Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is explained in classrooms, to our children and grandchildren, in simplistic terms. Just this past week, I was surprised to listen to local childrens views on the subject. They explained discrimination with such acceptance that I just listened in amazement.

As children growing up, when Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., was leading civil rights marches, many of us barely knew what was going on. We understood part of the civil rights message; but in those days, many of us had two or three local televisions stations, and we played outside most of the time. We had less access to information, but our childhoods were much better than the present generation of children.

Truthfully, our children and grandchildren see so many violent video games, violent movies, violent cartoons, and low content reality TV shows, that the thoughts of racism, discrimination, and intolerance are acceptable. However, it is reality that every race or religion will try to dominate another. We have worked together to improve, but we still have a long way to go, and we have gone too far in some of the wrong directions.

When the civil rights marches went through the countrys towns and cities, they had a clear agenda of equality. However, the right to have civil liberties has gone in some directions that need to be brought back to center. We need to have a purpose, and common sense morality is such a purpose. Otherwise, we face moral bankruptcy, destruction of the family unit, and a social collapse from within.

We do not have to be tolerant of decadent moral standards. As Americans, we often think about the enemies from outside who would destroy our free society. Yet, the problems are also from within, and we must work together to improve our society. Here are some examples of the way civil liberties have been turned on their head.

Who wants to be a school teacher? School teachers are quitting their jobs left and right because children are not corrected at home. Sorry for the honesty, but it is true. The public then insists that teachers are not doing their jobs. The average salary for teaching undisciplined children in a war zone doesnt justify the agony. Anyone who believes teaching is an easy job, should get involved. School systems, across the United States, need all the help they can get.

Common sense has gone out the window when it comes to disciplining children. How often do you see a child disrupt a public setting, while the parent begs or bribes for a little silence?

Copyright 2006 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications