Libertas Fall 2008, Vol 29. No. 2 by Young America's Foundation

Fall 2008 — Special Military Issue

Inside: Newt Gingrich Reflects on Reagan Ranch Visit

Vol. 29 • No. 2

October 20, 2008

Ron Robinson Foundation President

Dear Colleagues, You have heard that America will be the land of the free as long as we are the home of the brave. America is blessed to have so many young men and women who are willing to defend our rights. I work with these outstanding young Americans every day. Nevertheless, our freedoms are jeopardized by America’s elites who continue to turn their backs on those willing to serve. And “turning their backs” is a polite phrase to describe the reprehensible treatment our best young men and women receive from America’s top schools. At our country’s most prestigious universities—including Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia— students who wish to serve in ROTC are still prohibited from meeting in their classrooms, earning equal academic credit, or even receiving proper public recognition for their service. These universities joined 18 other colleges in an unsuccessful legal bid to keep ROTC and military recruiters out of their schools and overturn the pro-service Solomon Amendment. These elite universities unleashed their legal departments and lobbying arms to fight ROTC all the way up to and through a unanimous Supreme Court decision that ruled against them. It is urgent that our colleges and universities—and their accomplices in Republican and Democrat administrations alike—end their discriminatory practices towards those who want to protect America in a hostile world. We need to stand with, not against, those who would serve in our armed forces. This is a fight Young America’s Foundation has engaged in throughout our 40-year history. We have seen legislation passed to support student rights—especially at the initiative of our director of military outreach, Flagg Youngblood, when he was a student at Yale University—but we have yet to see it implemented by a recalcitrant Bush administration. Helping these students must become a priority for the new president, secretary of defense, and a new Congress. I urge you to demand our elected officials stand with those men and women who are willing to fight for our rights. Do not let these universities give you any more excuses as to why these ROTC students should be treated as second class citizens. They are among the noblest young Americans.

Sincerely,

Ron Robinson President

C ontents Special Military Section

Protecting Students’ Rights and ROTC

The Foundation continues its 40-year fight to protect students’ rights and strengthen our military.

Home of the Brave

By Flagg Youngblood, Director of Military Outreach

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Military: 101 Does military history have a place in today’s college classrooms? By Jayne Miller, NJC Intern, American Veterans Center

Teaching History, Inspiring the Future Hillsdale professor Dr. Burt Folsom ignites Foundation audiences for nearly three decades. By Nicole Hoplin, Director of Foundation Relations

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An excerpt from Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror. By Wynton Hall and Caspar Weinberger

“An Obligation to Serve My Country” La Salle University graduate and Foundation alumnus Joe Gouryeb develops leadership skills through ROTC and campus activism. By Flagg Youngblood, Director of Military Outreach

An Interview with Author Wynton Hall Foundation alumnus Wynton Hall offers insights about great conservative speeches, working with Caspar Weinberger, and more. By Jessica Koebensky, Editor

Bachmann, Moore, Steele, and Others Reach H.S. Students Annual program inspires speakers and students alike. By Kirby Wilbur, Foundation Director and Talk Radio Host

Fighting the War at Home

Reagan Ranch High School Conference speaker offers insights about the battle within our borders. By Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson, United States Air Force (Retired)

Visiting the President’s Home

Newt Gingrich shares his thoughts on his first trip to Rancho del Cielo. By Newt Gingrich, 58th Speaker of the U.S. House

From Student Activist to YAF Vice President Kate Obenshain rejoins Foundation team. By Kimberly Martin Begg, Esq., Director of Planned Giving

A Center for the Conservative Movement Reagan Ranch Center hosts conservative groups from around the world. By Andrew McIndoe, Sarah T. Hermann Intern Scholar

Patriotism and Service

Ron Robinson President of the Board Ronald Pearson Vice President of the Board Frank Donatelli Secretary and Treasurer of the Board T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr. Kate Obenshain Thomas L. Phillips Peter Schweizer James B. Taylor Kirby Wilbur

Supporter Betty Wolfe passes on her love of freedom to today’s youth. By Richard Kimble, Vice President

Also in this Issue: • Coulter Draws Record Crowd at Reagan Ranch Center – page 4 • Pawlenty and Pence Address Rawhide Circle Retreat – page 5 • Cruise the Caribbean with Ashcroft, Tancredo, Meese, Simpson, and Foundation Leaders – page 31 • Students Battle Campus Administrators to Host Chris Simcox and Star Parker – page 34

Frank Donatelli Chairman Judge William Clark Co-Chairman Edwin Meese Co-Chairman Governor George Allen Royce Baker John Barletta Dr. Suzanne Becker Jefts G. Beede Lisa M. Buestrin Robert Cummins Becky Norton Dunlop Robert Giuffra, Jr. Timothy S. Goeglein Eric & Nicole Hoplin Marty Irving Harold Knapheide L.E. McClelland Al & Bette Moore Governor Bill Owens Doug & Pat Perry Thomas Phillips Dr. Robert Ruhe Fred & Ruth Sacher Lee Shannon Craig Shirley Russell Sibert Owen & Bernadette Casey Smith David E. “Gene” Waddell

On The Cover: Members of the Texas A & M University – Galveston’s Color Guard take part in Young America’s Foundation’s 9/11: Never Forget Project and stand beside their display of 2,977 American flags representing those murdered on September 11, 2001.

Libertas, a publication of Young America’s Foundation, highlights the programs, events, students, staff, and supporters of the Foundation. You can contact Libertas and Young America’s Foundation by writing to: Young America’s Foundation, National Headquarters, 110 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 20170; calling 800-USA-1776; or visiting http://www.yaf.org.

Libertas

Fall 2008 Special Military Issue

Publisher: Ron Robinson; Editor: Jessica Koebensky; Publication Design: Jonathan Briggs; Photographer (California): Jensen Sutta Photography; Photographer (Washington, D.C. area): Twin Lens Photo. This document and all herein contents, images, stories, graphics, and design, fall unto Copyright © 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Young America’s Foundation, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Any use of Libertas’ content without the written permission of Young America’s Foundation is prohibited.

Thomas Phillips Chairman Alex X. Mooney Executive Director Peter Barnes Kellyanne Conway Dinesh D’Souza Terry Eastland David Gracey Lawrence Kudlow Rich Lowry Matt Robinson Tom Winter

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Coulter Draws Record Audience at the Reagan Ranch Center; Pawlenty and Pence Headline 2008 Rawhide Circle Retreat

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By Jessica Koebensky, Editor

Coulter Addresses Overflowing Reagan Ranch Roundtable Audience Best-selling author Ann Coulter addressed an overflowing audience at the sold-out May Reagan Ranch Roundtable Luncheon. In order to accommodate a greater audience, the Foundation opened the second floor gallery at the Center, seating an additional 120 guests who watched Coulter’s speech via live Best-selling author Ann Coulter meets with local Santa Barbara students video feed. In following her address to more than 270 Foundation friends, students, and supporters at the Reagan Ranch Center. all, more than 270 students, supporters, and community members attended the speech emceed by San Diego talk radio host and long-time Foundation friend Mark Larson. Coulter’s witty speech lambasted the Left for its irrational policies and expectations and highlighted the problems facing the Conservative Movement and what we can do to overcome them. Guests enjoyed her candor and ideas and were eager to meet the author during the book signing following the lunch. Reagan Ranch Center Director Andrew Coffin then gave Coulter and two of her guests a tour of President Reagan’s beloved Rancho del Cielo. This was her first visit to the Reagan Ranch, and, despite some rain, she enjoyed the experience, validating her statement earlier Ann Coulter visits Rancho del Cielo. that afternoon that “the Reagan Ranch is in very good hands.” ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––———————————————–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––——

Ed Meese Greets Foundation Friends and Supporters in NYC On May 6, more than 100 friends and supporters of the Foundation gathered at the New York City home of Robert and Joyce Giuffra. Mr. Giuffra, a member of the Reagan Ranch Board of Governors, welcomed all those in attendance and spoke of his days as a youth activist for Ronald Reagan. Attorney General Edwin Meese III headlined the event and addressed the importance of preserving the Reagan Ranch and what the Ranch meant to President Reagan. Foundation President Ron Robinson highlighted Young America’s Foundation’s programs. Many in attendance learned of the Foundation’s programs for the first time, and all received additional information about the Foundation and the Reagan Ranch. The Foundation team thanks Mr. & Mrs. Giuffra for opening their home for this special event. Robert and Joyce Giuffra, along with their daughters, Elizabeth and Caroline, host Ed Meese at their New York City home during a Foundation reception for local friends and supporters.

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Pawlenty, Pence, Allen, and Others Headline 2008 Rawhide Circle Retreat Young America’s Foundation’s 2008 Rawhide Circle Retreat drew more than 75 participants from across the country who gathered in Springfield, Illinois, for a weekend of fellowship with like-minded friends and to learn more about our 16th president’s life and the preservation of the Lincoln home. Speakers for the weekend included Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Indiana Congressman Mike Governor Tim Pawlenty headlines the 2008 Rawhide Circle closing dinner and meets with Foundation supporters and team Pence, Attorney General members. (Pictured front row, left to right) Ken & Midge Dean, Edwin Meese, Foundation Governor Pawlenty, Eric Hoplin; (back row, left to right) Jessica President Ron Robinson, Koebensky, Ed & Ursula Meese, Ben Golnick, and Nicole Hoplin. Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute President Michelle Easton, Reagan Ranch Presidential Scholar Governor George Allen, and Richard Norton Smith, historian and founding director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Congressman Mike Pence of The Retreat also included tours of the Lincoln home and the Abraham Lincoln Indiana offers insights into Presidential Library & Museum, an opening reception at the Old State Capitol, a the state of the Conservative Movement during a Rawhide visit to the Illinois Governor’s Mansion, and optional tours of the Lincoln Tomb and Circle luncheon. Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––———————————————–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––——

Reagan Administration Officials Address Capitol Hill Interns On the four-year anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s passing, more than 180 students packed a room in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., to hear from those who knew and worked with the president. The hour-long session, organized with the help of Foundation Vice President Ron Pearson, featured Reagan administration official Congressman John Shadegg of Mark Tapscott; Reagan’s assistant Arizona shares his thoughts on what for public liaison, Rebecca Cox; the next president could learn from Ronald Reagan. Congressman John Shadegg; and moderator Frank Donatelli—also a Reagan administration official. The group shared what they thought America’s next president could learn from the “Great Communicator.” The panel agreed that the next president should let people control their own lives. Congressman Shadegg used health care as an example of government intervening where people should make their own decisions. Rebecca Cox spoke about Reagan’s belief that America can do great things. She noted Reagan’s confidence in the people; his ability to act on that belief not only improved America’s economic situation but also national morale. All panelists agreed that the future president should also have Ronald Reagan’s unflagging optimism.

