Tom Friedman with a nice mention of Teach for America.

It was not only the pride with which they wore those uniforms that was palpable, but also the respect they were accorded by their classmates. I spoke to one young man who was going from graduation at Rensselaer right out to sea with the United States Navy. As bad as Iraq is, they just keep signing up. I have been equally impressed by the number of my daughter’s friends who have opted to join Teach for America.

And that can-do-will-do spirit is a good thing, because we will need it to preserve our democracy from those who want to steal the openness and optimism that make democracy work.

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May 27, 2007

Op-Ed Columnist

The Quiet Americans

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

http://select.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/opinion/27friedman.html

Since my daughter is graduating from college today, I am thinking a lot about the class of 2007 and the world they are about to enter. I’m not sure what they call this generation. Is it generation “X” or “Y” or “Zero” or “Me”? Having taken part in two other commencements this season, though, and knowing enough about what my own daughter’s friends are doing, I can say there is something quietly impressive about this cohort. In fact, if I were giving them a label I’d call them the “Quiet Americans” — not in the cynical way Graham Greene meant it, but in a very positive sense.