A Cup of Civili-Tea

A Cup of Civili-Tea, Anyone?

What’s the matter with the world? Has the world gone mad? Nothing is the matter with the world; it’s the people who are in it. These words rang in my ears as I read the article on Monday, March 22, 2010 in the Washington Post by Dana Milbank, “The Republicans who stirred the tea” that capsuled how the Health Care debate was reduced to demonization among members of Congress, the epoch of protocol. The words, “Some worried about the risk of violence,” jumped off the page as I thought about our children. Did we somehow forget that our children are watching everything we do? Is it Ok to spit on people? Is it Ok to yell out “baby killer” or epithets in your classroom because you disagree? Is it alright to incite classmates to near riotous behavior just to win a point? We encourage our children to model themselves after our leaders. But in an era where anything goes, there are no rules for the children, ride the subway, visit a classroom, or just walk the streets and see for yourself. In a country that touts itself as a world leader, where is the Civili-Tea?