Enlightened Citizens: A Dying Breed
By Nancy Salvato (12/26/03)
I find myself back from where I started, asserting that our country is wanting of an enlightened citizenship, so much so that a heavy dose of civic education needs to be injected into the diet of the United States at warp speed. In the aftermath of 9/11 and on the onset of our country’s foray into Iraq, during the initial stages of the war against terrorism, I found myself absolutely appalled at the ignorance of those who would disparage our policy on terror and malign our armed forces.
Aware of their right to freedom of speech, protesters consistently displayed their ignorance of why we were at war. The founders of our country felt the education of our citizenry was necessary so they could intelligently participate in the politics of our country. Civic Education is important because it teaches citizens the importance and means to affect policy in a socially responsible manner. Today it would seem that political correctness has taken the place of civic responsibility.
The civic morals that guided the framers of our Constitution were based in Judeo-Christian philosophy and they counted on these same morals to guide the future populace when making decisions for the common good of the country. Today, there is a movement in this nation that not only criticizes this Judeo-Christian philosophy but which seems intent on erasing any public trace of this value system. This agenda disregards the necessity of religious practice so evident to the founders that they proposed a separation of church and state to ensure that there was no possibility of a nationalized religion. The founders not only understood how important Judeo-Christian values were in the private lives of those living in this country but realized their contribution to a responsible citizenry as a whole; ultimately necessary to the maintenance of this democracy that so many take for granted.
In my quest to propose legislation that would reintroduce civic education into the schools, I have found that in addition to a movement that is trying to erase the moral foundation of this country by eliminating the Judeo-Christian ethic from our society, those most influential in the educational system, i.e. teachers unions and educational lobbying groups, are following a political agenda that is arguably harmful to this country’s future.
During Clinton's presidency, Muslim nations helped fund educational materials approved for our schools. Religious Expression in Public School, Clinton’s Presidential Guidelines, were drafted by the American Muslim Council, ACLU, American Humanist Association, Americans United for Seperation (sic) of Church and State, and many more recognizable secularist groups. The ACLU holds the copyright. Furthermore, the only state-approved social studies text for seventh-graders in California, Across The Centuries (published by Houghton Mifflin) came under scrutiny in the wake of 9/11 for the authors’ overwhelmingly positive interpretation of Islam and failure to mention historical events, such as terrorist attacks by Muslim extremists.
In Across The Centuries there are exercises asking students to imagine themselves as Muslim soldiers on their way to conquer Syria or to pretend they're on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Students are instructed to participate in Muslim rituals, including praying to Allah and taking a Muslim name. While the Islamic religion is presented in an entirely positive light, the coverage of Christianity in this text is entirely negative. Though it was originally denied, the Council of Islamic Education (CIE) actually helped write the Houghton Mifflin text. This Houghton Mifflin curriculum obviously doesn’t foster pride in our own nation let alone promote respect for the Judeo-Christian principles on which our country was founded and which our Framers held dear.
The curriculum used in the California schools did, however, promote world cultures and faiths in America's classrooms at the expense of the Framers intent. Political Correctness enters the picture when those not in agreement with the curriculum are perceived as racists, reactionaries, and enemies of Islam. Some of our citizens seem unable or unwilling to comprehend the Muslim extremist’s resolve to make America a province of the Islamic faith. Suicide bombers have already demonstrated their willingness to kill and die for their religion. The Islamic extremist’s resolve to destroy America ultimately depends on America's willingness to surrender our youth to their vision of Islam under the guise of political correctness.
Who is responsible for allowing this liberal agenda to be forced into the schools while it stealthily undermines the civic pride and responsibility of our future generations? Who is leading this revolution intent on eroding the very principles on which our country was founded? There are many perpetrators of this “politically correct movement” affecting all walks of society. One group that I hold largely responsible for the public school’s deviation from its mission of educating civic minded citizens would be the ACLU. The ACLU, in the ultimate double speak or language of political correctness, would have us believe that they are the guardians of liberty when the reality is that this powerful watchdog is either not very cognizant of the very principles on which our country was founded or is deliberately promoting an overthrow of democracy through intimidation in the guise of political correctness. Either way, they must be dismissed and we need to get civic education back into the schools, yesterday!
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