“There is no burden, which cannot be carried.”.,.— Rose Kennedy.Former US Secretary of State, senior US government official and policy advisor Henry Kissinger, was dealing with a new aide..Kissinger needed a report on a particular subject, so he asked this new aide to provide it..He worked all day and night on it and proudly displayed it to the legendary statesman in the morning..Kissinger looked at it and said: “Is this the best you can do?”.“No,” said the aide, “I can do better.”.“Then take it back and re-do it,” said Kissinger, without blinking an eye..And so, as the story goes, this poor aide spent another long night pounding out the best report he could possibly do..He took a shower, put on a crisp new shirt and headed for the White House to meet the great man..“Very nice,” said President Richard M. Nixon’s right-hand man. “But … is this the best you can do … ?”.The aide had to tell the truth — the fact is, it was not his best, he could do more, he could do better..“Then go back, and re-do it,” said Kissinger..Back to square one — this time the aide pounded out the best report he could possibly produce. There was nothing left in the tank after he gathered together the printed sheets..He had given everything..Kissinger showed no emotion, as he presented the report: “Is this, the best you can do?” he asked, once again..“Yes sir, it is, the best I can do … ” he said meekly..Kissinger paused, leafing through the pages, “OK, now, I will read it.”.It is an epic story which has been told many times, and nobody even knows if it really happened. But knowing Kissinger’s reputation for professionalism, it’s not really a stretch..It’s called setting a standard for excellence..And when you’re considered the best damn country on the planet, you better do it right..But let us shine this historic light on the world we live in, particularly in good old Canada..Can we possibly expect this level of professionalism, in our elected leaders? Or, as one comedian described us, are we just “Arkansas with snow?”.Call me crazy but I don’t think we’re much beyond that..In other words, why do our leaders suck?.Whether we look at municipal governments, provincial governments or federal governments — we appear to have a significant lack of leadership no matter where you look..Jyoti Gondek? Don’t get me started..Have you noticed an up-and-coming Angela Merkel, anytime soon? Or even a Tony Blair, a Jacinda Ardern, or a John McCain or Barack Obama?.Folks, I would be happy to see an Arnold Schwarzenegger!.Is it because of our education system? Is there something wrong with our political system? Or is this current generation of politicos, just not up to the task? Have we passed on our disdain, to our children?.I recently had a chat with a young, intelligent fellow the other day called. He had intended to launch into a career of journalism but found no future in it..I asked him what young people thought of politics and he answered quite openly..He said most, if not all, don’t give a damn about it. They have literally given up on it and really think it’s a complete waste of time. It simply doesn’t exist in their cellular world..Furthermore, they just don’t understand it. And as such, they don’t follow it or care..Imagine, an entire generation, completely oblivious to politics of their own country — at a time when a democratic vote should be held precious..Alas, we have only ourselves to blame..The thirst for power, be it left, right, or whatever has turned into a bad game show. People just don’t believe what they have to say nor do they have any faith in their pre-election promises..There was a time when we did believe and we had hope. .My brother Jim, for example, who studied political science at Henry Ford College (across the river from Windsor, where we lived), helped campaign for Bobby Kennedy in the Indiana primary in 1968..He was there when RFK helped calm the crowd with an amazing speech after Martin Luther King was assassinated. Just months later, of course, Bobby too would die from an assassin’s bullet..Nevertheless, my brother passed on that interest in politics to me, especially American politics which I find fascinating..A friend of mine recently told m, he received a job offer. To go to Ottawa and make an easy-peasy six-figure salary and work only three days a week..All he had to do was park his morality at the door and become a lobbyist. Sad to say, but I think that’s the case these days..So why have we lost this spiritual connection? What can we do to inspire the youth of today, to get involved and do their due diligence..And I don’t mean drinking the Kool-Aid of the eastern media giants, such as CBC and CTV, or even the mighty Globe & Mail. .Not all Liberals are bad people. Not all Conservatives are bad people. .A media buddy of mine jumped all over me once because I posted a Rex Murphy column on Facebook. He sobered up and later apologized but still, from then on, I was gun-shy after that, and now I keep my Facebook to cat pictures and other non-offending nonsense..As Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young sang, teach your children well. .Teach them not to be biased — you already have that — but teach them to think on their own feet, and make their own decisions. .Rose Kennedy raised four remarkable sons and there’s no reason why you can’t do the same with your kids..As RFK once said:.“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”.Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .,He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the Calgary correspondent for ChinaFactor.news,.makichukd@gmail.com
