Dr. Tony Beam

The 2012 RNC could have been a complete disaster. On Sunday it looked as if Isaac would make a personal appearance forcing at best an abbreviated convention that would greatly inhibit the Romney/Ryan rollout. But Isaac veered west out into Gulf leaving Tampa relatively unscathed. The people of the Gulf coast who were driven from their homes from flooding caused by the torrential rains need our prayers and our physical support. Thankfully, New Orleans was spared a direct hit and the improved levee system combined with the lessons learned from hurricane Katrina kept the loss of life to a minimum.

Security at the RNC resembled a full-blown military state. The combination of Secret Service, Marines, mounted Capitol Police, Homeland Security, and local law enforcement made for an impressive sight. The bay of Tampa Bay was filled with Navy and Coast Guard gunboats. Overhead, military helicopters were a constant presence. Convention goers and members of the press walked around inside a five-block bubble with checkpoints approximately every two hundred yards. I told one of my colleagues on Radio Row that I might drop dead of a heart attack but there was a zero percent chance that I would be taken out by a terrorist. Everyone involved in providing security was courteous and helpful.

Protestors ranged from sparse to non-existent. Tropical storm Isaac kept the planned busing of protestors from becoming a reality so what could have been five thousand anarchists from all over the country turned out to be a few hundred locals waving their typical “Republicans are Nazis” signs.

Day one of the convention wisely was cancelled. Wind gusts and driving rain would have greeted anyone trying to make their way to the Convention Center. I had to walk about five blocks in a driving rain in order do my show but other than that, everything went as planned. The rescheduling of the first day’s speakers actually proved to be an advantage to the RNC since the major networks decided they weren’t going to broadcast the first day anyway. The abbreviated schedule meant the speakers that were moved from Monday to Tuesday actually received some media coverage.

There has been plenty of speech by speech analysis so rather than add to the running commentary on each speaker I want to simply give my impression of the convention as a whole. It was my first to attend in person so I confess I have no model to serve as a template. Having said that I must say I thought the RNC did a brilliant job of rolling out the Romney/Ryan ticket. Some of the people I talked to were disappointed there weren’t more attacks directed squarely at Obama. But those people need to realize that with President Obama, we have a President who is personally popular even though his policies have been patently disastrous. Speakers at the RNC needed to sound more disappointed than angry with President Obama’s performance. They needed to sound optimistic reminding people that America is great country that deserves better than the leadership of the last four years. Because many of the attacks against Republicans are centered on painting them as racists, bigots, homophobes, and women haters the speakers needed to present a diverse, inclusive and positive tone to counter those attacks. In this, the RNC succeeded beyond my expectations.

In my view, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave the best speech of the week. It was delivered from the heart without a teleprompter. It was informative, inspirational, reflective, and powerful. Ann Romney did exactly what she needed to do. She introduced us to her husband as man who loves his family and is deeply involved in the life of his community. The caricature of Romney as a heartless rich guy born with a silver spoon in his mouth and no understanding of the problems of everyday people was erased.

Also erased was the picture of Mitt Romney as a man responsible for causing a woman to die of cancer. The personal testimonies of people Romney has personally cared for were powerful and persuasive. Americans who tuned in will never again allow the Obama attack machine to paint a false picture of Mitt Romney.

For me, the best line of the convention was delivered by Marco Rubio who said, “My father stood behind a bar at the back of the room so that I could stand behind a podium at the front of the room.” That line sums up the American dream. It is what every parent wants for their children…. a better life filled with more opportunity than they had.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan need to stay on offense. They need to continue to pound away at President Obama’s record without attacking him personally. Americans know they are hurting and they know the hope and change they were promised have turned to desperation and despair. Americans want to believe in America again. In his acceptance speech Mitt Romney said, “President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. My promise…is to help you and your family.” He also said, “When the world needs someone to do the really big stuff, you need an American.”

Most Americans want to believe that again. They want America to be a country that celebrates success and sets the right example for the rest of the world. Republicans sent that message in Tampa. I pray that it will be heard and heeded by all Americans on November 6.

I became a Mitt Romney supporter only when the last possibility for Rick Santorum to win the nomination faded into oblivion. In other words, I was dragged kicking and screaming into the Romney camp. Mitt Romney has always appeared to be a bit too northeastern liberal for my taste. Let’s face it…. how conservative can a guy be who can get elected governor of Massachusetts? I thought at least your last name had to be Kennedy or at most, you had to have the endorsement of a Kennedy to even run for office there.

