“To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.”
-Thomas Jefferson
I am sure you have seen the story concerning a Burlington County NJ public school back in September in which grade school children were taught to the sing the praises of president Obama, ( “Hmmm Hmm Hmmm Barrack Hussein Obama”) especially sung with emphasis was one of the last lines: ”We are all equal in his sight!’ at first I thought this was just one rouge school but then a dozen or so videos were posted on “You Tube” from public schools from Illinois to California which showed similar events. These showed young school children singing tunes from the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” to “Jesus loves you” with the lyrics changed to Obama praises. Recently in the news was the story of the five boys from Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California who were sent home for wearing shirts with the image of the American flag on Cinco de Mayo because the schools principal thought it would be disruptive.
Other controversial debates over the years in our public schools include introduction in New York City and California of the so called “Rainbow Curriculum” in which first and second graders are read stories of Gay & Lesbian family life. This Curriculum has been codified into state law over the years in California (State Senate Bill 777 & Assembly bill 394) . Debates still rage in school districts across the country over sex education and the availability in schools of birth control without a parents permission. In some states school personnel can assist in taking a child across state lines to obtain an abortion without a parent or guardian’s consent or knowledge. But on the other side of this philosophical divide voluntary student prayer or even a moment of silence are banned on school property or even school sponsored sporting events.
The indoctrination of our children does not stop with teaching alternate lifestyles, sex education, presidential politics or national pride it has now stepped fully into pushing socialist philosophy. One video being shown by hundreds of schools called “ The Story of Stuff” (http://www.storyofstuff.com/) by Annie Leonard. The video is funded by the “Tides Foundation” who’s main benefactor is the avowed socialist Activist and financier George Soros. This video claims to speak to our environmental crisis and our supposed overemphasis on consumerism but in reality It is teaching our children that corporations are evil and the government must curtail the free market. It states that the Federal Governments responsibility Is to take care of us and is the grantor of our rights. I guess Ms.Leonard doesn’t understand our founding father’s principles that our in our constitution that rights are granted solely by the almighty, not the government and the Federal Government’s responsibility is to protect those rights so we can take care of ourselves. The American public school system has gone from the envy of the world to a national disgrace. We consistently place near the bottom of basic mathematics, grammar and history in testing as compared with the rest of the industrialized world while we rank near the very top when it comes to per pupil spending. The problem is not the teachers but with their unions hierarchy as well as the Education Establishment who have politicized the public school system. They see the schools not as a way of educating our children in the skills that will assist them in making them productive citizens but indoctrinate them in social justice.
Schools used to teach that America is a wonderful melting pot welcoming all immigrants and cultures but insisting that they are now citizens of a very special place and are Americans first. Now they teach in a “Hyphenated –America” that our country is nothing special and that America causes most of the problems in the world. A lot of this “change” has occurred since the late 1970’s with the creation of the Federal Department of Education this has led to an unconstitutional Intrusion into what was, and should be a sole state responsibility. This has led to a multitude of federally unfunded mandates that drain the local & states educational budgets in which they have a limited voice. But there is a glimmer of hope. The meteoric rise of home schooling even though some states like California are trying to stop its spread by trying to impose restrictions that a home schooling parent must have teaching credentials. Another reason for hope is increasing demands from minorities and other groups in the granting of vouchers so they can send their children to private or charter schools to escape from their failed inter-city schools. To force them to send their children to failed public schools is a scandal and a modern day version of slavery by condemning them to the cycle of poverty. Unfortunately the educational establishment believes in freedom of choice only when it comes to terminating a pregnancy. Parents shouldn’t have to be forced to send their children to a school system who contradicts there basic moral beliefs and fails its basic responsibility of teaching basic skills. As with the answer to most of our problems is more freedom, more choice, and more local control just like our nations founders believed in. Its time that parents take control of their children’s education not those who would like to indoctrinate them to some radical agenda.
Just my opinion-D.B.