Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Color us patriotic
By Russell King
Yesterday, Maya was coloring in her pre-kindergarten workbook. The design was a group of "puzzle" pieces, each with a letter inside it. The task was to identify the uppercase and lowercase versions of the letter "I" and color them blue. Having completed the task, Maya picked up another crayon and asked rhetorically: "I can color all the other ones yellow, right? It is a free country."
As Maya made the remark, her mother was making final preparations for the neighborhood Independence Day parade (which she’s organized yet again), and it all got me wondering. What does an American Dad say about his country at this particular moment in history, when it seems our freedom is being eroded and our national character is being twisted by those who manipulate our fears for their own ends?
Explaining to the kids the nation’s birthday is simple enough, but helping them understand the holiday’s meaning for their lives is trickier. It’s about patriotism, of course, but talk to five people about how to define that word and you’ll get five different answers – none of which will match the one in your head.
It’s important to let the kids know that good, smart people disagree about such things, and that in the end they’ll have to make up their own minds, but we dads have an absolute duty to let them know how we define patriotism. If we don’t say anything, we leave than at risk of being exposed only to the thinking of those who wrap all sorts of vile traits and desires in the flag. If nothing else, we’ll give them a counter-balance to the messages of the uglier parts of our culture.
So, here’s what I’d like my kids to know today, July 4, 2006. I’d like them to know that in their family tree they have a "grandfather" who fought for the colonies in the Revolutionary War, and another who fought for the British crown – and that we’re proud of them both. I’d like them to think of America as an extension of our family and I’d like them to apply the principles of family to patriotism. And, of course, I’d like to them to apply the principles of our religious faith to their love of country.
First, we are Americans. No hyphens, thank you very much. In our family, we are adopted, step and homegrown. We are black and white, male and female, tall and short, driven and easy going, focused and whimsical, athletic and intellectual, older and younger.... There’s a root religious value at work here -- "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." – and that value extends through our family to our nation.
Love is patriotic. This is important to remember now, when so many are working so hard to drive wedges between groups of us for their own ends.
Second, speaking up isn’t just a right, it’s a duty. If Logan, 12, sees that Jaden, 6, is about to hurt himself or someone else, he’d better speak up. And if Jaden doesn’t stop, Logan had better call in the authorities (Mom and Dad). If Hannah, 14, sees that Rylee, 10, is about to take the heat for something she didn’t do, she’d better "speak truth to power" and let Mom and Dad know they’re wrong. If Mom and Dad know that any of the six kids are wandering from the correct path in life, they have the obligation of parental love to speak up, to help that child find his or her way back. The same is true for patriots who see their country lose its way.
Our religious beliefs come into play here: What Jesus did and said, as the fundamental part of his life and teaching, was speak up and speak out – in short, dissent. Jesus dissented from the Jewish religious bosses, the Roman Empire and the prevailing cultures of his day. We feel compelled to follow that example.
Dissent is a vital part of our Independence Day heritage, because this country was founded on dissent. The American Revolution was lead by dissenters. They did not agree when the British King said he had the right to rule everyone because God said he did. The Declaration of Independence is a statement of dissent. This is important to remember now, when we have a president who claims the powers of a king and whose supporters claim he speaks with the voice of God. As Ben Franklin said: "It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority." (continued in next post)
By Russell King
Yesterday, Maya was coloring in her pre-kindergarten workbook. The design was a group of "puzzle" pieces, each with a letter inside it. The task was to identify the uppercase and lowercase versions of the letter "I" and color them blue. Having completed the task, Maya picked up another crayon and asked rhetorically: "I can color all the other ones yellow, right? It is a free country."
As Maya made the remark, her mother was making final preparations for the neighborhood Independence Day parade (which she’s organized yet again), and it all got me wondering. What does an American Dad say about his country at this particular moment in history, when it seems our freedom is being eroded and our national character is being twisted by those who manipulate our fears for their own ends?
Explaining to the kids the nation’s birthday is simple enough, but helping them understand the holiday’s meaning for their lives is trickier. It’s about patriotism, of course, but talk to five people about how to define that word and you’ll get five different answers – none of which will match the one in your head.
