By: Tom Tancredo
Several years ago, while I was still in Congress, I spoke one winter day to the students at Mountain Vista High School, a beautiful school in a wealthy part of my old congressional district (one in which I do not live). Expensive cars filled the student parking lot, and many of the students were tan from skiing at Aspen or Vail the previous weekend. Clearly, these kids lacked for nothing in a material sense, and I’m sure most of their parents worked hard to achieve “the good life” they provided for their children — and I begrudge them nothing. However, as Paul Harvey always said, “now for the rest of the story.”
The school had only been open a few years when I was invited to speak. The students were brought into the auditorium and seated; most of the teachers stood in the aisles by the walls. I began by praising Mountain Vista’s ambiance and even the athletic achievements of its teams (little did I know that they were yet to distinguish themselves). Regardless, every time I pointed out a reason they should be proud, there was polite, appropriate applause — unless it involved sports; then it got louder and more raucous.
Then I said, “And what about the country we live in? Isn’t it a great country?” The response was deafening… silence. They all just sat there staring at me with looks of bewilderment and/or disgust on their faces. I pressed on.
“This isn’t a trick question,” I said. “Do you believe you live in a great country?” Again, dead silence — although now they started getting nervous, darting glances at the teachers along the walls as if to ask them, “where did this jackass come from?”
“Okay,” I finally said. “I don’t have time today to disabuse you of all the junk you have been taught all these years, but let me just ask you to consider the following: Do you know anyone who has escaped from America for a better life somewhere else? On the other hand, have you ever heard or known anyone who has escaped from another country for a better life in America? And please, realize that no one leaves home and hearth and families and friends unless it’s for something better!
“Which is why millions upon millions of people have come to this country,” I added. “There is, in fact, something demonstrably better about America that people all over the world know — and every day for decades have affirmed with their feet. When the borders open anywhere else in the world, people don’t rush to get in; they run for the West in general and the USA in particular. No one flees America or even France to go to Pakistan, or Guatemala, or the Congo.”
This was not an especially profound thought I shared with them; it was just a basic historical fact that I hoped was simple enough to stick with them for a while.
Since then, every time I spoke to students, I asked the same question and, in almost every instance, received the same response: stony, uncomfortable, and even hostile silence. And it doesn’t seem to matter whether the school is public, private, or parochial.
Now, I don’t think all those kids actually hate our country. I know at least some of them wanted to raise their hands in support of this great nation but were intimidated by their peers and teachers. But what’s scary is that most of the rest were intellectually unable to affirm the proposition that America is a good place.
This is not a surprise, given that their textbooks have been systematically cleansed of America’s true history — and most of their teachers are either dedicated to the censorship of actual American history or are themselves ignorant of it. And as Victor David Hanson has warned all too often, “Throughout history, radical movements have most feared knowledge — the spread of truth that contradicts their narrative.”
Thus the totalitarian drive to replace the pillars of the Republic has proceeded with almost no push back because: a) we didn’t pay enough attention in previous decades to see what was happening; b) we couldn’t imagine that so many of our fellow citizens would actively try to destroy America; or both.
Now that the fundamental goodness of America, and its orders of magnitude more good deeds than bad ones, has been erased from the knowledge base of multiple generations, the next phase of the totalitarian takeover of this country can now proceed: Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project. Both pograms seek to impose communist tyranny under the guise of “racial justice” by turning the races against each other — starting in elementary school — and then cashing in on the discord by imposing tyranny to “solve” a problem these petty tyrants deliberately created.
We cannot allow these hateful, tyrannical ideologies to advance any further. We must, as I said in a recent column, follow Churchill’s lead and fight the totalitarians on the beaches (classrooms and school boards), the landing grounds (textbook and curriculum publishers), and the hills (our homes, churches, and communities). We can no longer entrust the education of our children to tyrants who seek our destruction because, if we do not rise up en masse and stop it soon, the dream that was America will die.
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Mr. Tancredo is right. I taught in Colorado public schools, and in Massachusetts. Kids, k-12 are being indoctrinated into the radical, left wing, America hating agenda being spewed by liberal teachers who use the classroom as their political biased platforms. Anyone with conservative values are not being hired anymore and weeded out in their job interviews through trick questioning and observing your body language. These public schools are controlled by the corrupted democrat fund fed teacher’s union. Our kids learn to hate America and the principals of our Founding Fathers. This has been going on for the last 20 years and getting far worse every year.
What can be done about his is the big question. Inaction will lead to the destruction of America’s greatness .
1. A massive tax revolt asserting “taxation without representation.” Humm that sounds familiar. I figure it would take about 5 million Americans to simply raise the one finger salute🖕to the IRS and state” we are mad as hell and won’t take it anymore”. Surely after the first 5 million step up to the plate, millions more will follow. This will get their attention.
Agree ! This needs to happen ASAP.
Maybe conservative teachers need to join together to form co-ops that can offer an alternative educational option for parents and children. Yes, like charter schools or private tutoring or even a different union to lobby FOR classical education instead of against it, as the current union does. One positive thing about the whole Covid debacle has been the awakening of parents to how bad their schools and teachers are. Seems like the time is right to seize the opportunity to shake the education system up.
Agree……the public education system needs to be shaken up and restructured. I can give so many examples of Democrat / liberal / anti Christian biases that would make Conservatives heads spin. The time has never been more right for an organized movement to overcome this.
When you say elizabeth warren, you do know her indian name, don’t you? I hear it is angry chicken, and Kamalas is spread eagle.. Just interjecting this little tidbit..
My preference is Sitting Bullsh*t for Warren, but your Kamala is is spot on!
for our current VP, I prefer the Spanish “Que Mala” ( “How Bad”, in English)..
Far too many of these school kids have never had to work at anything in their lives. Mommy and Daddy gave them everything they wanted – probably just to get them out of their hair. Now, as they approach adulthood, they continue in their belief that they should be given anything and everything they want with no effort on their part. With that mindset it is easy for those of us whose upbringing was vastly different to see why these young people are embracing socialism, the ‘green new deal’, open borders – oh hell, they have bought the Democratic bullshit lock, stock and barrel.
My fervent hope is that when these kids grow up and have to make their own way in life they will remember they will be living in a world they helped create. I suspect many of them will be reading some history and wish the good old days would come back.
I don’t think most of them will be able to connect the dots between their actions and the consequences of those actions when they eventually realize how intrusive their government has become. They won’t realize that it was their choices of civic leaders that caused the chaos, lawlessness, poverty, inflation, endless wars, etc. I would guess that very few of those fleeing California, for example, blame themselves for the current lousy state of affairs there but will continue to vote for progressives/leftists/Democrats in their new states. After all, socialism/communism sounds great in theory and all it takes is the right people to put it into practice (so they are told and so they believe). People are generally lazy and believe what they want to hear rather than seek the truth, which always gets hidden by media talking heads and politicians.
We can begin – not at the bottom of the education pile – but at the top: at the university level. An article titled :”Time to Decertify ‘stupid’ ( and Underhanded) Unversities” hit the point that funding these institutions that bite the hand that feeds them is the key to America’s self destruction.
BTW that article is on a web site called Conservative Dialogs with Progressives Too.
