A long time ago (actually in 1956, my second year in university), I took a public speaking class. I really enjoyed that semester, and I’ve done a fair amount of public speaking since those days, an activity that I do enjoy. One of the class assignments was to come up with a “proposal” to accomplish something unusual or difficult, or both. Searching for a suitable topic, I suddenly came up with a “eureka--I have found it” moment. I had recently been reading, for my very first time, about the loss of the passenger liner, Titanic. What better “unusual” topic could there be, in those halcyon days of 1956, then to come up with a proposal to “RAISE THE TITANIC,” which became my talk’s title?
So I conceived a plausible (for those days) idea on how to raise the wreckage of that famous vessel, once it was discovered (a minor detail that my proposal assumed had been overcome, although Dr. Robert Ballard wouldn’t find the Titanic’s wreck until 1985, and discover that it was in two large pieces). As I recall, my 15-minute talk was a big hit with my classmates, and I received a high mark from my professor. Interestingly, my 1956 speech about raising that famous lost ship was a forerunner of an idea that the author, Clive Cussler, also developed, because back in the 1970’s he wrote his book: “Raise the Titanic,” which was made into a thrilling film of that same name back in 1976. The story was riveting and the musical score by the late, great composer, John Barry, was one of his very best and most melodic, exceeded only by his score for one of my very favorite films, “Somewhere In Time.” I’m glad that the book was written, the movie made, and the wonderful music composed. But I had the idea first.
If you ever have the opportunity to go to an exhibit of the recovered artifacts from the Titanic’s wreck site, by RMS Titanic, Inc., I’d recommend that you do so. I’ve been to that exhibit twice, the first time during a trip to Cleveland, Ohio back in 2002. I’ll have you know that during that visit I actually touched one of the actual life boat davits (hooks) that lowered one of the Titanic’s life boats down into the water. It had been recovered by one of the many expeditions to Titanic (and thousands of artifacts have been recovered, preserved, and put on exhibition). A sign said, “Do Not Touch”, but the urge was too great, and I have a video of myself touching that davit-- a part of history. There was also a 20 ton piece of Titanic’s hull on display. I couldn’t get to it to touch it, but I would have if I could have.
As I looked at all the artifacts—pieces of the ship’s hardware and fittings, personal items belonging to the mostly doomed passengers, photographs of those who survived and those who didn’t, I began to reflect about the parallels that could be made between the life of the RMS Titanic and the “life” of our beloved, but troubled, country. This great ship was launched in Ireland in early 1912 with the expectation that it would sail the oceans of the world for many years. It was the largest man-made movable object in history up to that time. Its’ owners, officers, crew, and passengers exuded great confidence in Titanic, boldly declaring it to be “unsinkable”. Even God Himself, it was claimed, couldn’t sink this luxurious leviathan. Its’ designers claimed it was faster, bigger, and stronger than any ship ever made.
As Titanic turned her bow from Ireland and toward New York, she sailed into history and, for so many of her passengers, into eternity. The Chairman of White Star Lines, Bruce Ismay, sailing on his creation, urged Capt. Smith to run the ship at maximum speed to try to set a new trans-Atlantic crossing record. Grudgingly, the Captain did so. The first class passengers, some of the world’s wealthiest people at the time, trusting in their money and in their arrogance, thought of little else but the luxury afforded them. The other passengers, especially those in steerage class, were at the mercy of those in charge, and thought of little else except getting to America and starting new lives.
Warnings began to come to the Marconi radio room of Titanic from other ships, warnings of icebergs directly on their course, but those in charge ignored the warnings or disregarded them. After all, Titanic was unsinkable, wasn’t it? Icebergs could be seen and avoided, couldn’t they? Why worry when everything was going so well? But a few hours later, this magnificent ship—the “greatest” to have ever sailed up to that point in time—was 12,500 feet down at the bottom of the Atlantic, sunk by one of God’s ICE CUBES, and 1500 of her passengers went to a freezing, watery death and into their eternal destiny.
I’ve often thought that our beloved U.S.A. is like the Titanic in so many ways. It was “launched” in 1787 with great hopes and expectations that it would be different, better, stronger, more free than any other nation in history. And for a long time it was. We believed that American self-confidence and a real trust in the God of our Bible would always get us safely into port. The “keel” for the U.S. was laid down from 1607 to 1620, and our nation’s “construction” began on April 19, 1775, with great sacrifice. For many generations of Americans our course seemed sure and steady, guided by God’s Hand on us.
However, in recent times and decades, we as a country seem to have sailed into dangerous waters—into the fog banks of ever-bigger government and its ever more socialist demands on our treasury—into the ice fields of more and more federal power, and less and less citizen power. Those who have been in charge of our Ship of State over many decades have assured its’ passengers (us) that all is well, that we should trust them to pilot the USS American Nation around the icebergs of terrorism, educational mediocrity, moral decline, huge budgetary deficits, uncontrolled immigration, and national cynicism. Worst of all, we’ve told our Heavenly Father—God of OUR Fathers—that He isn’t needed very much any more, and that we Americans can take it from here and chart our own course from now on. Thank you very much!
Like most of Titanic’s passengers, Americans increasingly seem to be merely “along for the ride”, unconcerned that not only has our ship of state struck a financial and moral “iceberg”, but that it seems to be foundering rapidly. We appear to have a “Captain” on the “bridge” in the “steering room” called the White House that is trying to save our USS American Nation from foundering, but sadly many of the “crew” and half of the “passengers” seem more intent on making our captain “walk the plank” into oblivion than they seem determined to keep our “ship” from foundering.
Many of the “passengers” on our ship of state aren’t worried in the least. After all, those in charge of our “voyage”—those who run and control our mainstream “navigation media”, would tell us if our freedom and safety were in peril. Wouldn’t they? Besides, the water hasn’t reached our deck yet, so sail on and enjoy the voyage. Warnings from patriotic fellow passengers that our noble vessel is in mortal danger are just rantings from silly conservatives and doom and gloom extremists and “deplorable” Trump supporters. So, let’s all be happy and enjoy our voyage, even if it might end in a port not of our own choosing.
On November 6th, Americans will vote in what has accurately been called “the most important election of our lifetimes”. Depending on whether Americans vote to keep the vacillating Republicans in control of BOTH houses of Congress, or vote to give the scurrilous and treacherous Democrats control of the House or the Senate (or both), will determine whether or not our USS American Nation avoids the icebergs of calamity and catastrophe that the enemies of American constitutionalism (Democrats) have placed directly on our course, or will heed the urgings of its “Captain”, President Trump, to steer a new course to avoid a fatal collision with tyranny which will assure the “sinking” of our noble republic into the sea of socialist/communist despotism in the near future. Now is NOT the time to “man the lifeboats”—now is the time to act with resolution and firmness, and despite some reservations vote ONLY for Republican candidates on November 6th, 2018. To do otherwise is to assure that our ship of state strikes the “iceberg” of tyranny and will surely founder from that despotism in the near future. The history of America’s future freedom awaits the decision that Americans make on November 6th, AND in November, 2020. Certain calamity is directly ahead of us, and conservative and patriotic “lookouts” are warning our “helmsmen” to immediately change course. But will we? Ah, that’s the question, isn’t it?