What happened to individuality?
Our View - February 27, 2010
People call television a waste of time. By and large, they are correct, but at moments, there are lessons to be learned.
In an episode of M*A*S*H, Major Frank Burns was getting ready for a general’s visit by burning books he thought to be evil.
The titles included Plato’s Republic, The Catcher in the Rye, and War and Peace.
When Burns was asked what happened to freedom and individuality, he said he was all for individuality … as long everyone did it together.
Unfortunately, some of the same attitudes exist right here in Santa Rosa County.
The polarizing topic these days is prayer and what teachers and students can and cannot do in Santa Rosa County.
Back in 1962 and 1963, court cases were decided by the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale and Abington School District v. Schemp, which established the current prohibition on state-sponsored prayer in schools.
It was during the second case in 1963 the infamous Madalyn Murray O’Hair became what Time magazine referred to as the “Most Hated Woman in America.”
She was hated because her beliefs agreed with those stated by the Supreme Court in those interesting trials.
Now it looks like we are back in the 1960’s, but the Cold War will be fought right here in Santa Rosa County.
Mathew Staver of the Liberty Counsel referred to a recent court decision as elevating the situation to nuclear war.
With such a strong analogy, we wonder who holds the role of John F. Kennedy and who will be playing the part of Nikita Khrushchev and, without uniforms, how will we know which side is which?
Everyone needs to ask himself what they are willing to risk when it comes to the next generation.
How much will this cost the next generation?
They are still battling the Liberty Counsel’s case in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools as well as some courthouses in Kentucky.
In some instances, these cases have been ongoing for well over 10 years.
Can we afford to put 10 years worth of our children’s education on the line for a matter already decided over 40 years ago?
Sometimes it takes looking at the bigger picture to see what needs to be done.
As a society, we should not expect the education system to teach morals, ethics, and principles to our children. Those are lessons to be taught at home.
Unfortunately, our society has put that burden onto our educators.
While placing that weight on the shoulders of teachers and administrators, we have detractors who object.
It would be nice if we all could find a way to back to “the three R’s”, but we have those who refuse to step up to the plate and take responsibility for the lives they bring into this world.
We must each find the line between our own rights and those of our neighbor.
Individuality is a wonderful thing, but how far do you want that individual next to you to actually go?