It’s important to let the kids know that good, smart people disagree about such things, and that in the end they’ll have to make up their own minds, but we dads have an absolute duty to let them know how we define patriotism. If we don’t say anything, we leave than at risk of being exposed only to the thinking of those who wrap all sorts of vile traits and desires in the flag. If nothing else, we’ll give them a counter-balance to the messages of the uglier parts of our culture.
So, here’s what I’d like my kids to know today, July 4, 2006. I’d like them to know that in their family tree they have a "grandfather" who fought for the colonies in the Revolutionary War, and another who fought for the British crown – and that we’re proud of them both. I’d like them to think of America as an extension of our family and I’d like them to apply the principles of family to patriotism. And, of course, I’d like to them to apply the principles of our religious faith to their love of country.
First, we are Americans. No hyphens, thank you very much. In our family, we are adopted, step and homegrown. We are black and white, male and female, tall and short, driven and easy going, focused and whimsical, athletic and intellectual, older and younger.... There’s a root religious value at work here -- "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." – and that value extends through our family to our nation.
Love is patriotic. This is important to remember now, when so many are working so hard to drive wedges between groups of us for their own ends.
Second, speaking up isn’t just a right, it’s a duty. If Logan, 12, sees that Jaden, 6, is about to hurt himself or someone else, he’d better speak up. And if Jaden doesn’t stop, Logan had better call in the authorities (Mom and Dad). If Hannah, 14, sees that Rylee, 10, is about to take the heat for something she didn’t do, she’d better "speak truth to power" and let Mom and Dad know they’re wrong. If Mom and Dad know that any of the six kids are wandering from the correct path in life, they have the obligation of parental love to speak up, to help that child find his or her way back. The same is true for patriots who see their country lose its way.
Our religious beliefs come into play here: What Jesus did and said, as the fundamental part of his life and teaching, was speak up and speak out – in short, dissent. Jesus dissented from the Jewish religious bosses, the Roman Empire and the prevailing cultures of his day. We feel compelled to follow that example.
Dissent is a vital part of our Independence Day heritage, because this country was founded on dissent. The American Revolution was lead by dissenters. They did not agree when the British King said he had the right to rule everyone because God said he did. The Declaration of Independence is a statement of dissent. This is important to remember now, when we have a president who claims the powers of a king and whose supporters claim he speaks with the voice of God. As Ben Franklin said: "It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority." (continued in next post)
Color us patriotic continued
A couple of our presidents have agreed. George Washington: "If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." Harry Truman: "Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear." John Kennedy: "Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed -- and no republic can survive." Dwight Eisenhower: "May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion." Teddy Roosevelt: "The president is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."A couple of Supreme Court justices have agreed, too. William Douglas: "Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us." Hugo Black: "An unconditional right to say what one pleases about public affairs is what I consider to be the minimum guarantee of the First Amendment." Louis Brandeis: "The constitutional right of free speech has been declared to be the same in peace and war. In peace, too, men may differ widely as to what loyalty to our country demands, and an intolerant majority, swayed by passion or by fear, may be prone in the future, as it has been in the past, to stamp as disloyal opinions with which it disagrees."
Dissent is patriotic. This is important to remember now, when those who govern so frequently portray those who disagree with their policies as unpatriotic. And, let's not forget, that those who disagree with us are also patriotic.
Third, while the violence of war is sometimes necessary, it is always a shameful sign of failure and weakness; while war can sometimes give birth to and protect freedom, it is always a threat to freedom. As Thomas Jefferson said, "War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses."
Patriotism, I hope my children learn, is the love of a set of higher values – the ideals of political liberty that underlay the American Revolution – and certainly not a devotion to policies, parties or symbols. I tell the kids to imagine they’re searching for a precious object with a pair of binoculars. What, I ask them, is most important: the binoculars or the object? Confusing what is precious with what is not is a common way to lose one’s way. Why, for instance, do we pledge allegiance to the flag, while our military and elected leaders swear an oath to the Constitution? Our pledge is to a tool, a symbol; their oath is to the expression of our higher values.
