The importance of knowing Early American History

During a telephone conversation with my sister, she mentioned that she had started reading one of the books I sent her,  A Brilliant Solution Inventing the American Constitution written by Carol Berkin.  We talked about the how much the beginning of the book and the issues that the new country  faced were similar to issues we are dealing with now.  Part of the problem we face as a country today is that many people do not have enough knowledge about our country's history to be able to distinguish between what is factual and what is mere opinion which people then believe to be factual.

A perfect example of misinformation is The Tea Party which claims to be carrying on in the tradition of the colonists who took part in the dumping tea in Boston Harbor.  The present day Tea Party claims that their opposition to taxes is similar to the colonists opposition to taxes.  But the colonists were not opposed to paying taxes.  They were opposed to paying taxes placed on them by the British parliament because they had no direct representation, a violation of their rights as English citizens.  The taxes we pay today were passed by members of Congress who represent the citizens of the United States.  So whatever the present day Tea Party represents itself to be, it is certainly not carrying on in the tradition of the colonists prior to the American Revolution.

The factions that have divided and rendered both the House of Representatives and the Senate incapable of getting much passed were concerns of the citizens of the newly formed United states when the Constitution was drafted and sent to the States to be ratified by the people.  Hamilton, in Federalist Number 9, used the words of the philosopher Montesquieu to demonstrate that larger governing bodies can be an effective force against factions gaining control because the other members of the governing body would act to stop that from happening. Hamilton chose to quote Montesquieu directly because the Anti-Federalists used Montesquieu's writings to oppose a central government. Montesquieu believed in very small republics.

Madison, in Federalist 10, acknowledged that factions and parties will form. He defined a faction as: "a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community."   Madison believed that "if a faction consists of less than a majority, relief is supplied by the republican principle, which enables the majority to defeat its sinister views by regular vote." The faction could "clog the administration". Madison also knew that factions could gain a majority and believed that "the form of popular government, on the other hand, enables it to sacrifice to its ruling passion or interest both the public good and the rights of other citizens."  But Both Hamilton and Madison believed that Congress would ultimately do what was right and best for the citizens.  Both men were proven wrong especially by the government shutdown as well as the inability of the most recent Congress to enact much of anything substantial..

The present day Conservative Republicans and Tea Party members also share something in common with the Know Nothing Party from the 1850s: opposition to immigration.  The rhetoric of the Know Nothing Party prompted Abraham Lincoln to write in a letter to Joshua Speed August 24, 1855: When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty-to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy (sic).  The same opposition to immigration is still alive and well today only the ethnicity of the groups has changed and ironically is being voiced by the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those immigrants who were allowed into the United States.

The Republican Conservatives and Tea Party leaders along with conservative commentators, while attempting to represent themselves as carrying on the tradition of the 1776 have, in fact, been  for several years now engaging in rhetoric similar to the dialog of the 1850s. Just as plantation owners, who were the party leaders and held positions in Federal, State and Local government, convinced poorer whites in the South that protecting a system that they would never be a part of was in their best interests, so Republican Conservatives and Tea Party leaders along with conservative commentators continue to convince many groups that any policies which would really be good for them, are in fact bad.  Much of the talk has called for resistance in such a way as to be seen as a movement to destroy our American democracy.

Some of the Framers of the Constitution were deeply concerned that voters who were not well-informed might be misled or swayed by their emotions and not make the best choices when voting for elected officials.  Part of the problem we face today may very well be a lack of knowledge among voters about our country's history.  This lack of knowledge can make it difficult for people to understand that opinions expressed by commentators are not always factually correct.  Additionally, politicians, who either deliberately or because they, too, lack historical knowledge, provide incorrect information which people all too readily take as factually correct.

Books such as Pauline Maier's American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence, Jack N. Rakove's  Original Meanings POLITICS AND IDEAS IN THE MAKING OF THE CONSTITUTION., Carol Berkin's A Brilliant Solution Inventing the American Constution and James McPherson's Abraham Lincoln and The Second American Revolution are excellent sources for anyone interested in learning more about American History.