I experienced something very similar to this several years ago. It was during the time when the Jeffco school board wanted to review the curriculum for AP high school history.. The teachers union started screaming “censorship,” and teachers, though they weren’t supposed to, told their students blatant lies about what was going on, and students organized and/or participated in walkouts in support of their teachers. I got into a conversation with about about 2 dozen high school students and asked them two questions: 1) Do you love America and 2) Are you proud to be an American? When I was in high school, the answers to those two questions would have been an immediate and resounding and probably unanimous YES!! But, also, like Mr. Tancredo I also received dead silence in response. Not a single affirmative answer. Not one. That shook me up and was what shocked me into the realization that our kids are being indoctrinated right before our eyes into hating their country. Most kids trust their teachers and believe what they are being taught by those teachers. Most teachers have gone through their own indoctrination by attending teachers colleges and universities and are now passing it on. There are very very few teachers who see anything wrong with what they are doing, and those who do are too afraid and intimidated to speak out, so they are also part of the problem. Society HAS to wake up to what is happening because we are on the precipice of losing the freedom that is just one generation away from extinction.
The indoctrination started in the mid 60’s, witnessed first hand with my younger brothers, the curriculum had changed, the type of teachers had changed, gone were the professional teachers who were dedicated to teaching the base subjects, as well as humanities. The quality of teachers had slipped away, in favor of those who would not have measured up to those they were replacing. Gone were the requirements to achieve a real passing grade, gone was the desire to do your best, the pride was gone. What Norman Thomas said in 1946 was in full bloom about how socialism would engulf this nation spurred on by the rise of liberalism, he said it might take 50-75 years, until one day people/sheeple would not understand how we got there, we are at 74 years. The indoctrination hit a higher urgency during the obama reign, but many were paying attention. The elimination of our Republic will be complete by the time biden or his replacement(s) leaves office.If any one ever reads what I write they know I have been sounding the alarm for as long as we have had social media, or if any ever engaged me in conversation, the conversation has all ways come around to what is going on with the indoctrination of school kids. I all ways ask why do parents not know, do they even care, why do they time after time elect liberal/socialist school boards. At this point there are generations of the indoctrination in schools, that are now parents. I hope more wake up the next time there is a school board election,and kick out the liberal/socialist, that are owned by the socialist unions. Hope this does not get tossed
We must take back our schools, speak-up, rebel, do whatever it takes!
Tom Tancredo is on the money with his article.
I say its being Cowed & Stupidity thats causes our Inaction to Dems
Or dated fossilized RNC leadership day 1.
NO 1 is challenging mask rules NOW since masks for Poliitcs NOW
& some are the vaccines for kids.
NO 1 challenged Fauci day1 since 3-20.
I say its being Cowed to submission & NOT acting ON OUR Rights
I’m 75 years old. This is the worst administration in the history of our country. It is a disgusting embarrassment. How dumb can 2 people be. Biden’ and Harris are the worst administration our country has ever had. They make the 3 Stooges look brilliant.
Tancredo has delivered to us another laudable piece. Thanks. I hope it adds to the democrat regret when their systems crash like cheap kites. Clearly, the illegal alien population already has greatly weakened the public education product. Adding to the problem is the cost of ESL programs. Many continue to drop out early and others are discipline problems.
Making school conditions worse, teacher arrogance has risen so far and fast that they believe they have unlimited power. They insert woke messages, choose what students may and may not say or write, design punishment for wrong-doers and generally dominate the entire education process. Time to make them employees of parents again. Privatization is a suitable answer and competition will improve the product.
OMG YOU ARE ALL SPOT ON!!! AND TO MARTY FUCHS I WANT TO TELL YOU I AM 67 YEARS OLD, this crises brings me to tears nearly everyday. I went to public school all my life, every morning in K to about 6th grade, and we said the “Pledge” every morning, then all of a sudden they make an announcement that we don’t have to say it anymore….now this many years later it all makes sense. And I remember Randy Weingarten when I went to school…it is time for her to leave and take Pelossi the other A holes with her!!! And this administration “the worst in history” does not BEGIN TO DESCRIBE IT. I WILL NEVER CALL THAT A HOLE MY PRESIDENT AND I NOTICE SEVERAL NEWS PEOPLE ON NEWSMAX AND OANN JUST CALL HIM BY HIS FIRST OR LAST NAME…
GOD HELP US, WE ARE IN TROUBLE DEEP!!!