“There is no burden, which cannot be carried.”.,.— Rose Kennedy.Former US Secretary of State, senior US government official and policy advisor Henry Kissinger, was dealing with a new aide..Kissinger needed a report on a particular subject, so he asked this new aide to provide it..He worked all day and night on it and proudly displayed it to the legendary statesman in the morning..Kissinger looked at it and said: “Is this the best you can do?”.“No,” said the aide, “I can do better.”.“Then take it back and re-do it,” said Kissinger, without blinking an eye..And so, as the story goes, this poor aide spent another long night pounding out the best report he could possibly do..He took a shower, put on a crisp new shirt and headed for the White House to meet the great man..“Very nice,” said President Richard M. Nixon’s right-hand man. “But … is this the best you can do … ?”.The aide had to tell the truth — the fact is, it was not his best, he could do more, he could do better..“Then go back, and re-do it,” said Kissinger..Back to square one — this time the aide pounded out the best report he could possibly produce. There was nothing left in the tank after he gathered together the printed sheets..He had given everything..Kissinger showed no emotion, as he presented the report: “Is this, the best you can do?” he asked, once again..“Yes sir, it is, the best I can do … ” he said meekly..Kissinger paused, leafing through the pages, “OK, now, I will read it.”.It is an epic story which has been told many times, and nobody even knows if it really happened. But knowing Kissinger’s reputation for professionalism, it’s not really a stretch..It’s called setting a standard for excellence..And when you’re considered the best damn country on the planet, you better do it right..But let us shine this historic light on the world we live in, particularly in good old Canada..Can we possibly expect this level of professionalism, in our elected leaders? Or, as one comedian described us, are we just “Arkansas with snow?”.Call me crazy but I don’t think we’re much beyond that..In other words, why do our leaders suck?.Whether we look at municipal governments, provincial governments or federal governments — we appear to have a significant lack of leadership no matter where you look..Jyoti Gondek? Don’t get me started..Have you noticed an up-and-coming Angela Merkel, anytime soon? Or even a Tony Blair, a Jacinda Ardern, or a John McCain or Barack Obama?.Folks, I would be happy to see an Arnold Schwarzenegger!.Is it because of our education system? Is there something wrong with our political system? Or is this current generation of politicos, just not up to the task? Have we passed on our disdain, to our children?.I recently had a chat with a young, intelligent fellow the other day called. He had intended to launch into a career of journalism but found no future in it..I asked him what young people thought of politics and he answered quite openly..He said most, if not all, don’t give a damn about it. They have literally given up on it and really think it’s a complete waste of time. It simply doesn’t exist in their cellular world..Furthermore, they just don’t understand it. And as such, they don’t follow it or care..Imagine, an entire generation, completely oblivious to politics of their own country — at a time when a democratic vote should be held precious..Alas, we have only ourselves to blame..The thirst for power, be it left, right, or whatever has turned into a bad game show. People just don’t believe what they have to say nor do they have any faith in their pre-election promises..There was a time when we did believe and we had hope. .My brother Jim, for example, who studied political science at Henry Ford College (across the river from Windsor, where we lived), helped campaign for Bobby Kennedy in the Indiana primary in 1968..He was there when RFK helped calm the crowd with an amazing speech after Martin Luther King was assassinated. Just months later, of course, Bobby too would die from an assassin’s bullet..Nevertheless, my brother passed on that interest in politics to me, especially American politics which I find fascinating..A friend of mine recently told m, he received a job offer. To go to Ottawa and make an easy-peasy six-figure salary and work only three days a week..All he had to do was park his morality at the door and become a lobbyist. Sad to say, but I think that’s the case these days..So why have we lost this spiritual connection? What can we do to inspire the youth of today, to get involved and do their due diligence..And I don’t mean drinking the Kool-Aid of the eastern media giants, such as CBC and CTV, or even the mighty Globe & Mail. .Not all Liberals are bad people. Not all Conservatives are bad people. .A media buddy of mine jumped all over me once because I posted a Rex Murphy column on Facebook. He sobered up and later apologized but still, from then on, I was gun-shy after that, and now I keep my Facebook to cat pictures and other non-offending nonsense..As Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young sang, teach your children well. .Teach them not to be biased — you already have that — but teach them to think on their own feet, and make their own decisions. .Rose Kennedy raised four remarkable sons and there’s no reason why you can’t do the same with your kids..As RFK once said:.“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”.Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .,He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the Calgary correspondent for ChinaFactor.news,.makichukd@gmail.com
