School Based
Brainwashing, American Style
by Jeff Skocilich
January 12, 2002
KeepAndBearArms.com --In the former
Soviet Union and in Nazi Germany, school textbooks were tightly monitored
and written in such a way as to manipulate the minds of the youth brought up
in their societies. School children in those countries were systematically
brainwashed throughout their years in school, so that they would not
question the regime that was in power. The reasoning behind this was that
children that were intentionally kept ignorant about certain ideas, facts,
and events would be much easier to control when they became adults. The
horrifying thing is, a similar event is occurring in the United States.
As an educator as well as a RKBA
supporter, I see the anti-gun/liberal agenda sprouting up more and more
frequently at school. Some things that I have witnessed or been forced
to participate in are:
- An "Anti-Gun Violence
Pledge" that our students were forced to recite. (Funny,
I've never seen a gun commit an act of violence. However,
I've seen plenty of people do just that.)
- A visit from a police officer on
Red Ribbon Week, during which he ranted on about the evils of
homeowners possessing firearms for self defense. It was
during his rant that he mentioned the "fact" that:
"Nobody needs a gun in the house to protect them from
robbers, since it is a well known fact that most robberies
occur between 10 A.M. and 2 P.M. Your parents will be a work
anyway."
- Witnessing our librarian reading
a book called the "Gorp's Gift". The central
message in this story? The message is, "Guns Hurt".
Want a glimpse into how this book is used in the classroom?
Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FrontlineTeaching/message/27
to see the comments made by a real teacher who used this book
in class. Did I mention that this book was endorsed by
"Gun-grabbin" Senator Bill Bradley? Check out http://www.bookzone.com/gorp/teach.html
for more info.
The Real Scary Part Begins!
Nothing I have mentioned has probably surprised you too much, the education
"industry" has long been a hotbed of leftist ideas whose time will
hopefully never come. However, as a teacher of the U.S. history and
government, the real horror is how the new breed of social studies texts
that are out there are distorting the Constitution.
Most history textbooks of years ago at
least made a grudging acknowledgment of the individual's right to keep and
bear arms as expressed in the 2nd amendment. At the most, they would offer
the interpretation that even though the 2nd amendment exists, it does not
bar the government from regulating private weapons.
Enter 2002 and the new edition of
the "Constitution Study Guide" by Prentice Hall Publishers
(one of the nation's largest textbook publishers). In it you will find
the following pieces of misinformation and disinformation about our
Constitution:
- Only certain amendments included
in the Bill of Rights are covered. The 2nd amendment only
gets 2 single sentence mentions in the entire 100 page book.
On top of that, even when it is mentioned, it is wrongly
stated as a right of a state to establish the national guard.
How can the author state on p.45 "The Bill of Rights is
a powerful declaration of the rights of individuals",
and then state that the 2nd amendment is not one of these?
How does a federally funded, trained, and armed branch of the
military constitute a "right of the people"?
- While social issues such as
affirmative action and civil rights are covered quite
extensively, other important issues that face the nation such
as deficits and the national debt are not even mentioned. I
know that touchy feely liberal issues are so much fun to
preach about, but isn't it completely irresponsible to not
teach kids about the 6 trillion dollar debt that we are
leaving them to deal with?
- There is absolutely no
explanation of the role/process of the electoral college. You
would think that after the controversy of the 2000 election
the author would think it important to discuss this process.
Then again, this is probably a part of the Constitution that
a liberal would like to forget.
- There is NOT EVEN A MENTION
about the legislative/lawmaking process. One of the most
important functions of our government is completely left out.
This in itself qualifies this book for nothing more than the
circular file. The specific responsibilities of the House and
Senate are completely neglected as well. Treaties, revenue
bills, impeachments are mentioned briefly or not at all.
I could go on, but I think you get the
picture.
The fact to face is simple, as well as
hideous. The anti-gun liberal establishment is using our own tax dollars to
brainwash our youth. What good will our efforts today do if the brainwashed
youth of tomorrow don't know that their rights even exist? Those that don't
know their rights do not have any!
Take Action
If you want to fight, then you must
be proactive and start in your own backyard. Some things you can do
are:
- Ask to see your child's
textbooks. Be very vocal at the school level as to what you
feel is unacceptable subject matter. (Believe me, as a
teacher I know this works!)
- Attend school board
functions/meetings. This is a place you can make objections
as to what the school has or is going to purchase in the way
of textbooks.
- Spread the word to other parents
you may know.
- Contact the textbook publishers
yourself. You might want to do this one right now! If you
want to get in touch with Prentice Hall Publishers, use the
following addresses:
Nancy Rogier, Prentice Hall Social Studies
[email protected]
Vicky Geeza, Vice President's Office
[email protected]
Ken French,VP National Consultant
[email protected]
Want to save our
children's minds from liberal brainwashing?
Start fighting now!
Jeff Skocilich
Molon Labe
