who have managed to keep most of their country out of the north sea for generations, it's humiliating. and if you think about those canal walls, how badly they were built, how much corruption went into the poor maintenance of things the poor planning, and you think about the s.e.c. and all of the attendant regulation that wasn't there so that you couldn't sell crap and call it gold on wall street, you know, selling crap and calling it gold eventually comes home. and it came home to new orleans about four years before it came home to the rest of the country in a very literal way. not in a metaphor cal, financial way. so in a way, new orleans, what i really admire about people there is they're trying to find their way home. because it is one of the great places in america culturally. and they're trying to find their way back. and they're doing it on their own.

and there's been a real loss -- if you look at everything from the way the road home money was administered to the way fema behaved, you know, not just in the immediate aftermath but in the months and years since, and now in terms of the state and local government and what they're doing in terms of everything from zoning issues to the hospitals, that city is enduring and trying to find its way home on its own, and without illusion anymore about what the country is, how hollow america actually is when it comes to certain things. and i find that to be interesting and admirable. it's kind of what i want to pay attention to now. because i think kind of all in that boat. a lot of the things that we thought -- we believed were -- a lot of the things that we believed were there to keep certain parameters and certain standards inherent in everything systemic in our lives really

weren't there. and they have been eviscerated over the course of decades. and so now we're where we're at. and new orleans is looking at us now i think a little bit like, what did you expect? we've been there. >> if you'll just allow me for a moment. we're almost out of time. but before asking the last question, for those of you who have been here before, you know the routine. we have a couple of important marts to take care of. upcoming speakers, on june 11th general james conway, the commandant of the u.s. marines corps will be here. on june 25th, stan cass ton, president of the washington nationals will be here. i don't know if they're going to put chicken wire in front but we'll see what happens. june 26th. robert herz chairman of the financial accounting standards board will address -- financial markets. secondly if you wouldn't mind just coming up here as is our tradition we'd like to present you with the traditional m.p.c.

cough -- n.p.c. coffee mug. >> thank you very much. >> one final question. that is a simple one. to what newspapers do you currently subscribe? [laughter] >> i subscribe to the "new york times." and again, it's delivered in baltimore for about the same price as the "baltimore sun." but it still has some news in it. so what are you going to do? >> that's great. well, let's offer a great round of applause for david simon. thank you. [applause] i'd like to thank you all for coming today or listening at home. i'd like to thank national press club members -- for helping to organize today's lunch and thanks to the n.p.c. library. the video archive of the luncheon is provided by the press club's broadcast operations center. our events are available for free download on itunes as well on the web site. and our members may purchase

transcripts, audio and videotapes by calling 202--- 622-7598 or archives at press.org. for more information about the press club you can go to the web site, www.press.org. that's it for today. thank you so much. adjourned. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> tomorrow on washington journal, michael eplinger from the center for american progress and john lot, the senior research scientist at university of maryland discuss the obama administration's spending policy on healthcare, carmakers and the financial system. tom guttman looks at u.s.-israel relations. and career -- from the endowment for international peace has the latest on the iranian elections. washington journal live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span.

>> on newsmakers, arizona senator john kyl, the minority whip, discusses healthcare issues and the senate agenda. newsmakers sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span.

>> a look at conservative leadership with remarks from rebekah hagelin from a conference at the clare boothe luce policy institute in washington. it's about 30 minutes. >> hello. my name is avila molina. i'm a summer intern with the clare boothe luce policy institute. our next speaker is a syndicated columnist, political commentator and acclaimed author. she's been married for almost 25 years and is the proud mother of three children. she served as the heritage foundation -- is currently their senior communications fell low. she has worked in public relations for the septemberer for judicial studies and director of communication of concerned women for america. she also found her own consult will business and was vice-president of communications at well net daily.com. she's been a strong conservative voice for many years advocating a pro-family message and

