BillHobbs.com is a frequently updated blog of original reporting and commentary by Bill Hobbs, a longtime Nashville journalist and media relations adviser. I am currently serving as communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party, a job I began on Oct. 29, 2007.
The always phenomenal James Lileks climbs all over both George Clooney and a peace education plan being pushed in his daughter's pre-school:
This week the big binder had a newsletter from an organization that preaches peaceable parenting, and as someone who has freely chosen not to model my parenting skills after Mike Tyson, I was interested. There was a section on explaining the war to your children. Ready?
What if your child asks this: What about bad people who try to hurt us, like Saddam Hussein? The answer to this question will vary according to the age of your child. Young children need lots of reassurance. Tell them that Mom and Dad will always protect them and when they are in school, their teachers and principal will do everything possible to keep them safe from any threat. Then, tell them about the United Nations, and stress that the UN was formed to help the countries of the world live together in peace. Let them know that the United Nations is working on exactly that right now. Also tell them about the World Court and how this was set up to bring bad people to justice.
Now. What's missing? Class? Anyone besides Martin? Right: the United States government is missing. The author just skips over that one, because it might lead to an uncomfortable discussion about soldiers, and that would defeat the entire point of peaceable parenting. (As well as rev up all the boys who are pointing paintbrushes at each other and shouting BANG.) Children do not need to know there are soldiers who will defend them. They need the sort of ironclad, monster-proofed, nightmare-banishing power that the WORLD COURT can provide. Don’t worry about the boogeyman under the bed, honey; daddy will petition some Belgian jurists to issue an injunction, and if you really think there's a monster in the closet we can send in some inspectors. What’s that? The monsters are invisible? Well, we'll have muscular, robust inspections, then. Eh? Leave the hall light on? Well, we’ll put it to a vote, but I hope you understand that some people think the monster has a valid claim to your closet, and if we keep the closet closed we can contain him. Now go to sleep.
It gets better...
Yes it does. Read the whole thing. And then do what my wife did a few days ago with our five-year-old daughter, whose current favorite song is the Dixie Chicks' "Traveling Soldier," but who didn't really understand what a "soldier" was. So Anna explained to her the basics of 9/11 and then took her over to the local National Guard Armory, introduced her to some soldiers, explained to her that a bunch of soldiers were going off to help prevent another 9/11, and to keep us safe.
That's the kind of peace education children need. You and I are safer because the 101st has been deployed.
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