From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback: on Families & Children
Adoption is a blessing that re-centers entire family
There's an important aspect of family formation that I want to mention, and that's the blessing of adoption. Our family has been blessed by it, although there was a moment when our older children didn't see it that way. Mary and I had 3 children--Abby,
Andy and Elizabeth--when we decided to adopt Mark and Jenna. When we talked to the older children about the idea, they were initially opposed. They liked our family the way it was. That lasted about a day when we adopted Mark.
They fell in love with him right away. Mark & Jenna recentered our family. There are so many forces in society that are centrifugal, that tend to pull the family in different directions, but these two children have helped to restore our family focus.
Mary and I both felt a deep calling to adopt, and we made arrangements to adopt Mark in Guatemala and Jenna in China. I highly recommend it to everybody interested. A child is a precious gift, and an adopted child is a gift to the entire family.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 88-9
Jul 3, 2007
1960s: Opposed Pres. Johnson by speaking on cultural issues
One of the real culture warriors of the last century was Senator Pat Moynihan. He nearly lost his position in the Johnson administration for speaking about cultural issues in this country. I was very interested in cultural issues, so I visited with
Senator Moynihan. I pitched the idea of organizing a bipartisan, bicameral commission to deal with cultural concerns. To some people that apparently sounded as though I was pushing for a "culture czar" or a "secretary of culture," and they didn't like
that idea. But I felt they needed to be discussed in a bipartisan forum. So I approached Sen. Moynihan.He was from the old-school, liberal, Catholic tradition and understood the central importance of the family, [agreeing] that strong families
are a key to stability and prosperity in society, and if we get that part right, we will be well situated for whatever happens in the future. But if we get that part wrong, then we're going to have even bigger problems in the future.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 96
Jul 3, 2007
Supports "culture czar" to expose kids to national values
[In the 1990s Senate, I tried] organizing a bipartisan, bicameral commission to deal with cultural concerns. To some people that apparently sounded as though I was pushing for a "culture czar" or a "secretary of culture," and they didn't like that idea;
ultimately the issue failed. The collapse of the traditional culture was our main concern, and the loss of a moral standard was clearly one of the biggest problems we faced as a society.If children are not properly educated in the values of the nation
and the common culture, then they are vulnerable to being misinformed and misled. We need to make sure that all Americans in every generation learn about the history and culture that has contributed to America's greatness. We all need to understand that
without a personal commitment to goodness, no nation can long survive. And sometimes that means crossing fences and mending fences, to join hands with those whose view of the American experience may be vastly different from our own.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p. 96-7
Jul 3, 2007
Drive pornography out via action on community standards
I am concerned about the epidemic of pornography in contemporary culture. As long as they can cast it as a "free speech" issue, lawyers have been able to protect their turf through the courts. When it can be shown that this is really an issue of
community standards, it's a different story. Communities have the constitutional ability to limit the pornography sold in their communities. This is the place to start. We have to go after pornography at the local level.
We need active local groups to take up the fight to drive pornography out of town.
This is a human tragedy because of its impact on families--divorces, individuals whose lives have been shattered by it, and thousands if not millions of men who can't
free themselves from the addiction. It's targeted and pernicious. It's well known that with any illicit drug, the user has to have more and more to get the same level of euphoria, and pornography is the same.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.110-2
Jul 3, 2007
Mail-order brides are a form of human sex trafficking
Trafficking and sexual slavery are still an enormous problem, although more nations are beginning to deal with it. There's a direct link between human trafficking and the so-called "sex tours" to parts of Asia. This involves the sexual exploitation of
both boys and girls. It involves fake "mail-order brides" who are bought and sold as sex objects and, in many cases, as sex slaves. There are people who've tried to defend this practice, saying that there's a long-standing historical basis for arranging
brides from other countries. We're trying to limit the practice now, particularly as we've found evidence that some of the male clients have been ordering 3 or 4 brides a year. We invited a couple of women who had been mail-order brides to come in and
testify for a committee hearing, and we discovered that most of these women are abused in very disturbing ways. Yet the practice is still going on, and there doesn't seem to be any lack of women who are willing to take the risk.
Source: From Power to Purpose, by Sam Brownback, p.121-2
Jul 3, 2007
Page last updated: Feb 21, 2019