Endangered: Critical Thinking

When President Bush makes this statement: "We are safer here because of the war in Iraq" and the American public does not ask the question that begs to be asked: "How?", has critical thinking disappeared?

Endangered is the type of questioning and thinking that saves a democracy from despots and the actions of despots.

Another example: I worked for two years in a middle school. I helped read and grade English papers for the Language Arts teachers. One particular student wrote that we revenged 9-11 by getting Saddam Hussein out of power and by winning in Iraq.

This is an example of how many Americans, including adults believe that Iraq had something to do with 9-11.

So embroiled were we in getting revenge for this tragic event that we allowed our leaders and ourselves to blend in our mind Iraq and 9-11. We needed a scapegoat - a bad guy. We are raised on movies where the good guy wins over the bad guy -- a movie mentality.

Let it be said: Iraq had nothing -- and I mean nothing when I say nothing - to do with Iraq.

Critical thinking is Missing in Action. Gone. We started this war on a falsehood and we continue with rationalizations of falsehood.

A democratic society must have critical thinking -- questioning of its actions so that our society will not take actions that are undemocratic -- both here and abroad. This oversight to the abuse of power begins with a population that questions, reviews and thinks in depth about its nations actions.

When senetors questioned Roberts about his stance on issues that he would one day be deciding on at the Supreme Court, people cried out: leave the poor man alone.

Heaven forbid the American people ask questions of a judge on court case decisions of a man who will be deciding such issues, which will directly affect Americans.

Asking critical questions is exactly what we should be doing of each and every potential supreme court judge, regardless of whether their politics are conservative or liberal.

Critical thinking is endangered in our society because we don't use it enough. We are an audience of consumers instead of a populace based on discussion and debate.

We need avenues to excercise this process: beginning in the public schools and continuing with more town meetings. Let's build meeting places that are made specifically for open debate - drop in centers where people gather and discuss the most pressing issues of the time - for people of all political spectrums so that we may learn from each other and not remain isolated from free conversation. Not shouting at each other on talk shows but rather respectful debate -- something we have little practice with.

I just think our country opens itself up to being ruled by those that will take away ours and other countries freedoms without fostering this type of discussion.