You Will Be Patriotic!

Well, Utah's lawmakers have done it again. They've gone and proved to everyone that there are still yokels in the world, and that they're all congregating in Utah government. Apparently, one of our wise senators decided to go and do something for the kids, and is pushing a bill to have the American Flag and a copy of the Declaration of Independence in every classroom of every school in our fine state.

His reasoning? He's doing it because “There’s not a lot of patriotism going around out there.” Not a lot of patriotism you say? Huh.

So, we're just going to ram it down the throats of the kiddies and make them swallow? Well, I guess that's one approach. Many of you parents may even recognize it. Do you remember how you tried this approach to make them do things like piano lessons, ballet, and brussel sprouts? How'd that work out for you? Not too well you say? How shocking.

Hmm, could it be that brute force and the phrase "because I said so," may not be the answer?

Now, I don't want you to think I've got anything against the Declaration of Independence because I don't. That's damn fine history right there and having a copy of it around seems like a pretty cool idea. The notion of a bunch of guys flipping the bird to England and saying "You know what? You don't own us," is enough to make anyone feel pretty righteous.

So the problem isn't that some lawmakers want us to have a few facsimiles of the artifacts in our history. But it becomes a problem when they're trying to push in on kids so they can better meet the status quo. And that's wrong no matter where you sit.

Every day, you good people pay tons of taxes. things like gas, food, and water always take a little off the top. When you see your paycheck, it's hard to miss how much the government has taken away from the time you've put in. This, as I'm sure you're aware, is the cost of freedom.

You know what people? You've paid your dues, and you can be as patriotic as you goddamn please.

As far as that document they're pushing so hard to shove in your children's faces is concerned, you have met the criteria for being a good citizen. You've gotten that job, and paid those taxes. And as a bonus, you've done right by your family, done some goodwill, and avoided murdering people. Right now, the founding fathers think you're alright.

And if you happen to be disappointed with the state of you country, and are less than compelled to sing it's praises, well shit, that's fine. Keep at it I say. It's not only aq privilege of democracy, it's damn responsible too. The people in charge need to know when the peasants are pissed, so they can get up and fix some shit. If we didn't do that, we might get flung into something ridiculous, like a pointless war, or failing to help people in need, or a recession or...............oh, wait.

Anyways, I say kids should have a chance to check out the Declaration of Independence in some form or another. Let them take in the words, and the meanings behind them, and know what this whole democracy thing is supposed to be about. But don't force it on them. Don't insist that the reading and comprehension of such a document is the only true path to being a good American, because it's not. That's like saying the only way to be a man is to bang a chick in somebody's backseat. And the game isn't played that way.

So, go ahead. Give the kids a chance (not a required one either) to flip through the Declaration of Independence. Let them read the Constitution or any other texts you choose. But if those kids walk away from the experience not feeling the slightest bit more patriotic, then throw your hands up and say, "Oh well, I tried." The important thing is that they'll know what the hub-bub is all about.

Hell, maybe they'll even develop the sense to ignore certain ass-brained senators.