Famous Quotes By George Washington

Members of Congress should read this book

�The Cherished Fruit,� by James M. Rankin, Left Brain Right Brain Publications, Galveston, 327 Pages, $18.

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Consider this: We�re oddly �down� on the greatest country the world has ever known.

The fact is that building the U.S. never was easy. The Founding Fathers were far from being of one mind, politically.

Yet, they were men of great intelligence, great imagination and were impeccably educated in the classic political and philosophical thought of the time.

Despite their divergent views, however, they looked at the faulty governments they�d left in Europe and forged those divergent philosophies into a grand new system that grew America.

Keep that in mind as you look at the evening news and view the current level of partisan conflict and deadlock we�ve all been asked to endure lately.

In fact, copies of �The Cherished Fruit� should be mailed to members of Congress in order to jog their memories about the need to govern with the same level of civility utilized by our Founding Fathers.

James M. Rankin�s book, although a novel, is a work destined to be used in classrooms.

He manages to set his characters in a number of academic and work situations where mentoring discussions occur.

His characters live, lose loved ones, die and suffer challenges while learning important life lessons from others.

Notably, many of his primary characters are immigrants from countries where freedom wasn�t an option.

Characters, such as the Russian immigrant Emily, serve as powerful reminders of how we take our democratic system for granted and how utterly magical the U.S. must seem to those who have suffered lifelong oppression.

Most importantly, �The Cherished Fruit� incorporates much of the philosophical thought that influenced the Founding Fathers and future leaders as they shaped democracy.

For example, Rankin provides some summarizing quotes from Ren� Descartes, the father of modern philosophy, and Alexis-Charles Tocqueville, author of �Democracy in America,� along with a host of other important historical thinkers.

Rankin also reminds us of the price paid for liberty by quoting the famous speech by Patrick Henry.

And he certainly points out that the Founding Fathers were not �amoebas� in total agreement by providing observations of George Washington by Thomas Jefferson.

Along Spain Creek: Independence Day - July 4th

Whenever I think of Independence Day, my mind automatically conjures up images of Independence Hall, the signers of the Declaration of Independence who labored there in that hot, muggy summer of 1776, the Liberty Bell, fireworks, the Revolutionary War, and Mendell E. Beattie, long-time Principal of Triad High School.  What has Mendell E. Beattie to do with independence, you may well ask?  If you were one of his students at one time or another you would be able to answer the question without my input.  For those of you who never had the privilege of experiencing Mendell E. Beattie in the classroom, pay apt attention. In addition to his many other duties as Principal, Mr. Beattie was the American government teacher for Triad High School students.  He took great pride in being an American, and encouraged his students to emulate his patriotism and love of country.  He wanted his students to be grateful for the liberties and freedoms which they had inherited because of the dedication and sacrifices of others.  To this end, he was a real task master. Mr. Beattie not only talked about liberty, freedom and independence.  He knew it by heart because he had made it his life's effort to do so.  He could recite many of the famous quotes as expressed by our Founding Fathers.  The words of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe were all securely locked away in the folds of Mr. Beattie's brain, ready to spring forth at any given moment when the occasion called for them.  He could recite long passages of the writings of Thomas Paine, and put tremendous feeling and meaning into them as he stood before his students.  He could evoke all of the imagery and emotions associated with the battlefield as he recited Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address."  He could give a stirring rendition of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself" speech. Students looked forward to Mr. Beattie's class in American government with trepidation.  They heard the horror stories of all of the memorization and recitations which he required of his students.  They were ever hopeful that someone would come along to replace Mr. Beattie before the government class was a part of their Senior year routine.  Hundreds of students held out hope; hundreds of students were eventually disappointed.

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