"Who Is A Partiot Today" - my daughter's school report

[Sydnie]

My 13 year old had to write a report for school on the subject of "Who Is A Patriot Today". It couldn't be more than 400 words, just FYI, ok?

She had to select someone living and write about why she thought this person was a patriot. Anyway, when she first got the assignment, she wanted to write about me. I was flattered, but I made other suggestions and let her chose her subject. She did her research and this is what she wrote.

---

Who Is A Patriot Today?

I think that Cindy Sheehan is a patriot because she is demonstrating against the war in Iraq. She is exercising her right of free speech. Cindy Sheehan is a great example of a patriot because she took a stance against the President’s policy. She is also fighting for answers about her son’s death, who died during his service in Iraq. She is angered by his death because he died in an unjust war, waged for reasons that have been proven to be lies.

She blames George Bush for her loss because he didn’t have proper intelligence and rushed to war. I agree with her because we did rush into the war and can’t support the many reasons that were stated as justification for the war. She did meet with Mr. Bush once, but was too grief stricken to ask him why her son had to die for these lies. Mr. Bush has stated that her son, and many other parent’s children, have died for a noble cause. She would like Mr. Bush to tell her what noble cause that would be.

She took her question to Mr. Bush this summer. She camped out in a ditch in the road in front of Mr. Bush’s house, waiting to ask him that question. She stayed there for the month of August, being joined by many and members of the group she started called the Gold Star Families For Peace. By the end of August, she had been joined by many thousands of protesters in Texas.

In September, she joined other groups in a protest march in Washington, D.C., which attracted between 100,000 and 300,000 people. Two days later, in a continued protest march, she was arrested outside of the White House for sitting down on the sidewalk. The charge was demonstrating without a permit.

When she failed to get a second meeting with Mr. Bush, she went to members of Congress and state officials to press her cause. She met for five minutes with an aide for Governor Schwazenegger in California, who listened to her concerns and promised to pass them on to the Governor.

She is further concerned with our latest weather disasters, stating that the National Guard should be here to help those effected instead of in Iraq. She vows to continue her protests until all the soldiers have come home from Iraq.

---

Pretty cool, huh? As she often says "I am my mother's daughter". Kudos to you sweetcheeks! I think you did swell! :applause:

[mzteris]

1. Excellent!

Both the writing and the opinion.

I bet you're very proud of her - and you have every right to be.

[Ilsa]

2. WOnderful essay! I love it! I hope you'll send a copy

to Cindy, also. I bet she'd love the encouragement.

You're such a good mom, to have raised such a wonderful child, a child who understands that following blindly is not patriotism, but asking questions of our govt and making it responsible to the people is patriotism. :hug:

[Sydnie]

10. Thank you - I am VERY proud of her

She was very involved in the last campaign, even going to New Hampshire with me to work the phone banks for Kerry, attending rallys before the election and the rally in Boston (where Will Pitt spoke) after the election.

Here is a picture of her at her first protest rally!

[Ilsa]

27. What a beautiful girl! So cool! eom

[Sydnie]

14. I would love to do that

Any idea where I would find an email address for her?

[FreedomAngel82]

20. Try the websites

Gold Star Families for Peace and meetwithcindy.org

[Sydnie]

22. I used the form at meetwithcindy.org

I hope, if someone has a better address to send this to her, that they do send it along to her.

I am so proud that she did this all on her own, chose the person all on her own and is not afraid to speak her mind.

What a great role model Cindy is ... in so many ways.

:hug: Thanks.

[tk2kewl]

3. Excellent job! A+

:applause:

Did she report back on the other kids' choices?

[Sydnie]

6. She hasn't turned it in yet, she just finished it tonight

I will be sure to ask her about the other kids though. It will be interesting to see who they pick.

[tk2kewl]

7. keep us posted... i'd love to hear who the others pick too

[yorkiemommie1]

4. good job!

n/t

[firefox]

5. Nomination #4

She is a patriot for taking the responsibiltiy to learn of our present realities.

[ashling]

8. Who is a patriot today? Here's a hint:

she's a thirteen year old from Mass.


. . . and has justifiably a super proud mom . . .

[Sydnie]

12. I agree with you -- on both counts

She's a special kid for sure.

I will show her your post ... she will LOVE the kitty picture! Thanks for posting it.

[ultraist]

9. Excellent!

My daughter said that a student in her 6th grade class brought in a picture of Cindy when they had to bring in pics that represented "Respect." My daughter was really excited to see that pic, of course, she knew all about Cindy Sheehan! LOL!

I added a photo of anti war protestors on to a project poster I helped a little girl with, whom I mentor. She turned it in this week. I'm curious to know what grade she'll get. :bounce:

[FreedomAngel82]

21. Oh that's so neat!

I can't wait to hear the reaction(s) too. What was the reaction to the Cindy photo?

