Ben Carson- Want To Learn More?

"As a boy, Ben Carson watched his father walk out on his family, closing the door on a life the 8-year-old would never know again. Through periods of heartbreak, fear and financial struggle, his mother, Sonya Carson, provided for Ben and his brother. A determined woman with only a third-grade education, she insisted her sons see their potential and that they never let circumstances get them down. She taught them that education would change their lives." - SUCCESS Magazine's 2011 profile on Dr. Carson

"Ben Carson, 40 — His are the hands that doodled and danced aimlessly on elementary school tests, threatened his mother with a hammer, and stabbed a friend whose belt buckle deflected the knife."- FORTUNE Magazine's 1992 profile on Dr. Carson

"We know we aren’t served well by those who have been handed everything they have, whether through privilege or poverty, because usually their agenda isn’t service toward others at all. Often those types don’t have a grip on responsibility and appreciation. But we are all best served by those with tired eyes and worn skin and dirt under their nails. [emphasis the quoted author] They know hard work. They know sacrifice, suffering, forfeiture, endurance. These folks are an example because they know what life without is like and are therefore more driven to stay out of the miry pit they once occupied in some way, and that comes through serving others first, as Mrs. Carson modeled for her kiddos."
- from "Thank You, Mrs. Carson" by a blogger called The Peacock Quill

Seriously, do go read all three whole articles. I'd quote major passages here if it wouldn't be so long.

Now, fast forward to the present:

Politico's article "Ben Carson, the Superior Outsider"

and for what it's worth, Yahoo Politics' article, "Ben Carson on the issues: Inside the mind of the retired neurosurgeon surging in polls, rivaling Trump".

I wouldn't be surprised if these two ladies, this mom, and Marine vet Michael Whaley wish that Ben Carson becomes our next President.

Looks like this young man might feel the same:

I'm not a black man nor am I a mom of a black man, so I really can't answer this, but if you are either, can you relate to a guy who did all or even some of what was described in those first two articles above, and then did this?

"Carson...has a powerful testimonial about getting down on his knees as a young man unable to control his temper and saying, 'Lord, unless you help me, I'm not going to make it.'"

Maybe this is why a lot of folks, black and white, are responding to Carson: he admits his past weaknesses and is an example of how to overcome the extreme despair, abandonment, depression, poverty of a Detroit ghetto, without the help, handpicking or escorting-in by any Party Machine to the highest office in the land.

Some would say about President Obama that he had never governed anything, never accomplished anything governmental, never managed a company, a definitive agency or a serious budget. As a Senator, of course, no one's really running anything. Well, neither has Ben Carson. If it didn't stop Obama, why should it stop Ben Carson?

And the more I think about it, the more Carson seems to be what I've been looking for in a candidate:

"He is more gentlemanly and more conservative, with a more compelling life story. Carson is a man of faith who, despite his manifest accomplishments, has a quiet dignity and winsome modesty about him. Ben Carson is a throwback..."

...but a throwback in all the good ways.

ADDENDA: On CNN's Crossfire last year, Ben Carson ably corrects the mis-accusations from former Ohio Democrat Governor Ted Strickland (who has his own Bill Clinton "It depends on what you think the meaning of 'is' is" moment and, today, along with Hillary "misses the mark with Millennials" in his home state) and proves Stephanie Cutter wrong on when both the 2009 Iranian election protests and the invasion of Georgia by Russia actually took place)...

What Carson actually said regarding the two quotes he was challenged on is this:

• He did not say the United States of America was like Nazi Germany. He said the government and its institutions were:

  Following a standing ovation at his address to the standing-room-only crowd, Dr. Ben Carson said that the current state of our government and institutions are “very much like Nazi Germany.” Carson says, “You had the government using its tools to intimidate the population. We now live in a society where people are afraid to say what they actually believe.”

• Referring to his being targetted by the IRS for uncalled-for audits following his February 2013 National Prayer Breakfast speech: "We live in a Gestapo age," Carson said. "People don't realize it".

  Dr. Benjamin Carson, the former director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital who is considered a possible GOP contender for the 2016 GOP nomination, told Newsmax TV on Monday that he and his family have been personally targeted by the IRS in retribution for his frank critique of President Obama’s policies at the February 2013 National Prayer Breakfast.

  Carson said audits and other harassment began in May or June of 2013 and gradually expanded to include family members, associates, and his charitable endeavors.

  "I’ve been quite I would say astonished at the level of hostility that I have encountered," Carson said in an exclusive interview with host John Bachman on "America’s Forum" on Newsmax TV.

  "The IRS has investigated me. They said, ‘I want to look at your real estate holdings.’ There was nothing there. ‘Well, let’s expand to an entire [year], everything.’ There was nothing there. ‘Let’s do another year.’ Finally, after a few months, they went away. But they’ve come after my family, they’ve come after my friends, they’ve come after associates."

The UK's The Guardian on Ben Carson and his lifestory

The Speech That Got Carson National Attention:

Carson on how he "used to be a flaming liberal:"

August 18, 2015 full speech in Arizona, well worth the long time to watch this one (especially the big fact he drops--with backing from 17 Nobel Laureates in Economics--at the 22:00-23:00 minutes mark!):