I’ve been wondering, now that we see the results of having so many misinformed or uninformed federal officials, if it wouldn’t be prudent to require folks running for federal office to take a test, allowing the public to see if the folks who are running adequately understand the Constitution as well as basic governmental norms that keep …
I’ve been wondering, now that we see the results of having so many misinformed or uninformed federal officials, if it wouldn’t be prudent to require folks running for federal office to take a test, allowing the public to see if the folks who are running adequately understand the Constitution as well as basic governmental norms that keep the government operational. And maybe it would allow the American citizenry be better informed about who is truly “fit for office”.
I can honestly say that if anyone walks through one of the fields of Civil War action, or a National Cemetery where the fallen have been laid to rest, and it doesn’t move them, they are not American.
We here in northern NY are surrounded by important Revolutionary War battlefields. Unfortunately our congressional representative is Elise Stefanik and she holds no reverence for the meaning behind those battles to free us from authoritarian monarchy and religious tyranny.
Brenda, I do hope you and the New York voters know that she stands for Trumputin. In my book, that makes her a traitor. She’s not in office fur the people of this country, or her district she was elected to represent. That makes her a traitor, in my opinion. She needs to go!
I think of, by and for the people ought to be the practical criteria for evaluating the spirit and consequences of any aspect of US governance; law, policy, elected and appointed officials. The whole dang thing needs a triage against that standard.
A lot of the current Rs are not patriots or American in the way the Lincoln defined nor do they really care about those who fight the military battles despite all the flag waving, anthem, and pledge.
How right you are, Michele! Their “leader”, whom they all worship the ground he 💩s on, even made a point when speaking about Senator John McCain, about how he wasn’t a Patriot, a Hero, because he had been captured. He was a war prisoner, therefore he was nothing. His talking about that man, and the fallen soldiers, made me sick.
It doesn’t matter if you are Democrat, Republican, Independent, or whatever. These men and women fought, and died, to preserve the freedoms we so much have taken the granted, until right now. Especially since these freedoms, our Democracy, our Constitution, is exactly what Trumputin is going to take from all of us if he returns to the Oval Office!!!
His treatment of military personnel and his comments should tell everyone who are actually patriots that they are backing the wrong horse. My ex-classmate from my home town as been pretty silent about politics. She did recognize a veteran in her family, probably her current husband on Veteran's Day. Somehow people don't see the disconnect.
Well, you might point out, if you dare, that Senator Tuberville seems fixed on disarming the military until the former guy is restored to power. Makes me ill.
You piqued my curiosity with your comment Ally. My mind goes to strange places. This is from the Gettysburg/Adams Chamber of Commerce website-
Economic Impact of Tourism - Gettysburg and Adams County, Pa.
Annual Visitation -
Gettysburg National Military Park 1 million
Adams County 3.7 million
Visitor Demographics-
Average length of trip 2 days
Percentage of International Visitors 3.2%
Average age 52 years
I am surprised at the average age of visitors when there are so many school buses the times I have visited. As so many have commented today, the Gettysburg address is likely the most studied text in our school curriculum. I suspect many people commenting today, could recite most of the address from memory.
We all wept when we visited this hallowed ground. So many sacrificed with their lives that our Republic could continue.
I have as well. And being a Mainer I had to walk to Little Round Top, where Lt. Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain led his 20th Maine regiment in a bayonet charge down that small hill against the troops of the 15th Alabama regiment, saving the left flank of the Union Army.
I bet those museums there are full of Civil War artifacts found on these hills. I bet it’s really interesting to walk the same grounds that those battles were fought. I never made it to any of those sites in the northeast. I wanted to, but dad couldn’t be away from the farm that long when I was growing up.
Me, too. I highly recommend purchasing the CD self guided tour, it is well worth the cost.
In the same road trip we took to view Gettysburg, we first visited the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois. (it is fabulous) where I saw the famous two masks of Lincoln, side by side.
I remember as growing up, after I started school, we took trips every summer to different Civil War locations and did the tour of that location. My dad being from Georgia, there is a lot of war cites within the state, and surrounding states. It was fantastic. I always looked forward to going to those every year.
Morning, Ally! Several years ago we took a self-guided tour of Gettysburg's battlefields by car. To see the fields all lit up by candles was humbling. I don't see it advertised now, but they do have a Sing Along at the Annual Tuba Carol Fest!
That is so cool!! In the "did you know" department, Harvey Phillips (tuba player who got the initial idea for this event that brings tuba and euphonium players together to play Christmas music) took out a copyright on "Tuba Christmas" and has a rule that if you advertise your event as "Tuba Christmas" you have to use his trademarked music. Ergo, our event is "Tuba Carol Concert" because we play music that was arranged for our ensemble by a U of O grad student frome England who played with the group in the late 1980's. We often have people sing along with us, and we use "Jingle Bells" for audience participation as they "jingle" their car keys.
Well, many Rs have no souls and they worship the truly soulless person who is just an overweight bag of air. And they are true hypocrite with the false patriotism. All the emphasis on form, but not substance.
Mr Graham; Unfortunately, your statement is true of the entire Congress. In my humble opinion, much of our Congress has been a disgrace for a long time (sure there are members who are honest). I remember thinking that when members vote themselves raises, get preffered healthcare and pension conditions, insider trade in the stock market, are more beholding to lobbyists than voters, participate and profit from gerrymandering, don't address climate change, cowtow to the Billionaires for funding, don't address mass killings in the streets, don't seem to feel themselves accountable for multitudes of failures...ETC ETC ETC. ...I remember saying to myself: "I am really peeved, and how pissed off so many people must be who are not as fortunate as myself to actually participate in the American dream. Won't they rebel at some time? Might they not want to 'blow it all up'?" And here we are. I don't think we can categorize our MAGA neighbors as the only bad guys (those that take advantage of them yes, those that will not put their mighty positions at risk to get rid of a patently crazy "Wanna Be", yes. Many people just think, "Hey they are all the same, and they do nothing for me. Maybe it's time for a HUGE change (as misguided and risky as that might be)? Love of Money by some of us is risking it all.
Lincoln said that public sentiment is everything. Freedom worthy of the name promotes and protects unlimited diversity of choices within the range of of actions that are responsible to the rights of others. The conundrum is maintaining a robust array of different drummers while pulling together the conditions that enable freedom of this sort to exist. Colonists worked together to end their homeland's status as a possession of Britain. Revolutions of whatever sort occur in the mind and the "heart" before they are tangible. If enough people prioritized a a more responsive and responsible government, I think it would occur. Those who benefit from tyranny devise to divide and rule. Liberators and reformers build solidarity. Solidarity builds agreement about the conditions necessary to maintain universal liberty, or at least a best and unending effort to do so. Lincoln seemed to "get" that, and expressed it eloquently. I think that if we mean to be a government of the people, by the people, for the people, we have been far to lax about neglecting our role. We indulged distractions while the reality that has become today's so-called "Republican" Party and what Gen. Mike Milley recently called a "wannabe dictator" has crept closer in fits and starts for over 40 years. Now defending democracy needs be mission critical for every American.
Words of wisdom as usual. Thank you. Our understanding of who we are and who we want to become requires educated thinking . It requires listening, observing ..... what are the results of the actions a leader chooses? Is the leader open to listening to another side and taking time to digest it producing a clear, balanced response.
Do we pay enough attention to what is going on within the systems of our local government? Do we feel so far removed that we allow persons to push away our freedoms, simply because we are not as involved and informed as we should be?
Obviously this is taking place within our towns, cities, local and state governments. WE are allowing the "MAGNA" types to get a foothold within our government. We are the only ones who can change this situation by voting for and electing, steady, solid , informed citizenry.
JL Graham, I especially appreciated..."I think if we mean to be a government of the people, by the people, for the people, we have been far to lax about neglecting our role." "Now defending democracy needs to be mission critical for every American." Thank you JL Graham!
Even well intentioned politicians seem sometimes to me more focused on bone throwing than highlighting fundamental problems. I am not entirely a fan of Biden, but I see him from a managerial standpoint, launching more strategic initiatives than any recent president I recall. You don't want to just win the battle but lose the war. What I think Biden most needs is more compelling presentation skills, which is where President Carter, an admirable planner and administrator, and human being, was weak. We want presidents to be charismatic communicators, as well as master administrators. Trump maintains an enthusiastic following with his shameless demagoguery. There is always an audience for people who flatter others with what they would like to hear; the "real patriots", the "master race", etc . Media liked to call Reagan "The Great Communicator", but who remembers what Reagan said except for his smug (and divisive) one-liners?
