A column in the “Federalist” this week was enough to send any shiny, happy thoughts I might have had of a relaxing weekend out the window. Since misery does indeed love company, I thought I would share this news item with you, Gentle Reader. The headline to Haley Strack’s article says it all: “National Archives Slaps ‘Harmful Content’ Warning On Constitution, All Other Founding Documents.”
That’s right, Citizen. The National Archives Records Administration apparently deems the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights to be as dangerous as the Anarchist’s Cookbook, Rules For Radicals, and the dreaded works of Dr. Suess.
Totally oblivious to the temperature of the room, NARA’s boneheaded move raised the hackles of more than a few Americans. And you know there is nothing worse than a raised hackle.
Our own Representative, Thomas Massie, summed it up when he tweeted, “The National Archives should not label our founding documents as ’Harmful Content.’” He and 44 other representatives in the house (all Republican) called for the removal of the offending warnings from what is collectively known as the Charters of Freedom.
NARA’S response was tepid, to say the least: “This alert is not connected to any specific records, but appears at the top of the page while you are using the online Catalog.”
To be honest, there are a parts of our history that should come with a warning label. However, the documents that serve as the foundation of our nation are not among them.
There are any number of things about this that could bring your mood to a rolling boil. After all, in the age of rebellion against the belief in American exceptionalism, an assault on the cornerstones of what makes our country great is offensive.
Carefully traipsing down the road of Good Intentions, NARA’s reasoning makes some sense. “As a result, some of the materials presented here may reflect outdated, biased, offensive, and possibly violent views and opinions. In addition, some of the materials may relate to violent or graphic events and are preserved for their historical significance.”
Yes, I know the blessing of living in a free country is something not to be taken for granted. I’m also aware that blind feasance to an idea is anathema to the ideals our Founding Fathers intended.
Going a step further, that freedom extends to Social Justice Warriors who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. When one extrapolates the metaphor to a local level, where railing against gum on a sidewalk obfuscates the major infrastructure work being done to our city’s water and gas lines, the lesson becomes clear.
Black and white is a simplistic way to go through life. I learned that a long time ago. Existence is a constant state of grey, choosing the paths that achieve our desired result while at the same time having a positive or a neutral effect on our fellow humans.
The Founding Fathers gave us the blueprint for living our lives. And while I know there are no guidelines to life chiseled in stone, the Charters of Freedom are a nice place to start. No “harmful” warnings needed.
