Flags and other Burning Issues

An assault on the First Amendment, is being made by people who see themselves as "Patriots". They�re trying to get an amendment to ban flag desecration. I find this unacceptable. Our countries greatest asset is its tolerance of bad taste, and let�s faces it, flag desecration is an extreme form of bad taste. I don�t like to see such acts (regardless of the flag being desecrated), but that is because I have respect for my country. Americans should consider that we live in a place that has given each of us the constitutional right to disagree openly with our leadership, something many governments fear so much they try to limit their citizen�s from practicing in private! We give our citizens the right to express their views, even those who don�t have many working brain cells.

Another attack on our rights is being waged by some religious people that would like to bring school prayer back to the classroom. There is absolutely no valid reason to do this. Number one, each child can and does pray in their own way, usually right before a pop quiz or test. Second, which religion should lead the prayer. Do you use a prayer from each religion (even using a different one each day would take you several school years to cover all the ones I can think of, and some of them have no specific prayers, so how do you cover them)? Third, some religious leaders are extremely intolerant of allowing children to be exposed to a religious view that isn�t theirs, yet religious tolerance is required or this country would be no better than Yugoslavia. Look at what fanatics did to a country that once boasted of its ethnic and cultural diversity. It is our tolerance of diversity that makes this country great, organized religion would destroy that tolerance. History doesn�t reflect many religions that haven�t tried to "test" their God�s strength.

Race relations are bad and civil rights issues are still a problem 130 years after the war was fought that ended slavery in the US. Why should this be allowed to continue? Regardless of race, each person I�ve talked to seems to have the same core beliefs, they wish to pursue a life filled with liberty and happiness. I suspect that my observation, based primarily on a group of individuals that has taken advantage of the educational benefits offered to them, is skewed a bit, but not by much. It seems that well educated people have a much higher degree of tolerance of others than those who have chosen to remain ignorant (ignorance can be cured, but often the cure is too much work).

The effort to integrate minorities into corporate America was not well thought out. The timetable used was too short and some people with inadequate education were placed into jobs they couldn�t handle. This just reinforced the bigoted views of the old boy networks. Money that should have gone into making sure that ALL STUDENTS were EDUCATED to the SAME HIGH STANDARD was wasted. In some instances, the standard was reduced so that minority students would be able to pass, definitely a poor idea! The playing field shouldn�t be leveled by making the standard race dependent. Provide more class time reinforcement to those students that need it and allow no one to be moved along just because they were physically there.

Standards, whether for educational or physical fitness, should be based upon realistic expectations of the desired goal. If a fire fighter has to be able to drag a 200 pound man from a burning area, it doesn�t make sense for the standard to be reduced for female fighters or you endanger the lives of her coworkers. Would you want to be treated by a doctor that was graduated from a school that reduced it�s requirements in order to fill the classrooms? Would you feel confident if you found yourself held hostage and the police marksman on the swat team managed to get there because the standard had been reduced? Some jobs don�t need a very high educational standard (teamster, taxi driver, cashier, etc.), but all applicants should be able to read, write and do simple arithmetic.

Proper education helps society in many ways. A young bicyclist that knows he has to follow ALL vehicle laws (unless specifically stated otherwise), is likely to grow up to be a driver that respects the rights of ALL the vehicle operators on the road. A diploma will actually be worthwhile, when all students have had to meet the same level of achievement in order to receive one. The only real problem with education standards comes from religious leaders who will have to contend with a congregation that may not remain a docile flock of sheep. More on this topic will follow.