Did you know the Nuns are back on the Bus and riding for us!

For the third time, Sr. Simone Campbell and a group of Roman Catholic Sisters decided to get back on the bus and visit ten States.   Their first bus trip, in 2012, was in response to Representative Paul Ryan's Budget, which they felt would have a devastating impact on the elderly and disadvantaged.  The Roman Catholic Sisters disagreed with Representative Ryan's statement that his budget fell in line with Catholic social teaching.  That road trip led to Sister Simone Campbell speaking at the Democratic Convention where she said, "I am my sister's keeper.  I am my brother's keeper."  A reminder to us all that we are all in this world together and must care for one another.

In 2013, Sister Simone Campbell and the Nuns on the Bus went on the road in support of immigration reform.  Their theme was "RAISE YOUR HANDS. RAISE YOUR VOICE.  They visited fifteen states, spending several days in Texas, Arizona and California, hoping to reach out to residents in those States to help them understand that those crossing the border meant no harm.  They were just trying to to survive and make a better life than what they had.  As a nation of immigrants, most of us are here because our ancestors also came to this country to make a better life.  We might want to to remember that fact.

On September 17, Sister Simone Campbell and the Nuns on the Bus began their third road trip in Iowa.  Their theme is We the People, WE THE VOTERS.  They have already traveled to nine States and will conclude with a visit to Colorado.   They are speaking about the 100%.  The need to engage everyone in the discussion, not just the one percent, two percent or ninety-eight percent.  Sr. Simone said "You cannot buy our table of democracy."   Sister Marge Clark said "All are welcome at the table, but the table can't be bought."  Both were alluding to the billions of dollars poured into political ads for conservative Republican and Tea Party candidates.  Ads that are filled with distortions and misinformation.

The Nuns on Bus spent time actively engaging in voter registration prior to the deadline and since have been encouraging people to vote, reminding us all that "we the people" must participate in order to bring about the change we want.  Sister Simone has written a few Op-ed pieces.  She tweets often about the need to vote.  Her quotes should be on Memes and filling Facebook, but they are not.  Instead many liberal groups simply repeat the same things over and over.  Fortunately, filmmaker Melissa Regan is filming the events as part of her Nuns On The Bus - The Movie documentary.

These Sisters are not riding on a bus because they have nothing better to do with their time.  They are riding on a bus because they believe that this is the best thing they can do with their time.  They are riding on a bus because they care about our country, our democracy and want us to become "that more perfect Union."  Shouldn't we care that much, too?  Just imagine what would happen if we all did!

What will get Democrats to vote?

The 2014 election is less than one month from now.  Thirty-six  Senate seats will be decided.  Twenty-one are currently held by Democrats and fifteen by Republicans.  The political climate in Congress is so divisive that very little legislation has passed since since January 2013 when the present members of the House of Representatives, both newly elected and re-elected, took the oath of office along with those newly elected and re-elected  members of the Senate.  Congress has spent most of its time trying to find ways to stop funding for or repeal the Affordable Health Care Act, more commonly know as ObamaCare,  So focused and intent are they on destroying something that is good for so many people, that they willingly, willfully and purposely shut down the Federal Government  Will that get Democrats to vote?

The Koch brothers and other wealthy businessmen have been pouring millions of dollars in to campaigns for conservative Republicans and Tea Party candidates.  The political ads are filled with distortions and intended to mislead.  Fox News, the media outlet for the conservative wing of the Republican party, also fills the air with misstatements, half-truths and, in some cases, false statements.  These conservatives count on a loyal voting base that does not take time to educate themselves about the facts but simply relies on and believes what they are told.  They can be counted on to go to the polls faithfully.  Will that get Democrats to vote?

The Republicans will surely cut social service programs, such as Social Security, Medicare and food stamps.  They have already done so and will not be satisfied until they have either eliminated those programs or left them mere shells which help little if any at all.  Will that get Democrats to vote?

Women still do not receive the same pay as men for doing the same job and that fight has been going on since the 1970s.  Women's rights are being regulated at every turn by conservatives in State and federal government. Will that get Democrats to vote?