[proud patriot]

11. A+

:thumbsup:

[madeline_con]

13. Applauded, kicked and recommended.

:applause: :kick: :woohoo:

[Hatalles]

15. Aw... here's a rec.

:hug:

I think your daughter deserves a raise in her allowance.

[Cults4Bush]

16. Tell her she just made me feel real good about camping out in that ditch..

There are times when it helps to hear this kind of thing from the young.

Thank her for me please.

... and thank you for being a good compassionate mom.

[Sydnie]

17. I absolutely will pass your message along

Your time in that ditch was well spent ... and it was noticed and appreciated by many, many of us.

Thank you for being there for and from both of US! :hug:

[Cults4Bush]

32. Thanks for warm fuzzy...

It was a rough time and a little chaotic, Cindy was off with her mom so there wasn't a central voice but everybody did as much as they could.

DU'ers were there constantly. KatinMN, PuraVidaDreaming, DA and his sister DistressedSister, Brainshrub... so many local DU'ers as well. I just felt such a heavy sense of purpose, that my discomfort in 90 degree nightime tent temps was nothing compared to Iraq. The threat of violence from the counters was again nothing compared to Iraq.

The sense of purity, the notion that we were being true to the effort of peace was so pervasive that the local Law enforcement really liked us. We really had an effect on them and I dare say changed a few points of view.

The feeling of so many like yourself backing what we were doing and thinking about us gave me much sustenance out there. Thank you for supporting the effort, you really just made my day.

Peace!

[grannylib]

18. Very well done; it's obvious that YOU have raised a true patriot who

understands the freedoms we have far better than those who find themselves frightened and threatened when those freedoms are exercised.
Hats off to your daughter!

[FreedomAngel82]

19. Very nice!

Here's to your daughter and Cindy Sheehan! :patriot:

[vanboggie]

23. Both of you get an A+

You are raising a great young American. Congratulations!

[spuddonna]

24. Nice essay! I hope she gets an A! :) n/t

[babylonsister]

25. Sydnie, I love your daughter and her sentiments.

Please tell her I too was one who went to Crawford and supported Cindy. Your daughter picked a true patriot, though you would have also been an excellent choice! :hug:

[mandyky]

26. Tell her her DU "aunts and uncles" say

Good JOB!! And good job to Mom too! :)

[in_cog_ni_to]

28. EXCELLENT essay!

I can't wait to see her grade (please let us know?). If her teacher's a Liberal, she'll get an A+. If she doesn't get an A+, you'll know why. :)

Big hugs to our future Democrat/Progressive/Liberal. :hug:

[meganmonkey]

29. Right on!

Good job, Sydnie's Kid!!!

[AllegroRondo]

30. Send it to your local paper - excellent LTTE material

[LWolf]

31. I was thinking the same thing. n/t

[FSogol]

33. A+ Let us know what grade she gets. n/t

[400Years]

34. Thanks for raising a smart kid

We need more parents like you.

[John Q. Citizen]

35. A nice report on Cindy's activities.

Now for a little critical feedback.

What's missing is why Cindy's activities qualify her as a patriot.

I believe Cindy is a patriot because......(not only what Cindy did but how what she did qualifies her as a patriot)

In order to do that, your daughter has to define, in some way, what being a patriot means to her.

I hope you (and your daughter) take my feedback in the spirit that I offer it. Her essay is good as far as a report on what Cindy's activities have been recently, all she needs in terms of the assignment is to tie in Cindy's activities with Cindy's patriotism.

By the way, I believe Cindy Sheehan is a perfect subject for your daughters assignment.

[Sydnie]

39. I do realize that and did at the time she wrote it

We discussed that and she felt that the statement about exercising her first amendment rights and being willing to be arrested for those beliefs supported her belief in Cindy's patriotism. For my daughter, this was an expression of "the courage of one's convictions", although it did leave it mostly unsaid in the essay.

I am the type of mom that will spend 8 hours (as I did last Monday) helping my daughter research and structure a project for school. Last week she had to do a poster project on Fibonacci and his mathematical contributions. I suggested things, nudged her in areas of research and even helped with the printing and pasting on the poster. This report, she wrote all on her own. She researched it herself and wrote it herself. Where my critical eye saw what was missing my pride in her accomplishment won out and I let it go as she wrote it.

The bigger message was that she "got it". She knows what makes Cindy a patriot and would be able to defend her statements if questioned further by the teacher or the class.

Sometimes, you just have to marvel at the message even if it is not as well structured as we might like. Considering that she did this all on her own, I am willing to accept it just as she wrote it ... and I am willing to bet that hers will be one of the best researched essays in the entire class. She will, without a doubt, educate some of her classmates with this paper.

Should I have nudged her to interject a bit more opinion in it? Probably. But I wasn't messing with the message that she wanted to share.

