I've had more than one person ask my why after ending my last program, Foundations, I'm back on the air with a different program. Some are asking why I didn't just restart the old program. Others want to know why go back on the air at all with all the great talkers out there already.
I'll answer the second question first. I have followed politics for well over twenty years and studied history even longer. I attribute my love of history and patriotism largely to two men both of them history teachers. The first was my Eighth-grade teacher back in Oswego, Mr. Thompson. Not only did he love history to the point that he was a Civil War Reenactor, his passion came through in his teaching. Of all that he taught me, one statement stood out. He asserted that American history began in 1066 when William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings. That took me to places in history where the foundations of liberty were laid by visionaries well before their time. The other was Ron Lowry, my high school history teacher at Dunlap HS. He was an army veteran who had lived history. His patriotism was evident even to a the teenage punk I was at the time. He was central to my decision to enlist in the Navy after graduation.
That's a lot of words to not answer the question. Besides my absolute love of radio since I was a kid, I can think of no other reason to go back on the air than the fact I have something to say. Several friends lamented that I removed all political content from Foundations back in the beginning of 2010. I lost a lot of listeners when I stopped mixing politics into the program schedule. I needed to do it at the time because politics was getting in the way of my relationship with God and the constant attention to it was making me harsh and critical in my personal life. I have since begun to find a good balance. The key ingredient is that I don't listen to other talk shows. Despite learning a lot from the greats not only about liberty and politics but about how to do a program well, I can't listen without getting angry.
That still doesn't answer the question, does it? Ok, here it is. I am different from anyone I've ever heard. One, my study of history goes back thousands of years not just hundreds. I've seen it done right over the centuries but, more importantly, I've seen it done wrong and the results of the wrong decisions by leaders and governments. I strive to bring that perspective to every program and the modern issues we face. Human nature hasn't changed since the bite of a piece of fruit in the Garden so how people are best governed hasn't changed either.
Ultimately, the Lens of Truth is what sets me apart. Many hosts have pieces of it but few if any have all of it. Everything I read passes through the three part filter of The Bible (as written without any other so-called holy books to filter it through), The U.S. Constitution (along with the other founding documents), and a lifetime of historical and economic study. I know that kinda makes me a geek to read this stuff for fun but, hey, I'm good with that label.
My humor is also different. I make a lot of jokes during the course of the program. After all, I am a comic. However, one of the lessons I learned doing Foundations is that honor must be given where honor is due. (That's in the Bible, by the way.) No matter how outrageous the behavior of an elected official, I will never mock them personally. I may point out the stupidity of their behavior or humorously knock their ideas but I will never use derogatory language or nicknames. Whether we like it or not, all authority comes from God even the ones we didn't vote for. We have to treat them with the respect their office deserves no matter how much they are perverting the country. Their character can be questioned, their policies challenged, and their ideas demolished but never can they be personally ridiculed. Disagreement does not have to lead to hate.
As to the first question, Foundations needed to end. It was a program directed specifically at a Christian audience. It was a mix of teaching and commentary on the church and our role in culture. Over the last year, I have been less engaged in talking to the church and more engaged in reaching beyond the four walls. If I'm going to do a program, it must appeal outside the church. The new program is not under the not-for-profit corporation but is completely separate. Not only does that help spread the potential reach of the show but it removes the limitations on free speech that are enforced on religious not-for-profits. To do Madman in CrazyTown right, there can be no restrictions.
Maybe that answers the questions. The bottom line, I've got something to say and if I keep quiet, I will lose my mind. Some say I already have lost it but I'm ok with that. Just keep listening and keep reading!
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