Where Are Our Children?

Probably they are still poetic and want to stand on the country's principles, but how about the life after facing the necluer bomb, just a second life is gone,,who would love to say something when you can't protect oneself..

Firstly, we have lost our freedom of speech, exactly when I do not know, But! I do know this. I have two sons at high school & they are taught to think the way the system thinks rather than as an independant person. If we are to tackle this problem> We as parents must teach our children, firstly that buying things on tick just because you want it is not acceptable & just because you can does not mean you should!. Secondly we must instill the values & the meaning of being a Human Being no matter what your religious status is or the colour of your skin. Our children are being taught how not to think, and this is being done by our own goverment who we as a nation voted in. If we want things to change we have to stand up & be counted & I for one would certainly stand up. I do at home & in my daily life & My husband & I teach our children to question what they are being supposedly taught!

My dream Teresa, is that the new party that will get in these coming elections, will re-establish the freedoms, and stability this country needs...and they will start with EDUCATION and stop finding ways to cut the programs - get the Head Start programs back in place to help the less fortunate, make our schools safe, and much smaller class room size so the teacher has the time to know each one of their responsibilities personally and not by the desk they sit at...

I firmly believe, with all the teachers out there graduating and looking for jobs, those in place who do not fit the profile of a quality teacher, will have the opportunity to perform or be replaced....Tenure is not acceptable any longer.

Our education system will set the teaching standards high to make sure the really "good" ones get the responsibility of teaching our children what is expected of a healthy society....and they are paid a livable wage for the area they are required to live in to teach at local school.

Education is the ONLY answer to ignorance....always has been and always will be.

Just wait until the draft starts dragging on for years and years.

I would hope not, but must agree Olga, that the difference may well be the draft. I would hope that our childhood years were inspired by something more than Nam -- but I fear that they may not have been. They seemed to fray away and come unknit once the possibility of dying in some unknown land became more remote. If that is true, perhaps humankind does need war to bring out the best, I would hope not, but I fear that may be the truth.

Quit the doom and gloom crap! Its no wonder your kids dont act like you they are probably ebbarressed by all your wide eyed theories. No offense....

Teresa kids go to school to learn not to exercise their right to free speech.

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i think this generation thinks in terms of whether something's convenient.

They are busy text messaging each other.

The 60's are over, Thank God. You complain about the education system, where do you think all the hippies went. Education is controlled by the lefties, don't blame the government. As for having lost our freedom of speech, you seem to be exercising it pretty well here. Wait! Is that a knock on my door?!?!?!

Hm? The sixties are over? I don't quite think so -- at least not here in Vermont. But I do wonder about my kids, two lawyers, one doctor, one accountant, one videographer and one teacher. I hope you are right that education is controlled by lefties -- I think that is pretty much true in our state that is why we vary in our countries ranking of the best schools in the nation from 1st to 3rd. I suspect that Alabama, Arizona and New Mexico are probably controlled by righties. Have served on to school boards one in Indiana and one in Vermont. In Indiana the primary matters for discussion for four years was whether the basketball couch and the volleyball couch were doing a good job or not. Somehow that wasn't high on the agenda out here. But I am in fact worried since my videographer son has expressed disappointment that the war in Iraq has not created the explosion in music and culture that Viet Nam did -- and it concerns me as well. Our generation's music and culture still dominate where in our time we overwhelmed, thank goodness, our parent's culture and music. I think that is something to be concerned about.

Vermont, of course.

Every gerneration thinks the next is wrong. George did you try to emulate your parents? Of course not. The hippy movement was a rebellion Vermonts education rating is artificially high. You do not have a large African America and lega/illegal immigration problem. If you want to credit hippies thats your right.

OIlga was half right. she was wrong about the draft as there isnt one. She was right in the fact that if there was one, you would see a lot more activity among the youth. Charlie Rangle tried to bring up a draft for that very reason but even he voted against it which pretty much made him look like an ass.

I think too many things have changed to see a youth movement like there was in the late sixties. We have television with 100 channels now, video games that even adults are getting adicted too, and like Joe said text messaging/computers etc. There was nothing else to do in the 60s!

