History Lessons

Should anyone really be surprised anymore when oppressed people finally rise up and overthrow their governments? We need only look to examples from history--our own and that of other nations--to recognize the events playing out in Egypt. And we need only look to our own history to remember what can happen when we side with dictators.

History is everywhere in the news these days. Michele Bachmann told us recently that our founding fathers worked hard to end slavery, and the Republicans cite the Constitution whenever they can (except when they confuse it with the Declaration of Independence). And when anyone bothers to take note of the endless war in Afghanistan, inevitable comparisons arise to both the Vietnam War and to the Soviet defeat.

That it's important to understand history should go without saying. Yet our public schools in Durham are ignoring this fact. With pressures building from the "No Child Left Behind" Act and now "Race to the Top" funds, our teachers must focus almost exclusively on math and reading. Science still gets its own time slot, but social studies is an afterthought. It's no longer an essential academic subject.

As it is, Americans haven't done a great job in learning the lessons of history. Now it seems like there's no longer history to learn.

Reflections on the SOTU

Part I. John Boehner seemed oddly uncomfortable throughout the speech. He didn't fit his new clothes as Speaker of the House, and certainly didn't resemble someone riding a wave of change. He looked liked he'd eaten something sour. I wonder what this means for the work of this Congress.

Part II. President Reagan's idea in 1982 to honor ordinary heroes at the SOTU was brilliant. I love watching the people who sit with the First Lady; Tuesday night was no exception. They're the only ones in the room who look like the rest of us and seem to have a clue of what living in this country is really like. Especially wonderful was the woman from Forsyth County, North Carolina, who has returned to school to pursue a degree in biotechnology. When President Obama began speaking about her, she turned to those around her and said, "That's me! That's me!"

Pure spontaneity is not what these speeches are about.

Part III. The long, thunderous applause for our troops disturbed me, not because they don't deserve it. They do. But the applause was like the bumper stickers that say "Support our Troops"; these feel like lip service paid to people who give up their lives in ways that the rest of us can't imagine and aren't called on to do. We're not even asked to pay more to support their work. All we need to do is clap every so often and all will be well.

Part IV. I was glad to see President Obama dispel the arrogant notion of American exceptionalism without giving up on American idealism. Finally someone told us from the top what we need to hear: China is now home to the world's fastest computer, South Koreans have greater internet access than we do, our own engineers give our infrastructure a "D," and we have sunk to 9th place in the percentage of college degrees held. So much for an America that's better than the rest of the world.

Yet the President reminded us at the same time that "we are the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook." He called this our Sputnik moment and challenged us to do better. I liked his message. We may have talents as a nation, but these aren't automatically handed to us. We need to work hard and to think imaginatively to reclaim a special place in the world.

Part V. Nobody called out, "You lie." Maybe we're moving, gradually, to a better place.

In Memoriam

I used to think that a tribute to Reynolds Price would roll right off my keys. It would be titled "At the Feet of Reynolds Price" and would recall the times I sat in his house, sometimes on the floor, sorting books and papers that were stacked everywhere. Often while I'd work, Reynolds would tell me stories--stories about his colorful southern relatives, stories about famous and ordinary people alike, stories about his childhood, stories about pain and loss.

But you can read these stories yourself, in his books and in his essays and in his poems. I simply couldn't do him justice if I tried to repeat them; he was too good of a storyteller.

What keeps coming back to me, though, is this: In the years after my father died, every time Reynolds saw me he always asked how my mother was doing, even though he'd never met her. And he wanted to know, really know. It was a simple act of kindness that was typical of Reynolds Price.

The obituaries list his many publications and awards, as they should. They note his love for Duke University, as they should. What you should know, too, is the depth of kindness and compassion in this lion of a man.

It made him unforgettable.

[Note: This essay also appeared today in the Duke Chronicle as a letter to the editor.]

A Dog's Life: Nanny Nanny Boo-Boo . . .

. . . You can't catch me.

Responsible Republicans

When Sarah Palin chose to state her case before the country on the same day as President Obama spoke in Tucson last week, she cast herself as the de facto head of the Republican party. It was a stunning move and, from accounts across the political spectrum, it was a stunning failure. Fortunately.

As I listened to her speech that morning, I was struck by the defensive, angry tone that others have noted, and I was struck by her lack of gravitas, her lack of reflection, and her inability to move beyond herself.