challenging a molly bankrupt society. she's written two books on the the very subject "home invasion, protecting your family in a culture gone stark raving mad" and 38 ways to save your family." it's already made the "washington post's" best seller list. in 2007 the clare boothe luce policy institute named her one of the great 12 american conservative women and she was featured in the institute's annual calendar. her advice in safeguarding the traditional family in a left it, media-driven society is helpful and practical and inspirational. please join me in welcoming mrs. rebecca hagelin. >> i was seated in a room not unlike this one as an intern in washington between my junior and senior year in college i fell in love in washington. as somebody who grew up in florida and a flame that was very ackive in -- a family that was very active in changing our world and lives, i knew very early on it was my calling to try to change the culture around

me. coming to washington was really one of the smartest things that i did. and then returning after i graduated and hitting the pavement looking for that first job was very political. you see behind me three statements with the clare boothe luce institute, inspiring women, covering leaders, and changing lives." and i would like to focus on the changing lives segment today and how each one of you can impact your culture and your country's future. many times, when we are at this age in our lives that you are, we feel a little uncertain about what our calling is in our life. well, i would submit to you that your greatest calling in life is to truly make a difference, first of all in the lives of people that are around you. and when you do so, you are impacting the culture around you and the country at large.

one of the issues to focus on today is the whole notion of heros. i have done a lot of writing and researching on this subject recently. and i have to say that my generation pretty much owes you guys an apology. and specifically in the media in culture that we've been feeding you, the pop culture. and as a representative of the generation that is creating and distorting the images of what a hero really is, i want to say i'm sorry. but i also want to say, i have great faith that your generation can change all of that. i receivedded an e-mail recently when i was writing my latest book about the culture and how parents can help take back their families. from a teacher of fourth grade. and when i read that e-mail, i became very much aware at how much damage we have done through

the pop culture, through the pornography, through the glorify of pop icons, and sports -- sports stars and entertainment figures over real heros how much damage we've been doing to the particular generation. this particular teacher had given an assignment to her fourth grade class to write down a type of hero they would like to become. and over 50% of the boys put that they wanted to do something related to some sort of crime activity. even one of them stating he wanted to be a hit man. their role models and their icons were people like madonna and 50-cent and happen stars. not one mentioned a military hero, not one mentioned becoming a politician or a statesman. not one mentioned becoming somebody that would give back to

others. well, i would submit that that is enough evidence right there to show what we've done with the word "heros." my goodness, i'm sorry. we've probably even ruined batman for the younger generations. when i was a kid, batman was a superhero because he was all about doing good in the world. well, we know that even today the superheros in a lot of the comic books are sinister. they've got something in their past. and they become very angry and bitter over that. and in today's comic book characters that are created by adults of my generation are really -- have robbed the superheros from the younger ones. i mean, my goodness, batman is not appropriate, the latest one, for a 10-year-old to go see. my 21-year-old son informed me of that. but it's not appropriate for younger kids. but good news is that we have plenty of heros to look at around our country. we have our military heroes. i'm proud to say that i am a navy wife.

my husband is actually retired from the reserves. he did not see combat in our married lives as far as having to get out in the middle of the bombs exploding, although he was off a beirut gun line on ship duty many years ago when the beirut barracks were blown up in the early 90s and had to attend -- early 80's and had to attend to. that and the terrorists we were fighting then are the same guys we're still fighting now. it's going to be up to your generation to actually finish that job. many of you will be called to serve at some point in the armed services. many of you will be called to serve in other ways of saving lives. but i would submit to you that heros are also people who are culture warriors, who make a difference in their communities and actually give up something in their own life on behalf of others own physical life. but heros are people who are

marked by their character, by their noble deeds. and all of you have an opportunity to do that. so i would say to you, what is it that you would do with your life today? and how can you get there? and i would offer four simple steps for you. the first one is to have a vision. the good book says, "without a vision the people perish." maybe that's why our declaration of independence and our constitution start with vision statements. our founding fathers who were well-versed in the bible understood the need to have a vision. and they understood the need to write it down and to be able to articulate it so other people could catch that vision. you're all familiar with it. but i'll read from it just because i want you guys to understand the importance of carrying around your own document, the constitution and declaration of independence. if you don't have a pocket-sized

