"Bringing LIFE to the Heart of America ... Bringing the Heart of America to Life!".

Last night I took part in an ad hoc committee called together by a group to which I belong whose goal that evening was to produce a "mission/vision statement." One gentleman, who has been a party to the creation of many such statements, said it takes a lot of time and effort to produce such a document, but that it would be well worth it. Such formulations not only tell our members what we are about, he said, they also shape the way we are understood by others.

I thought of that when I read Holly Smith's delightful come-to-NRLC 2007 story that appears on page 18. As she explains, "Bringing LIFE to the Heart of America ... Bringing the Heart of America to Life!" is this year's slogan. While these 14 words are a rallying cry to come to Kansas City June 1416, they are more than this: they articulate a very revealing mission/vision statement for our Movement.

They help us understand what we are about, and why. And they challenge the conscience of a nation to see not only unborn babies for who they are, but also who their championsyou!for who we are.

Pro-lifers are amazingly creative in the manner in which they accomplish this difficult mission. Take what pollster and author Kellyanne Conway said at last year's convention's opening session held in Nashville.

Her analysis of polling data was mesmerizing. What sticks out in my memory are two related points she made early in her presentation.

First, that we "have two lobes of the brain so we can hold inconsistent thoughts at the same time." She illustrated that with our fascination with change.

One lobe of our brain is in love with change, options, and alternatives, Conway said. The other lobe "recoils" when we are actually asked to make a change, or exercise an option. Partly as a ...