown together without intelligent design. Come on, Overland Park Mayor and City Council – be courageous and admit that this sculpture is not appropriate for a family setting.

My mother, Rose Mary, is a special woman. Recently I was sitting with a group of men and we were discussing what we were most thankful for in our lives. The discussion was about unexpressed gratitude for things that we had taken for granted and had neglected to give thanks for. My answer was my mother’s love for me and all of her children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren. My mother will be 77-years-old this June and I guess I would compare her love for all of us like the sun shining down on us. Most days we just take the sun for granted but it continues to shine and provide light and warmth for all that we need. In fact, how often does one stop and reflect about the sun and all that it provides for us? Well, mothers are very much the same even when children are ungrateful. Our mothers gave us life, and sometimes we take that life granted. “Unexpressed gratitude is like winking in the dark. You know how you feel about them, but they don’t.”

Well, it finally happened. My oldest son, Lamar Hunt III, graduated from college with three bachelor’s degrees – one in philosophy, one in math, and one in linguistics. He did so well at “The University of Kansas” that family members were obliged to attend not one but TWO recognition ceremonies. The first was a ceremony for those in the University Honors Program and the second was a ceremony for those graduating with “highest distinction.” Much like his grandfather, Lamar Hunt, Lamar III is a quiet, introverted individual who doesn’t blow his own horn. At one point along his academic journey, he won the philosophy award and neglected to tell his parents about it. Perhaps Lamar’s greatest gift is a lack of attachment to worldly things such as honors or vain pride. “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”  E. E. Cummings

On Saturday night May 12, the Columbus Crew hosted FC Dallas at Crew Stadium. On different occasions, family members are asked which team they root for when the two teams play each other because the Hunt family is the investor-operator of both teams. In the past I would often hear my Dad say that he would root for a good game – naturally thinking about the fans and the thrill of attending a live sporting event. My answer to that question is more like one of a parent being fond of a first-born child. Both teams have played in the MLS Cup in recent years, so both franchises have known success. When my father began considering where to locate his first MLS franchise, he settled on Columbus, Ohio. The state of Ohio was a soccer hotbed (and still is) and the community was able to deliver 10,000 season ticket holders.

Without meaning to offend FC Dallas or its fans in any way, I was happy that the Crew won the game on an absolutely spectacular header. In looking at the replay, it looked as if the FC Dallas goalkeeper’s vision was slightly obscured – thus allowing the spectacular header to find the net before the keeper could make a play on the ball. The “Pioneer Bowl,” as this game is called, honors my father, Lamar Hunt, as well as the fans of the game. The Pioneer Bowl is a great rivalry, and will hopefully continue to help stoke interest in (and the growth of) Major League Soccer. 

Lamar Hunt, Jr. recorded a short video essay on the effect of sincerity in leadership and interpersonal relations earlier today.

Saturday evening, we were blessed to celebrate my wife Rita’s 60th birthday with about 100 friends and family. What always strikes me about events like this is the variety of people we have come to know over the years. Friendship can blossom in any setting, and my lovely wife is a testimony to that. There are, of course, family friendships that have deep strong roots and then there are friendships from shared activities or business relationships.  Examples include things that Rita has participated in over the years, including tennis, aerobic dancing (jazzercise), and Bible study (to name a few).

To relate to others is to live. As part of the celebration of Rita’s 60 years, I asked someone to help me assemble a scrapbook of some of Rita’s most cherished moments.  When I say “help,” I really mean “rescue.” You see, while I had a grand idea, I had no aptitude for the execution of that idea. Enter a new friend, Anna Slocum (scrapbooker extraordinaire) who my son-in-law, James Arkell, found through the “Scrapbook Page” store located at 13205 Shawnee Mission Parkway in Shawnee, Kansas. Anna did all of the actual work and I supplied her with information, ideas, and themes to incorporate. She handled the rest.  One hundred and six pages, 203 pictures, and 83 mementos later, we had a two-volume scrapbook that reflects the joy and beauty of Rita’s life.

Once the books were in my hands, I had to decide how to present them to Rita. I was concerned that delivering them at her party might distract her from what she enjoys most – relating to others, and dancing. My instincts proved to be correct (yes, occasionally we men do get it right!) and I presented the scrapbooks to her Saturday afternoon in the quiet of our home. Her reaction? Gratitude, amazement, and joyful tears triggered by so many memories.  We offer our sincere compliments and appreciation to Anna Slocum for a job well done.

After Rita reviewed both books, she got very enthusiastic about a newspaper photo that showed her dancing in the background in an aerobic dance class. The clipping was from 1973, and Rita said the instructor had come from Dallas to Kansas State University to introduce the campus to a novel way of exercising – aerobic dancing. Rita is so grateful to have been a part of that seminal moment, and she became dedicated to various forms of aerobic dancing over the years. As a husband, I am grateful for all of Rita’s friendships and amazed at her joy for living. She lives full throttle, but by no means recklessly. I am humbled to be the man in her life.

Today my wife, Rita, and I attended a luncheon honoring three women who have changed the heart of Kansas City. The luncheon was actually called "Women Who've Changed the Heart of the City," and it is an annual luncheon that serves as a benefit for City Union Mission, an organization that addresses homelessness in the Kansas City area. The three women honored were Jane Chu, who currently serves as the president and CEO of the new Kaufmann Center for the Performing Arts; Laura R. Hockaday, who in a 38-year career with The Kansas City Star expanded the role of the society page of the Star to include, well, all of society including those from diverse cultural backgrounds; and Dr. Sharon Lee, the founder and director of Southwest Boulevard Family Health Care Services of Greater Kansas City. These are three amazing and gifted women!

Homelessness is a word that is very disturbing to many people and all kinds of assumptions enter into one's head about homelessness and what causes it. City Union Mission raises all of its funding without any government assistance. They have a men's shelter, a camp for underprivileged boys and girls, and most recently have added programs and services to uplift homeless women and children. What daunting, yet fulfilling, work! 

In listening to Dan Doty, the executive director of City Union Mission, speak about homelessness, I would like to help dispel some of the myths about homelessness. The condition of homelessness, in and of itself, is a risk factor for an emotional disorder. It is a psychological trauma for individuals where sudden social isolation and learned helplessness (thinking there is nothing one can do to make effective change) dominate the landscape. There is also a motivational problem for those who find themselves homeless, and sometimes homeless individuals conclude that they are not capable of making improvements in their own lives.

The staff at City Union Mission has another take on it. They assume that people are doing the best that they can but that they do want to improve their lives. Very often people may not have caused all of their problems – but they do have to begin to solve them anyway. City Union Mission is a change agent, meaning they balance support with challenge. People need to do better, try harder, and be more motivated to change. The loss of a job, serious mental illness, prison discharge, and escaping domestic violence are major contributing factors to homelessness.

Of course, alcohol and/or drug addiction can contribute as well, but it is a misnomer to attribute homelessness exclusively to alcohol or drug addiction. At the luncheon, a young lady with two children spoke in front of over 700 people about her journey in and out of homelessness – and she had no alcohol or drug problem. She needed support and guidance and that is what she found at City Union Mission.

The co-chairs of the luncheon were Dayton and Marianne Moore (Go Royals!) and they both bring great passion and zeal to being part of the solution. What great civic leaders they are to co-chair this event. If someone is looking for a charitable organization that puts its heart on the line everyday, 24/7, then City Union Mission is an organization you should support. What can be more compassionate than an organization that looks out for some of the most vulnerable people in the Kansas City community? When people are given hope, they respond. God's Blessings to City Union Mission!