BECOMING AMERICA

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #379

As many of you know, with two esteemed colleagues I have recently written a musical entitled “Convention: The Birth of America.” As the name implies, it is about our nation’s Constitutional Convention of 1787, and it is as factual as we could make it, all the while being informative and fun. Later I shared the CD of our songs with my friend Jo Ellen Chatham who, in turn, shared it with our mutual friend Bijan Kian. Thereafter, to my eternal gratification, they both came to me saying that they liked the music so much that we should tape 17 different one-hour episodes with knowledgeable guests, with each segment having one of our songs as its theme. So now all 17 episodes, plus an Introductory Episode, are “in the can.” The show is entitled “Becoming America: The Constitutional Convention of 1787,” which we call “A Unique Blend of Music, History and Political Thought.” The overall theme of the series is that “America is a perfect idea. The United States of America is a Work in Progress,” and the intent is for it to be used as an educational tool for high school and college students, as well as for the public in general. (You can hear the music for yourself at www.JudgeJimGray.com.)

So we are going to hold a preview of our series on Thursday, September 22, 2022 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in person at the Nixon Library and Museum ( 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, California). A flyer is attached. Please join us if you can! We are proud of the results and would love to share our show with you. The three of us will host the event, with Dr. Jo Ellen being featured as “The Professor,” me as “The Judge,” and Bijan as “The American.” Then we will blend some short snippets from some of the songs along with short clips of comments from some of our guests, including Professor Bryan Santin of Concordia University, Hillsdale College President Dr. Larry Arnn, our own former member of Congress and Chapman University Law School Dean Thomas Campbell, Michigan State University Political Science Professor William B. Allen, our own retired U.S. District Judge Andrew J. Guilford, Archivist of the United States David Ferriero, retired U.S. Marine Corps Major General James Williams, plus in-person interviews with the Father of our Constitution James Madison and the Father of our Country General George Washington. Then we end with short comments from some of Orange County’s most knowledgeable and insightful residents. We expect this to be a fun and even noteworthy event, and would love for you to share it with us. (Please try to RSVP to me as to who will be coming: not required, but appreciated.) And, yes, there will be time for some questions at the end. We hope to see you there!

Quote for the week: “The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.” Marcus Aurelius