There are enough Democrats to make a difference across the country.  Here in Florida there are enough Democrats in Broward County, along with those in Palm Beach County and Miami Dade County as well the Democrats throughout the rest of the State, to ensure that Governor Rick Scott loses and former Governor Charlie Christ is elected.  But that won't happen unless the Democrats stand up, stand together and vote to make the changes we all know we must make.  Will that get Democrats to vote?

The future depends on how we vote on Tuesday, November 4, 2014.  If we Democrats choose to stay home and allow the Republicans to once again decide our fate, then we have only ourselves to blame and bear the burden of explaining to the next generation that protecting their future just didn't matter enough to us.  Will that get Democrats to vote?

I want us to be brave

I heard Sara Barellie's song Brave for the first time the other morning and the words inspired me to write this blog post.  I want us to be brave enough to speak up and speak out.  I want us to be brave enough to believe that we can make a difference if we stand together.  I want us to be brave enough to say to the wealthy: "Your money may buy political ads filled with distortions. lies and negativity, but your money cannot cast a single vote!  We have more votes than you and our votes count!"  I want us to be brave enough to believe that, too!

I want us to be brave enough to stand with Sr. Simone Campbell who believes that "We the people of the United States have to form this more perfect union" and Sr. Marge Clark who says, "All are welcome at the table, but the table can't be bought."  And all the Nuns on the Bus who are standing up for the 100% because, as Sr Simone says, "we need to have a conversation with the one hundred percent because too many people are being left out." 

I want us to be brave enough to say "Yes, President Lincoln, we remember what you said at Gettysburg and we will stand together, united in our belief and determined to protect and pass on to future generations a government that is truly of, by and for all people."

I want us to be brave enough to believe that the Statue of Liberty and her message of hope to the "huddled masses" still means something to us today.  That we, a nation of immigrants, will continue to welcome immigrants.  That the torch in New York Harbor will never dim regardless of how hard  a small group of people try to extinguish its flame.

I want us to brave enough to say, "This is our flag, our country and we will not allow anyone to be denied the freedoms so many have fought and died to defend because when we deny freedom to any group, we all lose."

I want us to be brave enough to go vote in November and make the changes some people think we can not or will not!

Why Market Basket matters to us all

     Market Basket is a New England grocery chain.  Recently, the popular CEO Arthur T. DeMoulas was ousted and replaced by his cousin Arthur S. Demoulas.  Market Basket employees have been protesting "Artie T's" departure and customers have been shopping elsewhere.  The Market Basket employees are willing to lose their jobs to fight for a CEO who cared about them, who provided them with good wages and good benefits and inspired a loyalty that knows no boundaries.   This is what happens when a businessperson does the right thing for the right reasons and refuses to put profits over people.  The employees and customers respond with the same care and concern.
     Why should a New England grocery store, its employees and customers matter to us?  Because this is what happens when people join together, stand united and believe in a cause.  This is what happens when people decide that they will not simply just accept what happens and go on because they can't do anything about it.  This is what happens, without violence or threats of violence, when people really care.  This is how change begins.  This is where hope begins.  This how every good thing accomplished and/or achieved in this country began.
     Whether the protests will ultimately achieve the desired result: Arthur T. Demoulas reinstated as CEO, remains to be seen.  But for now, we must all stand and applaud the efforts of a group pf people who are choosing to do all they can to make a difference.

Does the Lady in the harbor matter any more?

I wrote this July 31, 2010 and four years later, the question still remains:

Does the Lady in the harbor matter any more?

         The Statue of Liberty, gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, symbol of hope and liberty to those seeking freedom from oppression.  Stories are told and written of immigrants shedding tears of joy at seeing the Statue after a long journey on the sea.  Even those who never passed by the Lady in the harbor still know that she represents the chance for a life of opportunity.  She stands as a welcome, not to the rich and famous, but to the poor and desperate:

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus

         We are now engaged in a great debate, a great battle, over what to do about the immigrants who did not take the necessary steps to get permission to enter this country.  How to find them and send them back to their own countries.  Arizona has attempted what can only be described as legalized racial profiling to stop and arrest anyone who cannot prove the right, whether by birth or paperwork, to live in this country.

