"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things that a man needs to believe in the most: that people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; that love, true love, never dies... No matter if they're true or not, a man should believe in those things because those are the things worth believing in."
I've been going over the Bill of Rights with my Civics kids, and in an effort to make it more relevant, we've been applying them to controversial current events. Some of the easier topics have been the suppression of protests at the 2008 Republican National Convention
and Guantanamo Bay detainees.
Today we aligned the 9th Amendment (right to privacy) to Sex offenders. We went on the MN Dept. of Corrections website and began typing in the zipcodes of students. I'm always surprised to see the number of level 3 sex offenders in the area. One kid lives a block away from a guy who whose victims ranged in ages 5-10. The question was whether or not the sex offenders' rights to privacy were being violated. As disgusted as they were, the general consensus among the students was that the Sex offender registry was unconstitutional.
10:00 p.m. Central time. The knot in my stomach has untied. The safety blanket of pessimism has subsided to what was once my modestly reserved optimism. Obama 284 McCain 146 We Did It!!!!! In this election, we have made a statement. We have chosen hope over fear and hate, forever changing the way politics in America will be played. In this election we saw the old-boy's politics pull every trick they
had out of the hat, and tonight we responded by slapping them upside
the head. As a Nation, we've finally matured. It's hard to imagine that a country, who only a few years ago allowed issues like same-sex marriage, abortion, and a "school yard" attitude toward international relations dominate the selection of leadership, has now been able to move beyond.
We are now one more step (there is still a long way to go) to fulfilling that longstanding American promise. And that's good news for all Americans and the rest of the World.
I feel like thanking all of America for validating the reasons why I love this country. So, thank you.
It's been awhile. I've been busy canvassing for Obama every week since the RNC came to MN. I was wanting to get involved sooner, and I'm glad I eventually got around to it. In fact, I'm regretting not getting involved sooner. It's been very satisfying.
Here's a nice picture of me with my students. Yes, I go canvassing with my kids. Yes, I could get into trouble involving them in partisan politics. However, it's not school related, and has merely been an open invitation for them to step into a world larger than they might otherwise initiate. Looking around at the diverse demographic of people involved in this campaign and meeting people from all levels of politics, I've really felt validated as an American. It was a feeling that I never even realized I was missing out on before, and I'm glad I've been able to involve my students. So, far life is good.
OK, back to work. The race isn't over yet. Remember your ABCs, "Always Be Closing!" Let's get this guy in office.
Just got back from my road trip to Yellowstone. Pictures will go up later.
Good news while I was away. For weeks I've heard rumors of a Rage Against The Machine reunion... Here!, in Minnesota..... to protest the Republican National Convention! It's now confirmed. Tickets go on sale Sat. I'm going to have to miss a day of the first week of school. SWEET!