Is this the Republican party at its best? I wondered. Where is the reasonable, dignified leadership that we need from this party? It's a leadership that fails to condemn the extremist wing of its own party, allowing violent rhetoric to fill the airwaves. Almost no one speaks up against the vicious lies circulated about President Obama and the anti-government hatred spewed daily.

The only incident I can recall when any Republican pushed back against the vitriol occurred in the 2008 presidential campaign. A supporter of candidate John McCain derided Barack Obama as "an Arab," to which McCain responded, "No ma'am, he's not, he's a decent family man--a citizen." (Well, sure, many Arabs are decent family men, too, but McCain at least sought to dispel the myth of Obama's citizenship.)

We need more censoring like this from our Republican leadership. Even those of us who are ardent Democrats lose out when the opposing party fails repeatedly to show wisdom and restraint. We need thoughtful, educated people at the top, proposing solutions to real, serious problems, not people who spout slogans and tout tax relief.

I hope that Sarah Palin's shallow presentation last week wakes up the sleeping giant--or rather, the sleeping elephant--of responsible Republican leadership. God knows we need it. As long as Sarah Palin and her ilk constitute the face of the Republican party, we'll remain stuck in hatred and recrimination.

Tucson

After President Obama's moving remarks last night at the University of Arizona, the music of John Lennon filled the air for a brief moment as we listened to "Imagine." As I sang along, I was struck by the many dates and locations in my life that are marked by violence: The Dakota in New York; November 22; Dallas; Memphis; the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel; Columbine; September 11; Virginia Tech; and now Tucson.

If we are to become the nation that President Obama inspired us to be, I wish we could become a less violent one, both in word and in deed. That anyone needs to own a Glock mystifies me. That some with mental illness are left, untreated, to simmer and finally erupt disturbs me. That violent imagery is considered an acceptable part of our heritage angers me. That children end up in the path of gunfire saddens me.

How will the world end? Robert Frost asks in his poem "Fire and Ice." From what I've seen of this troubled landscape, it will end in both. For desire and hatred seem interwoven in this complicated land of ours, and we keep losing our way--only to find ourselves mourning another Tucson.

At the same time, I hope John Lennon will never stop singing. Imagine, just imagine, "all the people/Living life in peace."

Just imagine.

Reality Checks

Just days before the assassination attempt in Tucson, my friend Dee and I were talking about how impossible it is in America to speak honestly about the problems we face.

We all know, for example, that children who arrive at school ill-fed and unprepared are unlikely to succeed; yet to say so is racist. We see our dismal rankings in international health statistics and know that we don't have the best health care in the world; yet to say so is treasonous. We know that pouring billions of dollars into Afghanistan won't repair our crumbling bridges, roads, and airports; yet to say so is unpatriotic.

It didn't seem like anyone was speaking honestly about anything--until Saturday afternoon when Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik let us have it. Outraged by the killings in his home community, he said that "the anger, the hatred, [and] the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous." He cited "the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government" and lamented that "this has not become the nice United States that most of us grew up in."

Finally. Someone not afraid to speak the truth.

We need more people like Sheriff Dupnik--willing to name the ways our society has veered off-track and lost sight of the common values of decency, respect, and fairness. If a sheriff in Tucson, Arizona, can name so clearly an insidious undercurrent in modern America, then other elected officials can do the same.

We should expect no less from those who call themselves leaders.

Speculative News

What to do when there's no news to report? Speculate, of course. The possibilities are endless: how will John Boehner shepherd his flock of wandering Republicans? Who will President Obama choose for his new staff? Will they satisfy the endlessly unhappy progressives or antagonize them even more? Will the Democrats get their act together? Will Harry Reid crack a smile?

Speculative news is non-news. We get it all the time when things are slow. Weather forecasters are good at it here in North Carolina, especially when a winter storm is on the way, or might be on the way, or might be somewhere on the east coast. Fortify your bread and milk supply, and don't forget the batteries. You never know what trouble two inches of snow might bring.

But it looks like the winds are changing. The Republicans were finally sworn in, they'll soon begin passing irresponsible legislation, and we'll all be back in business.

Rejoice, news junkies of every stripe. There's hope that non-news will soon fade to new news.

In the meantime, we can all take comfort in today's reading of the Constitution at the opening of Congress--pausing to reflect particularly on the Republican party's commitment to establishing Justice, insuring domestic Tranquility, and promoting the general Welfare.

Let the year begin.

A Cape Cod Holiday

Cape Cod at Christmas was a blast of New England cold, a landscape both foreign and familiar, an oasis of water and stars, and a home with family and friends.