The Gettysburg Address is an example of "great" communication. It still speaks to us more than a century later. It nails things that matter. I think JFK was heading that direction when he said:
"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. "
We now face intimidating challenges, in part from taking our eye off the ball, and leadership, grass roots, elected, and even in our own internal musings, helps us to focus and coordinate.
Thank you, J L Graham, for expressing this so well.
I hope that many here will read your comment, turn it over in their minds, and share its content.
For my part, I am much taken with HCR's drawing attention to the word "proposition" used by Lincoln when referring to what the Declaration of independence calls self-evident truths.
Being wary by nature of untried beliefs, I prefer to think in terms of "settings" by which we try to live. Given experience, these enable us to progress towards a deeper understanding of truth.
*
I have just added a general comment to this thread, a comment on Lincoln's crucial choice of this word. I want to share this with as many readers as possible.
I think that skepticism and an open mind are two aspects of the same approach. Skepticism and cynicism are often conflated, but both skepticism and open-mindedness require some measure of uncertainty, and ultimately , humility. Even mathematics, which involves the faithful completion of a set of "settings", drifts into uncertainty (such as "Geodel's Proof ") even though we get to make the rules. Science, as far as I can tell, is ultimate a conversation with nature. With observation and action, we "listen" to what nature can tell us, and when we pay keen enough attention to Nature's ways, we get some remarkable things done by playing by "Her" rules. Not always good things, but things that can "work".
My impression is that we have lost track of the concept of "wisdom", which I think has to do with recognizing what most "matters" as well as what is likely to work as planned. Science can greatly inform, but not decide, what most matters to us as individuals, but I think when we compare notes in an honest and reflective state of mind, some things stand out as more fundamental than others. "Road rage" seems like extreme juvenile folly, even though there can be strong temptation to go there. Caring for each other is part and parcel of our specie's survival strategy. We are a thoroughly social species. History self-evidently indicates that concentrated power tend to corrupt, so it is wise to divide it. That said, we all have, to varying degrees, an appetite for power. It would seem wise to negotiate how power gets distributed, at least when and where it most matters, one aspect of which is "government". Government comes into being wherever there is more than one person. It just does, like children proposing a "pretend" game. It is not the enemy that Reagan claimed, but it can be. It all depends; and we all have a serious stake in that.
Wisdom seems to be hard to pin down, because it appears to be predicated on knowing that you don't know. I don't think that means we cannot accumulate useful knowledge, but our very best attempts are ultimately an educated guess, that therefore, dictate humility. I think that requires open, observant senses, along with an open, observant "heart" and mind; which is not necessarily easily maintained; but it helps to have and contribute to encouragement from one's cohort and society.
Sorry, Jeri, it's not quite clear what you're speaking of, but if it's Bruce Klassens' speaking of too many people's "blow it all up" attitude, that plainly is not his own, nor have I seen anyone here who's open to such a view.
But isn't it painfully understandable, coming from people who are suffering from disappointed expectations -- "the American dream" -- people who don't realize how much they fooled themselves with these dangerously fragile expectations... and who rightly feel that they have been cheated by complacent, self-seeking politicians, corporations and powerful people who profit from the status quo?
Expectations are always dangerous, they blind us to reality and to real opportunities.
I was poor and had reasonable expectations considering our resources. Knew work was primary, but did not have so many strikes against me as did and do so many. Shakespeare had something to say about that. “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” Not expectation, but germs were planted. As a senior, English teacher asked if I was going to college. I said no, we couldn’t afford it. She said that’s too bad, you would do well. I remembered that much later when the circumstances changed somewhat. Instead of disappointment over unrealized expectation, I was pleasantly surprised when something worked out (often after a crushing disappointment). I never blamed corporations, although I could have blamed NASA for a reduction-in-force (RIF) that kicked me out of a job that I had recently been promoted to.
