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Tag(s): Bush Crimes; Bush Failed Policy International; Bush Iraq Surge; Bush Messes To Clean Up; Bush Reasons To Dump Impeach; Foreign Policy Failure Iraq; Morality Morals; Morality Morals
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January 23, 2007 at 09:29:08

What Our Actions Teach Our Children

by Missy Comley Beattie Page 1 of 1 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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My youngest child was an entomologist when he was in grade school. More interested in insects than sports, he'd spot a flying bug when he was on the soccer field and abandon the game to run and get a better look at the creature. Of course, he was teased. I'd tell him to ignore this and practice the moral truth of The Golden Rule-"treat others the way you want to be treated."

When he was in lower school, he came home one afternoon and told me about a new program his teacher had introduced called "Conflict Resolution." Seems the students would receive instruction in behavior management to learn the negotiation skills necessary to avoid an ass-kicking. This would be accomplished through talking, listening, and coming to a mutually satisfying agreement, circumventing the violence that is a byproduct of out-of-control tension. In other words, these youngsters would learn the art of diplomacy.

How ironic.

Especially since the U.S. Department of Education labels conflict resolution "The Peaceable School Approach." According to the agency:

Young people cannot be expected to promote and encourage the peaceful resolution of conflicts if they do not see conflict resolution principles and strategies being modeled by adults in all areas of their lives, such as in business, sports, entertainment, and personal relationships.

In all areas of their lives?

So, how would a teacher or parent answer the question that many students today would pose: "Why doesn't President Bush practice conflict resolution?"

And what a good question that is.

We promote the concept of a peaceful approach to problem solving in our schools. Teachers educate our children, and so do we as parents, to prevent aggressive behavior, to handle issues rationally, to brainstorm, listen, accept another's point of view, and to yield, finally, a solution that is a positive plan of action.

We are employing these lessons to prepare our young not just to be useful during the upheavals of youth and adolescence but as maps for the realities that will occur throughout their lives. And as all this good intention is molding our children into little diplomats, our elected officials voted to give George Bush the authority to wage war. Congress continues to fund this war. And Bush, who has called himself both the peace president and the war president, has the audacity, despite his record of Iraq failures, beginning with the invasion itself, to request an escalation of troops.

Meanwhile, this president has refused to allow the flag-draped coffins of our loved ones to be shown on television because the image might, just might bring the devastation of war death to a level of attention above shopping or sports in the conscious minds of our citizenry.

So why are we embroiled in a quagmire of an atrocity of a war? Why have more than 3,050 American troops died? Why have at least half a million Iraqis been killed? Why have thousands of soldiers and Iraqis been maimed? Why are we practicing torture? Why have we violated the Geneva Convention?

And what about the children of Iraq? Imagine asking them if they'd be interested in learning what we teach our students here in the United States of America-"The Peaceable School Approach" to problem solving. Diplomacy.

Conflict resolution?

How utterly reprehensible and tragically hypocritical.

Missy Beattie lives in New York City. She's written for National Public Radio and Nashville Life Magazine. An outspoken critic of the Bush Administration and the war in Iraq, she's a member of Gold Star Families for Peace. She completed a novel last year, but since the death of her nephew, Marine Lance Cpl. Chase J. Comley, in Iraq on August 6,'05, she has been writing political articles.

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4 comments

Emodied as a male...the man with the world renowned ability to feel people ....from afar.Look for Mr. Robin Parsons @ www.Militarytimes.com/forum or http://ca.360.yahoo.com/mr.robinparsons
Mr. Robin ParsonsEmodied as a male...the man with the world renowned ability to feel people ....from afar.Look for Mr. Robin Parsons @ www.Militarytimes.com/forum or http://ca.360.yahoo.com/mr.robinparsons

That is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!

Absolutely Beautiful!

...and I love the simply idea that, not only is Mr. Bush The 'War' President, The 'Peace' President, but he was elected to Office as The Education President

There Must be a God, as the Ironies couldn't be so 'scribed' (Etched out in/by the 'light' itself) unless it was absolutely meant to teach us about ourselves!

Thank you, you have made my day.

by Mr. Robin Parsons (1 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 64 comments) on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 10:13:47 AM

A writer is a rogue goose. All other gees fly in a flock formation; every goose knows his place and time for honking. The rogue goose is undisciplined. He leaves the formation indiscriminately to have a look at it from aside. He roams back and forth, takes a peep at the leader, honks a little bit from behind, distracts everyone and writes on what he sees. Time passes and as he wants to return back to his place he discovers someone else there. Thus he either has to wait until they land for rest...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Mark SashineA writer is a rogue goose. All other gees fly in a flock formation; every goose knows his place and time for honking. The rogue goose is undisciplined. He leaves the formation indiscriminately to have a look at it from aside. He roams back and forth, takes a peep at the leader, honks a little bit from behind, distracts everyone and writes on what he sees. Time passes and as he wants to return back to his place he discovers someone else there. Thus he either has to wait until they land for rest...

to see more of bio, click on member name

from a person who was taught in another country

Both my childhood and my youth were spent in Russia and I came here as a mature adult. We never had a 'conflict resolution' classes. Instead we had a concept of 'street justice'. To hurt someone who could not respond adequately was dishonorable. I was a boy. To hit girls was dishonorable. To attack one person while in a group was dishonorable. To hide and sneak and use other people was dishonorable. If you did all that you were not a part of our games, our goods and bads. To lie blatantly to people was dishonorable. It was not manly. I am not talking sexism here- we did not know what that meant. We knew the SOB when we saw one. GW would not have survived a minute in our society. But when I was 7 years old I went alone every day through the city of 4 mln people for an hour on different transportation to school and back in total safety, not even imagining that a pedofile could approach me. Because people would defend me, that I knew.
Where is our honor here? Our President dishonors our country and we do nothing. Children, they see the dishonorable things and they see that adults get away with it. Do we want our chidren to grow up torturers so that they torture us?

It was a good article, thanks.

by Mark Sashine (50 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3453 comments) on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 11:29:30 AM

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." Albert Einstein
sarena1964"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." Albert Einstein

Puppetier Bushism

Excellent commentary. I do feel that parents need to take the 30 minutes to write a letter or call their Senator and articulate these very points. I believe, if ever a president deserved Impeachment, it's him, and we clearly need to be proactive and call and write to them and teach our children that Bush & Company are a great example of how not to be. The more he speaks, the more I see him as a puppet doll for Rove & Cheney - pathetic

by sarena1964 (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 3 comments) on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 8:20:35 PM

Missy Beattie lives in New York City. She's written for National Public Radio and Nashville Life Magazine. An outspoken critic of the Bush Administration and the war in Iraq, she's a member of Gold Star Families for Peace. She completed a novel last year, but since the death of her nephew, Marine Lance Cpl. Chase J. Comley, in Iraq on August 6,'05, she has been writing political articles.
Missy Comley BeattieMissy Beattie lives in New York City. She's written for National Public Radio and Nashville Life Magazine. An outspoken critic of the Bush Administration and the war in Iraq, she's a member of Gold Star Families for Peace. She completed a novel last year, but since the death of her nephew, Marine Lance Cpl. Chase J. Comley, in Iraq on August 6,'05, she has been writing political articles.

thanks!

Glad you liked it. And it is true. Bush/Cheney don't believe in negotiation but it's what we teach our children to do in order to get along with their peers.

by Missy Comley Beattie (163 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 47 comments) on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 10:59:56 AM