Sarah T. Hermann Intern Scholars Abi Beardsley, Bobby Hamill, Nick Prelosky, and Sara Mikolajczak help organize the Capitol Hill program held on the four-year anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s passing.

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F aculty P rofile

Dr. Burt Folsom: Teaching History to the Next Generation of Leaders ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––—— By Nicole Hoplin, Director of Foundation Relations Jacques election results in Rousseau. the area. Nineteen In addition households chose to the Bible for a Goldwater as their lesson in Christianity, C.S. Lewis’s preferred president, book, Mere Christianity, is an engaging while only one chose must-read according to Folsom. Lyndon Johnson. That one turned out As Hillsdale College’s Charles F. Kline Professor of History and to be a University of Management, Folsom believes his Nebraska political mission is to share with young people science professor! that limited constitutional government Folsom believes the works, a free society is a good bias in academia, society, and character counts. And present then, has only that’s exactly what he’s done each gotten worse. Dr. Burt Folsom addresses the 1981 National Conservative year since 1981 at Young America’s Folsom graduated Student Conference. Foundation’s National Conservative with a B.A. from Student Conference and for the past Indiana University, urt Folsom has taken time out 11 years at the Foundation’s National an M.A. from the University of of his summers since 1981 to High School Leadership Conference. Nebraska, and received his Ph.D. from share history lessons and often the University of Pittsburgh. In all Folsom’s regular presence at these a new point of view with America’s conferences and his popular speeches those experiences, he only had two young leaders. His commitment to keep students wanting to learn more. professors who were conservative. this endeavor makes him one of the He regularly addresses the topic of The lack of conservative professors most popular speakers ever at Young bias in textbooks and gives lessons on remains even today and is why Folsom America’s Foundation’s summer George Washington. takes his lessons “on the road” to the conferences—consistently ranking in Foundation’s conferences and seminars. Genevieve Nielsen, a high school the top five each year. student, wrote, “Dr. Burt Folsom’s In Folsom’s estimation, there’s not a Burt Folsom grew up in Lincoln, speech about the bias in textbooks single graduate-level institution that Nebraska, and he always enjoyed warned me that I cannot accept what exists for conservatives. politics and history. By the age of ten, I learn in my school textbooks as fact. While colleges and universities may he could name all the presidents by not share conservative memory. ideas, conservatives When Barry Goldwater came to do have good books Omaha, Nebraska, in 1964 for a to rely on for inspiracampaign rally, the 16-year-old skipped tion and knowledge. class to be there. Folsom still recalls Folsom recommends how upset the school officials became young people who at his absence. In those days, one only want to learn more missed school due to an illness. But about economics pick it was during that event when Folsom up a copy of Henry first became a conservative. He later Hazlitt’s Economics in read and was inspired by Goldwater’s One Lesson. Thomas landmark credo, The Conscience of a Sowell’s A Conflict Conservative. of Visions effectively That same year, Folsom volunteered explains the roots of at the Goldwater headquarters in conservatism and libLincoln. His task was to survey a eralism going back to Young America’s Foundation publishes the first edition of Folsom’s book, The Myth of the Robber Barons, in 1987. neighborhood block to predict the Adam Smith and Jean

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Dr. Burt Folsom discusses the important accomplishments of America’s early entrepreneurs with the young leaders attending the 2008 Reagan Ranch High School Conference in Santa Barbara, California.

Now I will question information that my liberal teachers present as fact.” She is one of literally thousands of young people who have listened to and internalized Folsom’s teaching. He also talks about entrepreneurs— Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Mellon among others—who textbooks consistently report to have been corrupting influences on America. Textbooks teach students that the government, rather than entrepreneurs, can better stimulate an economy through regulation, subsidies, and taxation. Folsom not only teaches that the opposite is true, but he also uses illuminating examples from history to make his remarks defendable and lively. Folsom’s main point comes from a passage in his book, The Myth of the Robber Barons: A New Look at the Rise of Big Business in America: “If we seriously study entrepreneurs, the state, and the rise of big business in the United States we will have to sacrifice the textbook morality play of ‘greedy businessmen’ fleecing the public until at last they are stopped by the actions of the state. But in return, we will have a better understanding of the past and a sounder basis for building our future.” Students receive a free copy of his book which fully explains the truth

about the so-called “robber barons.” Forrest McDonald, professor of history at the University of Alabama, said the book has “powerful relevance to current political discourse.” One may wonder why Folsom spends part of his summer break at the Foundation’s conferences and away Conference Director Roger Custer presents Dr. Folsom with from his wife, Anita, an award in honor of his service as a faculty member at the Foundation’s Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School and son, Adam. Leadership Conference. Folsom says, “A teacher never knows where his ideas in his teaching end.” and the New Deal as well as the Great When students encounter the materials Society of the 1960s. and ideas at the summer conferences, Young America’s Foundation their lives are changed. They then proudly acknowledges the stellar work have the potential to affect others with and important ideas Burt Folsom has those ideas. Some may even go on to offered young people throughout the become the president of the United years. We are grateful for his endless States or a religious or world leader. commitment to transferring a true Folsom continues, “There are all sorts understanding of American history to of tomorrow’s leaders who are in that young people. conference room today.” ——————————————— Folsom’s next book, New Deal Order your copy of Dr. Burt Folsom’s or Raw Deal, published by Simon The Myth of the Robber Barons: A & Schuster, will be on bookshelves New Look at the Rise of Big Business in November 2008. In that book, in America by calling Young America’s Folsom takes on Franklin Roosevelt Foundation at 800-USA-1776. Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

Reagan Ranch High School Conference — Speaker Perspective

WarCrimes:Fightingthe Ba By Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson, U.S. Air Force (Retired)

n overwhelming majority of Americans today assume the war with radical Islam results from the events of September 11, 2001, is confined to battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, and will end with Al Qaeda’s extinction. That’s a tragically inaccurate view and one which our nation’s citizens continue to embrace at our peril. These were among the more critical points I addressed in my latest book War Crimes (Crown Forum, 2007) and in my talk at Young America’s Foundation’s 2008 Reagan Ranch High School Conference in Santa Barbara, California.

While our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines fight valiantly and heroically amidst dangerous and austere conditions in the Middle East, the larger battle is taking place below the radar screen here in the United States. Sadly, it’s combat fought in editorial board rooms, in coffee shops on college campuses, on the floor of the U.S. House and Senate, and at Hollywood awards galas. The more lethal enemy lies within our borders. It’s a Fifth Column comprised of public policy officials, mass media, Hollywood stars, college professors and administrators, and leftist non-governmental organizations running the gamut from MoveOn.org to Code Pink. Since the onset of military operations in Afghanistan, this leftist

alliance has sought to undermine America’s war effort and, more tragically, America’s fighting men and women at every turn. As Sergeant Eddie Jeffers, U.S. Army, explained before he sacrificed his life in Iraq for his country, “[E]very day, the enemy changes...only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society...and they are becoming our enemy.” Sober and telling insight from one of America’s finest and one who 2

attleWithinOurOwnBorders fought and died for his nation. My message to some of the finest high school students our nation has produced is simply this: we cannot win the ideological war against an enemy sworn to destroy our freedoms unless we win the war within our shores first. We face a battle with an ideology every bit as evil and insidious as those we faced last century in fascism, Nazism, and Communism. Then, we were able to muster the support of our military necessary to win. Today, I question whether we have that resolve. Unfortunately, if not, this global war will undoubtedly be handed over from my generation to those young men and women I addressed in Santa Barbara. That is the sad and tragic truth and one which we must address before it is too late. 3

About Lieutenant Colonel Robert “Buzz” Patterson Lieutenant Colonel Robert “Buzz” Patterson, United States Air Force (Retired), is the author of two New York Times best sellers, Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Compromised America’s National Security and Reckless Disregard: How Liberal Democrats Undercut Our Military, Endanger Our Soldiers, and Jeopardize Our Security, which was released in July 2004. His most recent book War Crimes: The Left’s Campaign to Destroy the Military and Lose the War on Terror was released by Crown Forum in July 2007. Patterson served 20 years on active duty in the military with distinction and saw tours of duty as an Air Force pilot during combat operations in Grenada, Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, and Bosnia. From 1996 to 1998, Colonel Patterson was a military aide to President Bill Clinton. During that time he was responsible for the President’s Emergency Satchel, otherwise known as the “Nuclear Football,” the black bag with the nation’s nuclear capability that accompanies the president at all times.

1) Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken

Blackwell addresses a banquet at the 2nd annual Reagan Ranch High School Conference.

2) Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson, author

of Dereliction of Duty, signs copies of his most recent book for the young leaders.

3) A conference attendee visits Rancho del Cielo and gains a greater appreciation for President Reagan and his lasting ideals. 5

4) Seventy young leaders from 19 states

enjoy a weekend of fun and learning at the Reagan Ranch Center.

5) Michael Reagan, talk radio host and

President Reagan’s son, broadcasts his program live from the Reagan Ranch Center.

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Reagan Ranch High School Conference

Reagan, Hedgecock, Patterson, and More Headline 2008 Reagan Ranch High School Conference In March 2008, 70 high school students from 19 states traveled to the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, California, to hear from some of today’s leading conservative figures. President Reagan’s son and talk show host Michael Reagan set the tone for the weekend with a passionate speech about his father’s character. He also broadcast his radio show and appeared on CNN in front of a live audience of students and parents gathered in the David Louis Bartlett Visitors Center. Students also heard from President Reagan’s close friend and Secret Service agent John Barletta, talk radio hosts Roger Hedgecock and Gregg Jackson, Pacific Research Institute President Sally Pipes, Hillsdale professor Dr. Burt Folsom, Reagan advisor Peter Hannaford, WORLD magazine Features Editor Lynn Vincent, 9/11 World Trade Center survivor Earl Johnson, Foundation Vice President Patrick

Coyle, Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson, and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. A tour of Rancho del Cielo, President Reagan’s beloved ranch home, was a highlight for many. Attendees marveled at the dock he built, the fences he constructed, and the distinguished guests he hosted in such a rugged setting. The young leaders left the conference motivated and inspired to advance Reagan’s ideas at their high schools. Student Crystal Marshall from Redmond, Washington, notes, “I came away with a deeper knowledge of Ronald Reagan and how his personal convictions laid a moral foundation from which he drew strength to guide our country.” Young America’s Foundation thanks the Gaby Foundation for their generosity in sponsoring this program which introduced so many young leaders to the conservative values President Reagan cherished.