With thanks to contributors above whose comments reflected thoughts related to the Letter about Gettysburg. (Daniel Cooper, Sky777 and Jenn SH from NC) I wish I knew how to draft a law preventing any member of Congress from voting on legislation about which they know NOTHING! Hence my brief comment promoting the use of making candidates take that Pop Quiz I mentioned. Health concerns? Can they pass a basic human biology exam or identify their own body parts and how and why they work as they do (including those of the opposite sex(s). Are they fluent enough in medical terminology so they can understand what they are reading? Oops! How many of those potential laws are completely read and UNDERSTOOD before being voted on? On the other hand, only reinstating real Civics courses in our schools will help actual voters understand what could happen to their lives if they let politicians explain to them what or why they should vote for or against. l This has been on my mind for a while now. Thanks for letting me vent.
It's safe to assume that if today's extremist Republicans were alive in 1863, they would begin a concerted campaign of lies that the Confederates did not lose at Gettysburg and Lincoln never spoke the words that echo loudly even today. Just as they're doing about Jan. 6.
I agree. It could be done in some cases through the debates if moderators would begin asking questions that had to do with the Constitution, our government, how things work, how things should work, norms, how elected officials should behave, etc.
Yes! (“Fit for office”) Last week NPR was reporting a story on Biden‘s diplomacy with foreign countries, and then added to that many of the maga group felt that Trump would be better at foreign policies than Biden. That’s when I started shouting at my radio in my car. Can you believe a person that wanted to buy Greenland or Iceland and doesn’t know where half the countries are in the world is better than Biden? How are we still here with me screaming at my car radio years after J6??
Yes! Elected public servants should be required to pass the US Citizenship Test that all new immigrants are required to take to qualify for citizenship. I'd bet every cent I have that Marjory Taylor Green would fail!
The problem with your idea is that indoctrinated/brainwashed/radicalised people can know the difference but choose the cult leader over everyone/everything else pointing out the lies.
Or in Trump's case, he knew he lost the election (everyone in his staff was telling him this) BUT he chose to ignore the facts and push the Big Lie.
A test of knowledge isn't going to weed out the traitors and cult followers.
People are going to need to learn to critically think and recognize who is credible and who isn't. Stop listening to the liars. Recognize who is credible and who is not credible. Listen to those who fight to tell the truth (HCR is one of them) and who is full of crap.
If a so-called 'news organization' is sued for lying and found guilty, or settles out of court for $787M (admitting guilt), and/or evidence in the case proves on-air personlities (not real journalists) are saying one thing off-air in texts & emails, and saying something else (LYING) on air, THEN stop watching them.
If credible organizations point out their lies with evidence, listen to the the Truth-tellers NOT the Liars.
Great idea but(isn't there always a 'but'?) I'm not sure that today's electorate could judge whether people running for office understand the constitution. I mean many of these folks elected the likes of Marjorie Taylor Green, trump, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, the list does go on & on. I fear that the threshold for determining who is a responsible representative is long past. I hope that I am wrong but(damn, there's that word again!) I have a dreadful feeling that I may be more right than wrong. I'll be happy to go down in flames in being wrong!!!!
I’ve been wondering, now that we see the results of having so many misinformed or uninformed federal officials, if it wouldn’t be prudent to require folks running for federal office to take a test, allowing the public to see if the folks who are running adequately understand the Constitution as well as basic governmental norms that keep the government operational. And maybe it would allow the American citizenry be better informed about who is truly “fit for office”.
I’d urge these people to walk these fields where people died and then they should take the test.
I can honestly say that if anyone walks through one of the fields of Civil War action, or a National Cemetery where the fallen have been laid to rest, and it doesn’t move them, they are not American.
We here in northern NY are surrounded by important Revolutionary War battlefields. Unfortunately our congressional representative is Elise Stefanik and she holds no reverence for the meaning behind those battles to free us from authoritarian monarchy and religious tyranny.
Stefanik is a disgrace.
She’s a hog.
She's a Republican.
Brenda, I do hope you and the New York voters know that she stands for Trumputin. In my book, that makes her a traitor. She’s not in office fur the people of this country, or her district she was elected to represent. That makes her a traitor, in my opinion. She needs to go!