         How easily we forget that not only are we a nation of immigrants, but the first settlers were also illegal immigrants.  They may have had permission from their governments, in the form of royal charters, but their governments neither owned nor had any legal authority to colonize or allow to be colonized any land in North and/or South America.

         How sad that the Lady in the harbor, once a symbol to the world that here in the United States all are welcome, is now just an old statue whose meaning is fading.  In 1986 for the Statue's Centennial anniversary, the Statue under went a restoration.  
       
         Now in 2010, let her undergo a new restoration, let us stand together with the Lady in the harbor to remind the world, our own federal, state and local governments as well as those citizens who wish to pursue anti-immigration laws that the torch is still lit and the Statue of Liberty still welcomes ALL to our country.

There is strength in numbers

     There is strength in numbers.  There are more people who are opposed to open-carry, than people openly carrying their weapons.  There are more people who want reasonable gun control laws than people who want no restrictions on gun ownership.  There are more people who are not members of the National Rifle Association than people who are members.  There are even more members of the National Rifle Association who support gun control than members opposed to gun control.  There are more people who support the Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as ObamaCare, than people who do not support universal health care for all people.  There are more people who support social service programs that aid those most in need than people who do not support those programs.  And 98% of the population is a greater amount than 2% of the population.
     So why, if there is strength in numbers, are we still unable to even have a serious dialogue about the need for reasonable gun control laws?  Why are we still fighting about healthcare?  Why are social service programs that benefit the elderly, veterans and the poor, still the first to be slashed in budget talks?  Perhaps because the real strength in those numbers can only come when we stand together, speak together and vote together.  That is something we do not always do.  The question is, why haven't we?
     Well, the Koch brothers have invested so much money in advertising and sponsoring tea party candidates.  Okay, fair enough answer.  But the Koch brothers have only one vote each and there are, after all, only two of them.  Well, there are more wealthy people involved than just those two.  Yes, and still they are a small percentage of the voting public.  But we seem to have convinced ourselves that we just can't do anything about them.  We have bought in to the whole idea that money buys elections and there's nothing we can do.  We have forgotten that there is strength in numbers and we clearly outnumber them!
     What about the gerrymandering?  What about those protected districts?  Yes, what about that?  Gerrymandering is almost as old as the Constitution.  Based on the census, the redrawing of districts is done by the State legislatures and the party in power draws districts favorable to them.  Certainly gerrymandering has become a more critical issue as of late, but still not an impossible situation because there is still strength in numbers.
     The current makeup of the Congress, with the number of tea party members should serve as a prime example of strength in numbers.  The people who elected those men and women made sure they voted.  Conservatives, such as the Koch brothers and Ruprt Murdoch, count on the fact that there is a solid block of conservatives who vote in every election.  So they utilize  Fox News, right wing politicians, right wing talk show personalities and right wing ministers to keep the voting base ever ready and ever energized to do battle against the liberals who threaten their civil liberties and basic rights.  They misinform, either deliberately or because they themselves just do not know the facts, the truth or the fundamentals of early American history.  More important is that they count on the real majority simply choosing not to get out and vote in numbers that could and would make a difference.
     Why does that happen?  Why do we not use our strength in our numbers to make the changes we need to make?  Unfortunately, for many reasons.  Some people really don't think their vote matters.  Others think nothing will change even if they do vote because one party's just as bad as the other.  Whatever the reasons, when people choose not to vote, they, too, are demonstrating just how powerful strength in numbers is.  Their votes might have made a difference, might have helped to elect a candidate for change rather than a candidate wanting to turn back the hands of time.
     As always, our history is filled with those who wanted to be obstacles to change, who refused to grant equality to all, who stood in the way of progress and forward movement.  Still we have made the changes, taken steps, small sometimes, toward ensuring equality, and continue moving forward and making progress, even if it can barely be noticed at times.  How have we done this?  By people standing up, standing together and speaking out with their voices and their votes because they know there is strength in numbers.

