A Blog on McConnell Center Life

A McConnell Center Seminar (Sept. 10, 2010) By Kurtis Frizzell (Class of 2012, McLean County) Every college student ponders about the elusive aspects of education. Through reading Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour the scholars learned about an education that is far different than the one college students are receiving.  The book discussed the various life adventures of Louis L’Amour and the lessons he learned through experience. Whether he was a hobo, a boxer, a merchant seaman, cattle skinner or writer, Louis L’Amour never stopped forgetting why he was in the world. He wanted to live as many lives as possible. In order to achieve his dream, he read. After dropping out of school in the tenth grade, he achieved a self-education by reading as many books as he could possess. The McConnell Scholars compared the number of books they had read in a year to a list from Louis L’Amour and determined that they sometimes had to double, triple or even quadruple the number o...

A McConnell Center Seminar (Sept. 10, 2010) By Kurtis Frizzell (Class of 2012, McLean County) Thomas Merton is internationally known for his writings on peace and justice and spent many years in Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky. During his lifetime, Merton composed over 70 books and journals. The McConnell Scholars had the privilege of traveling to The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University, which houses much of Merton's written works and artifacts. Father George Kilcourse Jr. led a seminar discussing Thomas Merton’s life and works. By considering sections of The Seven Storey Mountain , first hand letters and a couple of poems, the Scholars were able to distill Merton's philosophical viewpoints. Several Scholars enjoyed Merton’s literary focus, discussing famous literary figures as Aldous Huxley and William Blake. The interesting firsthand account of Merton’s struggle, criticism and comments on the writings helped shape his philosophy. He tells of his journe...

Secular America The United States has always presented itself to the wider world as a bastion of religious expression. Whether it hosts religious minorities fleeing persecution abroad, or serves as the ideological nursery from which nascent faiths emerge and self-promulgate, America has historically proven itself a hot-bed of religious activity. However, a growing number of scholars insist that Winthrop’s proverbial “light of the world” slowly dims. As citizens of a scientifically advanced, post-industrial nation, it seems that Americans lose, if not their religion, then at least their religious zeal. This loss, if it exists, results from new trends in American religious thought that stem from a diminishing respect for religious institutions in the wake of the empirical revolution. I Worship Attendence If true, these allegations signify a sea-change in the American cultural dynamic, as U.S. religiosity represents no superficial trend. Americans throughout the ages have harbored a deep ...

Pseudopistevism Walking in the company of friends is a fine pastime, especially after dark. Night colludes with the imagination to lend the commonplace uncommon airs of mystery, so that a night-walk, no matter where conducted, is always an adventure. So it was that as we climbed the far-famed hill of Iroquois Park, the ancient trees that over-spread the path seemed to observe us, and whispered with the rustling of their leaves. The white moon nestled in their haloed crowns, and boughs cast blue moon-shadows underfoot as we walked on toward the hillcrest. The night was mystic; nature, transcending self, had become supernatural. The scene complimented the company. We were three (a sacred number): a gothic artist, a pagan psychic, and a madman sick with unrequited love. We were on our way to see the Iroquois overlook, not only because it was beautiful, but because at 3am on a summer Sunday we had nothing better to do. As we walked, we talked –first on books, then about politics, and final...

Jeanne and David Heidler’s lecture last Wed. at The Filson Historical Society was probably the most informative McConnell Center lecture I have attended to date this year. The Heidlers, authors of “Henry Clay: The Essential American,” spoke with the audience at the First Church Christ Scientist. The Heidlers shared bits and pieces of Clay’s life during the event, a tease of their robust biography. David started the evening’s program speaking on the extent of Henry Clay’s influence on Abraham Lincoln. “Most of all, though, Lincoln strained to describe Clay as a champion not only of the Union but of human freedom, from his support for Latin American and Greek independence to his advocacy of gradual emancipation of the American slaves and their colonization in Africa” (2010, p. xxi) This quote summarizes the evening, as the Heidlers shared details about Clay’s position on Latin America and the assumption that if Clay had been elected President, America wouldn’t have gone to war in the fir...