I think of, by and for the people ought to be the practical criteria for evaluating the spirit and consequences of any aspect of US governance; law, policy, elected and appointed officials. The whole dang thing needs a triage against that standard.
I agree
Brenda, least we forget her shadow, Claudia Tenney.
Hope you work for her opponent. What a sycophant!
A lot of the current Rs are not patriots or American in the way the Lincoln defined nor do they really care about those who fight the military battles despite all the flag waving, anthem, and pledge.
How right you are, Michele! Their “leader”, whom they all worship the ground he 💩s on, even made a point when speaking about Senator John McCain, about how he wasn’t a Patriot, a Hero, because he had been captured. He was a war prisoner, therefore he was nothing. His talking about that man, and the fallen soldiers, made me sick.
It doesn’t matter if you are Democrat, Republican, Independent, or whatever. These men and women fought, and died, to preserve the freedoms we so much have taken the granted, until right now. Especially since these freedoms, our Democracy, our Constitution, is exactly what Trumputin is going to take from all of us if he returns to the Oval Office!!!
His treatment of military personnel and his comments should tell everyone who are actually patriots that they are backing the wrong horse. My ex-classmate from my home town as been pretty silent about politics. She did recognize a veteran in her family, probably her current husband on Veteran's Day. Somehow people don't see the disconnect.
Well, you might point out, if you dare, that Senator Tuberville seems fixed on disarming the military until the former guy is restored to power. Makes me ill.
If hallowed ground does not move a person, there is no soul in the body.
You piqued my curiosity with your comment Ally. My mind goes to strange places. This is from the Gettysburg/Adams Chamber of Commerce website-
Economic Impact of Tourism - Gettysburg and Adams County, Pa.
Annual Visitation -
Gettysburg National Military Park 1 million
Adams County 3.7 million
Visitor Demographics-
Average length of trip 2 days
Percentage of International Visitors 3.2%
Average age 52 years
I am surprised at the average age of visitors when there are so many school buses the times I have visited. As so many have commented today, the Gettysburg address is likely the most studied text in our school curriculum. I suspect many people commenting today, could recite most of the address from memory.
We all wept when we visited this hallowed ground. So many sacrificed with their lives that our Republic could continue.
I would suspect that the school itself is one visitor, no matter how many kids attend. I am thrilled to see that schools bring kids to see that.
Like you, this average age surprises me as well.
Ohhh how right you are. I remember walking through that cemetery. All I could say was WOW! I mean, it really, really, touched me.
I have as well. And being a Mainer I had to walk to Little Round Top, where Lt. Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain led his 20th Maine regiment in a bayonet charge down that small hill against the troops of the 15th Alabama regiment, saving the left flank of the Union Army.
I bet those museums there are full of Civil War artifacts found on these hills. I bet it’s really interesting to walk the same grounds that those battles were fought. I never made it to any of those sites in the northeast. I wanted to, but dad couldn’t be away from the farm that long when I was growing up.
Me, too. I highly recommend purchasing the CD self guided tour, it is well worth the cost.
In the same road trip we took to view Gettysburg, we first visited the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois. (it is fabulous) where I saw the famous two masks of Lincoln, side by side.
Incredible the stress of this war put on him.
I remember as growing up, after I started school, we took trips every summer to different Civil War locations and did the tour of that location. My dad being from Georgia, there is a lot of war cites within the state, and surrounding states. It was fantastic. I always looked forward to going to those every year.
Morning, Ally! Several years ago we took a self-guided tour of Gettysburg's battlefields by car. To see the fields all lit up by candles was humbling. I don't see it advertised now, but they do have a Sing Along at the Annual Tuba Carol Fest!
https://www.gettysburgbattlefieldtours.com/christmas-in-gettysburg-winter-2022-essential-guide/
That is so cool!! In the "did you know" department, Harvey Phillips (tuba player who got the initial idea for this event that brings tuba and euphonium players together to play Christmas music) took out a copyright on "Tuba Christmas" and has a rule that if you advertise your event as "Tuba Christmas" you have to use his trademarked music. Ergo, our event is "Tuba Carol Concert" because we play music that was arranged for our ensemble by a U of O grad student frome England who played with the group in the late 1980's. We often have people sing along with us, and we use "Jingle Bells" for audience participation as they "jingle" their car keys.