No offense taken, your constructive criticism is always welcome and is taken in the caring spirit in which it was given. I trust her teacher will "get it" too ... and if not, well, I will overlook a less than stellar grade knowing that the content was from her heart.

Know what I mean? I just LOVE this kid! :loveya: :hi:

BTW, we also discussed Mark Felt and Randi Rhodes (whom she LOVES to listen to), in depth, as subjects for this paper as well. I think she had her mind made up fairly early on that she would write about Cindy instead.

[John Q. Citizen]

40. I totally understand what you are saying.

I'm a single dad of three kids (1st through 6th grade) and sometimes I too have to moderate the editor in me.

Especially when I make a suggestion or raise a question, and I'm over-ridden by the author!

I also love to listen to Randy Rhodes (I'm not familiar with Mark Felt) but it's my opinion your daughter made an excellent choice in deciding to write about Cindy.

I hope you share my feedback with your daughter, not to change her mind or to try to convince her of anything, but to just expose her once again (repetition and all that) to the concept of the writer/editor relationship, and also to let her know that it's OK to go with an editors opinion as well as it's ok to reject an editors opinion. The final work product is up to her after all.

Thanks to you and your daughter for sharing her work with us. She's a good writer. Her style is very clear and concise, or "all killer no filler," as I like to say.

I can see why you are proud of her.

[Sydnie]

42. "all killer no filler" I like that!

I will share your thoughts with her. I showed her this thread before she left for school today and she was very proud of her accomplishments and of the responses. I am sure she will take your suggestions with an open mind ... I do edit her quite often myself. :)

P.S. - You do know who Mark Felt is - does Deep Throat ring any bells?

[John Q. Citizen]

48. Ah, yes, that Mark Felt. Well

Cindy was still the best choice IMHO.

By the way, have you ever seen the movie "Dick?" It's a comedy about two teenage girls who (in the movie) are the impetus behind Nixon's downfall as well as much more of what happened during those times. It's got a lot of Sat. Night Live alumni in it and is pretty funny in a light hearted way. I guess it would be described as a political comedy.

If you haven't seen it you and your daughter might enjoy it. It's been out a long time on video now.

[Sydnie]

49. Yes, I have seen it many times

I remember when it first came out in the theaters. It was recently (within the last year, I believe) released on dvd too. I will have to pick it up and share it with her.

[Chan790]

36. This deserves a kick, n/m

[flying_wahini]

37. what a great kid !!!!!!!!!!!!!

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

38. It's really well written. She's a much more disciplined writer than I am,

or she's got a great editor, LOL.

;)

[dogday]

41. You should be very proud of your Daughter

I have one who is 10 and she was like the only one last year to support Kerry and she held her ground even after the election when the kids said they won, she said they cheated. Got to love the kids.....

[Sydnie]

44. Someone last year had a graphic here on DU of

a hampster with a sign that said "Hampsters for Kerry". I copied that graphic and made her a tshirt with that logo on it. She wore it to school one day. Two days later, she came home with a 5 dollar bill. She had "an order" for one just like it from a kid at school. You have to love the kids ... and nuture their curiousity and their passions. After all, they will be taking over when they finally figure out how to wrestle the torch from our hands, right?

Good for your daughter. Another patriot willing to stand up for the "courage of her convictions". It will serve her well her whole life through. And kudos to you as well. We need to support them and it sounds like you are doing a great job supporting her.

Thank you for showing me that I am not alone in my quest to create a productive, engaged member of the generation of future leaders! :hug:

[dogday]

46. As a parent, you try to do the right thing

and in politics, I want her to believe that as well. I believe in the party of doing the right thing for the people. Big Kudos to you in your beliefs as well! We all need to stick together....

[txaslftist]

43. A plus

[ninkasi]

45. Please tell your daughter...

that she is great. I love the fact that she credits you with giving her the knowledge and freedom to express it. I think she's going to go far, and sharing credit with you every step of the way. She could have written a typical flag waving patriotic puff piece, but obviously THOUGHT about the subject, and put her own insight into her writings.
I know you're proud of her.

[Ksec]

47. Tell your little girl that she speaks with a big voice

I also have a 13 yr old daughter and I'm very proud of her independent thought on the problems facing this world. She's wise beyond those 13 years and can sometime sort out a confusing situation I am suffering with if I ask her for her opinion.

These children are the future and its nice to know that you are raising a conscientious well rounded future adult .

My congrats. You and your daughter give us all hope.

[DemReadingDU]

50. You have a great daughter to be proud of

thanks for sharing her report

[MissAmber]

51. Smart like her Mama!

:hi: She is a very intelligent girl and I only wish I had her knowledge about our government when I was that age. Go girl! :applause:

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[wellstone dem]

52. You done good

Be proud of your daughter and yourself.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

53. Yee-HAW!

Another person of my generation with some liberal guts!

You go, girl!

~WIMR

[Jokinomx]

54. Great Job!!!

Thanks for sharing...:-)

:toast: