by Rachel Mendell

I remember my fourth grade teacher very well. She was the first teacher to spank me (for too much talking). She was the first teacher to scare me (there wasn’t anything I could do to make her like me). She was the first teacher to tell us horror stories about life in the USSR.

She told us that children in the USSR were encouraged to tell their teachers if they said anything bad against the government. Children then watched as police came to take their parents away. Those children became wards of the state and the parents had no say in the matter whatsoever.

This was a scary story for us and, although I now doubt that my fourth grade teacher ever set foot in the USSR. We were happy to be American and knew how to be grateful for our freedoms. At the time America was in the middle of the Cold War and our folks were afraid of Russia dropping the bomb on the US for no reason.

We said the pledge every morning after prayers (not just on Monday) and we struggled through The Star Spangled Banner. (I am guilty of helping my classmates on the playground create the classic “oh say can you see any bed bugs on me” for which I hereby publicly apologize.)

These memories have come back to me over and over throughout my short career as a reporter. Sometimes I remember them when I am saying the pledge at a public meeting (my personal record is 11 recitations in one week). Sometimes they come to me as I speak with someone on the phone who will not give their name because of the fear of retaliation from some unnamed force.

Recently the memories came back as the question of whether or not a public body should pray before a meeting. I have seen it done both ways. Some boards of education pray before the pledge, some don’t. Some village councils pray before the pledge, some don’t. Some meetings begin with a moment of silence.

I think this is an important LOCAL issue as well and one that local voters should voice their opinion. Are your elected officials mirroring your community’s personality?

The only way you are really going to know is to go to your local school board meeting and to attend your local village council meeting. If you have never gone to one, I strongly encourage you to take the leap. They aren’t as boring you might think. In fact, the discussions they have and the decisions they make affect you directly. All meetings give visitors plenty of time to ask questions and make comments on what is going on in the meeting. Hope to see you there!

The Domestic WarHorse is a column by Rachel Mendell, writer, photographer, reporter, speaker, workshop leader, and mom. Comments are welcome to [email protected].