Why We Should Be Glad When Boys are Rebellious

Did you hear Fred Thompson's speech at the convention last night? He said this about John McCain:

"...Now, John's father was a bit of a rebel, too. In his first two semesters at the Naval Academy, he managed to earn 333 demerits. Unfortunately, John later saw that as a record to be beaten. A rebellious mother and a rebellious father - I guess you can see where this is going. In high school and the Naval Academy, he earned a reputation as a troublemaker. But as John points out, he wasn't just a troublemaker. He was the leader of the troublemakers. Although loaded with demerits like his father, John was principled even in rebellion. He never violated the honor code. However, in flight school in Pensacola, he did drive a Corvette and date a girl who worked in a bar as an exotic dancer under the name of Marie, the Flame of Florida. And the reason I'm telling you these things, is that, apparently, this mixture of rebellion and honor helped John McCain survive the next chapter of his life:..."

You all have heard something at least about McCain's heroism in Viet Nam, but if you're like me, you never heard many details, so read or watch Thompson's speech.

"That mixture of rebellion and honor" ---remember that the next time you want to dress your little boy up all nice and neat and part his hair on the side and make him sit still in class and just do what you say without question.

If you want heroic men, you need rebellious young men.