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We should not force children to be patriotic

Re: 2 lawmakers try to protect flag pledge, Nov. 1 Times:

Let me see if I have this straight: We are told that we Americans are "free," but state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, is rolling out legislation that would make a lack of patriotism in our schools an offense. What's more, this is happening around the time that there is scandal in the Republican White House with Plamegate, Iraq, etc.

Hmmmm, does anybody else see the conflict and coincidence in this potential law?

In lieu of any policy that removes our school from the lower percentile of educational standards, compared to other states, Fasano has sought to go once again to the well of patriotism to require a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in all of our public schools. Private schools are, of course, exempt from public scrutiny, much like their testing standards and achievement statistics.

No, it is only the lowly public school child who will be forced to be patriotic. Much like Fasano's previous legislative coup, in which he ensured that our classrooms had flags of a dimension he saw to be appropriate, this law is just another piece of I'm-More-Patriotic-Than-You-Are fodder that conservatives digest with relish during times when they are trying to carpetbag ridiculous issues to the public.

I would argue that Fasano and the bill's co-sponsors have no faith in our children, our teachers, our education system, and the American parent to turn out intelligent, intuitive and inquisitive young men and women who will appreciate their country, yet question our standards so they may evolve constructively. The civil rights movement was born out of young men and women who questioned institutionalized racism as an everyday practice in our country.

Patriotism is something you feel, not something you learn. Forcing children to be patriotic is nigh on Orwellian. I have no problem with the Pledge of Allegiance. It is broadly recited in our schools on a daily basis, regardless of consequence. On the other hand, legal enforcement of patriotic activities for children is boilerplate policy for every despotic regime. Our country is great because we don't mandate our citizens to be patriotic; we want to be of our own volition.

Not that the comparisons or hypocrisy of trying to create uber-citizens will fall on listening ears. We give communist China, a country we fought vicariously in Vietnam because of its anti-American principles, $18-billion dollars a month in American trade and labor. We allow people like Fasano to cherry pick their lawmaking measures to quell dissent when we should be asking more questions.

There is a lot more to loving your country than simply forcing public school children to recite a patriotic slogan. There are a lot more problems in our schools that require more attention than Fasano's neatly packaged boondoggle law.

Without skyscrapers, was fire truck purchase necessary?

Re: Spring Hill to purchase 105-foot ladder truck, Nov. 2 Times:

I was terribly excited to see that the Spring Hill Fire Rescue District finally purchased a 105-foot ladder truck.

Gosh, with all the skyscrapers that have been popping up on Spring Hill Drive, I was wondering how they would be able to enter the 25th-floor windows.

Now, I will finally be able to sleep at night.

Guest columnist out of step regarding Adams' departure

Re: Search panel, commission to blame for departure, Oct. 31:

I had to smile as I read Brian Moore's guest column. It reminded me of when I was in basic training at Miami Beach in 1944.

The Army Air Corps organized us into 16-men groups. Each group marched to all formations while our sergeant called cadence (left, left, left right left). One man was always out of step. Fifteen men had their left foot down, he had his right foot down. No matter what our sergeant did, he could not correct this one soldier.

Here's the punch line: That one soldier insisted he was "in step" and that the rest of us were out of step.

If you read Moore's column, everybody is to blame for county administrator Gary Adams leaving - the county commissioners, the search committee, even Adams himself. Everybody is out of step except Moore.

Hans Froelich, who wrote the Oct. 20 guest column Don't blame Adams for leaving county, and I are both World War II veterans. We have experienced a lot of life's ups and downs. We are pretty good judges of people, as are the rest of our colleagues with whom we served. We picked Adams because he was the best qualified. He left a county in Florida to take a job up north to be near a sick relative. That Florida county wanted him back. Do you know of a county administrator who left a job being welcomed back? With the exception of Richard Radacky, who retired, we were glad to get rid of all of our administrators who left.

The Brian Moores of this world will always try to tell us we are out of step, but you and I know better.

County needs to give teachers incentive to stay

It's funny to me that we can pay the superintendent of schools top pay for her job, but pay the teachers one of the lowest average salaries in the state. No wonder teachers leave Hernando County for Pasco or Citrus to work and make a reasonable salary.

It's about time we woke up here and put our money where our mouth is. The teachers are the front line to making responsible citizens out of our children and are the least appreciated monetarily. Our children are our greatest commodity for the future and should be treated so, making sure their leadership is the best it can be by making sure we keep and lure the best teachers to our area, not drive them away.

[Last modified November 4, 2005, 01:40:17]