I've encouraged you earlier to pay attention to the endorsements of Nebraska Right to Life (1 and 2) and to read through the answers given by candidates to the Voters Identification Project (1 and 2). I've even slipped in (with those posts and others through the years) my high regard for two of the candidates in the running, mayoral candidate Hal Daub and city council candidate (District 3), Chip Maxwell.
I'd like to elaborate a bit on those two.
Hal Daub has served his community and nation in many very important ways and in each he has performed with integrity, great skill, tenacity and character. This includes his service in the U.S. Army, his charity work, his legal career and his outstanding record as as a four-term Nebraska Congressman and two-term mayor of Omaha.I have known and respected Hal for many years. Way back in 1985, I was among 27 pro-lifers who had been arrested for praying on the Supreme Court steps. It was a completely peaceful (mostly silent) prayer meeting held immediately after the national March for Life on January 22nd. The Court was closed and so we were not impeding or bothering anyone. Nevertheless, they bundled us up, handcuffed us and took us to jail. The eventual charge was "incommoding" -- the same charge, we were informed, as if we had urinated on the structure!
Hmm. Not too courteous an end to my first trip to the nation's capital, particularly since the previous night had been such a pleasant experience; i.e. attending an inaugural ball on the White House grounds.
Now remember, this was 1985...before the many sit-ins at abortion mills that would take place in the subsequent few years. And there was no small concern that officials (both D.C. police and the Court's own police had been involved in the arrest) had overreacted and, in so doing, had created an unnecessary political headache. After all, we had only been praying. And on the steps of a public building which was closed. No bullhorns. No disturbances. No wrestling with the cops. Had they left us alone for another 15-20 minutes, everybody would have simply gone back home.
But the D.C. police, having already committed themselves, made matters worse by treating us a political football. They refused to answer inquiries from friends and family concerning the charges against us or even where we were being held. They took us to one jail in the beginning, transferred us to another for our night's lodging, and then to two other facilities before we finally faced a judge who tossed us back in a holding cell. All this time we were kept incommunicado. Forget that one phone call business. The legal help we finally obtained came from a lawyer who just happened to engage us in conversation. ("Whoa. You guys don't look like our regular sort of criminals. What are you doin' in here?")
We, of course, were certain that our friends were trying desperately to figure out what had happened to us (a day and a half had already gone by) but what we didn't know then was that Congressman Hal Daub had joined in the search. It was Daub who finally broke through the bureaucratic tangle, letting the powers that be know their shenanigans had finally come to light and there would have to be a quick resolution to the matter.
There was.
In jail we had begun to sing the lyrics to the Kingston Trio's M.T.A. Song ("He never returned. No, he never returned."), but thanks to Congressman Daub, we did.
This was just one of the many times over the years that I've seen his energetic, effective leadership get things done when others hadn't a clue.
I haven't always agreed with Hal. And I remember getting a late night call once when Congressman Daub called to take issue with something I wrote in a Vital Signs newsletter. (We were still the Omaha Christian Action Council then.) We had a spirited and profitable conversation. It was only after I hung up that it hit me -- my Congressman reads our newsletter? I mean, this wasn't Time magazine we were producing but just a little newsletter that probably reached a few hundred people.
But then Hal hadn't been calling me because I represented some powerful political group; he had called because pro-life issues were genuinely very important to him and he simply wanted to set the record straight with someone he respected for sharing those same convictions. That was very impressive to us. Also impressive was what it revealed about his work ethic: laboring late at night, finding relevant information about issues even from little known sources, caring about the views of his constituents, and being frank even when it might involve conflict.
I could go on with such stories including Hal's appearances at pro-life events (including those of Vital Signs), his efforts in Washington in behalf of pro-life legislation, his candor and insight in private conversations, and more. But I'll stop with just one more.
Previous to Hal's service as Omaha's mayor, we used to see one or two, sometimes three, police cruisers park across the street from the 46th Street abortion clinic on Saturday mornings when we there sidewalk counseling. Police cars would frequently show up on weekday mornings too. The police presence was completely unnecessary -- our activity was peaceful, eminently courteous and completely legal. After all, I had earlier sued the City of Omaha (successfully) to win the right to peacefully gather on public sidewalks without being arrested under an old anti-union law.
The police rarely interacted with us (again, there was no need) but a few had confided to us that they were there because of pressure on the department by the abortionist. It was bad public relations for the police and many of the church-going pro-lifers who came to pray at the site wondered why the city's resources weren't better invested.
The Saturday after Hal Daub was elected mayor, the police cruisers were gone. Without any of us making a complaint, before we even had a chance to comment on the matter to him, Mayor Daub had acted. He put the police where they were most needed. Swiftly, quietly, efficiently.
Again, the guy is thorough. He's knowledgeable, experienced, well-connected and bright. He works tirelessly for the good of the community. And he knows that the good of the community requires appropriate action on the moral issues: gambling, care for the elderly, youth services, and particularly, the sanctity of human life.
Omaha would be very well served with Hal Daub as Mayor.
Chip Maxwell is also a friend and a pro-life colleague. And as a member of the Advisory Board of the Nebraska Coalition for Ethical Research, I have seen Chip's work (he has served as NCER's director and chief public spokesman) up close and personal. I've been quite impressed. He is a witty, clear-thinking, well-spoken communicator who is able to not only understand complex and controversial issues but then to expertly translate them to others.
These skills have made him a successful State Senator, Douglas County Commissioner, talk radio host, and author of one of the best books around about the embryonic stem cell controversy.
Like Hal Daub, Chip is a hard worker who is sensitive to the needs and concerns of his constituency. But he is also his own man, living out his Christian faith in public service as seriously as he does in his family life. He too is experienced and well-connected and he would bring his excellent communicative skills to a City Council that has been notoriously weak in that area for many years.
Electing Chip Maxwell to City Council would be a terrific step forward for Omaha. This afternoon I'll be casting my vote for Chuck Sigerson (the candidate for my district who has performed so ably that no one dared run against him). But if I lived in District 3, I would be casting a vote for a man I know would be doing Omaha proud, Chip Maxwell.
