In light of Bob McDonnell's lame excuse that his Master's thesis, written at age 34 - when he was married, had children, and had served in the military - was a mere youthful indiscretion, I've been thinking about what people historically have accomplished by age 34. I plan for this to be a continuing series, which we kick off today with one of the most important figures in history, Martin Luther.Born in 1483, Luther began teaching theology at the University of Wittenberg in 1508, a year after he was ordained to the priesthood at age 24. Luther a Bachelor's degree in Biblical studies at age 24, and then a Doctorate of Theology at age 28 (October 19, 1512). Most famously, perhaps - and also most relevant to Bob McDonnell - on October 31, 1517, Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of the Schlosskirche (castle church) in Wittenberg. Also know as the "Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences," Luther thereby launching the Protestant Reformation, one of the greatest events in human history. Martin Luther was just a few days shy of his...wait for it...34th birthday. Obviously, it must all have been a youthful indiscretion. Ha. :)
In sum, by the age of 34, Martin Luther had kicked off the Protestant Reformation by nailing his 35 Theses - no mere academic exercise, that's for sure! - to the church door in Wittenburg. And Bob McDonnell? Well, at the ripe young age of 34, one could argue that he was busy attempting to kick off a revolution of his own, via his 15 "Theses" (action items?) laying out the "specific family policy proposals that Republicans should pursue." And just as Martin Luther's 95 Theses weren't a mere academic exercise, but an all-out assault on a system that he saw as corrupt and decadent, so was Bob McDonnell's 93-page jeremiad against modernity, women in the workplace, "fornicators," etc.
In the end, of course, Martin Luther became one of the most important figures in human history (beginning at an age which Bob McDonnell would probably claim was "so long ago" and "nothing to do with the man he is today"). The question is, will Bob McDonnell continue his own rise to political power by becoming Virginia's next governor? Not if we nail McDonnell's 15 Theses to every door - physical and "virtual" - in Virginia!
