I went out looking for a butterfly this afternoon, but I came upon an impossibly beautiful bunch of bird of paradise flowers and quit the search for insects. Once again the photograph for the day doesn't fit the writing, but you're getting both anyway. My writing is less a rant... more an expression of sadness.We live in troubling times. The president of the United States made arrangements to speak to elementary and secondary school students at the beginning of the new school year. Some Republicans said they feared the President might inappropriately seek to indoctrinate them with the evils of socialism in his twenty-minute talk, so they urged parents to boycott the speech by excusing their students from the classroom if the speech was part of the school day. A few school boards ordered schools not to broadcast the talk. An apparent favorite rationale given was that speaking to youth was a tactic used by totalitarian dictators in other countries and therefore should not be allowed in America. It was mentioned by some that the President might speak about health care. The actual event passed with few problems. Parents were allowed to keep their students safe if they thought the President’s ideas would harm them. President Obama's speech urged students to set goals, to work hard, and to achieve academic success. The event was more like a good uncle or a grandfather urging people he loves to do well in school than anything like a dictator indoctrinating the impressionable young.

We moved in mid-week to another address by the President, this time to the joint houses of Congress. The subject was health care this time. In the middle of his speech someone from the Republican side of the House yelled “liar.” As far as I know, that kind of thing hadn’t happened before today.

I listened carefully to the President’s speech to students and found nothing to fear. I listened just as carefully to his address to Congress and found nothing that might be thought morally, ethically, or fiscally irresponsible. What it all means for the country, I have no idea. I will simply wait and hope this campaign of fear and anger will not corrupt our American culture, undermine critically the projects this administration has initiated to get the nation’s economy going again, and ultimately weaken and perhaps destroy our system of government. History has notable examples of nations destroying themselves from inside. I trust we are not quite to that point.

Finally, I have reasons to be hopeful. I must trust that people like young Nicholas Fudge will grow up and save us from ourselves. He is in fourth grade this year. Today when his grandparents and his sister got close to the container where his cocoon had just broken open to let a beautiful butterfly emerge, Nicholas said, “Don’t bother it. It’s just learning to fly.”