6) Reagan Ranch Director Andrew Coffin (left) meets with talk radio host Roger Hedgecock and his wife, Cindy, near the Center’s 2,000-pound section of the Berlin Wall. 7) Miranda Ko from Millbrae, California, enjoys the weekend-long program filled with insights from leading conservatives. 8) Foundation Vice President Pat Coyle (right) offers campus activism ideas to the high school students, including Will Simpson of Mountain View, Arkansas (left). 9) Conference attendees meet like-minded friends and are inspired during a visit to President Reagan’s beloved ranch. 10) Students Victoria Rao, Eric Hern, and Malia Amling utilize the conservative resources available in the Thomas and Randall Phillips Library at the Reagan Ranch Center. 6



Meet the Unsung Heroes Behind the Conservative Movement 

e all know about Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, but who knows about Henry Regnery, Holmes Tuttle, and Henry Salvatori? Yet it was devoted conservatives like Tuttle, Regnery, and dozens of others, who paved the way for leaders like Goldwater and Reagan by ﬁnancing and helping to create a Conservative Movement of ideas and people. Funding Fathers is essential reading for those who want to know the inside story of the Conservative Movement and learn about its largely unheralded heroes.

Available online, in bookstores everywhere, or at www.regnery.com.

Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference — Speaker Perspective

By K irby W ilbur , F oundation D irector & Talk R adio H ost

(Left to right) Lizette Smith, Kaylyn Krzemien, Courtney Snell, Karen Benko, and Sara McCauley travel to D.C. to attend the 11th Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference.

his year, as with the past 10 years, I attended Young America’s Foundation’s Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference as both a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and as a speaker. The summer program brings students from around the country together for four days in the nation’s capital to be introduced to conservative philosophy and learn activism ideas for their campuses and their communities. This conference has a profound impact on everyone involved. The students are attentive, ask great questions, interact with like-minded young people from around the country, and learn a great deal. You can see their eyes light up as they hear an idea for the first time or understand a speaker’s explanation about a free-market economic concept or historical event. At night, following earlier sessions with speakers and dinners with prominent guest speakers, the students gather for bull sessions where debate is encouraged, and they learn how to better communicate their ideas.

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The group is a mix of public, private, and home school students. As many are in Washington, D.C., for the first time, the group spends the final evening of the conference visiting the monuments and memorials that dot the D.C. landscape. Again, the awe and wonder that is reflected in their faces is a delight to behold. This year, we had a number of students arrive a day early, and I took them on a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield, adding a new dimension to the conference. At this year’s program, the 11th high school conference, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann from Minnesota spoke during the first night’s banquet. Conservative luminaries including activist Bay Buchanan, Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute President Michelle Easton, Hillsdale College professor Dr. Burt Folsom, the Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore, YAF President Ron Robinson, author Chris Horner, Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele, Human Events editor Jed Babbin, and others spoke on the important issues facing America. Discussions were lively and spirited, and

(Top, left to right) Jed Babbin of Human Events discusses radical Islam and the threats facing our nation. Brendan Zehner of Glenside, Pennsylvania, participates in one of the many Q&A sessions with the conference’s leading conservative speakers. (Middle, left to right) The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore shares insights about the importance of the free market. Talk radio host Kirby Wilbur encourages the more than 130 conference participants to promote their conservative ideas everyday.

for high schools students, the questions were exceptional. Youth are changed at this conference, and this is what most inspires me. They become more informed, more understanding of America and conservatism, and ready to become more active. I am involved in YAF because I see the resources and hard work in action at these conferences and the impact it has on the young people attending, making them better Americans and more effective activists. We must train the next generation to eventually assume the responsibilities of leadership in the Conservative Movement, take the torch from those currently leading our cause, and keep what George Washington called the sacred fire of liberty burning bright into the future. Thanks to Young America’s Foundation’s supporters, team members, students, and speakers, it will. ————————————————————————

(Below) The young leaders meet with ROTC recruiters and learn more about military service.

Kirby Wilbur is the host of the morning drive show on 570 KVI radio in Seattle where he is heard 5:00 to 9:00 a.m. every weekday.

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Gratia Houghton Rinehart National High School Leadership Conference — Student Perspective

Dear Young America’s Foundation Friends, Staff, and Supporters: I enjoyed your 2008 conference because it affirmed my belief in conservative ideals and inspired me to spread our message. Most enjoyable was the unique opportunity to spend a weekend with fellow conservatives my age. I reveled in the hours I could express my views without the threat of being ignored or shouted down by the mob. The speakers articulated conservative principles I believe but have rarely heard in school. Bay Buchanan’s speech, in particular, motivated me to stand up for conservative values. She encouraged passion and involvement for our cause and a deep love for our country. America needs more patriots to stand up and fight for conservative ideals with a strong voice and fiery conviction. Bay convincingly espoused effective ideas and methods I will use to combat the Left. I really enjoyed Chris Horner’s speech. He effectively delineated how out of touch the Left is on global warming issues. By careful examination of the scientific data and comparison to Al Gore’s pseudo-science, he pulverized the many myths that prop up the global warming scare. It was refreshing to hear it dismantled so scientifically and with much good humor. Steve Moore’s talk on economics and the Laffer curve illuminated the insanity of liberal thinking as well. He noted, “If you want to help poor people, give them jobs.” Liberals enact laws to punish employers, yet complain when there are job losses. Liberals either cannot or will not fathom that anti-employer laws are the problem. I believe Kirby Wilbur was instrumental to the success of our conference. In bull sessions and speeches, he calmly and clearly expressed strong conservative values as well as a compelling message on how to follow and promote these ideas in everyday life. He inspired the attendees through his constant interaction and open communication. I want to re-emphasize again how wonderful it was to be with like-minded people and to hear such motivating speakers. Knowing that so many people hold my ideals is invigorating and gives me confidence to pursue conservative causes. This conference was chicken noodle soup for my conservative soul. I urge all curious young conservatives to attend a YAF leadership conference as soon as possible.

Thanks YAF, Jack Apgar Woodberry Forest School (Virginia), ’09

(Left) Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota delivers a powerful speech on the importance of protecting freedom for future generations.

(Above) Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele meets with student Jack Apgar of Lexington, Virginia. (Right) Townhall.com reporter Amanda Carpenter signs copies of her book and shares her story of fighting the Left on campus.

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dhering to Ronald Reagan’s belief in “peace through strength,” Young America’s Foundation encourages young people across the nation to volunteer for military service and to stand up for those who serve and those who would serve. The Foundation leads the Conservative Movement in our efforts to protect students’ ability to meet with military recruiters on campus and to participate in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). In the spirit of President Reagan’s farewell admonition that “freedom is special and rare…and needs protection,” Young America’s Foundation helps conservative student activists host speakers, organize rallies, and advocate for policies on campus that promote a strong and well-trained volunteer military, along with fighting for supportive legislation and oversight in Washington, D.C. The Foundation has been doing

so since 1969—thanks to the courage and vision of many young leaders and generous supporters. What follows is a brief history of this important fight to protect students’ rights and strengthen our national defense for generations to come.

The Beginning

Charles R. B. “Chuck” Stowe, retired Navy Captain, founded Young America’s Foundation in 1969 as a student at Vanderbilt University where he stood up for students’ rights to participate in ROTC.

Vanderbilt undergraduate Chuck Stowe stood up during the Vietnam War and spoke out when his alma mater’s trustees were debating ROTC’s presence on campus. He organized pro-military rallies, circulated

petitions, confronted the opposition, even publicly debated Al Gore Sr. on campus, and he did so while training to serve in the Navy through ROTC. Chuck’s work with his fellow students and Vanderbilt’s military veterans and alumni saved ROTC on campus. In the process, he founded a non-profit corporation on October 31, 1969, known initially as University Informational Services; the organization was renamed Young America’s Foundation on February 27, 1973.

Defending Liberty from Communism

In the spring of 1975, Foundation President Ron Robinson brought together more than one thousand students and concerned citizens for an anti-communist, “peace through strength” rally in Washington, D.C. Robinson witnessed firsthand, just a few months before, the unyielding determination of the North Vietnamese to impose their inhumane ideology upon South Vietnam. Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

(left) Early issues of The New Guard feature YAF’s work to defeat Communism and protect our military. (below) Dr. Alan Sabrosky

speaks with young people attending the Foundation’s 1981 National Conservative Student Conference.

In the late 1970s, military veterans including Dr. Alan Sabrosky and retired generals Daniel Graham and John Singlaub began speaking for Young America’s Foundation. As a former Marine and lecturer at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Sabrosky urged a stronger U.S. military preparedness at student conferences. Graham, a former Defense Intelligence Agency director and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assistant director, called for improving U.S. strategic military posture on campus, while Singlaub unequivocally spoke out against Jimmy Carter’s proposed SALT-II treaty.

The Reagan Revolution

To help students advance the principles of liberty on campus, Young America’s Foundation published two primers, U.S. Military Policy and

Pacifism: an AntiChristian Philosophy, in 1982 and 1984. These research papers, in conjunction with campus lectures, aided young conservatives in combating a new generation of leftists seeking to ban military and CIA recruiters from campus. Just as Ronald Reagan succeeded in toppling both the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Empire, the Left erected additional barriers on campus to undercut the strong national defense the President built. Contending our military discriminated, leftists again attacked ROTC across the nation, aiming to prevent all young

(right) Young America’s Foundation produces guides to advance freedom and protect our military.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

Americans from voluntarily serving. Young America’s Foundation recognized the new threat and distributed They’re Going Straight Against ROTC, a pamphlet calling for a renewed defense for the champions of liberty.

The Persian Gulf War

Young America’s Foundation educates students to stand up for their right to participate in ROTC on campus.

After Iraq invaded Kuwait and President George H. W. Bush ordered the U.S. military to respond, Washington & Lee undergraduate Marc Short and University of Virginia student Kate Obenshain (see profile on page 30) organized a “Support Our Troops” rally in February 1991. Held at Washington & Lee, more than 1,700 students from throughout Virginia participated and called for victory against Saddam Hussein.

The ROTC Campus Access Act

My own involvement with the Foundation started with a phone call from Foundation Program Officer

Libertas features the 1991 “Support our Troops” rally at Washington & Lee University.

