The greatest generation
With the passing of former President Bush, we bid adieu to one of the last leaders of what many call, “The Greatest Generation.” Yet a great one led by our Founding Fathers preceded Bush’s generation. Of course those old timers dressed funny and also had outdated notions. They either owned slaves or condoned the practice, and they had unseemly reverence for guns and Bibles. Clearly country folks needed protection against hostile Indians, not to mention lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
Most believed, silly rabbit, that the Holy Bible was for kids, with public school scriptural curriculum extending into college. And womenfolk were not to be trusted with important tasks like voting and working in manly occupations, nor heaven forbid, going to taverns to drink and smoke with the guys.
Yet these “dead white males” bequeathed us a nation with the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the mechanism of the Constitution that outlawed slavery and gave voting rights to blacks and women, even those pesky Indians. Their generation indeed can best be paraphrased by Tony the Tiger: “They’re grrr…eat…est!”
Dave Roloff
Spokane