Credo
"Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." -- John Paul Jones
"Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature" --George Bernard Shaw, "Caesar and Cleopatra"
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."--Friedrich Nietzsche
"A kind Providence has placed in our breasts a hatred of the unjust and cruel, in order that we may preserve ourselves from cruelty and injustice. They who bear cruelty, are accomplices in it. The pretended gentleness which excludes that charitable rancour, produces an indifference which is half an approbation. They never will love where they ought to love, who do not hate where they ought to hate."--Edmund Burke
“You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”--General Sir Charles Napier
"Μολὼν λαβέ" -- Leonidas
"Blogito Ergo Sum" -- Neptunus Lex
There have been some interesting debates in my family over the years why “cultural diversity day” in public elementary school never highlights anglo-saxon culture. I guess we get Thanksgiving…
Yes, but they do not “get” Thanksgiving. They lack the basic premise: being thankful.
That concept presents an agonizing quandary for them. You cannot be thankful to no one; you must be grateful to the Provider.
I am making it a personal mission to encourage the re-examination of the use of the word “progressive”. Please use it only when you think that the set of values/ideals/proposals being discussed are, in fact, progress. If you don’t, either don’t use it or put it in quotes, as most appropriate. It’s currently being used as a shorthand for extreme left-wing philosophy and proposals, which I vehemently disagree with.
RonF,
I would certainly agree with your position. Unfortunately, popular culture on the left side of the political spectrum started the use of the term ‘progressive’ as a replacement for ‘liberal’ or ‘socialistic’ thought. I would also challenge you to examine the use of the term ‘gay’ when relating to homosexual behavior. Were all the people in the ‘Gay ’90s’ homosexual? What about the term ‘liberal education’? Used to be that term meant a rigorous education program consisting of multiple disciplines. Nowadays it means more ‘socialist’ based indoctrination.
Cap’n, et al,
My grandchildren have not been granted the pleasure of celebrating Thanksgiving in their schools. It’s now more of a celebration of how the Native Americans saved the Pilgrims from their own folly. Revisionist history is so 20-20 in its hindsight.
And Ens. Tim, do you REALLY want your kids to highlight Anglo-Saxon culture? Pretty bloody and full of invasions, cultural differences leading to wars, high taxation, the works. Come to think about it, sounds like the world we live in today.
Yeah, SeniorD, Anglo-Saxon history is bloody and full of invasions — but it also brought about the beginnings of democracy with the Magna Carta in 1215. It ain’t all bad and should be taught.
P-3W (and, of course, Cap’n Lex),
The Magna Carta was imposed upon John Lackland (Prince John of Robin Hood fame) when the nobles revolted over John’s rather subjective taxation policies. Of course, the document DID eventually lead to our Constitution, but getting there did require much shedding of blood.
Now, should it be taught? Absolutely! I’d like to see a Socratic style of teaching to cover the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Ask the students (if you can get them away from texting) how each document are related and how they can they be improved.
But then, I am a Classicist at heart.