Shooting from the Lip-The Life of Senator Al Simpson

I'm reading a delightful book, a must-read I think, for any political buff. It's about the life and times of Wyoming Senator Al Simpson. It's written with incredible detail by Don Hardy, Simpson's former Chief of Staff.

It's called "Shooting from the Lip-The Life of Senator Al Simpson."

Al instructed Don to tell the truth, the whole truth. Don was helped by thousands of pages of diaries and other records along of course by working the Senator in Washington.

While News Director at KGWN-TV in Cheyenne WY, I covered Senator Simpson during his tenure as Senator from 1979-2007. We've stayed in touch since. A remarkable man.

 

With the Senator in his Washington Office "Back in the Day"

 With Senator Simpson, Former Wyoming Governor Mike Sullivan and my wife Ronda at the LBJ Library at UT-Austin.

After his time in the Senate, he continues to serve. First as a member of the Iraq Study Group and most recently as Co-Chair of the Bi-Partisan Simpson-Bowles Commission, tasked with finding a way to dig ourselves out of a $16 Trillion deficit.

Both reports had/have real solutions, both were stuffed in a drawer. Washington is stupid that way, asking for answers then not listening to them. You should read the Simpson-Bowles Report, there is very little sugar to get the medicine down. But it offers real solutions, not political hoo-hah.

Al Simpson is a pretty well-known guy. He's famous for both his wit and ability to legislate. He understands compromise. One of his closest friends in the Senate was the late Ted Kennedy. Political opposites for sure. But both understood the whole concept of legislating is doing what's best for the people who elected them to do just that. They might fight it out on the Senate Floor or in Committee, but understood that compromise was the key. That and the fact they likely had dinner plans together with their wives!

Al served as Majority Whip in the Senate and it's rumored (and I believe it) he was offered the #2 spot on the ticket with Bush 41.

Al started out life as a trouble maker, getting into all sorts of trouble including a felony conviction. It's no small irony he went on to get a degree in law, then serve the nation with such devotion and accomplishment.

Shooting from the Lip is a rich history of a man rich in character and accomplishment. My favorite parts are witticisms like "I have come to know the difference between a horse race and a political race. In a horse race the entire horse runs."

He also speaks about Washington in his words, "Knowing full well that those who travel the high road of humility in this town are not really troubled by heavy traffic."

If you don't buy a copy for yourself, buy one for your Senator or House Representative. Now more than ever, everyone in Washington could learn a thing or two, or three from the tall, gangly galoot from Ole Wyo.

Shooting from the Lip would make a great movie. But the only person who could give the role any justice would have been the late Jimmy Stuart who is no longer with us. I'm just glad Al Simpson still is!
 
Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

When Johnny and Jane Come Marching Home. What's Next?

This past weekend the nation honored all those who have served, serve now and those who made the supreme sacrifice to keep us the "Land of the Free."

More focus is being placed on what happens when Johnny and Jane come marching home. Will there be jobs for them, will they be able to get an education, will they even have a place to live?

More importantly there's a growing focus on the quality of life they'll live. Earlier this year I had the honor of meeting Chad Robichaux. He's a PhD, MBA and Director of the Mighty Oaks Warrior Training Division. His resume also includes 8 tours in Afghanistan with the elite Marine Corps Force Recon. While I know just how he served those tours in Afghanistan and with whom, I'm only allowed to say he served "with small, specialized Naval units." You can do the math from there.

Chad and his team help soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He's qualified because he's a PTSD survivor himself. Both Chad and his wife are very candid about what they went through and how it motivated them to reach out and help others.

Chad runs his programs in Westcliffe, CO a small community nestled in the Wet Mountain Valley of South Central Colorado. Chad says many soldiers with PTSD tend to look for small towns because they can simply hide from family and society.

Chad shared some stunning numbers with me, numbers that I've verified because I didn't first believe them when I heard them. There are 58,000+ names on the Vietnam War Memorial. What is far less known is over 160,000 Vietnam-era troops have committed suicide. War victims just as if they'd been killed in combat. No monuments for them.

As for recent/current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan the numbers are equally stunning. The government tell us "officially" we're losing a vet from those conflicts to suicide every day. Chad says the number if much higher, well into the teens. Every day.

One of the problems is simply time spent in actual combat. Since World War II combat time has gone up. Here's what's posted on the Might Oaks website:

• World War II – 6 months
• Korea – 9 months
• Vietnam – 13 months
• Our current troops in Iraq / Afghanistan – 45 months

I asked Chad if more could be done starting with basic training to prepare for life after war. He says no. Our military are trained to fight, to seek out and destroy the enemy. But he adds, when they finally come home, it's up to us, the people they fought to defend, to step up and both recognize the signs of PTSD and reach out to help them.

It starts with the family unit. Chad has one program called "Fight Night." Because of his national reputation in Mixed Martial Arts, I thought he was using those skills as some sort of therapy. Instead he says, it's about these vets, who after fighting in times of war must now fight even harder for their families.

In the best of circumstances, the stress and strain on military families is enormous.

Ideally, the problems could all be solved if there were no more wars. Sadly, other people keep starting them and our men and women, as they've done since we became a nation step up to defend us.

The government is doing what it can, but it's not near enough. It's now more than ever, OUR duty to not only welcome them home, but for them to once again feel at home physically and emotionally.

For all of us the work begins right after we say "Welcome home soldier."

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

Best Election Analysis Ever

We're being bombarded today, and will be in the days to come by pundits about "what happened?" last night.

Most of it is just blather. Oh bother. Why bother?

Back in 1994 I was News Director for KBMT-TV in Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX. A Democrat, Jack Brooks, had served over 40 years representing our district. He's in the background of that iconic shot of LBJ taking the oath of office aboard Air Force One on that dark day in Dallas.

Brooks was beaten by a Republican upstart who ran his campaign out of his garage. It was a stunner of an upset.

The obvious question to Brooks was, "Why do you think you lost?" His response? "Because the other guy got more votes than I did."

An eyewitness to history with four decades in the house, he could have gone on and on. He instead decided simply to move on. After all, the other guy got more votes than he did.

A good example for all of us.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"