Our culture often misleads with sentiments such as "love it or leave it," where "love it" means never seeing flaws and asking for correction, and "my country right or wrong." That’s not patriotism, it’s nationalism. Not only can a patriot be critical of his or her country for failing to live up to its ideals, a patriot should. A patriot must.
This, too, is an expression of this family’s basic religious values: humility and confession. The lack of humility – pride – is the most serious of the seven deadly sins. Just as we all fallen short of the glory of God, so too have we all fallen short of the glory of America. A patriot keeps this in mind when talking about his or her nation.
Here’s the short version: love is patriotic; peace is patriotic; questioning authority is patriotic; and dissent is patriotic. Feel free to color your patriotism with other crayons: As Maya says, it’s a free country.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
The poetry of Rylee
By Russell King
Remember Bill Cosby’s TV show "Kids Say the Darndest Things"? Here’s the Rylee King version. These are lines taken from her 5th grade spelling journal, in which she was required to compose sentences using that week’s spelling words. The results aren’t just amusing, they’re pure Rylee:
Is it difficult to eat? How many blankets does it take to cover your tail? Does it hurt to wait in line?
Today Judge Judy has this case closed. In other news, people who rob places reach a lot of trouble so they won’t go to court. Also dogs don’t speak but they sure leave a lot of business everywhere. I stepped in some this morning.
When I speed, I really take the lead. My length is cool, just like school.
I figure you’re going to free fall. I suppose it’ll hurt.
I love to listen to funky music. It makes me go groovy. I am now going to buy the coolest toy ever.
You’ve got mail.
Nifefine39: Do you think we should meet?
EatMeat333: Maybe.
Ninefine39: We’ll meet at the wall on Hamburger Street.
EatMeat333: Then we can buy an object.
Roses are red, violets are blue: It’s rude to copy your dog’s doo-doo.
But it’s good to record how much your dog goes so you don’t far on it’s toes.
I fell flat on my face in the wrong direction, south! My dad’s worried. I think he’s going to puke.
Today oil prices are high. In other news, lots of kids are getting out to catch some fun at Rob’s Toy Land. It’s a very popular business. Today it will be partly cloudy with a chance of snow. So maybe you’ll want to wear just a modern day jacket.
I am eight and I’m in shape. I live in a village too far from Milldredge.
May I pay you a little late?
Q. Why did the cow law beside the farm?
A. Because he wanted to sleep.
Q. Why did the boy have to iron the clothes?
A. Because he went to the store and got in trouble.
Maybe we’ll have history in the middle of the day.
By Russell King
Remember Bill Cosby’s TV show "Kids Say the Darndest Things"? Here’s the Rylee King version. These are lines taken from her 5th grade spelling journal, in which she was required to compose sentences using that week’s spelling words. The results aren’t just amusing, they’re pure Rylee:
Is it difficult to eat? How many blankets does it take to cover your tail? Does it hurt to wait in line?
Today Judge Judy has this case closed. In other news, people who rob places reach a lot of trouble so they won’t go to court. Also dogs don’t speak but they sure leave a lot of business everywhere. I stepped in some this morning.
When I speed, I really take the lead. My length is cool, just like school.
I figure you’re going to free fall. I suppose it’ll hurt.
I love to listen to funky music. It makes me go groovy. I am now going to buy the coolest toy ever.
You’ve got mail.
Nifefine39: Do you think we should meet?
EatMeat333: Maybe.
Ninefine39: We’ll meet at the wall on Hamburger Street.
EatMeat333: Then we can buy an object.
Roses are red, violets are blue: It’s rude to copy your dog’s doo-doo.
But it’s good to record how much your dog goes so you don’t far on it’s toes.
I fell flat on my face in the wrong direction, south! My dad’s worried. I think he’s going to puke.
Today oil prices are high. In other news, lots of kids are getting out to catch some fun at Rob’s Toy Land. It’s a very popular business. Today it will be partly cloudy with a chance of snow. So maybe you’ll want to wear just a modern day jacket.
I am eight and I’m in shape. I live in a village too far from Milldredge.
May I pay you a little late?
Q. Why did the cow law beside the farm?
A. Because he wanted to sleep.
Q. Why did the boy have to iron the clothes?
A. Because he went to the store and got in trouble.
Maybe we’ll have history in the middle of the day.