Oh, and good morning, Lynell!
Now, yours is very cool, Ally! Clever work around to have your event stay "legal." And who knew car keys could substitute as musical instruments!
Well, many Rs have no souls and they worship the truly soulless person who is just an overweight bag of air. And they are true hypocrite with the false patriotism. All the emphasis on form, but not substance.
The extremists in the House would have no understanding of Gettysburg.
Thank you.
💙
Or they aren’t quite human...
They are certainly soulless.
It’s a definite hologram , I experienced this phenomenon . “That these honored have not died in vane..”
💙💙VOTE ALL THE COMPLICIT OUT💙💙
Good idea, along with a full psychological evaluation!
If there were such a test, cynic that I am, I assume some (many) would find a way to cheat.
It seems to be the raison d'etre of the modern Republican Party, in service of the love of money.
Mr Graham; Unfortunately, your statement is true of the entire Congress. In my humble opinion, much of our Congress has been a disgrace for a long time (sure there are members who are honest). I remember thinking that when members vote themselves raises, get preffered healthcare and pension conditions, insider trade in the stock market, are more beholding to lobbyists than voters, participate and profit from gerrymandering, don't address climate change, cowtow to the Billionaires for funding, don't address mass killings in the streets, don't seem to feel themselves accountable for multitudes of failures...ETC ETC ETC. ...I remember saying to myself: "I am really peeved, and how pissed off so many people must be who are not as fortunate as myself to actually participate in the American dream. Won't they rebel at some time? Might they not want to 'blow it all up'?" And here we are. I don't think we can categorize our MAGA neighbors as the only bad guys (those that take advantage of them yes, those that will not put their mighty positions at risk to get rid of a patently crazy "Wanna Be", yes. Many people just think, "Hey they are all the same, and they do nothing for me. Maybe it's time for a HUGE change (as misguided and risky as that might be)? Love of Money by some of us is risking it all.
Lincoln said that public sentiment is everything. Freedom worthy of the name promotes and protects unlimited diversity of choices within the range of of actions that are responsible to the rights of others. The conundrum is maintaining a robust array of different drummers while pulling together the conditions that enable freedom of this sort to exist. Colonists worked together to end their homeland's status as a possession of Britain. Revolutions of whatever sort occur in the mind and the "heart" before they are tangible. If enough people prioritized a a more responsive and responsible government, I think it would occur. Those who benefit from tyranny devise to divide and rule. Liberators and reformers build solidarity. Solidarity builds agreement about the conditions necessary to maintain universal liberty, or at least a best and unending effort to do so. Lincoln seemed to "get" that, and expressed it eloquently. I think that if we mean to be a government of the people, by the people, for the people, we have been far to lax about neglecting our role. We indulged distractions while the reality that has become today's so-called "Republican" Party and what Gen. Mike Milley recently called a "wannabe dictator" has crept closer in fits and starts for over 40 years. Now defending democracy needs be mission critical for every American.
Amen!
JL Graham,
Words of wisdom as usual. Thank you. Our understanding of who we are and who we want to become requires educated thinking . It requires listening, observing ..... what are the results of the actions a leader chooses? Is the leader open to listening to another side and taking time to digest it producing a clear, balanced response.
Do we pay enough attention to what is going on within the systems of our local government? Do we feel so far removed that we allow persons to push away our freedoms, simply because we are not as involved and informed as we should be?
Obviously this is taking place within our towns, cities, local and state governments. WE are allowing the "MAGNA" types to get a foothold within our government. We are the only ones who can change this situation by voting for and electing, steady, solid , informed citizenry.
JL Graham, I especially appreciated..."I think if we mean to be a government of the people, by the people, for the people, we have been far to lax about neglecting our role." "Now defending democracy needs to be mission critical for every American." Thank you JL Graham!
Even well intentioned politicians seem sometimes to me more focused on bone throwing than highlighting fundamental problems. I am not entirely a fan of Biden, but I see him from a managerial standpoint, launching more strategic initiatives than any recent president I recall. You don't want to just win the battle but lose the war. What I think Biden most needs is more compelling presentation skills, which is where President Carter, an admirable planner and administrator, and human being, was weak. We want presidents to be charismatic communicators, as well as master administrators. Trump maintains an enthusiastic following with his shameless demagoguery. There is always an audience for people who flatter others with what they would like to hear; the "real patriots", the "master race", etc . Media liked to call Reagan "The Great Communicator", but who remembers what Reagan said except for his smug (and divisive) one-liners?