Dan Flynn who heard that Yale required me and my peers to travel seventy miles to the University of Connecticut to participate in ROTC. Together, we urged Congress to cut off taxpayer funding to universities hostile to the armed forces. Congressman Richard Pombo of California sponsored “The ROTC Campus Access Act” in the summer of 1995, which passed overwhelmingly and mandated anti-military colleges could not receive Defense Department funds. President Clinton signed the law as part of the 1996 Defense Authorization Act. The following year, Gerald Solomon helped the Foundation further expand Student Flagg Youngblood, now director of military outreach at Young America’s Foundation, meets with Representative Richard Pombo after successful passage of “The ROTC Campus Access Act” in 1995.

the law, mandating the cessation of all Federal taxpayer funding from anti-military schools that bar military recruiters and ROTC participation by policy or practice. While the law was successfully amended, President Bill Clinton and his Defense Department thwarted enforcement of the Pombo-Solomon Amendment until they left office.

After September 11

In late 2001, President George W. Bush’s administration called upon law students nationwide to serve as military Judge Advocates, angering the Left as military recruiters attempted to return to campuses they had not visited since Vietnam. Recognizing the Left’s reinvigorated anti-military sentiment, Young America’s Foundation sponsored a promilitary rally in late March 2003, at the beginning of the war in Iraq. More than 15,000 students and concerned citizens gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to voice their support for the military

and a successful mission in Iraq. In response to threatened enforcement of the Pombo-Solomon Amendment—now commonly referred to only as the Solomon Amendment—a coalition of professors at elite law schools challenged the law’s constitutionality to keep military recruiters off campus in late 2003. The Third Federal Circuit Court agreed, calling the law unconstitutional in a 2-1 opinion in November 2004 and barring Solomon enforcement. Simultaneously at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), anti-military professors, themselves leftist student radicals during Vietnam, called for the expulsion of ROTC from campus. Emboldened by the Third Circuit’s Solomon decision, they harassed ROTC cadets and cadre until Young America’s Foundation intervened. Holding public meetings and bringing pro-military speakers to campus—including actor and author Ben Stein who addressed 600 students at UCSB—the Foundation helped the Santa Barbara students save ROTC.

Solomon As Constitutional — The Left Reacts

In March 2006, the United States Supreme Court declared the Solomon Amendment constitutional with a unanimous 8-0 ruling. (Justice Samuel Alito had not been appointed to the

Young America’s Foundation brings more than 15,000 people together in support of our nation’s military during a rally on the National Mall in 2003.

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court in time to hear the case argued.) Despite the historic victory, the Bush administration was not aggressively pursuing Solomon enforcement. Emboldened by the Defense Department’s hesitation, leftists at the University of California at Santa Cruz harassed military recruiters during two 2005 job fairs, forcing the recruiters to flee for their safety on both occasions. After attempts to resolve this problem with the Defense Department failed, the Foundation filed suit on behalf of the affected UC - Santa Cruz students in the fall of 2007, seeking to restore their rights by compelling the Bush administration to enforce the Solomon Amendment. The D.C. Federal Court did not dispute the students’ claims, yet it dismissed Young America’s Foundation’s suit in June 2008 because the Bush administration argued that enforcing the Solomon Amendment would not affect UCSanta Cruz or the Left’s behavior towards campus military recruiters. The administration also persuaded the court that the Solomon Amendment was not a Congressional mandate but a discretionary tool for the Secretary of Defense to use when deemed appropriate. The Foundation is seeking to appeal on both accounts. Congress, excluding leaders Duncan Hunter and James Inhofe, has been hesitant to provide oversight for the mandate it created more than twelve years ago.

Young America’s Foundation hosts Army ROTC cadets from University of California at Santa Barbara at the Reagan Ranch after helping to save their program on campus in 2005.

Looking Ahead

Young America’s Foundation continues our fight to protect students’ rights to participate in ROTC and serve our country. We are honored to work with distinguished veterans of Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan who travel across the country as part of our lecture program (see page 19 for a list of current military speakers). The Foundation also invites military recruiters to attend our conferences and speak with our students.

Because of Young America’s Foundation, our nation has a federal law—the Solomon Amendment— prohibiting anti-military colleges from receiving taxpayer funding. The Foundation’s efforts for Solomon enforcement are ongoing, and we will continue to work with students nationwide, as we have done for 40 years, to promote a strong national defense and to protect students’ ability to meet with military recruiters and participate in ROTC on campus.

(left) Anti-military radicals vandalize recruiting offices in the 1980s, and (above) their attacks continue in 2006 with the defacement of ROTC buildings at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.

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Below is a partial list of Young America’s Foundation alumni who have served or are currently serving in our nation’s military. If you or someone you know should be included in this list, please contact us at 800-USA-1776 or e-mail Flagg Youngblood at fyoungblood@yaf.org. Todd Afshar Jeremie Arthur Jef Bagley Jeff Baldovin Jeffrey Bartz Brandon Baumia Webster Beary Elizabeth Beiswenger Brian Benjers Joe Biles James Bretney Delanie Brewer Christopher Case Nicholas Carow Shauna Christensen Andy Chung Hayley Curry Brad DeFlumeri John Dlugopolsky Dymitri Dutkanicz Matthew Ebbertt

Diego Echeverri Christopher Eckerson Michael Edwards William Erlandson Harold Eustache Andrew Everett Michael Farage Greg Ferguson Dan Flynn Jacob Gay Andrew Gaydos Adam Gilbertson Joseph Gouryeb Gregory Green Mark Hardie Kevin Harris Clayton Henson Joseph Herro Kailei Higginson Brock Hill Rachel Hoff

Daniel Horak Stephan Jerabek Cara Jones Summer Kamal Matthew Klint David Korkowski Jeremy Lackey Lawrence Lee Josh Lentz Christine Leonard Jeffrey Litton Adam Lowther Yinjie Luo Nathan Machula Jonathan Mattingly Derek McAfee Kathleen McDonald Joseph McDonald Joanna McDowell Daniel Meehan John Meyer

Jeremy Naves Ross Nolan Brett Nunley Brad O’Brien Crosby Olsen Peter Owen Olga Pereira Daniel Pesch John Pichardo Tim Raza Brett Reichert Colin Rennick Adam Rodriguez Ricardo Ruiz Matt Sanchez Jonathan Sawmiller Jared Schlenker Gregory Schultz Randolph Shelton Andrew Shirley Wesley Smith

Lt. Col. Oliver North

Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson

Col. John Reitzel

Lt. Col. Scott Rutter

Skip Sorenson Zack Spilman Christopher Sterbenz Bryan Stewart Charles Stowe Dean Swaim Jordan Tabayoyan Jim Taylor Shannon Tillman Ben Tolle Esteban Vickers Emma Wahab Donovan Walker Allyson Wartick Kurt Weber Eric Webster SL Whitesell Flagg Youngblood

Cpt. Flagg Youngblood

Contact Pat Coyle at 800-USA-1776 for more information on hosting these and other Foundation speakers on your campus.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

The

Reagan Ranch: Visiting

By Newt Gingrich,

allista and I were fortunate to have the chance to visit the Reagan Ranch recently while filming a documentary produced by Citizens United about President Reagan called Rendezvous with Destiny. It was an extraordinarily enlightening experience— after actually seeing the Ranch itself and listening to stories of “Ronnie and Nancy” at home, we came to truly appreciate the mutual love and respect that

Author and 58 th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

“The Ranch was like a goldmine for an historiancitizen to explore, learn, and think.”

Speaker Newt Gingrich addresses a special gathering of Young America’s Foundation President’s Club supporters and local students at the Reagan Ranch Center.

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bound them together so closely. Even after all the years I spent studying and working with President Reagan, I found myself learning entirely new things about his life. The Ranch was like a goldmine for an historian-citizen to explore, learn, and think. I was first struck by President Reagan during his days as a citizen-actor, and I remember how his first great speech, “A Time for Choosing,” was

a clarion call in 1964 to young conservatives. He encouraged an optimistic, principled, and bold vision of America’s future, and his first race for governor in 1966 was a brilliant success for modern conservatism, as Reagan’s positive message helped him beat a twoterm incumbent governor in California. His debate with Senator Robert F. Kennedy on CBS in 1967 proved that he could defend America’s honor and

President Reagan’s son and talk radio host, Michael Reagan, tours the Reagan Ranch Center with Callista and Newt Gingrich.

History at a Personal Level principles and decisively win against the rising star of the Kennedy family. RFK is even rumored to have commented after the debate, “Never put me on television with Reagan again; it is impossible to match him.” Over the next few decades, as a member of Congress, I had the chance to work with both candidate Reagan and President Reagan, but now that I was at his home, I suddenly began to reassess some

of my assumptions about the man and to deepen my understanding of his character. The Ranch is small and simple, with a level of intimacy and comfort that makes it a stark contrast to the White House. When walking around the living room, kitchen, family room, bedroom, etc, I knew that I was in a place where this very famous, busy couple retreated to simply be themselves.

Talk radio host Mark Larson greets Speaker Gingrich prior to emceeing the breakfast in the David Louis Bartlett Visitors Center.

Clearly, the Reagans were unique people—there is a pattern of western pictures, gear, and furnishings throughout the Ranch that testifies to Reagan’s bond with the American West and the traditions of the cowboy, the Native American, the working man, and the cavalry. In fact, I learned that Reagan himself had served in the cavalry in the Army reserve and that his horsemanship owed a considerable debt to the U.S. Army.

Speaker Gingrich visits Rancho del Cielo to tour the President’s home and film part of his forthcoming film, Rendezvous with Destiny.

Reagan could have continued the movie star lifestyle, moving among the great, the rich, and the powerful. Instead, he chose a small ranch house—a home that many would call small, quaint, or humble. Callista and I highly recommend a visit to the Reagan Ranch. It will have a significant part in our film, Rendezvous with Destiny, and it will help anyone who visits better understand one of our greatest presidents.

Newt and Callista Gingrich stop near the entryway to the Reagan Ranch.

