Educate your children about the constitution!!!!

[OnionPatch]

I just got done reading the letters to the editor of our local newspaper here in GOP-Fundieland, California. I was quite relieved to read several letters from people who are as aghast as we are concerning this torture bill. On the other hand, I read many letters from idiots who say things like: "Why should we coddle the terrorists?" "They are trying to kill us, why can't we torture them?" "Why should terrorists have rights?" you get the picture.....

All I can think is that these people did not read our constitution or anything about the founding of America and the bill of rights. No one who has read and knows about these things and their context in our country's history would ever rattle out such an ignorant statement as those above, let alone write it to the editor of their local newspaper. And that means to me that we need...


EDUCATION!!!! Somehow we have to connect Americans back to their history and our original values of freedom and justice for EVERYONE. We need to pound all of this stuff in our children's heads. If the schools won't teach it, maybe we should. What about after-school classes and programs in DEMOCRACY or in the founding of America? And while I'm at it, we need to educate the adults while we're at it. How about weekend seminars on the constitution? I'm just thinking off the top of my head, here, but the problem is obvious: Americans have lost connection to their roots and history so much that they don't even understand what it was that made us special anymore. The media and our schools will not teach them. We must find a way to teach them ourselves. Ideas, anyone?

[rodeodance]

1. you are so right.

[CrispyQ]

2. I think you are spot on. Educating people about the Constitution is key!

My right wing mother would hurl repuke sound bites at me whenever I tried to point out facts to her. Then one day she mentioned something about boosh doing his job of protecting Americans & I told her that his job was to "preserve, protect & defend the Constitution" not the American people. "Oh that's not true!" she said. So I bought her one of those little Constitution/Declaration/Bill of Rights books. I winked & told her it was the most liberal book she would ever read. I opened it to Article II Section 1, paragraph 8 & made her read it. Her mouth hit the floor. "I didn't know that," she said.

You know what? She is more open to listening to me now. She is finally open to checking out facts, well on occasion, anyway! ;) I swear, it was pointing out the Constitution that swayed her. She believes in the Constitution, she's just forgotten what it says. She listens to these blow hard hate radio jerks & has never verified anything they say until recently. Once she starts pulling the string of their lies, the whole thing will unravel. It may take time, but she has already shown an opening of mind about election fraud & global warming. ~gasp!!! Holy crap, I cannot tell you what a smile it puts on my face! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I recommend "We the People: A Call to Take Back America" by Thom Hartmann. It is a great civics refresher for all ages! It is written in a comic book fashion so it's fun & a quick read. Kids will love it. Last year I gave a copy to everyone on my holiday list.
Here you can view or print an excerpt from the book: http://www.we-the-people-book.com/main/free_excerpt.htm

or read the Amazon reviews here:
http://www.amazon.com/We-People-Call-Back-America/dp/1882109384/sr=8-1/qid=1159537733/ref=sr_1_1/102-2338533-6255352?ie=UTF8&s=books


You know, that little Constitution book is one of best presents you could give everyone on your list! They are about $5.
http://www.amazon.com/U-S-Constitution-Fascinating-Facts-About/dp/1891743007/sr=1-3/qid=1159538298/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-2338533-6255352?ie=UTF8&s=books

[OnionPatch]

7. I have that book. I wish I knew how to get it to

the people who need it the most. I lent it to my local Dem club library, but that was like preaching to the choir. Not that the choir doesn't need a refresher course every so often, but....How can we get this info out to the general public?

Glad to hear your mother is listening now. It must be hard to have someone so close to you fall for all the GOP fascist talking points. Keep up the good work! Sometimes the children have to educate the parents. :)

[CrispyQ]

11. Just an idea: Copy the excerpts at the link above

& leave in places like office reception areas, laundramats, bus stops, hotels, airports, etc. I carry a stack of Joe Conservative & drop a copy or two anywhere I see a stack of magazines. Thom's are great cuz he has an entire website & lots of books to follow up on.

:hi:

Yes, my sister & I are both working on Mom. ;)

[Blue Diadem]

3. My granddaughter in 2nd grade just came home with

papers last week about the constitution. I was pleasantly surprised considering we live in a very red town.

I still have the copies along with the bill of rights that we got for my kids when they were little. I'm going to get them out for her.

[OnionPatch]

8. My daughter did too!

She's in the first grade. I thought it was good, but they didn't expound on "individual rights" or any of the things that, to me, make/made our country unique. (So sad to have to use a past-tense in that sentence. :( )

[Blue Diadem]

10. True

I think it was a nice introduction though..and is a great chance for us to enter into those talks with them..instead of having to explain it all before hand.

It's kinda cute, my granddaughter can't pronounce the word constitution..she says something like constution.

[KansDem]

4. The what...???

Oh, you mean that "goddamned piece of paper?"

[OnionPatch]

9. Lol

Yeah, that one.

[Skidmore]

5. Start here.

http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/charters_downloads.html

[OnionPatch]

6. Cool, thanks

I'm serious about this. I think an organized campaign to educate people would be the best thing but barring that, let's all make certain that OUR children learn about the constitution and the bill of rights and why these things make/made America the best country in the world. As of yesterday, I see nothing that makes us any better than anyone else anymore and that's a tragedy. Our forefathers (and mothers) are rolling in their graves right now. Our moral authority is trashed, gone. I have hopes that we can restore things but if the children aren't taught what it is we stand for, they will fall prey to these small-minded, GOP talking points every time and the America we know will be lost forever.

[LWolf]

12. I have an idea.

Edit your post to remove this broad-brush libel:

...our schools will not teach them

EDUCATION!!!!! (?)

What a novel concept. I can't tell you how it torques my professional soul to see something like this.

That statement is not only false, it's a direct slap in the face to all the educators who have been fighting, for decades, the inexorable take-over and manipulation of public ed by conservative/corporate agendas. When have parents or other community members spoken up, applied political pressure, or simply marched on state and federal Departments of Ed to keep free speech and free thinking alive in our schools? In my 24 years in Public Ed, I've yet to see that kind of support. Instead, we have local poltical and religous organizations sending representatives to every school board meeting, putting pressure on their school boards to censor libraries, textbooks, and curriculum. We have them working for national candidates that support their vision for public ed, while it continues to be low on the Democrat's priority list, based on their attention and their efforts.

You want to educate people? Fine. So do we. We've been at it a long time. Don't like what you see? Instead of announcing to the world, or to DU, or to both, that we "won't" teach our students, how about putting some action where your unfortunately misinformed mouth spouts, and offer up a little support? A little political pressure applied in the right places goes a lot further than all the misplaced blame you want to spread around.

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: