"Punching Holes in the Darkness"
June 06, 2007
On April 26th and 27th the Heritage Foundation hosted its 30th Annual Resource Bank Meeting at the Loewe’s Philadelphia Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Pax Americana Institute was well represented. With over 600 think tank executives, public interest lawyers, policy experts, elected officials, and activists from around the world to discuss issues, strategies, and methods for advancing free market, limited government public policies, and building conservative momentum, top experts from a host of fields were present to lead panel discussions and break-out sessions on the various topics.
The Convention opened with keynote addresses by Edwin J. Feulner (The Heritage Foundation, President) and Ken Blackwell (Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow for Public Policy, The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, and Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment, Family Research Council). Blackwell’s address was both inspirational and motivational. Weaving a rhetorical masterpiece, Mr. Blackwell cited the inherent strength of the conservative movement given the truths on which it is founded and outlined the necessity of conservatives to move forward together. Following the recent election and challenges of the Iraq War, Blackwell noted that there is little time and even less worth in creating division among the movement. Instead, conservatives must push forward, chins held high, and continue to “punch holes in the darkness” of liberal naiveté and ignorance. A standing ovation denoted a commitment to the charge from everyone in the room!
Following Blackwell’s address, the afternoon was laden with myriad sessions entitled Man and the State: Restoring the Proper Balance; Building a Movement of Ideas: The Donors’ Perspective; Education Reform: Expanding Choice and Flexibility; Global Warming: Why the Fight? What’s Our Future?; and The Nine Biggest Presentation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. Of these sessions, PAI was present at the afore-underlined and vigorously engaged afterwards with panelists and other executives.
Dr. Jay Lehr (Senior Fellow and Science Director at Heartland Institute, author, internationally-renowned speaker and scientist who has testified before congress) gave a truly eye-opening address on the reality of global warming as science perceives it today. It is the side of the debate that the media, the Left, and Mr. Gore’s fictional film, An Inconvenient Truth, does not want you to hear! Dr. Lehr’s presentation would have left even Mr. Gore hungering for real science to counter the many truths of carbon dioxide’s role in our world. It is an address that every American should hear. To listen to Dr. Lehr’s address, visit: http://www.heritage.org/About/Community/RB050707.pdf and see: Global Warming: Why the Fight? What’s Our Future?
Day One was concluded with a social dinner and keynote address by Newt Gingrich, former Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Gingrich spoke vehemently for the reigning in of big government, reducing excessive regulation, and the importance of making English an official language of government documents. Following Gingrich’s address, Feulner presented The Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship to
Edwin Meese III (Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow in Public Policy and
Chairman, Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, The Heritage Foundation). Pax Americana Institute extends its congratulations to Mr. Meese for his outstanding work and contributions in the political arena. The award is well deserved.
Day Two’s sessions included Building a Movement of Ideas: Building for the Long Term; Limiting the Federal Government: Innovative Tax and Transparency Policies; Measuring Impact; New Tools for Reaching New Audiences; A New Vision for Health Care Reform; Strategy for Latin America Discussion; Faith-Based Health Care Reform; Labor Reform Strategy Session; and Global Warming Strategy Session. Former president of Spain, José María Aznar, delivered a powerful luncheon address focused on the need for spreading liberties and freedoms across the world. It was an apt reminder of why current U.S. foreign policy focuses are in fact current U.S. foreign policy focuses.
As the conference came to a close, PAI’s success could not be measured merely by those big-wig political types who engaged with and supported our cause: Ed Feulner (President, Heritage), Ken Blackwell (Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow for Public Policy), Newt Gingrich (Former Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives), and President Aznar (Spain); it must also be measured by how well PAI can utilize the effort, energy, and message of those who have been advancing such agendas for decades longer. The metric is in place for such a measurement; the utilization has begun. Time is now the only impediment between patience and success.
From a quiet beginning to the conference, where people were asking each other anytime we took the floor, “What is PAI and where are they from?” to a notable ending that left people whispering, “That man is from PAI, an up-and-coming think tank from Wisconsin who is putting the voice of Midwesterners behind foreign and national security policy!” There is no doubt in the mind of this executive officer that shortly people will no longer be whispering about PAI, but, instead, they will be rallying to its cry, phoning for its support, writing for its literature, and beckoning for its analysis. The conservative momentum in the Midwest will progress, and PAI will soon lead its charge. Together, with sound leadership and ample ambition from an Institute that is sincerely devoted to the voice of conservatism in the moral heartland of the country, the Pax Americana Institute will continue punching holes in the darkness!
For video and audio footage of addresses and sessions and to see a more detailed agenda of the 30th Annual Resource Bank Meeting and, please visit: http://www.heritage.org/About/Community/RB050707.pdf
Punching Holes in the Darkness was written by PAI's Executive Director © PAI 2007.