I believed in the beginning and I still believe that RomneyCare looks and sounds like ObamaCare lite. I believe Governor Romney when he says he will lead the charge to repeal The Affordable Healthcare Act and when he says he will allow states to opt out of the plan until a full repeal can be passed and signed into law. But I am still amazed that the same party that cleaned house in the 2010 mid-term elections over ObamaCare would select the candidate whose state run healthcare became the model for what so many Republicans so soundly rejected.

But I have to admit as the campaign rolls on; Mitt Romney is starting to win me over. He is knowledgeable and passionate about the incredibly tough issues we face as a country. His selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate was a bold and brilliant choice. I am sure the folks at “Obama Campaign Central” viewed Romney’s pick of Ryan as a gift. An early reelection present if you will. I have no doubt we will soon be treated to Ryan lookalikes pushing grandma, grandpa, and even aunt Susan off a cliff but Ryan’s articulate defense of his Medicare plan and his clear explanation of how it absolutely will not affect anyone over 55 years old is beginning to be heard. The effectiveness of the fear mongering, class warfare, scorched earth tactics of President Obama and his surrogates is fading. The American people have seen hope and change Obama style. They are ready for an end to campaign slogans and a new beginning of action-oriented solutions that rise from the marketplace rather than roll out from a bloated government bureaucracy.

The real game changer for me might be Mitt Romney the man. Governor Romney sat down for a series of casual questions from Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace. Wallace, never one to offer up softball questions to either side, rounded out his interview by asking Romney what becoming his party’s nominee meant to him personally. Romney’s answer surprised me. He said, “Chris, you may find this hard to believe, but this for me, is not at all about me or about what that means for me or what it means to my family. I mean, I – this is – this is not an ego ride for me. I’m really concerned about America. And I look at this as a responsibility and a privilege. It’s an honor to be the nominee of my party.” Romney went on to talk about “not letting down the millions of people who have endorsed my effort,” and he ended by saying, “If I can, I want to make sure that we get the country back on track.”

One of the great strengths of Ronald Reagan, one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century, was his laser like focus on the job he was elected to do. He didn’t get caught up in all of the “me, me, me” emphasis that can consume someone who can change the world with a word. The power of the presidency should be worn lightly and the burden of leading the last best hope of freedom in the world should be taken seriously. When Mitt Romney had the chance to turn the spotlight on himself he eschewed the natural inclination of self-aggrandizement and instead, turned the light on the responsibilities of leadership.

Contrast Romney’s answer to Chris Wallace about what his nomination means to him to President Obama’s response to the death of Neil Armstrong. Armstrong will forever be remembered as the man who first walked on the moon. But our memory of his accomplishment will come from the lips of others and not from Armstrong. He shunned the spotlight preferring to allow his accomplishment to shine through the testimony of others and to be judged by the perspective of history.

President Obama offered a written two sentence moving tribute to Armstrong but he couldn’t let it go at that. He also included a silhouette of himself looking up at the moon. How narcissistic do you have to be to take a stock photo of yourself and use it as a tribute to an American hero? It’s time for the President to retire to being a legend in his own mind and for Mitt Romney to step up and actually lead the country.

Romney’s refusal to take the spotlight and his obvious devotion to his wife and family reveal strength of character that is sorely needed for such a time as this. He is winning me over and my hope is, in just over two months, he will win over the vast majority of Americans.

What is hate speech? Does it fall into the category of “I can’t define it but I know when I hear it?” Most thinking Americans can tell the difference between speech that is simply expressing a positive point of view and speech that is poisoned with the venom of hatred.

When I hear people denigrate or demonize someone because of the color of their skin or the cut of their clothes I recoil in disgust. When the crazies from the Westboro Baptist Church bring out their signs wishing eternal judgment on homosexuals it angers me that they have hijacked the name “Baptist” and are using it to promote hate.

When the skinheads, the KKK, or the Nazi’s march, hide behind white sheets and burn crosses, or paint swastikas on the doors of Jewish homes and businesses I know that I am witnessing hatred unleashed. When misguided and mislabeled Christians attack abortion providers in the name of protecting the unborn or when they attack homosexuals with demeaning language or even physical violence there is no doubt hatred has won out over love.