The Gettysburg Address is an example of "great" communication. It still speaks to us more than a century later. It nails things that matter. I think JFK was heading that direction when he said:
"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. "
We now face intimidating challenges, in part from taking our eye off the ball, and leadership, grass roots, elected, and even in our own internal musings, helps us to focus and coordinate.
Thank you, J L Graham, for expressing this so well.
I hope that many here will read your comment, turn it over in their minds, and share its content.
For my part, I am much taken with HCR's drawing attention to the word "proposition" used by Lincoln when referring to what the Declaration of independence calls self-evident truths.
Being wary by nature of untried beliefs, I prefer to think in terms of "settings" by which we try to live. Given experience, these enable us to progress towards a deeper understanding of truth.
*
I have just added a general comment to this thread, a comment on Lincoln's crucial choice of this word. I want to share this with as many readers as possible.
*
Maybe the proverbial needle in a Substack.
"Maybe the proverbial needle in a Substack."
Spoken like a true pundit.
"Being wary by nature of untried beliefs, ..."
I think that skepticism and an open mind are two aspects of the same approach. Skepticism and cynicism are often conflated, but both skepticism and open-mindedness require some measure of uncertainty, and ultimately , humility. Even mathematics, which involves the faithful completion of a set of "settings", drifts into uncertainty (such as "Geodel's Proof ") even though we get to make the rules. Science, as far as I can tell, is ultimate a conversation with nature. With observation and action, we "listen" to what nature can tell us, and when we pay keen enough attention to Nature's ways, we get some remarkable things done by playing by "Her" rules. Not always good things, but things that can "work".
My impression is that we have lost track of the concept of "wisdom", which I think has to do with recognizing what most "matters" as well as what is likely to work as planned. Science can greatly inform, but not decide, what most matters to us as individuals, but I think when we compare notes in an honest and reflective state of mind, some things stand out as more fundamental than others. "Road rage" seems like extreme juvenile folly, even though there can be strong temptation to go there. Caring for each other is part and parcel of our specie's survival strategy. We are a thoroughly social species. History self-evidently indicates that concentrated power tend to corrupt, so it is wise to divide it. That said, we all have, to varying degrees, an appetite for power. It would seem wise to negotiate how power gets distributed, at least when and where it most matters, one aspect of which is "government". Government comes into being wherever there is more than one person. It just does, like children proposing a "pretend" game. It is not the enemy that Reagan claimed, but it can be. It all depends; and we all have a serious stake in that.
Wisdom seems to be hard to pin down, because it appears to be predicated on knowing that you don't know. I don't think that means we cannot accumulate useful knowledge, but our very best attempts are ultimately an educated guess, that therefore, dictate humility. I think that requires open, observant senses, along with an open, observant "heart" and mind; which is not necessarily easily maintained; but it helps to have and contribute to encouragement from one's cohort and society.
A “burn it all down” position. Sorry, but Bannon did not speak for me. And no, they are not the same. Not perfect, but definitely not the same.
Sorry, Jeri, it's not quite clear what you're speaking of, but if it's Bruce Klassens' speaking of too many people's "blow it all up" attitude, that plainly is not his own, nor have I seen anyone here who's open to such a view.
But isn't it painfully understandable, coming from people who are suffering from disappointed expectations -- "the American dream" -- people who don't realize how much they fooled themselves with these dangerously fragile expectations... and who rightly feel that they have been cheated by complacent, self-seeking politicians, corporations and powerful people who profit from the status quo?
Expectations are always dangerous, they blind us to reality and to real opportunities.
I was poor and had reasonable expectations considering our resources. Knew work was primary, but did not have so many strikes against me as did and do so many. Shakespeare had something to say about that. “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” Not expectation, but germs were planted. As a senior, English teacher asked if I was going to college. I said no, we couldn’t afford it. She said that’s too bad, you would do well. I remembered that much later when the circumstances changed somewhat. Instead of disappointment over unrealized expectation, I was pleasantly surprised when something worked out (often after a crushing disappointment). I never blamed corporations, although I could have blamed NASA for a reduction-in-force (RIF) that kicked me out of a job that I had recently been promoted to.
