Renewing the American Spirit

Patriot Week begins on 9/11 and ends on 9/17 (the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution (Constitution Day)) and renews America’s spirit by celebrating the First Principles, Founding Fathers and other Patriots, vital documents and speeches, and flags that make America the greatest nation in world history. Many of current holidays have become overly commercialized or have lost their deeper meaning. We need to invigorate our appreciation and understanding of America’s spirit. This blog is dedicated to keeping the spirit of Patriot Week - and America - alive all year long.....

Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Purpose of the Republic: Protecting Unalienable Rights

President Harry S. Truman put it this way:

Democracy maintains that government is established for the benefit of the individual, and is charged with the responsibility of protecting the rights of the individual and his freedom in the exercise of his abilities . . . .

Indeed, that is what one of the defining purposes of republic (I forgive the President for using the more colloquy term of "democracy") - to protect the unalienable rights of individuals.  Seems that is something all but forgotten today.

We never get past the rancor and vitriol so prominent in our public discourse until we can unite on our common core principles - and this one - drawn right from the Declaration of Independence, is essential.

To learn more, visit Patriot Week and America's Survival Guide.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Unalienable Rights - A Key to Our Liberty

"Our Constitution is not alone the working plan of a great Federation of States under representative government. There is embedded in it also the vital principles of the American system of liberty. That system is based on upon certain inalienable protections in which no event the government may infringe and which we call the Bill of Rights." Herbert Hoover.

Hoover may have been bashed by history for his handling of the Great Depression - but this he got exactly right.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

A Nation at Risk - STILL

During the early years of the Reagan administration, it published A Nation at Risk, which reported that there was a crisis in our educational system that threatened our ability to compete and succeed in the global economy.  Over 25 years later, its the same old story.

According to a recent report from the Council on Foreign Relations, "educational failure puts the United States' future economic prosperity, global position, and physical safety at risk."  About 25% of students drop out of school, and only 22% of high school students are ready for college in the core topics.  We are well past the time of diagnosing the problem - in fact, we have had two sets of K-12 generations begin and graduate since Reagan sounded the alarm.  Time to make some real changes in education.