In 'The Spirit of Liberty'
"The spirit of liberty, which is not too sure it is right ... which seeks to understand the minds of others... which weighs their interests alongside its own ... that remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded." - Judge Learned Hand in a 1944 speech to new citizens.
Dear Robert,
Sometimes friends ask me why I blog with people who fundamentally disagree with me. The answer: It fascinates me—and some readers, I hope. In short, you've raised issues that could keep me happily busy for many decades.
But, believe me, after 50 years, one thing I know for sure—many schools are not places that respect either students, teachers, or their families. Respect is hardly the norm—ask parents who send their kids to under-funded schools where no one knows them well and where they receive a prescribed and uninspired standardized curriculum—sort of like the citizenship tests you write about. Chicago's public schools were the first institution I encountered that treated me with a range of disrespect that I had never before encountered.
Does the U.S. Citizenship civics test offer a good basic definition of the knowledge we all should possess, you ask? Some of the 100 questions are halfway reasonable; some are absurd. An example: Who wrote the National Anthem? Most pass because, like the paper-and-pencil part of state drivers' tests, one is provided with a manual to prep for the test. Do you still remember how many feet from a fireplug you can park? Is there evidence of a correlation between good driving records and scores on the written driver's test?
No, it is not "fair"—or sensible—to hang citizenship (or a driver's license) on this kind of knowledge. Nor do I imagine any legislator who voted for them (did such a vote happen?) ever try passing the test. Would you take citizenship or voting rights away from those who fail the test? (We did
