Have you ever wondered what confluence of circumstances scribes an event, an individual, and an utterance indelibly and forever on our cultural psyche? From the profound (M.L. King’s “I have a dream”) though the literal, though erroneously shortened (Swigert and Lovell’s “Houston, we have a problem”) to the banal (Richard Nixon’s “I am not a crook”), sometimes the person makes the moment, sometimes the moment makes the person, sometimes it is a propitious combination of the two.
We are now in one of those defining moments, as “flatten the curve” has become a globally recognizable catchphrase, capturing the essential and defining objective of individuals, organizations, and governments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Simultaneously, Anthony Fauci, though legendary in infectious disease circles and a recipient of both the National Medal of Science and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, has only now achieved rock star status in the popular consciousness, with Brad Pitt playing him on Saturday Night Live.
The history of our republic was shaped by those moments, times when a meme, a message, and an individual have risen above the cacophony and forever shifted the debate to new ground. In those moments, a social or political epoch can be forever defined and delimited by a single speech or even a single utterance. (See Contemplative Reflection and Instantaneous Communication for a few thoughts on the power of principled oratory and long form debate.)
I believe passionately in the power of words and informed political, social, and scientific discourse to shape our present and our future. The defining moments always recur, testing the mettle of each generation in the crucible of challenge and uncertainty. In that fire, the dross of superficial pontification burns away, leaving only the enduring words, guiding principles, and character that define the essence of leadership and our shared humanity.
Never forget – a single thoughtful and principled individual can and always has made a difference. That’s what heroes are – people who unhesitatingly say and do the right thing when the circumstances demand it.
Framing the Debate
The U.S. Senate has sometimes been called, sometimes admiringly and occasionally pejoratively, the world’s greatest deliberative body, and the history of the U.S. Congress is replete with confirmatory examples of both appellations. Rather than dwell on the nadirs of contentious and acrimonious discourse, let me offer just a few memorable vignettes of riveting oratory and memorable repartee, followed by two more detailed instances that transformed our world.
Daniel Webster. Perhaps the greatest American orator of the 19th century, Daniel Webster (Massachusetts), rose to speak on January 26, 1830, in what became known as his Second Reply to Hayne. Nominally a debate on protectionist tariffs, nullification, and the power of states, Senator Webster’s speech forever changed the dialog in the still young United States. No longer would any sentence begin, “The United States ARE” but always, “The United States IS.” Webster’s rallying cry, “Union and Liberty, now and forever, one and inseparable,” delivered in voice said to “shake the world,” caused Senators and spectators alike that day to weep openly with love and pride of country.
Robert Caro’s wonderful book, Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, masterfully tells the tale of Webster’s impassioned and moving defense of the Union, and Webster himself later said that everything he had ever read, seen, or heard took fire in his brain that day. So great was the legend of Webster’s elocutionary power and defense of American principles that writer Stephen Vincent Benét later told a fanciful tale of Webster besting the devil himself in a courtroom throwdown over the soul of one Jabez Stone.
Joseph Welsh. During the height of the 1950s “red scare,“ Senator Joseph McCarthy (Wisconsin) made a series of sensational and largely unsubstantiated claims that communists and Soviet spies and sympathizers had infiltrated a wide variety of U.S. institutions, including the U.S. Army. As leader of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, he held a series of star chamber hearings, with the most infamous being the McCarthy-Army hearings in 1954. Witness Joseph Welsh, chief counsel for the U.S. Army, finally confronted McCarthy for his outrageous accusations and behavior, exclaiming, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?" It was a defining confrontation that led to McCarthy’s censure by the Senate and an end to political witch hunts during the Cold War.
Barbara Jordan. During the Watergate Hearings, Representative Barbara Jordan (Texas) delivered a ringing defense of the U.S. constitution and the rule of law. Speaking in a stentorian tone, one likened to the voice of God, she proclaimed, “My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution.”
Via that single speech, Jordan became a national figure while simultaneously laying bare the tawdry nature of President’s Nixon’s dealings. It is hard to listen without tears forming in one’s eyes, especially as she remarks on the long exclusion of others like her from “We The People.”
Robert Wilson – All We Venerate
On April 17, 1969, during the height of the Vietnam War, physicist Robert Wilson testified before the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. As the founding director of Fermilab, Wilson sought funding to construct Fermilab’s first high energy particle accelerator, designed to test the predictions of the still emerging Standard Model. (Though incomplete and by no means a theory of everything or even a validated Grand Unified Theory, the Standard Model is arguably one of the greatest intellectual edifices of the 20th century.)
The accelerator price tag was high, and the country was spending heavily on the Vietnam War, the cold war space race to the moon, and Johnson’s Great Society, political and military choices that, absent adequate monetary policy, would trigger the stagflation of the 1970s – “guns or butter, but not both.” The January 1968 Tet Offensive was still fresh in mind, and the July 1969 Apollo 11 lunar landing was still few months away.