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By Jayne Miller, National Journalism Center Intern, American Veterans Center

eneral Richard Natonski. General James Mattis. According to John J. Miller’s 2006 National Review David Bellavia. Bing West. They are Iraq war article “Sounding Taps,” of 153 colleges, only 65 percent veterans, and I’m embarrassed to say before a had a faculty member with an interest in military history. few weeks ago, I would not have recognized U.S. News and World Report’s surveys indicate that only their names. around one dozen of these 153 schools have full-fledged military Walking into my National Journalism Center internship with history programs. According to John J. the American Veterans Center, one Professor Brian Linn of Texas thing became very clear to me: A&M University credits this possible Miller’s 2006 National my co-workers were incredibly decline to a diminishing faculty. well-versed in military know“I see [programs] shrinking in the Review article “Sounding how, and I, unfortunately, was top 50 schools,” he said. “There’s Taps,” of 153 colleges, only not. There I was: the floundering substantial interest in the classes intern desperately waiting to hear a being taught, but a big decline in the 65 percent had a faculty recognizable name—Private Ryan, number of tenure-track faculty being he was real, right? member with an interest in hired to teach them.” In a world at war, others According to several journalists military history. U.S. News who have called out schools across blame cultural stereotypes. “After the country for their diminishing it was ‘I ain’t gonna and World Report’s surveys Vietnam, military history departments, I was study war no more.’ There is this not alone in my lack of military emotional predisposition [against indicate that only around competence. Although the Reserve military history],” Lt. Col. John F. one dozen of these 153 Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Guilmartin, a professor at Ohio State has seemingly kept the study alive University, said. “[People think] if schools have full-fledged with a mandatory military history you study war, you advocate it.” element, many are convinced it’s a Dr. Colin Baxter, a member of the military history programs. dying breed in the classroom. Society for Military History and now-professor, said he noticed this “I don’t have statistics, I only have impressions, and my stereotype as well. “Just because we impression is that [military history teach this doesn’t mean we like war. programs] are shrinking radically,” Yale Professor Donald We hate war,” he said. “In the back of our minds, I think Kagan said. we’d like to prevent war. It’s a popular misconception.” While Yale still has a military history chair, this position The decline in military history programs has been is no longer filled by an actual military historian. More written about by journalists for the past decade. Some and more professors are turning to other, more politically believe the programs are less visible due to media correct, lenses to examine war, forcing the focus to misconceptions. extinction. Professor Patrick Reagan of Tennessee Tech University

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National Journalism Center intern Jayne Miller spends her summer at the American Veterans Center. In addition to enhancing her journalism skills, Jayne’s work includes researching military history courses and programs currently offered in higher education.

is one of these people. “I do not buy that [the programs are dying] hook, line and sinker,” he said. “There’s a lot of people still teaching.” Army ROTC sponsored a three-month workshop, which Patrick Reagan attended, at the United States Military Academy at West Point after his first year at Tennessee Tech; he said it was one of the greatest experiences in his life. The workshop attendees included ROTC captains and civilians. Reagan said he continues to see benefits of this program on his own campus, and military history programs have increased in quality at larger schools including Princeton, Stanford, and Ohio State University. Reagan acknowledges that military historians may have a smaller core group than other historical focuses, but not studying war is not an option. “Historians study change over time. War is an essential human activity,” Reagan said. “We can’t afford the luxury of not studying it.” Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

A lumni S potlight

Author Wynton Hall Inspired by ’95 Student Conference –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––—— An Interview With Wynton Hall by Jessica Koebensky, Editor Libertas: What was your earliest involvement with Young America’s Foundation? ——————————————— Hall: The Young America’s Foundation posters. Oh man did those make an impression on me! I’m serious. The full-length YAF poster of President Ronald Reagan hung inside my bedroom closet throughout most of my college career. I remember a buddy once said, “Most college guys have posters of swimsuit models in their room. You have a poster of President Reagan…” Libertas: What do Wynton Hall you remember most about the conference you attended? Which speakers were your favorite and why? ——————————————— Hall: I’ll never forget it. Attending my first Young America’s Foundation conference in Atlanta, Georgia, [in 1995] was one of the most encouraging moments of my college experience. I distinctly remember thinking, “Wait a minute. You mean I’m not the only kid with these beliefs and values? You mean there are other cool young people who embrace conservatism? Wow!” It invigorated me to take the fight back to my campus and to be bold in standing up for my beliefs. I credit Young America’s Foundation for igniting the spark that led to my conservative writing career. That conference boasted numerous conservative luminaries. But I vividly

remember Oliver North’s and journalistic icon Robert Novak’s speeches. After Bob Novak’s speech we shook hands, and I asked him a question about K Street lobbyists. “Walk with me,” he said. Before I knew it, we had ridden up the elevator to his floor and finished our chat. When I got back in the elevator, I remember saying to myself, “Did you seriously just hang out with Bob Novak in an elevator?” Only YAF could make that happen!

Libertas: Early on in your college career and prior to, what did you envision yourself doing 5-10 years down the road? ——————————————— Hall: I have always been interested in politics, even as a child. I was probably the only 10-year-old boy in America whose favorite channel was C-SPAN. I used to play a game where I would put C-SPAN coverage of House floor debates on in one room and then go in the room next to it. As representatives shuffled to and from the microphone, I would try to guess their name, party affiliation, and home state solely by the sound of their voice. What was really scary was that I got pretty good at it. Libertas: In writing Home of the Brave and The Greatest Communicator, you worked with President Reagan’s close friends and advisors, Secretary of Defense Caspar

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Weinberger and Dr. Dick Wirthlin, respectively. What was the best advice you received from these key Reagan administration officials? ——————————————— Hall: We’re all a product of our mentors. I’ve been blessed to have had the privilege of working alongside and learning from two of President Reagan’s inner circle. What Cap [Weinberger] taught me is that gratitude is pedagogical. When we’re

“I’ll never forget it. Attending my first Young America’s Foundation conference in Atlanta, Georgia, [in 1995] was one of the most encouraging moments of my college experience... I credit Young America’s Foundation for igniting the spark that led to my conservative writing career.”

grateful we learn new things. For Cap, honoring the 2.4 million men and women who serve in our armed forces was a way of teaching others about the privilege and duties that freedom requires. Cap and I finished Home of the Brave just weeks before he died. When we laid him to rest at Arlington, I’ll never forget looking down to the front of the sanctuary and seeing an infirmed, yet regal, Lady

are comfortable in their own skin, who know who they are, and who actually believe in what they are saying. In my books on conservative speeches, I wanted to tell the behindthe-scenes history of epic moments in conservative oratory. Reading the words isn’t enough; context is critical. I also wanted to include speeches that were lesser known yet critical to the overall trajectory of the American Conservative Movement’s ascendancy. Wynton Hall works with Dr. Richard Wirthlin, Ronald Reagan’s close friend and advisor, to complete the book, The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politics, Leadership, and Life.

Margaret Thatcher, one of Cap and President Reagan’s dearest friends. She had made the trip “across the pond” to honor her fellow Cold Warrior. And it reinforced what Cap taught me: “Never forget to be grateful for those who serve others.” The other thing Cap taught me was this: “History always vindicates those on the side of freedom.” President Reagan once said it best, “When Dick Wirthlin speaks, I listen!” So much of what I know about communication, mass persuasion, and presidential leadership is because of him. Dick is like a second father. One of the many great lessons Dick taught me can be summed up in six words: “Persuade through reason, motivate through emotion.” If you want to know the secret to Ronald Reagan’s rhetoric, write that phrase down and then re-read all the President’s speeches with that in mind.

Libertas: You have written two books that highlight the great speeches of the Conservative Movement. What do you think makes a speech truly great? What criteria did

you use when narrowing down your search for speeches? ——————————————— Hall: A great speech is the confluence of many forces. A great speech must exemplify what I like to call the three P’s: principled, passionate, and practiced. I’d also add a fourth P: it can’t be “plastic.” Ronald Reagan, Phyllis Schlafly, Barry Goldwater…these are speakers who

Libertas: What one speech do you think has had the most impact on the modern day Conservative Movement? ——————————————— Hall: That’s tough. But for many reasons I’d have to say Ronald Reagan’s nationally televised October 27, 1964, speech, “A Time for Choosing.” That speech introduced Reagan to a national audience and made him the logical heir apparent of the conservative mantle and message.

Fox News contributor Angela McGlowan and Steve Forbes meet with Wynton Hall during the launch party for Home of the Brave—a book co-authored by Hall and Caspar Weinberger.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

A lumni S potlight

Libertas: Who do you think are some of the most effective communicators in our modern-day Conservative Movement? Who are the rising stars? ——————————————— Hall: That’s the most exciting part of the Conservative Movement: we have many rising stars. In fact, every time I speak at a Young America’s Foundation event, I’m reminded of conservatism’s bright future. In terms of individual leaders, I have my eyes firmly fixed on Congressman Mike Pence and Governor Bobby Jindal.

What advice would you give to students to help them counter the liberal establishment at their schools? ——————————————— Hall: Don’t be afraid to stand up and speak out. Be bold. Challenge moral relativism and leftist claptrap

of that which you hold dear. Most importantly, work hard and be happy. Nothing upsets the Left more.

Libertas: You’ve addressed the Foundation’s conferences in the past. What do you enjoy most about speaking to young people? ————————— Hall: Nothing recharges my optimism for conservatism’s future more than attending a Young America’s Foundation conference. The fellowship and time spent dining and visiting one-on-one with young conservatives with big brains is a rare treat for me. That and marveling at Ron Robinson’s undying love and passion for helping young people Wynton Hall participates in the “Great Books” panel during the Foundation’s live out their conserva2007 National Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C. tive values. YAF is very special to me.

Libertas: What authors and books would you recommend today’s young conservatives read? —————————— Hall: Young conservatives must devour Libertas: Where the great books. That’s do you see yourself 10 what conservatism is all years from now? about—conserving the ————————— wisdom of the past and Hall: I love what I do. using it to shape our The writing life is wonfuture. Here are some derful. In 10 years I hope “must-read” books: to still be writing books Marcus Tulius Cicero’s and helping leaders craft De Inventione, Myron messages that connect. Magnet’s The Dream and There are so many amazthe Nightmare, Richard ing stories that have yet Weaver’s Ideas Have to be told. I hope to play Consequences, Gertrude a small role in dusting off Himmelfarb’s One C-SPAN2’s “Book TV” features Hall’s discussion of his book, The Right Words. those gems of history and Nation, Two Cultures, with informational ammunition. Read holding them up to the literary light to and anything ever written by Thomas broadly and argue well. Conservative dazzle readers. In 10 years I also fully Sowell or William F. Buckley Jr. ideas resonate. So don’t be afraid to expect to see our daughter attend her challenge the Left’s intellectual laziness. first YAF high school conference. That Libertas: In the introduction to The Embrace your values and be humble might be dangerous, though. After all, Right Words, you highlight the Left’s yet unapologetic in your defense look what it did to my life! control of today’s college campuses.

