What ideas make us American?

Where do the Native Americans fit in, especially since Navtive American lumps all the different tribes or native nations into one - not necessarily by their choosing.

Native Americans still have the Bill of Rights. They are still given some automony of being a soveriegn nation while given all the rights of all the rest of US citizens.

They live in a country where the person who turns the wrench or cooks the food can go into business for themselves and prosper.

They still live in a country which people from other countries are dying to get here, both literally and figurativley.

They live in a country that is so confident in our economic and social freedoms that we don't have to force people to stay here like Cuba.

Personal and economic freedoms. Liberty. Still holds true today.

"the scariest people in the world are free people who hate freedom"
Kane Robinson

I think the faith debat is a big one, especially with the prominence of Christian fundamentalists in America. As a Christian, I do not expect or even want the government to endorse, support, or represent my religion. I think history shows that it doesn't end well for the religion or the country when religion becomes a significant player in decisions and debate.

I agree, but I'm more worried about our government being too politically correct and not standing up to Muslims wanting to incorporate religion into the public schools.

There are two current examples in Minnesota.

http://www.startribune.com/local/17406054.html?location_refer=Bios
http://www.startribune.com/local/12551256.html?location_refer=Bios

If this were done for Christians, think of the outrage. But I guess the standards are different for Muslims when political correctness and liberal guilt are the standards.
Winston Smith, May 28, 2008, 2:19pm EDT

I'm aware of those stories. I was quite surprised when I heard about it. You're right, it furthers the importance of the religion and politics debate.

The public schools really need to figure out how they will allow students to have the conversation about faith. It's very possible to have this conversation without endorsing one religion. At a school with which I am closely affiliated, a student's diorama about one of our great states was edit because it had the words "In God We Trust" on it. The words were part of the state seal or flag or something. Without the student knowing, an educational assistant was asked to take construction paper over the words. The quote I heard from an administrator was something like, "We're not going to deal with that!"

There's a big difference between a school endorsing a religion and allowing students to have insightful conversation about something that is and has been a significant part of the human experience for...well...a long time.

A distinction must be made between CONSTRUCTIVE conflict and DESTRUCTIVE conflict.

Destructive conflict can lead to a great deal of antipathy, demonization of the 'other', and violence. Constructive conflict can lead to valid solutions, empowerment of both sides, and peaceful conflict resolution.

Fineman talks about 'argument' in his book, but I frame his discussion in terms of conflict. The words 'argument' and 'conflict' have quite negative connotations, and it is obvious what the negative aspects of conflict and argument are. What is not quite so obvious is what the results of constructive conflict are. Please allow a series of analogies for my illustration.

A muscle atrophies when it is not challenged.
A government with too much centralized power is often afflicted by violent rebellion.
An organization without differing ideas falls into groupthink.

The key here is how we wish to manage conflict in our society. An organization with too many differing opinions will never reach consensus; a government with too decentralized a bureaucracy will be slow to react to global events; and too much exercise can leave one sore and incapacitated.

I like Fineman's suggestions about the proper management of discourse (conflict) in the U.S. I think the following things are fundamental for conflict management:

1. Knowledge of the other (traveling/studying abroad should be encouraged or subsidized by schools and organizations--especially in the new globalized world)

2. Education (it enables and empowers all citizens to think for themselves and to understand the meaning of political discourse; e.g., it's impossible to have a debate about embryonic stem cell research with someone who pictures a human fetus at every mention of the word embryo [a cluster of a few hundred cells])

3. Literacy and English proficiency (as Fineman mentions)

Without these things, the possibility of constructive conflict decreases and the potential for destructive conflict increases.

My name is Michael, and the meaning of my name in Hebrew is actually a question: "Who is like God?"

How can anyone even attempt an answer? To do so would be to say that one understands God, that one is equal to God. The question cannot be answered.

Since it is impossible to speak with knowledge of God, we are compelled to make assumptions. The first assumption to be made must be that God does or does not exist. Either way, the assumption is based on a belief in a knowledge that we can not possess. This is a conundrum.

The Founding Fathers were all men of faith, yet they clearly understood what Joshua K understands, that "…history shows…it doesn't end well for the religion or the country when religion becomes a significant player in decisions and debate."

We have suffered greatly over the past eight years, directly as a result of faith-based politics, and will continue to suffer the consequences for a long time to come.

The current administration, enabled by the religious neo-conservatives and right-wingers, have used faith simply as a marketing tool and as a result has delivered to the American people the worst government in the history of our country.

These same leaders who wear their religion on their sleeves, with such self-righteousness, arrogance and hubris, have proven themselves ethically and morally bankrupt.

So what can we say about the role of faith in public life? It is clear to me that faith should play no role whatsoever in public life.

I have read the first Star Tribune article referenced by Winston's post concerning the TIZA charter school. Here is a clip from the article:

"Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TIZA), a K-8 charter school in Inver Grove Heights. Charter schools are public schools and by law must not endorse or promote religion. Evidence suggests, however, that TIZA is an Islamic school, funded by Minnesota taxpayers."

It does appear that the line has been crossed in this situation, and that TIZA is most likely an Islamic school being funded by public funds.

In reaction to this article, Winston suggests that we take a stand against the Muslims who want to incorporate religion into our public schools and then goes on to say "If this were done for Christians, think of the outrage. But I guess the standards are different for Muslims when political correctness and liberal guilt are the standards."

I could not disagree more. The standards are not different. I also strongly disagree that "political correctness or liberal guilt" has anything to do with the issue. This situation is simply a consequence of our own hypocracy.

What we are asking of Muslims is to "do as I say and not as I do". Here are my arguments:

- Public schools serve fish on Fridays in order to accommodate Christian dietary restrictions.

- Important Christian holidays are accommodated in the public schools with time off, yet many important Jewish holidays and no Muslim holidays are similarly accommodated. Do public schools take time off to celebrate Ramadan or Yom Kippur? Depending on the year, school is sometimes in session for Passover, yet always out for Easter.

- Prayers are sometimes performed in public school locker rooms before the big game or at commencement ceremonies.

- The Pledge of Allegiance is recited daily which declares "one nation under God"? Where does this leave agnostics, atheists and polytheists?

- The words "In God We Trust" is found, obscenely enough, on every coin and currency in circulation.

- Public school choirs regularly perform religious music, overwhelingly of a Christian nature. I believe that many choir teachers regard their position in the public schools as lay ministries.

- Public schools perform plays of a religious nature during the "Holiday" season.

Until we set an appropriate example, we cannot expect others to follow.