Author: Stephen Crawford

A Republic, Son, If You Can Keep it

Son, now that you’re old enough to vote, you’ll be voting in your first election this November. I can hardly believe it, but it’s true. You and your friends are more into schoolwork, Dungeons and Dragons and other games than politics. The most political you get is when you joke about being “triggered” by something. However, I’m sure you’ve heard many controversial opinions in “the news,” and I know it seems strange to you that people would fight so. I’m not here to tell you how to vote, or what opinions to have. I just want you to understand...

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Peter Urban: Without Illusions, A Life Journey from Hungary to Canada

We in the West like a good craze. Lately, Socialism is a craze that has caught the youthful imagination. To many, Socialism sounds like a great idea. Western kids have been taught to share, to be naturally charitable and considerate of others. From there, it’s a short mental trip to thinking that Socialism is good and fair, and that’s about as far as casual thinking goes. But the dream of Socialism belies the reality of oppressive Communism; so it is helpful for Western intellectuals to get some perspective on what it’s like to actually live under Communism, to escape from Communism; and to appreciate what it means to be able to live and to be free in the West, in the lands of opportunity. In his book, Without Illusions, A Life Journey from Hungary to Canada, Peter Urban brings us this first-hand perspective. Through Peter’s eyes, we get to see what it’s like to live under Communism, to escape Communism, and to appreciate the liberty that is often taken for granted. Peter was a teenager in Budapest, Hungary during the populist uprising of November 1956. He was one of the 250,000 or so who fled the retribution and repression of the murderous Soviet regime. Fortunately, Peter kept a diary, and the excerpts are fascinating. Escaping Hungary through the Iron Curtain, Peter and his friends were granted asylum in Yugoslavia....

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A Starry NIght and a Brief Encounter With God

A few evenings ago, God breezed by for a short visit. I wasn’t expecting one. He doesn’t usually do that. It only lasted a minute or so. I was looking over a campsite, thinking about what to do next. My wife was nearby. She saw it happen. When it was over, she asked me if I was okay. She was the first one to say, she thought it was God. I told her, I thought so too. It wasn’t like you might expect. You’d think it would be terrifying, or awesome. I mean, “GOD,” you know? Nothing like that....

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