General Anthony Zinni is a truly great American. Whether as a Marine, diplomat or author, Zinni personifies the tough-minded, balanced and respectful characteristics of true leadership. In his new book, The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose, Zinni says that the U.S. government is broken and that, for the next President, it will be time for America to "pull up its socks" and lead with judgment and wisdom.
Zinni rightly brandishes the "chicken hawks" in our government who have never served in uniform yet are so willing to send our young men and women into war in pursuit of their own ideological and commercial interests. He told NPR's Jane Clayson yesterday that these neocons had first "to earn the right to swagger." He correctly calls for a universal national service requirement for our young people to honor the latent values of patriotism and citizenship that have been so abused by politicians and ideologues.
There was a time when citizenship was taught in our schools and homes. It mattered. I recently found a 1938 letter from the Master of the Barnes School in East Boston to my maternal grandfather. It praised my mother for earning an A in every subject, but Master Chester Wilbar singled out the importance of her A in Good Citizenship. In recent years, there has been a tendency to discount and even ridicule being graded for Citizenship, Effort and Conduct. However, doesn't so much of what plagues us these days come right back to our leaders' inability or unwillingness to play well with others or to put country ahead of self? Master Wilbar had that right in 1938 and General Zinni has it right today. I'd follow him anywhere.
Zinni rightly brandishes the "chicken hawks" in our government who have never served in uniform yet are so willing to send our young men and women into war in pursuit of their own ideological and commercial interests. He told NPR's Jane Clayson yesterday that these neocons had first "to earn the right to swagger." He correctly calls for a universal national service requirement for our young people to honor the latent values of patriotism and citizenship that have been so abused by politicians and ideologues.
There was a time when citizenship was taught in our schools and homes. It mattered. I recently found a 1938 letter from the Master of the Barnes School in East Boston to my maternal grandfather. It praised my mother for earning an A in every subject, but Master Chester Wilbar singled out the importance of her A in Good Citizenship. In recent years, there has been a tendency to discount and even ridicule being graded for Citizenship, Effort and Conduct. However, doesn't so much of what plagues us these days come right back to our leaders' inability or unwillingness to play well with others or to put country ahead of self? Master Wilbar had that right in 1938 and General Zinni has it right today. I'd follow him anywhere.