Noah Pickus, author of True Faith and Allegiance, asked participants to consider their role in creating a citizenry that rigorously interprets the Constitution by discussing it and making inquiries of it. Perhaps the biggest threat to our identity as one people has nothing to do with our immigration policy and everything to do with our tattered idea of who is a citizen.

Our efforts to make distinctions between natural born citizens who pledge their allegiance to the flag and naturalized citizens who take an oath to the constitution is missing the point. Noah suggested every citizen of the United States needs to take part in thinking constitutionally. We should each take part in a rigorous discussion of the constitution, interpret it and make inquiries of it.

So, this intrigued many of us and presented an important question to take back to the classroom, but this isn’t the post I sat down to write tonight. I started my instant messenger client to run alongside my browser as I worked. It generally leads to interruptions that keep me from getting anything done. This evening, however, there was an instant invitation to thinking constitutionally…

7:44 Pat

What is the rub for the Dems on drilling in ANWR? And drilling in the Gulf?

7:46 Shellee

On ANWR, it’s a 20th century solution to a 21st century problem and not even a good solution!

7:47 Pat

It’s not the solution but part of the solution

7:47 Shellee

Not part of the solution. It’s too little too late.

and maybe, just maybe if there was a bill for drilling responsibly in ANWR with an additional component of increasing fuel efficiency, funding research for alternatives…maybe it could get the votes it needs…maybe.

just drilling is just stupid

7:48 Pat

Well, they’ve been trying to drill there for over 10 years. They’ve now predicted twice the capacity of a few years ago.

7:49 Shellee

Saw a photography exhibit in Dallas with photos of ANWR. It’s an incredible space. Once you see it, and I can only imagine seeing it for real, I think it becomes a more difficult question.

7:50 Pat

How is it too late? We won’t be off fossil fuel for another 25 years.

So that’s it? Dependence on foreign oil for pictures in a remote place in Alaska?

7:51 Shellee

not about the pictures, it’s about the ecosystem. there are resources we need to be cognizant of other than oil
it’s not all about consumption…or shouldn’t be unless we’re simply a people of hedonistic gluttons. then there’s no problem

While it’s tempting to tell you I won this exchange with this question of who we are, the conversation continued. There were partisan accusations. He wanted to know if I believed in the global warming scam and I wanted to know if he was simply re-typing the transcript from Rush’s latest show. What broke through that, however, was this question of who we are and how to best use our resources to solve our problems. We were able to discuss what we agreed on: our dependence on foreign oil is a big problem; we have experts with specialized information about how much oil is available from ANWR; those individuals know more about the question than either of us.

A constitutional citizen doesn’t have to avoid a partisan dig (or two) but does need to see beyond them. There are often bigger questions at stake than the details we debate. Are we preparing citizens in our classrooms who will see and readily debate those bigger questions?