When the New Black Panthers call for violence against white people or line up to intimidate voters to prevent them from exercising their right to peacefully choose their leaders (regardless of their skin color) we know we are witnessing both acts and verbal expressions of hate.

But what if I say that I believe marriage is meant to be between a man and a woman? What if I quote any of the many biblical passages that point to the importance of the family? Am I now considered to be a purveyor of hate simply because I hold a positive view toward the traditional family?

Prior to the late 1990’s most people in our society held to a form of negative tolerance. Under this system, you could be considered tolerant if you respected the person but rejected their view. Tolerance meant a wide range of views could be expressed and defended without the hate card being played.

But today, we are being pushed toward full-blown positive tolerance. Positive tolerance means in order to be considered tolerant you have to not only endure the views of the person expressing them you now have to embrace them. To be tolerant of homosexuality is to defend it as being on par with heterosexuality. It means to speak positively about marriage being exclusively between a man and a woman is to hate. To express a view that says Christianity is based on an exclusive relationship with Jesus Christ and to reject Christ is to choose to be separated from God for all eternity is a form of hate.

That way of thinking explains how the Southern Poverty Law Center can put the New Black Panthers and the Family Research Council on the same list of hate groups based in the District of Columbia. The Family Research Council is on the list because it is accused of being anti-gay. But FRC has never published anything hateful or even disrespectful about homosexuals. What they have done consistently and courageously is defend the traditional family and proclaim God’s Word as salt and light to sick and dark culture.

The whole controversy over Chic-fil-A started in Pennsylvania over Chic-fil-A’s decision to supply free food for a pro-marriage event. There was nothing anti-gay or hateful about the event. It was simply an event designed to extol the virtues of and strengthen the bonds of traditional heterosexual marriage. But for the radical LGBT community that was enough to cause them to accuse Chic-fil-A of sponsoring hate.

If our society embraces this radical interpretation of hate speech it won’t be long before Christianity itself will be considered a religion of hate. The prophet Isaiah warned us, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter”(Isaiah 5:20, NASV). Turning God’s love into hate by vilifying virtue is the ultimate example of turning light into darkness.

Maybe the term slippery slope is on a slippery slope toward obscurity. We generally hear the slippery slope argument when an event happens that serves as a harbinger of ever worsening circumstances that lead ultimately toward some destructive destination.

Many have argued that whole slippery slope concept, along with its first cousin “the camel’s nose under the tent,” are logically flawed and should be discarded from our lexicon. Whether you agree that the slippery slope is a fact of life or a logical fallacy you would have to agree it is one of the most overused phrases in the English language. But I believe the current flap over Chic-fil-A calls for the realization that maybe we have finally reached the bottom of the slippery slope. Attacking a business and threatening to deny that business the opportunity to operate brings us to the final destination at the bottom of the slope.

What terrible crime did Chic-fil-A commit to deserve their descent? Did they deny service to a minority group or declare they would not allow anyone from the LGBT community to darken their door? No, in fact Chic-fil-A as a company didn’t do anything other than treat its employees well and close its doors on Sunday as an observance of the Lord’s Day. Dan Cathy, president of Chic-fil-A merely expressed his views on marriage by answering “guilty as charged” when asked if he backed “the biblical definition of the family.” Cathy went on to say, “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, ‘We know better than You as to what constitutes marriage.”’

Immediately, the doorkeepers of tolerance ran to the nearest TV camera or keyboard to express their outrage and reveal their true feelings about the First Amendment. It obviously only applies to those who hold the right views. Everyone else must be censored, shut down, or shamed into silence.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino fired off a letter to Dan Cathy making it clear; “There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail and no place for our company along side it.” He concluded by saying, ‘I urge you to back out of your plans to located in Boston.”

I want to be sure I understood Mayor Menino. There is no freedom for Chic-fil-A on the Freedom Trail. Has there ever been a more glaring example of Left-wing hypocrisy?

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee tweeted, “Closest Chick-fil-A to San Francisco is 40 miles away and I strongly recommend that they not try to come any closer.” The tirades of the tolerant continued with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel issuing a statement saying, “Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values” and Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray saying he won’t support an expanded presence for Chick-fil-A in the district because of opposition to gay marriage by Dan Cathy. Apparently Chicago alderman Joe Moreno thought Mayor Emanuel didn’t go far enough because he said, “I will now be denying Chick-fil-A’s permit to open a restaurant in the 1st Ward.”

