Texas and Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson is surely rolling in his grave right about now. He wouldn’t believe, as I hardly can, that the Texas board of education has removed him from their textbooks. There was this part in the books that asked students to explain how Thomas Jefferson and others influenced later revolutions with their Enlightenment thinking. But because Jefferson advocated a separation of church and state, the board decided it would be better to include John Calvin in his place. They took this man, who authored the Declaration of Independence, and removed him from their history book because they didn’t like that he wanted church and state to be separate. What. A. Bunch. Of. Morons.

What of this quote from Jefferson regarding the separation of church and state?

“The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg . . . . Reason and free inquiry are the only effectual agents against error.”

I don’t get the rational behind this textbook decision. You don’t have to get rid of Jefferson to prove you are religious – I am very religious, and I’ve always had a profound respect for the man. Thanks to the separation of church and state, my church was founded and allowed to thrive. At that time, there was no state run church that threatened to squash dissenters who held different beliefs. Ironically, but luckily for Texas, people can believe what they want and put whatever they want into textbooks. Maybe they should thank Jefferson that their brand of Christianity doesn’t offend some all powerful religious state, prompting a little holy war.

It really is a shame that we still fall victim to viewing history without considering how circumstances have changed. That some arrogant school board members can presume that their ideas of what is Christian excludes the possibility of appreciating Jefferson’s ideas is just pathetic. All I know now is that I will look very carefully at what my child’s school teaches before I let him step foot inside. I won’t have people like this teaching my kids. I will be responsible fore teaching him religion and values, and I’ll expect his school to teach him what this nation was founded upon. If that includes Enlightenment theory, separation of church and state, science, etc, then all the better. Better that my child accepts or questions Thomas Jefferson’s ideas with his own little reason than there be no mention of Jefferson at all.

Obama’s change

One thing I know about Obama is that throughout the next four years, we will have no lack of rousing speeches in times of difficulty. His inaugural address was inspiring. The kind of speech that if all its declarations were carried out perfectly, would heal the nation in next to no time. It certainly drew a crowd and numberless raving Obama fans. I did not vote for Obama, but I really hope he does what he says he will do. His record does not assure me that he will succeed as president, but then again records only go so far. He may surprise me and I am hoping he does.

Something that I have struggled to understand though, is the fierce loyalty that many people have for this man.  None of them knows how his presidency will unfold, yet they act as if The Savior Himself has just assumed the country’s highest office.  I suppose such loyalty is admirable, but he hasn’t done anything yet.  He has given hope for sure, but as the next four years unfold, I will need more than that to shower him with the praise that so many others do.

I understand that everybody shows excitement or anticipation in different ways.  Personally, I will offer my loyalty to the new president and then observe and process what I see before I offer praise.  I never have been the type to fall over myself trying to catch a glimpse of some public figure.  Instead I try to ask what it is that inspires such wild reactions in their followers, and if it is admirable, then maybe I can model myself after it.  But that “something” has to be admirable. 

In Obama’s case, he has some big promises to keep; a big mess to fix.  He’s not a rock star because he has promised to enact change – he will be deemed worthy of my admiration when he shows me he will uphold the constitution at all costs, strengthen moral values as much as he is able, and keep the promises he has made to reform broken Washington.  Even then I won’t be tripping over my feet to see him as tears fall from my eyes, but I will respect him.

The bottom line for me is that he is our president and he has my support.  But great presidents have proven themselves by actions in tough times.  Promises are ok, but we demand more now that Obama has assumed the office.  As far as I’m concerned, the honeymoon is over and it’s time to bring that change.

Tags: Barack Obama, President of the United States, Obama change, American president Obama

A Farewell to Arms

I’m going to try to make it a point to write short reviews/recommendations  of the books I read, if only to test my own comprehension.  I tend to forget the easily forgettable.

So while I didn’t like how ‘A Farewell to Arms’ ended, I can’t say it was a forgettable book.  Can anything by Hemingway be forgotten completely?  This was my first ever read of one of his books, and I’ll say that it was somewhere between good and great.

The author’s preface (this was the author of the compilation – not Hemingway), said something about how Ernest Hemingway made American Literature what it is today.  I don’t know enough, nor have I read enough to know exactly what made his style so revolutionary, so you’ll forgive me when I say that that quality of the book went over my head.  That doesn’t mean it wasn’t good – just that I am not familiar enough with styles and times to know the difference between Hemingway and Harper Lee.

If you saw the movie ‘In Love and War’ that came out sometime in the nineties and starred Sandra Bullock and Chris O’Donnell, then you’ve seen the part of Heminway’s life that inspired him to write this book.  It is a novel about love, death, and war in the time of World War I.  I love reading about World Wars and other battles, and I guess there’s also a side of me that likes a good romance, so I was satisfied on both ends with this book.  There’s no in-depth coverage of the war, so those out there who find war facts as boring as dirt will not be forced to endure a battle narrative.  It does provide a good backdrop though.

I won’t give away anything, but I will recommend it.  If anything, just to read one of the most important novels of our time.  I do think you will find a page turner and a worthwhile read.

Oh and if you are interested in buying a good copy of this book along with three other Ernest Heminway classics in one volume, Barnes and Noble sells a very inexpensive series of hardback novel compilations.  They are usually toward the front of the store by the discount books.  It’s nice that they’re sold for such a good price, but it’s also a sad commentary on our reading choices these days.  The trash novels cost twice as much as these four or five in one volumes of hardbound classics.  But that’s another day’s post.

Tags: A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway, classic books, books