Song, ‘Carefully Taught,’ has meaning after Charlottesville

Exactly 200 years ago on March 4, James Monroe was inaugurated as this nation’s fifth president. His two terms in office (1817-1825), in the aftermath of the War of 1812 and concurrent with the decline of the Federalist Party, have long been known as “The Era of Good Feelings.” We can only guess what historians will eventually call the Trump presidency, but one possibility is painfully obvious.

Statesmanlike messages are a rare commodity of late, so I found it especially gratifying to read Barrack Obama’s sentiments after the tragic events in Charlottesville. If you somehow missed his tweet (the “most liked” in the relatively brief history of Twitter), he quoted fellow Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela regarding hate and love. Mandela’s statement reminded me of the lines from the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “South Pacific,” when we were informed that “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught.” If you don’t recall that song, please go to “South Pacific” lyrics for an eye-opener.

Dave Carpentier

Camano Island