If memory serves me right the last time a government official vowed to use his power as an arm of the state to deny a business the right to exist it was followed closely by goose steeping storm troopers in the streets and the sound of railroad cars being loaded with those who disagreed.

If the mayors of Chicago, Boston, Washington, and San Francisco want to picket, protest, and take out ads against Chic-fil-A in all of their liberal newspapers so be it. It is their right to disagree and to call others to disagree much the same way it is my right to agree; call others to agree, and eat Chic-fil-A sandwiches until they run out my ears.

But if we have arrived at the point where government officials can use the power of the government to prevent a business from expanding simply because they disagree with the religious views of the president of that business we have finally arrived at the bottom of the slippery slope. The camel is all the way inside the tent and we are well on our way to the land freedom forgot.

In the wake of the horrific Aurora, Colorado shooting the words of the Apostle Paul reaches across time to bring a measure of understanding to the madness. In his letter to the church in Rome Paul describes the heart of humankind apart from the grace of God. “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.”

When evil rises in such a pervasive and perverse way we are left to ponder its cause. Psychologists will line up to dissect and analyze the life of the shooter, pointing to telltale signs that might have revealed his approaching break with reality. They will lay the blame of this terrible crime at the feet of some kind of mental illness mainly because facing the fact that human beings are capable of such monstrous evil without being sick or under the influence of drugs is too much for us to bear.

Sociologists will point to the shortcomings of culture as the culprit. If only there had been someone for James Holmes to talk to, to share his burdens and bare his soul this could have been avoided. If only his silent cries for help had been heard by a world that rushed by too busy to listen. If only our video games, movies, and other violent forms of entertainment were censored, or saturated with love and not hate society wouldn’t, like a collective Dr. Frankenstein, have created this monster.

Second Amendment opponents will certainly trip over themselves running to the nearest media outlet to call for more laws against guns that, if passed, will merely turn law abiding citizens into outlaws and give outlaws another law to break. Gun control laws sound noble and they appear on the surface to be a quick fix to gun violence but a closer, more thoughtful look will see the obvious flaw in the logic. A law that makes his or her method a crime will hardly deter a person whose ultimate goal is to randomly take the life of innocent people.

Answering the why of James Holmes terrible crime is not difficult. It is the nature of fallen human beings to sink to our lowest passions. It was Paul who also tells us “the wages of sin is death.” If the story ended there we would be a hopeless people left with no choice but to wait for our own personal descent into the darkness of our own sin.

But Paul didn’t stop with the end result of sin. He added, “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). As we mourn with the families of the victims of unbelievable evil we can take comfort in the incredible flipside of evil that we see in every evil act. At Columbine we saw the flipside of evil as young Cassie Bernall proclaimed her belief in God in the face of the evil that took her life.

On 911 we saw evil crash into our twin towers but on the flipside we saw courage running into the building while fear fled the scene. We saw evil hijack a plane and head for the White House or the Capitol intent on bringing more death and destruction. But on the flipside a brave group of passengers lined up behind Todd Beamer as he cried, “Let’s roll.”

In a Tucson, Arizona parking lot Daniel Hernandez became the flipside of evil when, in the middle of utter chaos, he cleared Gabriel Giffords airway and applied pressure to her forehead to prevent her life from draining away into the asphalt.

As snapshots from the theater of horrors in Aurora begin to emerge we again hear and see the flipside of evil. The moment the shooting began three young men; Jon Blunk, Matt McQuinn, and Alex Teves pushed their girlfriends to the floor and offered themselves as human shields. All three died to save the lives of their loved ones. In a moment they became the embodiment of Jesus words in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Thirteen-year-old Kaylan was attending the movie with five other people including six year old Veronica Moser-Sullivan. After the shots rang out Kaylan saw that Veronica was hit and she tried desperately to administer CPR but to no avail. Kaylan became the flipside of evil when she risked her own life to try to save Veronica.

From his hospital bed where he is recovering from three gunshot wounds at the hands of Holmes, Pierce O’ Farrell told nationally syndicated talk radio host Todd Schnitt, “I would like to talk to him (Holmes). I do forgive him.”

Once again we hear the words of Paul. “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”

When evil strikes we should mourn with and pray for those who are touched and caught up in its wake. But we must not wallow in the whys or wilt in the face of overwhelming grief. Evil always has a flipside that will lead us away from the bondage of bitterness and into the freedom of forgiveness that is found in our Lord Jesus Christ.