In a now legendary exchange with Senator John Pastore (Rhode Island), Wilson defended the importance of basic, curiosity-driven science and discovery. No mere summary can do it justice; it is best to read the verbatim transcript, a portion of which I have reproduced below. (You can read an extended transcript here.)
Senator Pastore. Is there anything connected in the hopes of this accelerator that in any way involves the security of the country?
Dr. Wilson. No, sir; I do not believe so.
Senator Pastore. Nothing at all?
Dr. Wilson. Nothing at all.
Pastore, perhaps incredulous that Wilson had not lifted the bat off his shoulder while taking a called strike down the middle of the plate, persisted.
Senator Pastore. It has no value in that respect?
Dr. Wilson. It only has to do with the respect with which we regard one another, the dignity of men, our love of culture. It has to do with those things.
It has nothing to do with the military. I am sorry.
Again, Pastore gives Wilson an opportunity to make a case for defense relevance, and again Wilson demurs, then delivers the still memorable coup de grâce.
Senator Pastore. Is there anything here that projects us in a position of being competitive with the Russians, with regard to this race?
Dr. Wilson. Only from a long-range point of view, of a developing technology. Otherwise, it has to do with: Are we good painters, good sculptors, great poets? I mean all the things that we really venerate and honor in our country and are patriotic about.
In that sense, this new knowledge has all to do with honor and country but it has nothing to do directly with defending our country except to help make it worth defending.
What makes this exchange so extraordinary is that Wilson did not take the politically expedient and expected path, despite given multiple opportunities, by expounding on the proven scientific mantra that long-term basic research leads to unexpected discovery and innovation that will power the future economy. Rather, Wilson took the politically risky, morally high road by speaking truth to power. We do science because the pursuit of new knowledge satisfies a deep and unsated yearning, because the result is beautiful and that beauty brings us unbridled joy.
Read and reflect on Wilson’s statements again. He says plainly and unabashedly that the pursuit of new knowledge is about respect, dignity, love of culture, and making our country worth defending. Strong words.
Wilson got the money. He also opened Fermilab on time and under budget. Living his principles, he also insisted Fermilab’s architecture embody beauty and elegance and that there be sculptures on the grounds.
Fred Rogers – Human Values
Just a few days after Robert Wilson’s testimony, Fred Rogers – yes, that “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood” Mr. Rogers – appeared before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communication, chaired by, you guessed it, the same John Pastore who had previously grilled Robert Wilson. Rogers was there to defend the then nascent public television against the budget cuts proposed by President Richard Nixon.
Senator Pastore. Alright Rogers, you’ve got the floor.
After a plea to read his written testimony, Rogers began – in his quiet, humble voice – to talk about our essential humanity.
Mr. Rogers. This is what I give. I give an expression of care every day to each child, to help him realize that he is unique. I end the program by saying, "You've made this day a special day, by just your being you. There's no person in the whole world like you, and I like you, just the way you are." And I feel that if we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health.
Pastore then asks Rogers if he narrates the program.
Mr. Rogers. I'm the host, yes. And I do all the puppets and I write all the music, and I write all the scripts --
Senator Pastore. Well, I'm supposed to be a pretty tough guy, and this is the first time I've had goose bumps for the last two days.
Mr. Rogers. Well, I'm grateful, not only for your goose bumps, but for your interest in -- in our kind of communication. Could I tell you the words of one of the songs, which I feel is very important?
Fred then recites the words of his television song, “What do you do with the mad that you feel?"
Mr. Rogers. What do you do with the mad that you feel? When you feel so mad you could bite. When the whole wide world seems oh so wrong, and nothing you do seems very right. What do you do? Do you punch a bag? Do you pound some clay or some dough? Do you round up friends for a game of tag or see how fast you go? It’s great to be able to stop when you’ve planned the thing that’s wrong. And be able to do something else instead ― and think this song ―
“I can stop when I want to. Can stop when I wish. Can stop, stop, stop anytime ... And what a good feeling to feel like this! And know that the feeling is really mine. Know that there’s something deep inside that helps us become what we can. For a girl can be someday a lady, and a boy can be someday a man.”
After that, tough guy Pastore simply speaks from the heart.
Senator Pastore. I think it's wonderful. I think it's wonderful. Looks like you just earned the 20 million dollars.
Like Wilson, Rogers elevated the discussion above a muddy battle over money to a principled exegesis of human dignity and helping every child learn, grow, and adapt to the challenges facing them. In doing so, he conveyed a simple, elemental truth, one that transcended circumstance; each life matters, and with that belief, he helped millions of boys and girls become men and women of character.
Coda
In the midst of any crisis or societal inflection point, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception, we crave competence and character.
There are heroes out there, individuals whose words and actions manifest deep and abiding principles, rooted in knowledge, experience, and wisdom. We honor and venerate those who embody them, with dignity and purpose.
My faith in knowledge and reason is total and complete, for they are one and inseparable.
Observe, listen, learn, and emulate.
Comments