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:

1. 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.)
    
2. 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."
    
3. 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:

1. 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"?
    
2. 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?
    
3. 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.
    
4. 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
  Nancy.Rogier@PHSchool.com
  
  Vicky Geeza, Vice President's Office
  vicky.geeza@PHSchool.com
  
  Ken French,VP National Consultant
  ken.french@PHSchool.com

Want to save our children's minds from liberal brainwashing?
Start fighting now!

Jeff Skocilich

Molon Labe