Kids say the darndest things…
The American flag stands for the fact that cloth can be very important. [...] You can tell just how important this cloth is because when you compare it to people, it gets much better treatment. Nobody cares if a homeless person touches the ground. A homeless person can lie all over the ground all night long without anyone picking him up, folding him neatly and sheltering him from the rain. School children have to pledge loyalty to this piece of cloth every morning. No one has to pledge loyalty to justice and equality and human decency. No one has to promise that people will get a fair wage, or enough food to eat, or affordable medicine, or clean water, or air free of harmful chemicals. But we all have to promise to love a rectangle of red, white, and blue cloth.
Betsy Ross would be quite surprised to see how successful her creation has become. But Thomas Jefferson would be disappointed to see how little of the flag’s real meaning remains.
Charlotte Aldebron, wrote that in ’02 for a competition in her 6th grade English class while attending Cunningham Middle School in Presque Isle, Maine.
July 13th, 2006 at 11:17 am
That 12-year-old is so much wiser than I am.
July 17th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
I agree…er…umm…I mean she is so much wiser than me, too.
October 5th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
Betsy would not be surprised, nor would Thom (since he was not a Federalist by nature). Bill and Al (Gore and Sharpton)and Kerry and Hill would net be surprised either. Matter of fact, if you listen carefully, you may hear it in one of their speeches soon. How quickly we forget the articulations of Jimmy Carter’s 12 year old on nuclear power and proliferation.
Art Linkletter, however, would sure be surprised by the wisdom and compassion of this astounding “12″ year old. She certainly must live in one progressive, liberal, “we are the world” home.