Bush Re-Writing History?

I have great regard for Jim Pinkerton, the "Long" half of Fox's "The Long and the Short of It." But his most recent column, "Bush's new "history" demeans our past," gives me pause. In it, he claims that President Bush is attempting to revise history in order to "defend the current situation in Iraq."  He quotes President Bush in a recent speech referring to the Aricles of Confederation (which governed the U.S. from 1781 to 1788 when the Constitution superceded them) as having "failed miserably."

 

Of the final years of the Revolutionary War, and the years following, Pinkerton states, "America in the 1780s was a place of vibrant debate — but peaceful debate."  I would ask, "What about the 6-month Shay's Rebellion in 1786-1787?" Daniel Shays and 1500 "insurgents" marched on the Springfield Courthouse and had themselves a "sit-in" to prevent the further trial and imprisonment of debtors.  The next target was the Federal Arsenal in Springfield, which more than 2000 armed farmers assaulted. Four "insurgents" died, twenty were wounded. In the end, fourteen leaders of Shay's Rebellion were sentenced to death for treason; twelve were pardoned, and two were hung.

 

Granted, the body counts between Shay's Rebellion and Iraq don't compare. But, I would hardly say it was a period of "peaceful debate."

 

Neither would George Washington: "No morn ever dawned more favourable than ours did — and no day was ever more clouded than the present!" Sorry, Jim Pinkerton, I'll take old George's word for it. After all, he was there.

Religious Education Affects Values

Many people wonder what is causing the moral decline we see in our society. In particular, they bemoan the lack of values in young people. Considering the relatively recent school shootings, the rate of teen abortions, the increase in teen assaults and gang activity, there is cause for concern.

But a newly released study in England found that a Christian education makes teenage boys less permissive.

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While I understand the concept of "separation of church and state," I think incorporating religion - ANY religion into a curriculum adds moral value to education. Maybe the best way to separate church and state is not to remove religion from schools. Perhaps we should remove government from the business of education. If all schools were privately funded, we would all be better off. Well, all of us except the members of teachers unions and the massive Department of Education.

Child Population Down in San Francisco

Only 14% of San Francisco's population is age 18 or under, compared to sleepy Palm Beach, Florida, where 19% of the population is children.

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It's certainly not surprising that families with young children are abandoning city life. The cost of housing in urban areas is outrageous, and even if you can afford the housing, there is not much space in the cityscape for kids to play, ride bikes, skateboard, or do any of the things active kids like to do.

Good luck convincing developers to build more affordable housing. Given all the zoning laws and building codes that must be adhered to, what you're really asking is for developers to redistribute their profits for the good of the community - or should I say "commune?"