George I wouldnt worry if yoiur generations movement was only about Nam. Although it was the spark that lit the fire, hippies, at least most of them, did have a positive message that inspired people to see things their way. You look at the youth today and it seems they always stand against and are angry. Situations like the Columbia University incident where the student rushed a speakers stage and shouted down those they disagree with. Hippies wanted an open debate, a forum where there message could be heard. The anti-war youth today live with a self righteousness that they think affords them the right to viotate others civil liberties. Gone are the inspirational icons like Ghandi, Mother Teresa, and yes even Jesus. They are replaced today with hollywood characters and angry people like Micheal Moore and All Franken

George:
I enjoyed this article and your perspective. Nothing I have to differs much from what's already been written but I offer this: Many wonder about the question you pose. Kids today likely feel an entitlement-the things that others fought for are what the new generation benefits from. They don't "fight" because they feel they don't have to maybe??

I don't say the next generation is wrong -- how could we say that when they are following in our footsteps. Its that they are following in our footsteps -- we didn't follow in our parents footsteps (thank goodness or even more Americans would be signing up for Christian Nationalism, girls would not be allowed in high school athletics, and a larger part of the country would be bigoted racist) -- I don't see a revolt. And I am concerned that what really happened in our generation was a revolt based on the desire to not get shot-up in some jungle in South east Asia. That is not to say that this generation isn't doing good -- its just that I don't see our music and art so all encompassing that this generation wouldn't be changing it radically -- perhaps rap is their contribution, if so that is fine and perhaps the youth will eventually rise up and say to Bush give us our freedoms back and get the heck out of Iraq, perhaps...

I dont see anything wrong with Christianity. But perhaps your generations solved all the civil rights issues and and discrimination and there really isnt enough injustice to create a sizable movment.

Jeff, you don't really believe that do you? There is plenty of injustice out there in fact in respect to the working poor it has increased substantially. I don't see anything wrong with Christianity either, in fact I am a Christian and consider myself reasonably devout. But I do have a problem with the Christian right, especially the Christian Nationalism movement.

Well I agree there is still problems that our politicians are supposed to be working on but instead they think their job is a 24 hour a day 7 day a week campaign to advance their ideology instead of working together for the American perople. I am a capitalist so I dont have as much sympathy for the poor in terms of blaming society. They are way better off in America that anywhere else and I think they are usually poor for a reason. I heard people complain that poor people only have one TV. I do think the poor peoples children need to be given a chance but as far as I can see poverty doesnt exist in America in real terms. Equality? Thats different.

Christianity is overblown in terms of worrying about the Christian right. The media uses the same kooks to make it seem like there is a Christian conspiracy to enforce their views on everybody but its not true. That and "seperation of church and state" is not in the constitution and is used to supress Christianity in my opinion. George you seem like a nice compassionate guy. I can see why your children turned out so well.

Jeff, I can't go with your assertion that the poor are way better off in America. Simply stated, it isn't true -- we are a fair way down the list as compared with other mature democratic countries. American capitalism has a vicious competitive edge to it that is lacking in many industrially mature countries. I would agree with you that they are better off than say in the Middle East, China, and impoverished third-world countries -- but we shouldn't be compared to such -- we should be compared to Japan, Western Europe, the British Isles, Australia, etc.

First off- there are so many people who are concerned and are marching in the streets. The difference is the media will not report on it. Just in case anyone still believed in the liberal media myth. Before the war there were 400,000-500,000 people marching in the streets of NY protesting what they believed to be an illegal war. I know a lot of people who never bought the crap that this administration was trying to sell.
As for the musicians, look at what happened to the Dixie Chicks when they spoke out.
The fact that so few conservative entities control the media is such an amazing danger to democracy in this country.
At first the media lightly covered the protest. Then they decided, enmasse to not cover them at all. If people feel that there is a movement that they strongly relate to many will stand up and join in. When the television is pretty much saying the everyone supports this war, except for some crazy hippies it is harder for people to stand alone. The corporate media did this country a huge diservice during the run up to this war and prety much ever since.

Christine, had not considered the fact that the media was repressing the news unlike in the 60's. I remember talking with two of my sons who were in college at the time of the WTO riots in Seattle. When I told them, they didn't believe me because there hadn't been any discussion of them at their schools. So maybe you are right.

Look what happened with Tienamen Square. Students from all over the country were flocking in to be part of that. The original group was not that big, but the media got a hold of it. Do not think that the impact of the media is lost on this administration. Before this Iraq debacle got underway they had a plan for how to get the medai to act as their propaganda machine. Look how well it has worked.

So you say the media is repressing the fact that activism is actually occurring? I can see that in a way, and I can also see that the media has been assisting Bush on a number of his little adventures. But do not see the activism in this generation.