“Many educated people are proving (again) that they are really dumb.” PRT (Parenthesis Reading Time) - 1:19

I am SO OVER the emphasis Americans seem to place on making EVERY *&%^$!## ISSUE a platform for political divisiveness and hysteria. I purposely stay out of political and religious arguments because there is never a winner: everyone is wrong and everyone is right (check your history books and ask yourself “who was right?”). But I’ve had my (over)fill, fueled and ignited by the recent hoo-ha from people of the conservative persuasion who are ranting about President Obama’s planned address to the nation’s schoolchildren; the first day of school in many places. Oh my God, he might plant militant, heathen, subversive, revolt-triggering and poisonous lies like: Stay in school. Education will open all kinds of doors to a life of opportunity. Learning ignites your God-given potential. You can be a part of good change in the world through learning, sharing and contributing to your community. Quick, get out the Uzis, bazookas and grenades – the salvation of our country teeters in the balance.

Hold that thought for a moment please.

A prevalent comment I heard quoted on National Public Radio this morning by many parents, politicians and other pundits, was: “Politics is not something that should be allowed in our schools. We have to protect our kids from the politically biased and harmful content from this current administration.”

Really? GIVE ME A BREAK. What about some current politically inspired concepts like:

• Busing and segregation
• Prayer in classrooms
• Pledge of allegiance
• Teacher racial discrimination
• Censorship of literature and the arts
• Elimination of the arts from schools
• Invasion of privacy
• Oh yes, there is also this thing called the PTA and Student Government

Hold that thought for a moment please.

I don’t know, maybe I’m crazy, but I think our forefathers had something (good) in mind when crafting the trajectory of America. How about throwaway lines like:

• Land of the Free and home of the brave
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of expression
• Separation of Church and State (one of my favs)
• Oh yeah, let’s not forget the small print of Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
  

Don’t get me wrong; I celebrate our right as U.S. citizens to express our opinions. But, just imagine what might happen if (instead of being a Democrat or Republican…on the far left, center, or far right…black, white or other hue…spending valuable time, energy and resources proliferating content for CNN, The Evening News, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and activist web sites) we focused our energies on such lower priority items, like:

Salaries commensurate with the sacrifices and commitment from quality teachers

• Encouraging dialogue and interaction on community and social justice issues
• Encouraging and supporting all the arts; not just athletics
• Educating young minds that celebrating diversity can eliminate divisiveness
• Fostering the idea that education is a destroyer of ignorance about hate, fear and hopelessness.

Home is a schoolroom. Culture is a schoolroom. America is a schoolroom. Life is a schoolroom. If we try to protect our children from everything in life that might poison and hurt them, we will also effectively protect them from everything in life that can stretch, motivate and illuminate their paths for generations to come. Maybe, if we learned to openly listen, think, discuss and decide while engaging the issues – we might just be “smarter” in choosing the paths to take that can change the world, for good.

Hold onto that thought for lifetime please.

For emphasis - (b)