Pop Quiz, only oral responses to questions asked when you file to run for office or register to vote.
With thanks to contributors above whose comments reflected thoughts related to the Letter about Gettysburg. (Daniel Cooper, Sky777 and Jenn SH from NC) I wish I knew how to draft a law preventing any member of Congress from voting on legislation about which they know NOTHING! Hence my brief comment promoting the use of making candidates take that Pop Quiz I mentioned. Health concerns? Can they pass a basic human biology exam or identify their own body parts and how and why they work as they do (including those of the opposite sex(s). Are they fluent enough in medical terminology so they can understand what they are reading? Oops! How many of those potential laws are completely read and UNDERSTOOD before being voted on? On the other hand, only reinstating real Civics courses in our schools will help actual voters understand what could happen to their lives if they let politicians explain to them what or why they should vote for or against. l This has been on my mind for a while now. Thanks for letting me vent.
?what is you age?
I'LL BE 81 TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
There are ways around that which testing services know a bit about.
gosh, people would cheat. How novel. Cheating has a long history as the Greeks, for example, cheated in the ancient Olympics.
It's safe to assume that if today's extremist Republicans were alive in 1863, they would begin a concerted campaign of lies that the Confederates did not lose at Gettysburg and Lincoln never spoke the words that echo loudly even today. Just as they're doing about Jan. 6.
So true, lie, deny, and obfuscate
The subject of many a book already..and obviously still contended....
Not a bad idea. Let's get Boebert, MTG, and Jordan busy writing some version of it for publication in Mad Magazine.
I agree. It could be done in some cases through the debates if moderators would begin asking questions that had to do with the Constitution, our government, how things work, how things should work, norms, how elected officials should behave, etc.
I think, at least a brief history should be part of a new legislators’ orientation
Yes! (“Fit for office”) Last week NPR was reporting a story on Biden‘s diplomacy with foreign countries, and then added to that many of the maga group felt that Trump would be better at foreign policies than Biden. That’s when I started shouting at my radio in my car. Can you believe a person that wanted to buy Greenland or Iceland and doesn’t know where half the countries are in the world is better than Biden? How are we still here with me screaming at my car radio years after J6??
Yes! Elected public servants should be required to pass the US Citizenship Test that all new immigrants are required to take to qualify for citizenship. I'd bet every cent I have that Marjory Taylor Green would fail!
I agree 1000%! Seems like a no-brainer. It's common sense. (commenting on "fit for office" post.)
The problem with your idea is that indoctrinated/brainwashed/radicalised people can know the difference but choose the cult leader over everyone/everything else pointing out the lies.
Or in Trump's case, he knew he lost the election (everyone in his staff was telling him this) BUT he chose to ignore the facts and push the Big Lie.
A test of knowledge isn't going to weed out the traitors and cult followers.
People are going to need to learn to critically think and recognize who is credible and who isn't. Stop listening to the liars. Recognize who is credible and who is not credible. Listen to those who fight to tell the truth (HCR is one of them) and who is full of crap.
If a so-called 'news organization' is sued for lying and found guilty, or settles out of court for $787M (admitting guilt), and/or evidence in the case proves on-air personlities (not real journalists) are saying one thing off-air in texts & emails, and saying something else (LYING) on air, THEN stop watching them.
If credible organizations point out their lies with evidence, listen to the the Truth-tellers NOT the Liars.
It certainly would weed out a large number of the current office holders!
Me too. Basic third grade civics about the 3 branches of government and separation of powers would be nice.
Great idea but(isn't there always a 'but'?) I'm not sure that today's electorate could judge whether people running for office understand the constitution. I mean many of these folks elected the likes of Marjorie Taylor Green, trump, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, the list does go on & on. I fear that the threshold for determining who is a responsible representative is long past. I hope that I am wrong but(damn, there's that word again!) I have a dreadful feeling that I may be more right than wrong. I'll be happy to go down in flames in being wrong!!!!
Great idea!