The elderly man slackened his pace when he knew that he was near to his destination. Even though he had never passed this way before, some internal sense told him that his trip was about over. After brushing the wrinkles from his coat, he wiped the toes of his shoes across the back of a leg of his trousers in an effort to bring up some sort of a shine. It was while doing these acts that he became aware that he was wearing his old navy dress blue uniform. "Golly, I sure don't remember breaking these out, and they still fit smartly. Well I'm too close to change into something else, and it appears that I don't have anything else with me. "

He began his trip again and in short order saw what he presumed was his destination. A pleasant-looking gentleman sat behind a large desk upon which lay a large book. Stopping in front of the desk, the traveler came to attention, presented a smart salute, and spoke in a clear voice. "Senior Master Chief Charles Goodfellow, United States Navy, Retired reporting sir."

The man seated at the desk looked up and smiled. With a wave of his hand he replicated something that could be translated into a return salute. "We have been waiting for you Chief. Let me add that you will find us a lot less formal than some places where you have been. Your character, courage, and dedication to all things that matter are duly noted in the Great Book. Pass in and make yourself comfortable. I am sure you will find many of your friends about."

Passing through a portico, he entered on a scene that was indescribable with any words he was familiar with. The forms of many persons moved about, all in serenity. As he looked about Chief Goodfellow's attention was attracted to flashes of blue, red, gold, and white. After a closer look, a smile came to him. "By gosh, this must be heaven - and true to their song - them Marines are guarding the streets."

Chuckling to himself, he tried to recall how he came to be here. A sunny day it had been, and he and his dog 'Fetchit' were walking in the woods by the stream as they had done everyday for the last ten years. A sharp pain in his chest and arm - then he was walking up that lane to the big desk. Realization came. "I am done with my life and have reached the big reward. And I made it, big time." Another chuckle, this one much louder, led into a full sized belly laugh.

"Good day friend. And what do you find so enjoyable.?" Charlie turned toward the voice and saw a rather large man approaching.

"Howdy to you too. I'm Charlie Goodwin and I just got here, and I just realized where I am."

"I am, or was, Daniel Webster, and am always glad to see and welcome a fellow countryman. Tell me neighbor, how goes the Nation?"

"Well, Mister Webster . . ."
"Just a moment sir. Around here we only use first names. The last name was needed down there to really know who was being addressed, but here everyone is known. Also the Boss goes by just one name, and there is no one who wants to upstage Him. Now please excuse my interruption and continue your tale."

"As I was saying in response to your question - All is not well with the Nation. The primary position, the Presidency which should be looked upon by everyone in the world, and to where all little kids used to be inspired to achieve has been reduced to a place of ridicule and mistrust by everyone - within and outside the country. In recent years we have seen a Vice-President resign just prior to being indicted and convicted of fraud and perjury; a President resign in disgrace for lying to the public; and another President who has perjured himself in a court of law, lied to the public, and treated the sanctity of the Oval Office to actions that would be more appropriate in the back rooms of a bordello. Yet when called to an accounting by impeachment he was exonerated by a party-line vote of his cronies. Today, a promise to make your offspring President could be defined as child abuse."

"How can this be? Our Government has always been the ideal to which all nations dreamed to aspire. What happened to the constraints of power and rules of Government called for in the Constitution?"

"Dan'l, the birth of our country, and its expansion to where we are today was predicated on mutual aid and support. Everyone helped by contributing his efforts to the common cause. Look at the Preamble To The Constitution...It begins with - 'We the people * * *. That stated our philosophy at that time - the operative word at that time was WE. Today the I'M philosophy prevails. I'm the most important thing. What the individual desires is his goal and to hell with whatever is in his way. If obstacles loom too large, they will create special interest groups and even subvert the Constitution itself to achieve their aims. This is made easy by the way our judicial system creates new laws, justifying their actions by 'interpreting what the framers of the Constitution really meant'. Once the decision is written and published, it takes the effect of a law, and the populace is straddled with another loss of freedom.

The I'M philosophy puts the individual at the apex of the universe, and so he does what he (or she) desires. Morality as we knew it has disappeared because there is nobody to teach it and live the example. Marriage is considered something to experience until something (or someone) better comes along. Then it is readily dissolved by a simple court procedure. In the dust of broken marriages lies the remains - in the form of children who now have little or no adult guidance. Imitators of life as they see it, they continue the process until the family unit is an unknown entity. What we have now is the present day Homo sapiens practicing his inherent trait - SURVIVAL OF THE PERSON.
What once would be a simple matter of dispute resolvable by personal involvement now crowds the court calendars as individual sue each other for petty, and even imagined, slights.

The schooling of the children has fallen to such levels as to be considered abrogation of responsibilities by school administrators. It is true that modern technology need be addressed in the classroom. But the basics must be brought in before the children get introduced to the new items. If this requires longer school days, or longer school years, or more years of schooling prior to graduating, so be it. Today, as in the past, mathematics and sciences are the subjects to be taught. Before the argumentative question "WHY" arises, let me answer. Those subjects pique the mind and begin the process everyone needs to be familiar with - demonstrate logic, use the mind, think on your own. But we supply these youngsters with hand-held calculators that produce answers to problems with no explanation of the logic used to arrive there. I recall the words of a math teacher I had somewhere about the sixth grade. 'It would be nice if you have the correct answer, but it is more important that I see the logic you used in getting there. Therefore, the correct answer will count for only ten percent of your grade. Show me your thinking.'

Nor do we expend much effort on classes such as Civics, or Government, or even United States History. There are no tests on the Declaration Of Independence, The Bill Of Rights, or The Constitution Of The United States. Immigrants hoping to become citizens must know more of these subjects than native-born children attending public schools. Lacking this background, our youngsters are deprived of the historical events that founded our country. This is frightening because without a history, how can anything exist? So the next generation will inherit the wind, but know little of their heritage. How - better - what will they pass to their successors?

"Charles, how did this come to pass?"

"By indifference, Dan'l. By indifference. They have little knowledge or concern of what their country stands for, and how it came to be. Don't blame them, we lost it when we allowed primary education to dismiss the most important classes from the curriculum."

"Is it really so grim?"

"Ask anyone under the age of thirty the meaning of the Fourth Of July. Their response will be something to the effect that it is the birthday of our country - maybe. Then ask how they spend that day. First it is a paid holiday from work. Then it is spent in a myriad of ways, usually ending with some type of fireworks display. Everyone gathers about dark and for thirty minutes brilliant explosives light the sky. Then everyone goes back to their business. Hardly anywhere on that day is the Declaration read aloud to the people, nor is there much of the hoopla that should go on when we celebrate of the birth of our nation. Of course there is hardly anyone who can recite the words in the Declaration, or even know any of the history of one of the most prestigious documents ever produced. (The same might also be said for The Constitution Of The United States Of America).

"Is there anything to be done?"

(c) 1999 by Mopam Publishing and Emil Beck