Jonni shuffled into government class, a bit bleary-eyed and full from lunch. Unlike his classes this morning, Jonni didn’t know anyone, so he took a seat and waited for the teacher to arrive.
“Good afternoon, everyone. I hope that you all had a pleasant lunch.” There was a murmur around the class as a few students replied. Others just rolled their eyes or rested their heads on their arms. The teacher (in Jonni’s opinion) looked like he was straight out of one of those old 50s educational videos. If it wasn’t for the femininely styled suit and the hair, he would have looked like a businessman from that era.
Just as boring was the lecture about the Supreme Court, plodding through slides explaining concepts such as certiorari and the procedure for appointing justices. Jonni decided to thumb through the government textbook instead.
One thing that was startling was that women were involved, occupying positions of power—and they had been from the beginning. A few first and last names were different, which made sense, as were some of the portraits. It appeared that instead of John Quincy Adams, his sister Abigail Adams Smith had been president for a term; the 19th Amendment dealt with some sort of taxation provision instead of granting women the right to vote that they here had already enjoyed. Makes sense, there’s no “men looking down on women” thing.
Jonni idly flipped through other pages, stopping in the middle of a chapter on foreign policy. A photo of an Army soldier was prominent in the page layout. The soldier, though, was wearing a uniform unlike any Jonni had ever seen. It looked more like a camouflage dress, complete with skirt, with matching (and thick-looking) camo leggings. His hair was long and bound up in a ponytail, mostly hidden under his cap. He decided to read the header on the Selective Service Act…
Men and women must register with the Selective Service when they turn 18 by federal law. While the armed forces have been all-volunteer since after Vietnam, this is one of the first important obligations of adulthood.
Jonni’s boredom finally came to an end when the bell rang. Sweet relief. That class seems dry. It was time to head off for chemistry.
