For the past few weeks I have found the editorial page most fascinating with regard to the ”children should be seen and not heard” crowd vs. ”everyone has the right to free speech” crowd.
While this is a very healthy debate it has left me in quite a conundrum. Our youngest son started telling us at about the age of 15 that he wanted to follow his Grandpa”s footsteps and join the Navy. He never wavered in his ambition over the next couple years and on his 17th birthday he enlisted.
Old enough to enlist and fight for his country, not old enough to purchase a gun. Apparently to some in Lake County, old enough to enlist and put his life on the line but they don”t care to hear him voice his opinion. I would welcome reading the reconciliation the “shut up” crowd can put forth.
I taught both my sons, who have both served and are continuing to serve, that protection of freedom of speech is paramount to a healthy democracy. I have also stressed to them that in order to have a healthy democracy at times you must fight for the right of speech you might not agree with, sometimes with greater voracity.
True freedom lovers are willing to do this, not just fight for the right to hear only what they want to hear.
Part of the reason this county is in the discord that it currently is in is the failure of the school system to start early in teaching our children the function and limitations of government.
Democracy is not a spectator sport. Though I must admit, the “Forrest Gumping” of our nation has been very effective, our dumbing down of the next generations is bearing a very bitter fruit.
Donna Christopher
Lucerne