Sarah Palin, slavery and the Engladers

     Sarah Palin posted on Facebook that Jesus was with George Washington and lead the Revolutionaries to victory during the war for independence.  This statement does not trouble me so much because there are those who believe that Jesus and/or God is on the side of the victorious.  President Abraham Lincoln, in his Second Inaugural Address, spoke of both sides praying for victory to the same God.  What concerns me much more deeply is that Sarah Palin, a woman chosen to be a vice-presidential candidate, either does not know or does not understand much about early American History.
     Sarah Palin, in her post, spoke about the fight against the "Englanders."  Ah, Sarah, they were actually referred to as British or English.  Perhaps a little petty on my part to point that out, but knowing and using proper terminology does lend some bit of credibility to the speaker/writer.
     If simply misstating the name of the group the Revolutionaries were fighting against was all Sarah Palin did, then I'd likely have simply let it go without so much as a brief comment.  But Sarah Palin had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt her lack of historical knowledge.  She said that if the colonists had been defeated, "it's possible we would all still be slaves to the England empire."   Sorry Sarah, but the colonists were not slaves in the British empire.  They were actually British citizens.  They chose to fight for freedom, not out of a fear of being enslaved or to free themselves from slavery, but because they believed their rights as citizens were being violated.  The decision did not come easy for them, and the Declaration of Independence states their case against the King of England and reasons for choosing independence.
     While many are focusing on Sarah Palin's praise and thanksgiving to God that Jesus led the colonists to victory, I am more dismayed at her factual inaccuracy than her religious beliefs about the victory.  I am not concerned about how many people share her beliefs about Divine Intervention, but I am am deeply worried about how many people believe her when she speaks or writes about history.

4th of July reflections

     As I walked to the grocery store yesterday (July 3), I saw two American Flags on all the telephone polls on the east side of the street.  I felt pride in my community for decorating the telephone polls, pride in the United States and pride in the American Flag.   I neither have a "my country right or wrong" nor a "my country never does wrong" sentiment.  Our history is filled with all the wrongs we have done and mistakes we have made both here and around the world.  Still, I believe there is much for which we can be proud.

     When the colonists declared their independence July 4, 1776, they were willing to risk their lives to pursue the ideal that all are created equal, entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  In 1787, a group of men met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and wrote a Constitution that created a new form of government: a democratic republic with three distinct branches of government with a system of checks and balances.

     President Abraham Lincoln chose to accept war rather than let the Southern States leave the Union because he believed that if those States left, if the United States could not sustain itself, then neither could the concept of "government of the people, by the people and for the people."  There are those, I know, who argue that we no longer have that and perhaps never really had that.  That we have always had government by the rich and for the rich.  That allegation goes all the way back to the debates during and after the writing and ratification of the Constitution.

     Our history is filled with examples of people who were not given the equality about which Thomas Jefferson wrote and for which Abraham Lincoln and so many others gave their lives.  So what possible reason could I have to be proud?

     In every case, despite the best efforts of narrow-minded citizens and politicians, people found ways to make progress, to move our country forward, inching ever closer to that ideal of equality for all.  Do we still have far to go?  Absolutely!  Are there still those who would rather destroy this country than allow progress?  Yes! But what has and will always make me proud of the United States is the people who refuse to let this country turn back to a mythical non-existent past.  The people who know that we must continue moving forward and making progress 238 years after we took that first step. 

