When Solzhenitsyn Stunned Harvard

Culture
John Stonestreet, Radio Host and Director of the Colson Center

A little over forty years ago, Soviet dissident and literary giant Aleksander Solzhenitsyn delivered a thunderbolt of a commencement address at Harvard University.

Survivor of the Soviet GULAG, a fierce opponent of communism, Solzhenitsyn stunned his elite audience as he took aim at the disastrous social and worldview trends happening in the West.

He bemoaned that Western societies had given “destructive and irresponsible freedom . . . boundless space.” By which he meant license, what Chuck Colson called freedom without virtue. Then he went after the Western appetite for “decadent art.” Finally, he argued, no healthy society or culture lacks great statesmen.

Solzhenitsyn was prophetic. But sad to say, the West has largely ignored his voice. Irresponsible freedom? Check. Decadence? Check. Now go through your mental checklist and see how many great statesmen or stateswomen you can name these days.

Come to BreakPoint.org for more on Solzhenitsyn’s stunning address, including a BreakPoint commentary.

Copyright 2021 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.

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Perry County Becomes Arkansas’ Ninth Pro-Life County

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On Monday night the Perry County Quorum Court passed a resolution affirming that the county is Pro-Life.

Perry County is Arkansas’ ninth Pro-Life County.

The resolution reads,

A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING THE COMMITMENT OF THE COUNTY OF PERRY, ARKANSAS TO PROTECTING THE UNALIENABLE RIGHT TO LIFE OF EVERY PERSON; AND DECLARING THE COUNTY OF PERRY, ARKANSAS TO BE A PRO-LIFE COUNTY.

WHEREAS, the Declaration of Independence declares that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the right to life; and

WHEREAS, Amendment 68 to the Arkansas Constitution states that the policy of the State of Arkansas is to protect the life of every unborn child from conception until birth; and

WHEREAS, it is the duty of state and local governments to protect the unalienable right to life of every person within their respective jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court stated in Poelker v. Doe, 432 U.S. 519 (1977), that the United States Constitution does not forbid a municipality, pursuant to democratic processes, from expressing a preference for normal childbirth instead of abortion;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Quorum Court of the County of Perry, Arkansas:

Section 1: It is the policy of the County of Perry to promote and protect the dignity and humanity of all persons at all stages of life from conception until natural death.

Section 2: The County of Perry declares itself to be a Pro-Life County.

Act 392 of 2021 by Rep. Kendon Underwood (R – Cave Springs) and Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R – Branch) affirms that municipalities in Arkansas can designate themselves as Pro-Life.

Pro-Life resolutions have passed in the City of Mariana and the City of Springdale.

Washington, Benton, Crawford, Cleburne, Pope, Jackson, Saline, and Faulkner counties have passed pro-life resolutions as well.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that municipalities can adopt pro-life policy positions like these resolutions.

In fact, any city, town, or county can pass a pro-life resolution like the ones that these communities have passed.

Public opinion polling shows Arkansans are overwhelmingly pro-life. We hope other communities will pass their own resolutions affirming that they are Pro-Life — just like Perry County.

If you would like to learn more about how you can pass a pro-life resolution in your community, give us a call at (501) 375-7000 or click here.

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Arkansas A.G. Signs Amicus Brief Against Biden Administration’s Pro-Abortion Effort in Texas

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On Wednesday, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge joined other state A.G.’s in filing an amicus brief against the Biden Administration’s attempt to thwart Texas’ pro-life heartbeat law.

Texas enacted the law earlier this year. It generally prohibits abortion after an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected. As a result of the law, abortion facilities in Texas have been closed for the past several weeks.

However, the Biden Administration has taken legal action to block the law.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland is spearheading that effort in federal court.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Rutledge and others filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, saying,

The Attorney General [Merrick Garland] has no authority to act as a roving reviser of state law, challenging as unconstitutional any rule with which he disagrees. Congress has repeatedly refused to grant him such authority; this Court should refuse to do so as well.

It’s good to see Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and her team continuing to take a strong stand against the Biden Administration’s pro-abortion policies.

This case could have significant implications for pro-life laws in Arkansas and elsewhere.

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