A number of things plus some I’m not so proud of. But one thing these days that stands out is the way I insisted my Government students understood that this American government was held together with spit and chewing gum. It works only when we all make it work. The government’s coercive power does not extend to forcing people to act as citizens; that’s on them. The Constitution does not guarantee let alone force everyone to accept its guidance; it’s up to all of us to abide by it. The Neither the Supreme Court nor any other court can serve us with a warrant to make us support our government and Constitution; the exception is the draft which forces us to fight for it.
And so I hope there is some student out there who had Mr. Barrett for Government and recalls my words now that our nation is in danger from exactly what I warned against: that not enough of us would care to support and defend the Constitution and thereby our government.