Pieces of a conversation overheard

     I heard pieces of a conversation last Sunday among members of a group after their bible study.  They were in a public place, enjoying a meal and time together.  Those who did most of the talking are conservative, Christian, republican and over the age of fifty.
     The first part of the conversation I heard involved an evangelical preacher who had come from Cuba, Senator Ted Cruz's father.  The person echoed Pastor Cruz's words about all the evangelicals who did not vote.  Another person replied, "Well you get what you vote for."  I knew the person was referring to President Obama. As I walked away, I really wanted to turn around and say, "You are absolutely right!  That is why we have so many members of the Tea Party in office and the government is in such disarray because that's who people voted for!"
     The other part of the conversation I overheard had to with the level of intelligence of United States citizens.  One of the men said, in a rather superior tone, something about people having the mentality of a fifteen year old which created a problem when trying to deal with them.  Once again, I really wanted to say "You are correct, sir!  That is a problem because so many of the people you are talking about are in the Republican Party.  They get their facts and history lessons from Fox News and members of the Republican Party, particularly those who identify themselves with the Tea Party.  Unfortunately, Fox News is only interested is saying/reporting whatever will advance right wing conservative interests. The elected officials, sadly, either never paid attention to, have conveniently forgotten or simply to choose to make up history as it suits them!"
     But I never said a word.  I just walked away because that was not the time, place or people with whom to share my opinions.

We have not forgotten what you said, President Lincoln...

     On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  He said, "[T]he world will little note nor long remember what we say here".  That, of course, is not true, the world still remembers what Abraham Lincoln said, most notably  "that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."  Perhaps we have forgotten why he spoke those words and why his words still speak to us today.
     President Lincoln spoke at the dedication of the cemetery in Gettysburg.  The country was in the midst of a long and bloody war between the northern and southern States that began thirty-nine days after President Lincoln's inauguration.  At Gettysburg, the President called on the citizens of the United States to rededicate themselves to ensuring that the government created by the Constitution would continue and the United States would remain undivided.
     Today, although we are not engaged in a bloody war, we are very much a country divided.  Some want us to return to a time when women had few rights.  Others want us to return to the days of the "wild west" when people walked around with holstered guns and/or carrying rifles.  There are also those who believe only white Christians should be allowed to vote and run the government on the local, state and federal levels.
     These groups all claim to be following in the footsteps of the Revolutionaries and Founders.  They are all wrong.  Those who fought the War for Independence did not do so to create a government of the few, by the few and for the few.  President Lincoln did not accept war and Union soldiers did not give their lives to preserve a government of the few, by the few and for the few.
     Now we must answer President Lincoln's call with our voices and our votes.  We must stand together, united in our belief and determined to protect and pass on to future generations a government that is truly of, by and for all people.

Flag Day June 14, 2014

     In a column published July 6, 1970 and then included in her book, I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression, Erma Bombeck wrote about the American Flag.  She wrote because of something she had seen on television.  A group students and New York construction workers had an altercation and part of it involved the American flag.  The students referred to the American flag as the construction workers flag and symbol.  What struck Erma Bombeck most was the students did not think of the flag as their flag or symbol.
    As a parent, I guess I always thought respect for the flag was congenital. Is it possible I was so busy teaching the basics, I never took the time to teach “flag.”

     She included in her column a few well known quotes along with her own words about what she was saying to her children instead of teaching "flag".

“Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light.…”

(Don’t slouch. Pick up your feet. Don’t talk with food in your mouth. Stop squinting. Turn that radio down. Get off the phone. Tie that shoestring before you trip on it.”)

     She then ended with these words:

Did I forget to tell them it was their flag they hoisted over Mount Suribachi? Their flag that flies over champions at the Olympics? Their flag that draped the coffin of John F. Kennedy? Their flag that was planted in the windless atmosphere of the moon? It’s pride. It’s love. It’s goose bumps. It’s tears. It’s determination. It’s a torch that is passed from one generation to another.

I defy you to look at it and tell me you feel nothing.

    I remember standing up in school, putting my hand over my heart and saying the Pledge of Allegiance while looking at the flag.  I remember watching a "floating flag" moving across the arena at a Florida Panthers hockey game.  I am always filled with  pride and respect at the sight of the American flag.  Pride because it symbolizes the best we can be, even when we forget.  Respect for all who fought in wars to gain our freedom, preserve our Union and protect our freedom. 

     What does the American Flag mean to you?

(The link is to the online text of Erma Bombeck's book.  Scroll down toward the end to read Flag)