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special

B ook

excerpt

from

Home of the Brave:

Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror ———————————— By Wynton Hall and Caspar Weinberger ————————————

“Those who say we’re in a time when there are no heroes — they just don’t know where to look.” — Ronald Reagan, 1981

Every morning, in cities all across of its predecessors. And that’s no small feat. the world, 2.4 million Americans wake Indeed, the lineage of military sacrifice is up, put on a uniform, kiss their loved long and sacred: In World War I, 117,000 ones good-bye, and head out the door to Americans were killed; in World War II, defend freedom. In exchange, they ask 405,000 died; in the Korean War, 36,500 for nothing: not wealth, not power, not American lives were taken; and in Vietnam, celebrity. When the spotlight is on them, 58,000 patriots were killed. they fidget uncomfortably, as if somehow To the men and women waging the they have been given undue attention. “I’m global war against terrorism, these no hero,” each will tell you. “I was just doing giants upon whose shoulders they stand my job.” are not merely statistics. They are beacons, figures whose gallantry It’s not an act or false humility. We wrote Home of the They actually believe it. They are illumines their way as they continue Brave because we believe not like the rest of us. They are the the centuries-old task of protecting deeply that this generation freedom’s future. Perhaps because of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines of the United States military. They are the seriousness of their life’s calling, has, in fact, done America the best among us. today’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, and justice by living up to marines are in touch with history in To them, protecting America is a the sterling service and privilege, an honor, a solemn duty ways most civilians simply are not. that has been passed like a torch sacrifice of its predecessors. Talk to them. Ask them about from their parents and grandparents their military heritage. Then sit and And that’s no small feat. listen as they recount the names and and great grandparents before them. As First Sergeant Justin LeHew told stories of the American heroes whose us, “It’s all the crosses in Arlington example propels them forward. Cemetery. It’s all those GIs who died over there with my John Basilone, Daniel Daly, Eddie Rickenbacker, Carl dad on Omaha Beach. You want your generation to do Brashear, Edward “Butch” O’Hare, Richard I. Bong, America justice just like that one did.” Chester Nimitz, Thomas Kelley, Lewis “Chesty” Puller, Audie Murphy. Most young people today would be hard And they are. We wrote Home of the Brave because we believe pressed to identify these individuals. But for those who deeply that this generation has, in fact, done America serve, these ghosts of valor ignite something deep within justice by living up to the sterling service and sacrifice them. They matter. Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– By Wynton Hall and Caspar Weinberger –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

And so do the myriad heroes in our midst. Tom That is, not until we began researching and interviewing Brokaw’s fabulous book, The Greatest Generation, gave several of the individuals whose stories we recount. the World War II generation its name. But the current Does this make us all ungrateful or unpatriotic because generation of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen also we are unfamiliar with the actions of these modern-day is leaving its own distinct mark on the long history of American heroes? Of course not. But it does mean that American service. Unlike the soldiers of World War II, our nation has yet to hear the other side of the story— who were drafted, today’s military is made up of mothers, the side many in the media have refused to tell—about fathers, husbands, and wives who volunteered for our nation’s brave young people fighting in the War on service. In numbers greater than ever Terror. before, reservists also are in harm’s It would, of course, be impossible Like the waves of way, leaving their civilian jobs for the to write about all of the extraordinary Americans who came battlefield. And families are literally members of our armed forces. But in the crossfire. During World War II, the heroism and valor of the nineteen before them, they are not parents often were exempt from the individuals we write about—some of embarrassed about their draft. In today’s military, mothers and the most highly decorated in the U.S. love for America nor do fathers in life-threatening situations military—are emblematic of the spirit are common. that pulses through all who have they hide it, and, as they Critics, taking their cues from the readily confess, they don’t ever worn the uniform. Their jawmedia, once branded young Ameridropping acts of bravery represent relate well to those who cans as overeducated, unmotivated but a fraction of the heroic actions that have been performed in the slackers whose greatest day-to-day ever would. To them, concern was the speed of their InterWar on Terror. And yet, sadly, most America is worth dying net connection. But those who know Americans have never even heard for. And as their stories today’s service members best know their names or those of whose lives that such characterizations describe they saved. will reveal, instead of them least. In the War on Terror, the Their reasons for joining the slogans, they have offered “slackers” have more than held their military are as diverse as the indiservice—gritty, dangerous, viduals themselves. Some were born own when compared with soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines of past into families with long, distinguished tenacious service. eras. histories of military service. Others, however, set a precedent by becom To most veterans, this comes as little surprise. But the mainstream ing the first in their family to enmedia isn’t communicating that message often enough list. For some, the military represented an opportunity or even at all. For example, if you asked Americans to to get their lives back on track, to develop discipline, identify Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, or Michael Jackson, and to sharpen their focus. For others, enlisting in the most could do so correctly. But what if, instead of these military meant turning down lucrative career offers in three celebrities, citizens were asked to identify Air Force other fields. But they do have one thing in common: a Master Sergeant William “Calvin” Markham or Marine deep and abiding passion for America. The September Sergeant Marco Martínez or even Medal of Honor 11 terrorist attacks galvanized their resolve to wage war recipient Army Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith? against global terrorism. Would they be familiar with these individuals? Are you To be sure, the naysayers and cynics will label that familiar with each of these individuals? gushing patriotism sentimental “jingoism.” But it’s not. Our guess is that you aren’t. After all, we weren’t. Instead, it is the same faithful, steely spirit that rushes

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

through American history and fuels freedom. Like the waves of Americans who came before them, they are not embarrassed about their love for America nor do they hide it, and, as they readily confess, they don’t relate well to those who ever would. To them, America is worth dying for. And as their stories will reveal, instead of slogans, they have offered service—gritty, dangerous, tenacious service. They took these actions with the full knowledge that what they did would bring neither fame nor fortune. But when you ask them, they will tell you that’s all right. “After all,” one hero told us, “that isn’t why I joined.” He joined for the same reason anyone joins: to be part of something bigger than himself. This book is also our way of piercing the wall of noise surrounding the War on Terror. Debate is healthy. Indeed, in a representative democracy, it is essential. But when critics begin turning their rhetorical guns on the men and women of our armed forces that’s when it is time to say “Enough!” The United States is at war, and

the enemy we face is as dangerous and determined as any in our nation’s history. Although they will never seek our praise or accolades, the 2.4 million members of our armed forces deserve our prayers, support, and gratitude. They’ve more than earned it. Finally, having the privilege to get to know many of the individuals whose stories we recount and to learn about their experiences has been one of the great honors of our careers. In sharing their stories, we hope that Americans will reaffirm their appreciation and commitment to the men and women who, like the generations of American warriors before them, stand ready to do violence on our behalf. America did not start this War on Terror, but we will win it. And when we do, we will have them—the best among us—to thank for it. Let us not wait until then to begin expressing our gratitude. —————————————————————————— Source: Hall, Wynton and Caspar Weinberger. Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror. New York: Forge, 2006.

About Foundation Alumnus Wynton Hall

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Wynton Hall is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and alumnus of Young America’s Foundation’s 1995 Atlanta regional student conference. He has also addressed the Foundation’s National Conservative Student Conference. Labeled a “rising star” in the field of presidential communication, his work has been published in the New York Times, USA Today, Washington Times, International Herald Tribune, The Examiner, National Review Online, NewsMax, Human Events, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and elsewhere. Hall is a frequent guest on The O’Reilly Factor, The Michael Reagan Show, 700 Club, and C-SPAN’s Book TV. He is the author or co-author of four books: The Right Words (2007); Landmark Speeches of the American Conservative Movement, co-edited with Foundation Director Peter Schweizer (2007); Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror, co-authored with Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger (2006); and The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politics, Leadership, and Life, coauthored with Reagan advisor Dr. Richard Wirthlin (2004). Hall is a recipient of the Texas A&M University Distinguished Research Award. He also worked in the Florida Senate and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in elections, speechwriting, communications, and presidential rhetoric. He received his M.A. from Texas A&M University with an emphasis in rhetoric and public affairs and a B.A in political science from the University of Florida.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

S taff P R O F I L E

Kate Obenshain: From Student Leader To YAF Vice President

Left being exposed as intolerant, narrow minded, and scared.” Kate recruited William F. Buckley Jr., Jack Kemp, Ed Meese, Bob Novak, Fred Barnes, and other well-known, dynamic speakers as inaugural lecturers capable of drawing large crowds. She says getting these stars of the Conservative Movement –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––—— to agree to speak on campuses was the easy part; getting the schools to agree to By Kimberly Martin Begg, Esq., Director of Planned Giving host them was much more challenging. “Then, as now, there was great resistance from campus administrators, young activist to professors, and leftist students even to reach thousands of allow these speakers on their campuses. students across the It was my job to help students point country. “When I out, publicly if necessary, their school’s graduated, I was hypocrisy in funding the Spike Lees and passionate about Hillary Clintons of the world, while helping conservadenying the same opportunities to tive students on conservative speakers who were much in campuses,” notes demand.” Kate. “I wanted Kate has dedicated her career to to work with the advancing conservative ideas. Following Foundation to help students fight politi- her work with the Foundation, she served as Virginia Governor George Allen’s chief cal correctness and education and health policy advisor and the intolerance of as his chief of staff in the U.S. Senate. She the campus Left.” also led the charge against tax increases She joined the As a student at the University of Virginia in 1991, now-Foundation and the expanding role of government Foundation’s staff Vice President Kate Obenshain organized a massive student-led rally in support of the troops during the first Gulf War. as chairman of the Virginia GOP. after graduation Kate has spoken on college campuses and established for more than 15 years and provided ate Obenshain is tough, smart, what would become the largest much leadership as a member of the and ready to tackle any challenge conservative campus lecture program in Foundation’s Board of Directors. that comes her way—just ask the country. Kate asserts that the job was “Reagan was right,” notes Kate, the liberals she faces off against on very achievable. “when he said we have an obligation Fox News! Or the leftist students she “[Foundation President] Ron to pass on a genuine understanding of rose above as a student leader at the Robinson understood we were never our freedoms if we expect our nation University of Virginia. Or her four happy, going to reach huge campus audiences to remain free. The Foundation is energetic children. and compete with the Left’s virtual reaching thousands of young people Kate recently rejoined Young monopoly of lectures and thought with pro-freedom ideas. America’s Foundation’s staff as vice unless we provided We’re building leaders and president, 17 years after her first speakers who transforming high school involvement in our programs as a top appeal to many and college campuses. As a student activist at the University of students,” says freedom-loving American Virginia. Kate. and mother of four, I want “We knew we wanted to do “Our job to be part of that. I can something to show our support for the was to offer the think of no better way to military during the First Gulf War but biggest names in further my own principles, had no idea where to begin,” remembers the Conservative and those of my country, Kate. “So we contacted the Foundation Movement— than by re-joining this which provided us with training, speakers capable of incredible team.” resources, media access, and speakers, electrifying entire Young America’s including national war hero, Jeremiah campuses and Obenshain, a mother of four, has Foundation welcomes Denton. It was incredible—hundreds of opening up the free been inspiring young audiences for more than 15 years. Kate Obenshain back to enthusiastic students showed up to wave exchange of ideas. our national headquarters. American flags in support of our troops At many schools, She’s an inspiration to our staff and fighting overseas to protect us. We helped open expression had been shut down in the countless young people she has stop the national anti-war movement the name of political correctness. Our reached through her dedication to the right in its tracks!” speakers were so high profile that they Conservative Movement. Kate leveraged her experience as a could not be shut down without the

Why Investing In Young People Strengthens America’s Future Leadership

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

Alan K. Simpson

Tom Tancredo

John Ashcroft

A mid-winter getaway aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises with other Young America’s Foundation supporters and leaders is just what you need. You will enjoy a relaxing and warm reprieve with like-minded conservatives, and you’ll have an opportunity to share your pressing thoughts on the world today with individuals who have done so much to advance the Conservative Movement through their leadership and generosity. When you cruise with Young America’s Foundation, you have the opportunity to participate at your leisure in sessions with conservative leaders and authors, private cocktail receptions, dinners, and socializing.