one you should get one. because this is a document, the constitution part of this, that's being challenged every day and abused every day. and it's supposed to be what we go back to when we're deciding what votes are taking place in this very complex that we're in. it's supposed to be the document that's the guiding light. so you all should know that. in the declaration of independence -- again you're all familiar with it -- "we hold these truths to be self-est that all men are created -- selfest that all men are created equal, endoud by their creator with certain inalien able writes, among these life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." that's a vision statement. then they went on in the declaration of independence to declare why that vision statement for all of mankind had been violated and why they were forming a new union. and then the constitution. again, the very pream bell is a

vision statement. i read it to you once again just so you can see the importance of having it and being always able to refer to it if you have it. "we the people of the united states in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and to our position tearity, do or dain and establish this constitution for the united states of america." it's a vision statement. so the first one is to have your vision statement. who else in modern times had a vision statement they could clearly articulate? how about martin luther king? he sought a world that had a dream that one day people would be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. because he had a vision statement, he could articulate it. and because he could articulate it he could inspire other toss follow. ronald reagan, a vision

statement. he had a dream that his hope would be that one day the world would be free of the threat of nuclear war. and so he invented and put forth the miss sell defense program, which by the way right now is being chipped away at by our current administration. but ronald reagan was a visionary. he had the vision of america, that shining city on a hill. what is your vision? what is it that you're called to do? you can have several visions. you have your individual, personal visions for your life and your relationships. which above all else are critical. one of the things i really try to focus on especially in my work in washington, d.c. is reminding all of these great people that come to town to save country that if you save the country and you lose your family in the process, then you have really lost the heart and soul of who you are.

so at this age in life, before you are committed in relationships such as marriage and parenting, understand what your vision is for those relationships. and then when you have your vision, what do you do next? you step into your plan. how are you going to make that vision a reality? again, let's harken back to this great document, the constitution of the united states. it is a plan on how to run a nation. it's a plan on how to debate issues and how to electric government officials and how -- elect government officials, and how to protect those basic, inalienable rights. what is your plan that fits with your vision statement? ronald reagan had a plan. what is your plan for your life? as part of your plan, always make sure that it includes role models, people who are older than you are who have been where

you've been before, who you can ask for their advice. you are not meant to make it all up all by yourself. and i'm not meant to do, that either, as go through the various seasons in my life. i've always made it a point to have older role models, and then to make them understand the importance -- and you should take this home, too, with you -- the importance of being a role model as well. your plan should always include both. anybody that is younger than you right now has the as a role model. and what kind of role model are you? always seek to do both, to learn from those who have gone before you and to be ready to give every day of your life to those who are following behind you. and then of course after your plan you absolutely have to have courage. this battle that we're in, particularly for consecutive values for those timeless values

that we know make america work, timeless values like a strong national defense that keeps our enemies at bay, timeless values like individual freedom and personal responsibility, timeless values like a commitment to god and faith and to our families, and to others, the golden rule is a timeless value. a timeless value of free markets, of understanding that if we do our best, and if we compete on fairground, then all of the people benefit. and free ideas and free speech. all of those timeless values. it takes courage to defend those when you come to washington. and it takes courage when you go back home to defend those on your college campus. but at the end of the day, each night when you've been in a battle if you can put your head on your pillow and you can say, i may not have won today, and i

may have been the focus of scorn today, but i put my head on my pillow tonight, resting in knowing that i stood up for what i believed in. and i was willing to make those sacrifices of a here row. then you can be proud of yourself, and you are somebody who is becoming a true hero. and then of course, the last one is that undying commitment, an undying commitment. see, in the whole realm of courage -- and it goes hand in hand with the undying commitment -- courage is not the absence of fear. courage is not even overcoming fear. courage is the act of acting in spite of your fear. and that's where commitment comes into it. the men who signed the declaration of independence had great courage, but they also made the commitment when they put their hand, when they wrote

their names in pledging their sacred honors. what do you pledge your sacred honor to? what is your commitment? your word is your bond. when you give your word and you make the commitment, others need to be able to depend on you. especially if you seek to be a leader. there is one story that i find very inspirational, that i'll use as an example of commitment. and then i'll be happy to take your questions. and it's a story from the 1992 barcelona olympics. there was a british runner by the name of derek redman who was poised to win the 400-meter race in the olympics. and he was in barcelona in one of the semifinal heats. and he was running well. he was running fast. and all of a sudden, great pain engulfed his faces a he fell to

