And don’t try to tell him that this is a bird feeder.

I love teaching my small class of immigrants who are studying to become citizens.  ( I may have mentioned this just a few times already.)

We begin each class by standing up very tall and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, which, I readily admit, is pretty lame.  And we end each class by singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which I readily admit involves a lot of vocabulary teaching. Seriously, how many native-born Americans who only got to go to school for about six years have a clue about “ramparts” or “spangled” or “gallantly.”  But I digress.  This is my blog so I can do that.

Anyway, last night we were studying the Bill of Rights and in particular, the First and Second Amendments.  We talked about the right of peaceable assembly.  We mentioned the group who camped out in our capital mall a year or so ago in support of the “Occupy Movement.”  They were peaceful enough.  Our tax dollars paid for port-a-potties.  The class could not come up with a single thing this assembly achieved.

Somewhat less peaceable are the present assemblies of Ferguson spin-off protesters.  It remains to be seen if they accomplish anything.  It was noted that torching, looting and rioting are not peaceable.

The Second Amendment also resulted in some interesting thoughts.  What is meant by “a well-regulated militia?”  What does this have to do with concealed weapons or hunting with automatic weapons?

The concept of an armed citizenry just does not mean what it did to the Colonists.

Anyway, last night, just for fun, I asked my little class who could sing the national anthem of their birth country.  The three from Mexico, all adults who were brought here as young children with only a few years of Mexican schooling, stood up, posed in a unique salute, and sang the very long Mexican Anthem from memory.

Wow!  I wonder how many American drop-outs can do this? And how many know that the last line is not “Play ball”?

In every class session, my students do or say something that takes my breath away.  I pray that someday soon, they will comprise an informed electorate.

The quote at the top of this post is, perhaps incorrectly, attributed to Thomas Jefferson.

T.J. is my favorite founding father, but a great deal is attributed to him that’s just not accurate.  He was brilliant. He was a Renaissance Man. But he was not a boy scout.  Was not a Christian by any 21st-century fundamentalist definition.  He does look very handsome in paintings.  You get credit for a lot and excused for a lot if you are brilliant and nice-looking.  But, again, I digress.

Someone we all know and love rolled in something disgusting at the Minto today.  Why do dogs just love to do that?  It was a cold day for a bath, so Roxie is now all wrapped up while she dries off.“Do I smell pretty now, Mama?”