Ed Meese

Ron Robinson

Michelle Easton

The Seven Seas Navigator is destined for distinction. Occupying the uppermost niche in cruising, 490 guests receive an unusual level of luxury and some of the highest space and service ratios at sea. From the all-suite, all-oceanview accommodations (most with private balconies) with their luxurious marble baths to the signature cuisine to the superbly attentive staff, the Navigator has few equals. Rates for the cruise start at $4,281 per person and include all gratuities, port fees, taxes, seminar sessions, receptions, and on-board meals and select wines, spirits, and soft drinks. Contact Nicole Hoplin, 651-334-1537 or nhoplin@yaf.org, for more information or visit www.yafcruise.org.

A Center for the Conservative Movement

National and International Groups Inspired at the Reagan Ranch Center

B y A n d r e w M c I n d o e , S a r a h T. H e r m a n n I n t e r n S c h o l a r

ocated in Santa Barbara, California, Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan Ranch Center is the premiere hub for conservative organizations to gather on the West Coast for conferences, meetings, and special events. Since its opening in 2006, the Reagan Ranch Center has become a valuable resource for the Conservative Movement at-large. Working to advance conservative principles, the Foundation invites conservative organizations from around the world to utilize the Center’s unique West Coast location and exceptional facilities. The Roy & Dorothy Billings Conservative Vision for America Suite, atop the Center’s fourth floor, is a popular place for organizations to hold board meetings. Young America’s Foundation has hosted board meetings for stalwart conservative organizations

such as the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute, Citizens United Foundation, the Phillips Foundation, Eagle Publishing, Bruce Eberle and Associates, and National Right to Work. The Reagan Ranch Center is truly a facility for the wider Conservative Movement. A trip to Rancho del Cielo is the highlight of most organizations’ use of the Center. Young America’s Foundation hosted Focus on the Family and the Jesse Helms Center at the Ranch. Staff and supporters of both organizations visited the Ranch and left with a greater understanding of President Reagan, the man. Touring the house, tack barn, secret service building, and the helipad ensure Reagan’s timeless principles are shared with all in attendance. In the past two years, the Reagan Ranch Center has also hosted many special events through partnerships with like-minded organizations.

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Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

Friends and alumni of President Ronald Reagan’s 1976 campaign were among the first groups visiting the newly renovated Center as they gathered for a reunion at the Reagan Ranch. Some of the original foot soldiers, captains, and generals from the early days of the Reagan Revolution traveled to the Center to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the historic ’76 campaign. Founded by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, the International Young Democrat Union (IYDU) seeks, according to Prime Minister Thatcher, “to re-preach, practice and learn anew the freedom that we have and that we wish to extend more widely to the whole world.” This group hosted its annual Freedom Forum gathering in Santa Barbara at the Reagan Ranch Center with more than 60 participants from 18 countries in attendance. The Honourable Company of

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Freedom Fighters, including Lt. Col. Oliver North, gathered in Santa Barbara to recognize the achievements and dedication to the cause of freedom of two respected veterans of the Reagan Revolution: Judge William Clark and William Casey. The Freedom Fighters is an organization devoted to the recognition of individuals and groups which, since 1945, have fought for freedom and participatory government and against fascism, communism, moral relativity, and terrorism in all their forms. No other location would be as fitting to celebrate this occasion than the Reagan Ranch Center. Alumni groups from Grove City College, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Eureka College (Reagan’s alma mater) enjoyed tours of Rancho del Cielo where they learned how Young America’s Foundation utilizes the Ranch to inspire and educate thousands of students each year. Open doors greeted the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute (CBLPI) and the Heritage Foundation when they used the Center. Holding its first annual Western Women’s Summit, CBLPI hosted 60 participants who were thrilled to hear from some of the Conservative Movement’s leading ladies. The Heritage Foundation used the Center to host more

than 50 supporters at a panel discussion on health care and a reception on the Mr. & Mrs. Alwal Anheuser Beims Moore Rooftop Terrace. At all Reagan Ranch Center events, attendees leave with a greater appreciation of President Reagan and the conservative principles for which he stood. Ocean vistas, top-notch facilities, and access to Rancho del Cielo make the Reagan Ranch Center the perfect destination for Conservative Movement

organizations and events, and Young America’s Foundation is honored to host so many wonderful groups at our “Schoolhouse for Reaganism.” For more information about hosting group events at the Reagan Ranch Center, please contact 888-USA-1776. ———————————————— Andrew McIndoe is a 2008 Sarah T. Hermann Intern Scholar at the Reagan Ranch Center and a junior at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.

Groups Utilizing the Center Since 2006 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

June 9-10, 2006 Reagan ’76 Campaign Alumni Reunion Clare Boothe Luce Board Meetings June 22-23, 2006 Researching Issues and Taking Action July 18, 2006 Citizens United Board Meeting August 10, 2006 International Young Democrat Union Conference August 17-19, 2006 Bruce Eberle Board Meeting September 22, 2006 Phillips Foundation and Eagle Publishing Board Meetings October 12-14, 2006 Indiana Wesleyan Alumni Event May 19, 2007 Grove City College Alumni Event July 6, 2007 Researching Issues and Taking Action July 17, 2007 Ward Connerly Board Meeting July 19-20, 2007 YR Alumni Event August 31- Sept 1, 2007 Eureka College Events September 6, 2007 Focus on the Family September 14, 2007 Jesse Helms Center September 19-21, 2007 Santa Barbara Tax Payers Association September 22, 2007 National Right to Work October 5-6, 2007 The Honourable Company of Freedom Fighters November 11, 2007 Spirit of Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development March 14-15, 2008 Clare Boothe Luce Western Women’s Summit April 25-26, 2008 Heritage Foundation: The Future of American Health Care June 5, 2008 Teen Pact Board Meeting June 30 - July 1, 2008 Young Briton’s Foundation August 11-13, 2008

1) Focus on the Family supporters and staff enjoy a day at Rancho del Cielo. 2) Dr. James Dobson and his wife, Shirley, sit near Lake Lucky at the Reagan Ranch. 3) Members of the International Young Democrat Union tour the Reagan Ranch Center and hear from leading conservatives. 4) (left to right) Former CIA operative Duane “Dewey” Clarridge, Patricia Clark Doerner, Lt. Col. Oliver North, Bernadette Casey Smith, and Nicaraguan Contra leader Adolfo Calero gather at the Reagan Ranch Center for The Honourable Company of Freedom Fighters’ program honoring Judge William Clark and Bill Casey. 5) Members of the Phillips Foundation and Eagle Publishing boards hold meetings in the Jefts Beede Conference Room at the Reagan Ranch Center. Pictured from left to right: Al Regnery, Joseph Cannon, Roger Michalski, Steve O’Connor, Jeff Carneal, Tom Phillips, Marji Ross, Pat Sajak, Thomas Winter, and Stuart Richens. 6) Alumni from Ronald Reagan’s alma mater, Eureka College, spend a weekend at the Reagan Ranch Center and Rancho del Cielo. 7) Author Nonie Darwish addresses women gathered for the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute’s Western Women’s Summit.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

CampusFreeSpeech?ForLiberalsOnly ————————————————————————————————————————————— By Jason Mattera, Spokesman

ampus liberals are unaccustomed to hearing conservative ideas in their echo chambers, so it’s not uncommon for them to be infuriated at the notion of hearing alternative opinions. Take, for example, two separate incidents this past year—one at DePaul University in Illinois and the other at the University of St. Thomas (UST) in Minnesota. Liberal administrators at St. Thomas—a Catholic university and the largest private college in Minnesota—initially rejected the appearance of prominent pro-life speaker Star Parker. Parker, the best-selling author of numerous books, was scheduled to speak on campus on April 21, 2008, about the devastating impact abortion has on minority communities—an appropriate topic for a Catholic institution. Unfortunately, UST Vice President of Student Affairs Jane Canney thought differently. She nixed the speech entirely, citing “concerns” that the lecture was underwritten by Young America’s Foundation. Katie Kieffer, a 2005 alumna of St. Thomas, a Foundation activist, and an organizer of the Star Parker lecture, confronted Canney on her refusal to allow Parker to speak on campus. Canney told Katie and her sister, Amie Kieffer, a senior at UST and editor of an independent conservative newspaper, the St. Thomas Standard, “As long as I am a vice president at St. Thomas, Young America’s Foundation will not be allowed on campus.” The co-sponsoring student groups hosting the event, Students for Human Life and the St. Thomas Standard, only needed a room and advertising space, as Young America’s Foundation and Conservative Student News Inc. were covering all other costs. Nonetheless, The Student Life Committee, on which Canney resides, denied the student groups a room on campus for Parker’s lecture. Canney’s hostility toward Young America’s Foundation originated when the Foundation sponsored Ann Coulter at St. Thomas three years ago—an event attracting more than 750 students. Canney claimed she felt “uncomfortable” and “disturbed” while listening to Coulter. None of Coulter’s supposed “offenses” were ever enumerated. Liberal speakers at St. Thomas receive full support from the school’s administration. Just this past year, Canney’s Student Life Committee approved the appearances of liberal commentator Al Franken and Debra Davis, a transgendered activist who believes that God is a black lesbian. Young America’s Foundation alerted the media to the intolerant behavior of UST’s administrators. The Washington Times, Power Line, Townhall.com, HotAir, CNS News, NewsMax, WorldNetDaily, and two Minneapolis Star Tribune columns by Katherine Kersten exposed the school’s bias and hypocrisy. An influx of negative responses forced the school