The panel of four discussing and debating modes of communication from Gutenberg to the internet brought a multitude of opinions on the implications such things have had on society and free speech. One important discussion was the impact that changing technology, especially the internet, have had on politics. Dr. Knecthtle argued that the internet was not a new force to handle but simply amplified existing forces in communication; it is only a new and improved, stronger way for citizens to engage with the political process. For many, this raised questions of the voting process in America and what the internet could do to reinvent the most important part of civic engagement. Dr. Knecthtle stated there were still too many kinks for such a system to work, such as a lack of security and the unequal distribution of technology. The internet is bringing many new opportunities for citizens in the political process and helping to open the field and disperse power- it is no longer a strictly...

A group of seven McConnell Scholars, including myself, and two McConnell Center staff members attended the annual Women4Women luncheon at the Galt House on Friday, September 17. We heard from keynote speaker Sally Helgesen, an expert on leadership development for women. The luncheon had audience members (nearly 1,200 people attended) participate in an interactive quiz about issues facing women and girls. We found out, among other things, that access to higher education is declining and that the United States ranks 73rd in the world for women in elected offices, behind Pakistan and China. Kentucky ranks 47th out of the 50 states in that same category. The luncheon was a great opportunity to see what the Louisville community is doing to try to help its women and girls. I was proud the McConnell Scholars had a presence at this important community function with notables such as Mayor Jerry Abramson, Attorney General Jack Conway and University of Louisville Provost Shirley Willihnganz. And,...

WHEN: 16 September 2010 BY: Michael Zeller From the start, neither Dr. Bruce Frohnen nor University of Louisville’s own Sam Marcosson would choose to pull punches. During a spirited debate on Thursday, September 16, Frohnen and Marcosson discussed the merits of the Christian Legal Society v. Martinez. The recent Supreme Court case confronted the contentious issue of public funding for exclusive organizations, in this case the Christian Legal Society (CLS) of the University of California, Hastings College of Law. The issue concerned was whether California law stipulating that all registered student organizations allow "any student to participate, become a member, or seek leadership positions, regardless of their status or beliefs" violated the CLS’s First Amendment rights. In a 5 – 4 decision, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, that California’s “all-comers” policy was reasonable and not a violation. Frohnen began by describing the...

Today, I had the pleasure of hearing the CLS vs Martinez case and its implications being debated at the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. As a part of a lecture series co-hosted by the McConnell Center and the Federalist Socety chapter at Brandeis, two professors, Sam Marcossen , a professor of law at University of Louisville's Brandeis School of Law, and Bruce Frohnen , a professor at Ohio Northern University College of Law, debated on the merits of the recent landmark decision. While both professors cogently presented what seem to legitimate differences on this case, I found that Frohnen admirably pointed out the serious implications this case will have for actual free speech for public forums, limited or otherwise. With this opinion of the Supreme Court, freedom of expression will be greatly hampered. It was clear that Hastings disagreed with the position of CLS chapter and determined it unfit to have access to the limited public forum of a fair prior to th...

On Wednesday David Jones Sr. sat down and shared his experience with the Scholars. Jones, an alumni of U of L, and more notably the co-founder of Humana has been a very generous donor to the Center and we were very happy to have him. He is the guest of our Local Leaders ELO which is designed to meet successful members of the community and learn from what they have to offer. One would think that the director of an insurance company might be cold or uninteresting but Jones was very clearly the opposite. Jones often mentioned how important his family and friends were to him, and it was very clear how strongly he meant it. After telling us the story of Humana's origin he explained us what it meant to be an effective leader. He believes that optimism, clarity in communication, and integrity are the key to success. With "honest feedback" and "thoughtful action" leaders can create conditions for people to do the best work. There was one line that really jumped ou...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer On September 3rd, the McConnell Scholars gathered for the first event of the Law and Public Policy series. Dr. Gary Gregg led a seminar which investigated the founding debates surrounding the creation of the American judicial system. Of the three branches of government in the United States, the judicial branch received the least attention during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The resulting Article III provides a vague outline for what has become a large and complex legal system. To better understand the roots of this system, the scholars cast a critical eye upon the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists feared the power of independent judges with lifetime appointments. They argued that the legislative body ought to maintain the ability to review the decisions of the Supreme Court. This system of review reflected the authority of the House of Lords which held the power to revi...