the track when a related previous injury burst forth. and the whole world watched as derek redman stood back up to his feet and in great pain and agony started living toward the finish line with all of his dreams dashed of not just -- not winning a gold but of any medal at all. but what really happened that day was even more important than what derek redman did. and that was the panning of the cameras, watching the crowd, a figure make their way through the crowd and down onto the track, fighting the security, with the same determination that derek redman was making to the finish line, this figure, this person was making their way down to the track. and the whole auditorium stood up and in applause and cheering and ovation as this man beat off the security guards and ran up

and the world watched as jim redman put his arm around his son and together the two of them made it to the finish line. and jim redman's words were, "i did this tor my son. i did this because of my commitment, not just to the race but to him as a human being. we started this out together. and we're going to finish it together, too." and i would submit that in whatever your calling is, that way to be a role model and a true hero is by practicing all those things, especially your undying commitment. thank you. [applause] >> now, i'm happy to take any questions if any of you have them, about culture, family, media, vision, et cetera.

>> hi. i'm ella at amherst college. and just wanted to see what you thought about this. i notice that both you and -- shannon touched on the world "character" and it's something that our society doesn't seem to value much anymore. and i'm a firm believer that the two most important persons in shaping someone's character is their parents. what do you think about that? >> well, as a mom -- and by the way, i have two children that are in your age range. i have a son who's 21 and a son who's 20. and then my daughter's 16. i would say that greatest calling for a woman who becomes a mother is to put everything she can into those precious lives that were placed into her arms. and that's the greatest calling of dads, too. and we have a tremendous responsibility to shape the character every single day and

to make it our focus. my books are all about that, are about that commitment every day. i want my kids to know i love them enough to dare to challenge the status quo every single day. and to dare to build into them very purposefully those character qualities. but let me just quickly say, too, i know that it's very painful in our nation that for every 100 babies that are born in this country, 60 are born to a broken family. see, in 1950 for every 100 babies that were born in this country, 12 were born to a broken family. that is to a family either out of wedlock or to a family that would soon suffer divorce. now that number is 60. and perhaps that's a pain that you deal with in your life. well, one of the great callings of our lives is to learn from our pain and overcome that and vow that we don't rebeat what caused the pain to us.

today is a new day to start over again and to understand that passing on character and commitment is very important to our kids. i would say one of the growth experiences of my life, and one of the most joyous things in life, is being in a marriage where i know my husband is committed to me. i know he's watching my back. i know i can fully trust him. but you know what's even more astounding than that? it's becoming the person that watches somebody else's back and that's fully committed to them through thick and thin, a and that becomes a person they can trust and they can rely on. and you can be that kind of person, too. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> hi. i'm kelsey from college of admire your ability to have a family and writing numerous books. inspiring. but how would you suggest women of our age do that if how do we allocate the time as we grow up to jug el these numerous things?

what would you do? >> in general it gets back to the vision. what is the vision for your life? if -- this is not the popular thing to say these days, but if your vision includes one of children, there is a certain season in a woman's life in particular where she needs to be there for her small children. and i would say it's so that your generation is the luckiest generation on the face of the earth to be able to do both because of modern technology. there's no reason why most parts of -- many parts of most jobs can be done in a home environment. now, it doesn't apply to all jobs. but almost any job you can name, there are portions of it that can be done at home. and that works for men and women, too. and one of my greatest callings in life is to encourage businesses to offer more flex time to their employees voluntarily. to offer more opportunities to telecommute. somebody in this room may actually be the person who invents that next technology

that even lets families get closer and spend more time together. it's always been a mission of priorities. i consider it the greatest thing in my life to be able to shape somebody else's life. and sometimes that means taking a back seat to opportunities. many of you will be called in the nonprofit arena whether or not you have children, whether or not you marry. and when you're called into the nonprofit arena, you're making choices where you're giving up opportunities, too, financial incentives many times. people who serve in the armed forces do that as well. so it's understanding what your priorities are and giving to your family and knowing at the end of the day, my goodness, i bet all your parents feel this way. how many have whiney moms or dad when you went off to college, right? i see your faces. when, i'm one of those sad moms that turned around one day and before i knew it my little boy was walking down the graduation aisle and out my door. so it'a