to reverse its decision and not only allow the event to proceed as scheduled but also pay for Star’s honorarium, travel, and accommodation costs. In the end, more than 300 enthusiastic students and community members heard Star’s powerful message. There were no disruptions during the program, and Star received a standing ovation from the crowd. At DePaul University, leftist administrators threatened to cancel a speech by Chris Simcox if the conservatives on campus did not pay $2,500 for 20 private security officers. Simcox, an advocate for protecting America’s borders from unlawful entry, presides over the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Simcox did not ask for security and neither did the DePaul Conservative Alliance (DCA)—the student sponsors—nor Young America’s Foundation—the national sponsors. But when school administrators got wind that illegal immigration advocates were planning to protest the lecture, DCA students were told that there needed to be a security presence, and that they had to pay for it. Student organizer Nicholas Hahn, a 2007 Foundation intern, noted that it was wrong to shake down his club for money when the majority of the protesters weren’t even students. “We shouldn’t be forced to subsidize a leftist demonstration,” said Hahn. “In fact, why [did] DePaul even allow non-students to protest a studentrun function on a private campus? University officials can mandate all the security they want, but shouldn’t they pay for it? The school does have a $250 million endowment, after all.” Past liberal speakers at DePaul, including Barack Obama, didn’t attract any vitriolic demonstrations by conservatives, and the campus Left wasn’t extorted for cash by DePaul’s administration. John Holden, a spokesman for DePaul, even admitted to the Chicago Sun-Times that he couldn’t think of a single instance where similar financial obligations were imposed on liberal student groups. In addition to the Sun-Times, Fox News and the Chicago Tribune highlighted the school’s attempt to prevent Simcox from speaking on campus. Nick and his club eventually paid the fee, and the event went on as scheduled. Holden’s admission that liberal groups have not been targeted at DePaul and Jane Canney’s attempt at St. Thomas to thwart Foundation speakers give us a glimpse of the Left’s antagonism toward ideas differing from its own. Rather than spawn debate and encourage robust dialogue among their students, campus liberals whip out weak excuses and barriers to limit and derail free speech. With your help, Young America’s Foundation will continue our fight to ensure your ideas and values have a place in higher education.

AtDePaulUniversity, leftistadministrators threatenedtocancela speechbyChrisSimcox iftheconservatives oncampusdidnotpay $2,500for20private security officers.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

1) DePaul University student activist and former Foundation intern Nick Hahn hosts Minuteman leader Chris Simcox on campus. 2) Protesters gather outside of the Simcox event in Illinois. 3) Chris Simcox addresses a packed house despite the campus Left’s attempt to block his speech. 4) Conservative student leaders meet Simcox following his speech. 5) DePaul University allows off-campus protesters to demonstrate outside of the lecture hall while requiring the DePaul Conservative Alliance to pay $2,500 for private security officers. 6) Star Parker, pro-life advocate and leading conservative author, is initially banned from speaking at the University of St. Thomas, a Catholic institution and the largest private college in Minnesota. 7) The St. Thomas paper, The Aquin, reports on the school’s retraction and subsequent reinstatement of Parker’s invitation to address the campus community.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

STUDENT PROFILE

“An Obligation to Serve My Country”

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By Flagg Youngblood, Director of Military Outreach

“I

remember sitting in my high school U.S. history class dumbfounded that my country was actually attacked,” recalls Joe Gouryeb of the events on September 11, 2001. “It was then I felt an obligation to serve my country.” Seven years later, Second Lieutenant Gouryeb is doing Joe Gouryeb, currently a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, introduces himself to his peers while attending the 2007 National just that. Joe graduated Conservative Student Conference. from Philadelphia’s La Salle University in June 2008 with a B.S. in finance, a B.A in history, and a commission in the United States Army. In and out of the classroom, Joe developed and honed his leadership skills—making the Dean’s list several times as well as playing varsity soccer and participating in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) all four years. La Salle international relations professor Dr. Edward Turzanski introduced Joe to Young Talk radio host G. Gordon Liddy meets with Gouryeb, then a senior at La Salle University, at the 29th annual National Conservative America’s Foundation Student Conference. during his junior year and encouraged him to attend the 29th annual National As a senior, Joe contacted Conservative Student Conference. La Salle’s student government “I heard from some great leaders,” association in order to organize the recalls Joe, “including retired Lt. Col. Foundation’s 9/11: Never Forget Scott Rutter. The experience helped Project in 2007—placing 2,977 me realize the value of learning as American flags on La Salle’s main much as I can before deploying and quadrangle and holding a prayer for maintaining a healthy citizenservice to commemorate those who soldier balance.” lost their lives September 11, 2001.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

Later in the fall, Joe attended the Foundation’s West Coast Leadership Conference. “I got to reunite with friends and visit President Reagan’s Rancho del Cielo,” recounts Joe. “To be able to walk around the ranch of a great American hero was a humbling experience!” Among the cadets in the greater Philadelphia area, ROTC selected Joe as the 2008 George C. Marshall Outstanding Cadet and named him a Distinguished Military Graduate. The honors place him among the top ten percent of cadets nationwide. “My accomplishments happened because I had a great support system,” says Joe, offering thanks to his family, La Salle, ROTC, and Young America’s Foundation. Upon completion of his work as an ROTC recruiting officer, Lieutenant Gouryeb will attend the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He will then complete the Infantry Officer Leader Course and Ranger school at Fort Benning, Georgia, before arriving at his first permanent duty station—the 10th Mountain Division of Fort Drum, New York.

STUDENT PROFILE

(above) Nearly 3,000 flags honor those murdered on 9/11 in this 2007 Never Forget memorial Gouryeb organized on his campus. (right) In June 2008, Joe Gouryeb receives a commission in the United States Army along with degrees in finance and history from La Salle University.

Joe Gouryeb (right) visits Arlington National Cemetery during the 2007 National Conservative Student Conference with his friends Jon Bell (left) and Alex Rodriguez (middle).

“My accomplishments happened because I had a great support system,” says Joe, offering his thanks to his family, La Salle, ROTC, and Young America’s Foundation.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

S upporter P R O F I L E

Entrepreneur Betty Wolfe Passes Her Patriotism on to Young People

Betty loved her work at general headquarters, but after just eleven months, her service came to an abrupt end when she was diagnosed with rheumatic fever in September 1946 and had to be evacuated. While she was saddened to leave, she truly enjoyed her –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––—— short stay in Tokyo. “It was a great experience. We women had never been By Richard Kimble, Vice President treated better than we were by the Japanese.” During World After returning to Dallas, Texas, and recovering from her rheumatic War II, Betty Wolfe fever, Betty took a job with the got her start in the private sector when government at a VA hospital. “The she worked for her worst decision I ever made. They hired ten to do the work of two; so overbrother-in-law as office manager of the staffed. It was the most unproductive time in my life.” Dallas-based Good Luck Oil Company Following a two-year stint with the Goodyear Tire Company, Betty which owned and followed her entrepreneurial spirit and operated a group of purchased a motel in Sherman Oaks, 20 service stations all in the Dallas-Fort California. She owned it for five years, selling it in 1960 for a “nice profit.” Worth area. On V-J Day, Betty later moved back to Dallas and purchased the Good Luck Drive-In August 15, 1945, in Fort Worth from her brother-inPresident Truman appointed General law. She recalls her first day in the fast food business as a very memorable one Douglas MacArthur Betty Wolfe has supported Young America’s Foundation since as Supreme indeed. “It was November 22, 1963, 1994. She is pictured here with her brother, Jim, and family friend, the day President John F. Kennedy was Commander of Jonalea Hileman, then a student at Texas Christian University. assassinated!” the Allied Powers to supervise the By 1975, Betty had expanded to seven Good Luck Drive-In restaurants occupation of Japan. Soon thereafter, oundation supporter Betty Wolfe all in the Fort Worth area. She then 25-year-old Betty Wolfe was eager has led a successful and generous sold them, one at a time, over the to serve her country and accepted a life—from her service in Japan next five years. From 1980 until job through the U.S. civil service as a following World War II, to running 2000, Betty ran a company that secretary in the general headquarters and owning her own business, to manufactured Teflon tubing. Today, in Tokyo, Japan. She says Japan supporting numerous conservative she’s involved part-time needed help getting causes. in the oil business. back on its feet, so Betty has been a loyal supporter “It’s not about Betty has served she went. of Young America’s Foundation her country well in the Betty lived at a since 1994, having contributed 162 me, it’s about public and private sector, hotel right across separate donations since her first and Young America’s the street from the gift. In addition to her support of the future of Foundation is honored Imperial Palace, just campus outreach, Betty sponsored our country.” to have partnered with two blocks from the preservation of several acres of her to reach today’s General MacArthur’s the Reagan Ranch and helped fund young people with her headquarters. Her the Reagan Ranch Center. “It’s not conservative values and main duties included about me, it’s about the future of our ideas. “What attracted me to Young typing letters and documents for country,” Betty says of her support. America’s Foundation were the kids the signature of General Douglas Betty Wolfe is a humble and loyal and your work to educate them with MacArthur, a man for whom Betty had friend to Young America’s Foundation, conservative ideas,” she notes. “You tremendous respect and admiration. and although she seeks no personal are doing great work, and I’m proud to “I became a devout hero-worshiper of recognition for her gifts, we are be able to support the Reagan Ranch General MacArthur, along with most honored to share a few of her many and your work on college campuses.” of the Japanese people and GI’s.” accomplishments with you.

Young America’s Foundation • Libertas

ReaganRanchHighSchooC l onference March 26-28, 2009 Reagan Ranch Center SantaBarbara,California Would you like to visit Ronald Reagan’s ranch and learn about the 20th century’s greatest president? Do you find that you can’t effectively defend your beliefs in the classroom? Do you want to connect with a network of other active students from across the country? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, the Reagan Ranch High School Conference is for you! You will expand your knowledge of economics, American history, freedom, personal responsibility, and President Reagan’s lasting accomplishments through a series of lectures, discussions, and briefings. You can have this priceless, historical experience for the low fee of $300, which includes tuition, materials, meals, and accommodations for Thursday and Friday nights. To apply today, visit www.yaf.org or call Roger Custer at 800-USA-1776 for more information. *Limited space available. Students are responsible for travel expenses to and from Santa Barbara. Limited scholarships are available.

ock star and 2nd Amendment advocate Ted Nugent electrifies an audience of more than 2,000 students at a Foundation-sponsored lecture at Western Michigan University. Nugent concludes the program with his performance of the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Young America’s Foundation Libertas magazine www.yaf.org

Vol. 29 • No. 2 Fall 2008 National Headquarters F.M. Kirby Freedom Center 110 Elden Street Herndon, Virginia 20170 800-USA-1776 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID HERNDON, VA PERMIT NO 6551