San Francisco Schools To Military: "Screw You"

I had intended to ignore the story that on Tuesday last, San Francisco voters again showed their very own brand of "patriotism":

Measure I, a largely symbolic "declaration of policy that the people of San Francisco oppose the federal government's use of public schools to recruit students for service in the military," passed with 59.7 percent of votes.

But yesterday on his radio show, Bill O'Reilly said the following, according to the San Francisco Chronicle:

"You know, if I'm the president of the United States, I walk right into Union Square, I set up my little presidential podium and I say, 'Listen, citizens of San Francisco, if you vote against military recruiting, you're not going to get another nickel in federal funds,' " O'Reilly said Tuesday on his radio show as San Franciscans were approving the two measures. Perhaps, he didn't realize that he'd be speaking mostly to foreign tourists and suburbanites if he were standing in Union Square.

"Fine. You want to be your own country? Go right ahead," O'Reilly went on. "And if al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead."

First I'll address the O'Reilly situation, then I'll address the school situation.

I would like to think that any intelligent person would recognize hyperbole, but apparently to the High Holy Muckimucks in San Francisco, those sophisticates who are so much better than the rest of us, take O'Reilly at his word--or at least they want to pretend to so they can feign outrage.

First off, I guess I should be impressed that the fine citizens of the People's Republic of San Francisco care so much about what Bill O'Reilly says and thinks. He can be ignored until he dares expose their little secret--they're not good Americans. Whoa, then the hands fly up and the whining starts! How can he say that? That's not nice! I'm going to go hold hands with Mother Earth and smoke some doobage.

Note the snide remarks in San Francisco's report about O'Reilly. "Perhaps, he didn't realize that he'd be speaking mostly to foreign tourists and suburbanites if he were standing in Union Square." Good one, Chron. "San Franciscans might be offended by this invitation, or perhaps even threatened, if more of them visited Coit Tower." Guess you told him.

While the fine citizens of San Francisco are huffing and puffing about this sleight on their enlightened views, no one is addressing the point that perhaps O'Reilly is, in substance (and not specifics) right--San Francisco wants all the bennies of being American without accepting any of the responsibilities. As a local radio host said on the subject this morning, San Francisco is like the antagonist in the tale of the Little Red Hen--they don't plant the wheat, they don't tend the crop, they don't harvest the crop, they don't mill the grain, they don't knead the dough, so why should they get a nice warm slice of sourdough bread?

They think they live in rarefied air, above all the little people who do the military dirty work that is beneath their begloved hands. It is only by the grace of God and the work of the military that those shamans of scheissen have the time and freedom to denigrate their country as much as they do. If they had the sense to be ashamed, I'd hope they would be.

But now let's talk about the students.

I don't understand the view that says that children are old enough, intelligent enough, and mature enough to make decisions about abortions without consulting their parents (Prop 73 passed 79-21 in San Francisco City and County), but they are not smart or strong enough to resist even the message from a recruiter who asks them to volunteer for something--and those under 18 have to get parental permission! Apparently the siren call of the military is so strong that the only way to keep their children from heeding its call is to silence that call! It doesn't say much for the foundational beliefs of The Annointed Ones of the Bay that they fear the message so much that they think a single recruiter can destroy in a couple hours the house of cards, the belief structure, it took them 18 years to build.

I have more faith in parents, and more faith in students, than that. Apparently the wonderfully patriotic citizens of San Francisco have no such faith in themselves because they've given all their faith over to government, the same government they now seek to prevent coming to schools. The logic, or lack thereof, astounds.

Is there any place left in our schools for the teaching of patriotism?

Happy Veterans Day.

Update: This, from RealClearPolitics.com:

As a free and tolerant nation we accommodate pacifists and respect their right to oppose war on religious grounds, granting them exemption from combat service. But we don't honor them, nor should we. As George Orwell once noted, "To abjure violence is a luxury which a delicate few enjoy only because others stand ready to do violence in their behalf." So U.S. Marines died on Iwo Jima so that pacifists could sing Kumbaya in safety. Warriors are essential; pacifists are a luxury.