sharing corner
Nat's homework tonight consisted of writing a letter to someone who has shown moral courage. She asked for suggestions and I gave her a few, including Kobe Bryant, which was a joke. She didn't laugh.
She didn't use any of my suggestions and instead did a little reading and went with her own idea. Below, her letter to George Bush, without commentary, which I am sure will be supplied by all the wrong people.
Dear President Bush,
My name is Natalie XXXX and I am a thirteen year old girl writing to you, admiring your bravery.
I don’t normally read the newspaper but while searching for current events, I noticed an article which said something about you and Prime Minister Tony Blair standing up for what you believe in. I highly appreciate people that stand up for themselves so I decided to read it. I found myself respecting your moral courage as well as Mr. Blair’s.
It takes courage to stand alone and many know that, and sadly many don’t as well. You prove your courage in a risky way. Both you and Mr. Blair stand together to free the Iraqi people and wont rest until the job is done no matter how many people turn you down or think wrong or differently of the idea. This can cost you the next election but as a good president, that doesn’t stop you. That is why I think it shouldn’t. People should learn how to value the fact that it isn’t the easiest thing to stand up for what you believe in, especially if thousands or millions of people are disagreeing. Once again I highly respect and appreciate your courage. If all people in America would have the same type of character as you, Mr. President, America would be even more welcoming than it is now.
Thanks again to you and Mr. Blair.
Thankfully and respectfully,
Natalie XXX
Comments
I love it!
Posted by: Faith | October 21, 2003 08:09 PM
Very well written! Great letter.
Posted by: Ith | October 21, 2003 08:26 PM
Great Letter. Natalie for President ;-)
Posted by: azygos | October 21, 2003 08:29 PM
OMG,I got teary.Way to go Miss N.
Posted by: mbruce | October 21, 2003 08:52 PM
Oh, that was lovely. Natalie is obviously a very bright and thoughtful young lady.
Posted by: Beth Donovan | October 21, 2003 09:03 PM
I'm teary-eyed and proud like she was mine. Great job, Michele. Great job, Natalie! Thank you for sharing it.
Posted by: margi | October 21, 2003 09:19 PM
you gotta love when kids write stuff like that...
heartwarming
Posted by: Orange County | October 21, 2003 09:49 PM
Wonderful!
But she could have picked her Mom!
Posted by: Mrs. du Toit | October 21, 2003 10:18 PM
Outstanding letter!
You're doing a wonderful job raising your little girl. Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Gina | October 21, 2003 11:09 PM
Sigh. I am so glad you decided to post this. Wonderful. Maybe a few "adults" will pick up on this. Well done!
Posted by: Robert | October 22, 2003 01:20 AM
Thanks Nat!
Posted by: SondraK | October 22, 2003 01:23 AM
Great job Nat!! Wise beyond your years! Michele, you should be very proud.
Posted by: Joe | October 22, 2003 01:56 AM
That's it. I'm going to have to stage an intervention, aren't I? ;-p
Posted by: robyn | October 22, 2003 04:39 AM
Wow. Great letter.
Looks like you've got a comment spammer. Ugh.
Posted by: Sean M. | October 22, 2003 05:28 AM
Great letter.
She should run for Senator, it would be a big improvement.
Posted by: Starhawk | October 22, 2003 07:54 AM
Presidential Ticket in 2040: Gnat and Nat!
Posted by: billhedrick | October 22, 2003 10:04 AM
God, whatta freakin Troll.
And the little skank is too nutless to even leave a real email address...
Posted by: Casey Tompkins | October 22, 2003 11:59 PM
Troll? It's a legitimate point that people really ought to think about. "Standing up for what you believe" is often touted as invariably an admirable thing. As I clearly illustrated with my example, it is not.
Of course, given that you're too thick to figure out that that really is my e-mail address, I shouldn't expect much from you. Had you tried to send an e-mail, you would have found that out.
Posted by: Luke | October 23, 2003 06:39 AM
Luke,
I hardly think the average newpaper you read these days present an resonable forum for doing any sort of critical thinking; as they frequently fail to present a balanced and object reporting of the facts; this is something I believe you need to have to do any sort of critical thinking. calling the little girl a "sprog" (I'm not sure I understand what that is anyway )doesnt help your argument. It simple weakens your arguement.
I personally don't believe Bin Laden stands up for what believes in; Unless, of course, you believe that he believes pure irrational hatred of
the West. Of course thats not exercising a lot of critical thinking. Just my right to an opinion, duly exercised.
Posted by: Joseph Gier | October 24, 2003 04:28 PM
from Hyperdictionary.com:
SPROG
Pronunciation: sprâg
WordNet Dictionary
Definition: [n] (British) a child
[n] (British) a new military recruit
See Also: child, fry, kid, minor, nestling, nipper, recruit, shaver, small fry, tiddler, tike, tyke, youngster
Quite an insult to call her a kid, eh? My goodness, I'm a barbarian.
The sprog admitted in the letter that she does not read papers. Reading papers (preferably more than one) is an important way to develop critical reasoning skills. Sure, they're far from perfect. They've given Bush a free pass on almost every outrage he has perpetrated against the Constitution of the USA, but it's a good start.
Osama is most assuredly standing up for what he believes. He is spending his personal fortune. His acts make him an exile from his homeland. His life is in constant danger. He cannot stop and walk away. That all sounds pretty committed to me. That you cannot understand why he might have a beef with the USA means you haven't been thinking about it. I don't support his actions but he is smart and crafty. Look what happened last time the USA forgot that.
Posted by: Luke | October 25, 2003 03:49 AM