Informed Patriotism from http://retakeournation.blogspot.com/

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Informed Patriotism

I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Profound words of wisdom from Whitney Houston. The R.O.N. project has begun and now it’s time to take steps to Re-Take Our Nation. Step one? Informed patriotism.

On January 11th, 1989 Ronald Reagan gave his farewell address to the nation. I think it’s so unique that the address was called a “farewell” address. If I asked you to define a farewell address I presume you would say it was his “goodbye” address. But when you read the address or listen to it, it isn’t so much a “goodbye” address but more of a “Fair Well” address. The speech noted many of the administrations successes, but it also outlined the work that still needed addressing.

Many great quotes from “The Gipper” have made it on to plaques, posters, t-shirts and etc. I ask you to perhaps re-read or read for the first time what I believe to be the most important words any American President has ever spoken:

“Finally, there is a great tradition of warnings in presidential farewells, and I've got one that's been on my mind for some time. But oddly enough it starts with one of the things I'm proudest of in the past eight years: the resurgence of national pride that I called the new patriotism. This national feeling is good, but it won't count for much, and it won't last unless it's grounded in thoughtfulness and knowledge.

An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world? Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different America. We were taught, very directly, what it means to be an American. And we absorbed, almost in the air, a love of country and an appreciation of its institutions. If you didn't get these things from your family, you got them from the neighborhood, from the father down the street who fought in Korea or the family who lost someone at Anzio. Or you could get a sense of patriotism from school. And if all else failed, you could get a sense of patriotism from popular culture. The movies celebrated democratic values and implicitly reinforced the idea that America was special. TV was like that, too, through the mid-'60s

But now, we're about to enter the '90s, and some things have changed. Younger parents aren't sure that an unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded patriotism is no longer the style. Our spirit is back, but we haven't reinstitutionalized it. We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom--freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs protection.

So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion but what's important: Why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant.”

It can be summed up today with just four of the sentences… “This national feeling is good, but it won't count for much, and it won't last unless it's grounded in thoughtfulness and knowledge. We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom--freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs protection.

Here was a man who needed more time but had to say goodbye. He was more than a President; he was a teacher. We were all part of his “We The People Revolution”. We were supposed to carry on and we lost the youth of this great nation because instead of glorifying the sacrifices of our Founding Fathers we allowed pop culture to glorify drugs, sex and liberal values. Our kids heroes went from being George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt to Eminem, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Our homes are for the most part filled with pathetic to poor television, our radio waves filled with profane laced lyrics and our movie theaters filled mostly with uninspiring time wasters.

The Republican’s want to reach out to the youth. As a parent do you know what children want? They want attention. They want to be empowered. They want to be able to accomplish greatness on their own. They want to be taught and they want to learn.

Obama and the Democrats have taken a different approach, but an approach that a lot of parents take with their kids today. He spoils them. He has told them he will give them Hope, Change, medicine, food for their bellies, shelter, etc. He is telling them that it is their right to be given the American Dream. It’s interesting, Parents magazine wrote an article on the five warning signs that you have a spoiled chid. Check these out:

· Your child whines or throws tantrums until she gets her way. "Tantrums are normal at 2 and 3, but not when a child is 5 or 6," says Robert Billingham, Ph.D., a professor of human development at Indiana University in Bloomington. "If you're seeing them, it means she's discovered that they work."
· Your child has trouble maintaining friendships and playing with other kids. Children who've been catered to often have difficulty accommodating other people's feelings, which can make them unpopular with playmates. As your child leaves toddlerhood, pay attention to how his sharing, turn-taking, and other social skills are progressing. How does he compare to his peers?
· The house can barely hold all your child's toys, but she still wants more. You may be teaching your child that she's entitled to have whatever she wants without having to earn it.
· Your child is overweight or has too many cavities. These physical problems may, of course, have nothing to do with your parenting style -- or they may be behaviorally caused. In addition to consulting your child's doctor, consider whether you're permitting too much junk food or extra bottles or giving in to unhealthy eating habits.
· Your child expects you to do things for him that he can actually manage by himself. "Ask yourself whether you're doing things that your child is developmentally capable of handling," says William Nicoll, Ph.D., chair of the counselor education department at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. "Parents often underestimate what their children can accomplish."

Sound familiar? It’s great to be spoiled. Who doesn’t like it? But it doesn’t work on a full time basis otherwise you get a group of people who underestimate what they can accomplish and become self-dependent on their government. We are there people, and we have to turn it around.

It’s up to us to teach our young people what it means to be an American. That this is the greatest land in the entire world. That they are entitled to their Bill of Rights and they should learn it and know it. Teach them that Action will delineate and define you. Teach them that the power belongs to them and not to their government. And most importantly, All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move. Take the time to educate our young people. Re-instill our great American values and they will soon after see the folly of reliance on government and once again capitalism and freedom will reign supreme. Every generation needs a revolution and this is ours.
 
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