A lot of the powerful religious leaders from Jesus to Buddha to Tibetan monks they're really talking about the same things: love and acceptable and the value of friendship and respecting yourself so you can respect others.
No matter what message you are about to deliver somewhere whether it is holding out a hand of friendship or making clear that you disapprove of something is the fact that the person sitting across the table is a human being so the goal is to always establish common ground.
It is not natural or inevitable that half the world goes hungry that the freedom of markets trumps protection of the planet or that citizens' rights come second to those of corporations.
The arc of American history almost inevitably moves toward freedom. Whether it's Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation the expansion of women's rights or now gay rights I think there is an almost-inevitable march toward greater civil liberties.
Every general increase of freedom is accompanied by some degeneracy attributable to the same causes as the freedom.
Now do I think there has to be shared sacrifice among other nations in the world who want a stable and secure world? Absolutely there has to be. But I don't think that America can ever abdicate its leadership role in the world because of who we are and where we've come from. We are the symbol for the world for freedom and liberty.
Those who write the editorials and those who write the columns they simply are unaccountable. They're free to impose their cultural politics in the name of freedom of the press.
Our forefathers got it they got it man. They took godly principles and they put them into action and they developed our Constitution - the land of freedom where each man is accountable and responsible for his actions.
I felt extremely uncomfortable as the focal point in the spotlight. I really like the behind the scenes role because all my freedom is there.
For me forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?