Posted on 01/06/2006 4:37:49 PM PST by KevinNuPac
The culture war begins during your child's school day
By Kevin Fobbs
The new year brings a new round of assaults upon our nation's families who are sitting in their homes — possibly quite unaware that the very framework that our Constitutional framers crafted together is being splintered apart by a movement that has undertaken an almost unholy war against every possible touchstone that reflects our values in the public place, in the courthouse, in the legislature, but more importantly, in the classrooms that dot the landscape of our nation's neighborhoods.
The Culture War is not a phenomenon that is hidden away in the backrooms of lawmakers but rather it is a device, a vehicle, that lone wolf assailants are actively and methodically utilizing as the tools and the weapons that will undue America and the Christian culture — values that our nation was founded upon. These activists of attack are precise in their assault. They are strategic in their choice of beachheads. They have cleverly chosen your children's classrooms as the battlefield upon which to wage this war of attrition.
These maligners of historic truth would seek to engage the children as early as kindergarten because in twelve years their minds, indoctrinated with pronouncements of liberal moralistic malaise being offered over the school's loudspeaker, or lectured to classrooms by teachers who have the outlawed book of the Bible or a sheet with the Pledge of Allegiance or the Ten Commandments with one hand and the "legal document" from the court banning them in the other.
The words and the phrase that shall become as essential to a child's vocabulary as their ABCs will be "That is Forbidden!" or, "It's Against The Law!." Children's innocence will be replaced by a new core of underlying values that will contribute to a new more ominous system of beliefs. America's societal integrity will dissipate. This is what former U.S. Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork warned our nation about almost ten years ago in his piece "Hard Truths About the Culture War."
He said, as if speaking to a concerned parent in a PTA meeting, "... the fact of rot and decadence there can be no dispute, except from those who deny that such terms have meaning, and who are, for that reason, major contributors to rot and decadence. We are accustomed to lamentations about American crime rates, the devastation wrought by drugs, rising illegitimacy, the decline of civility, and the increasing vulgarity of popular entertainment. But the manifestations of American cultural decline are even more widespread, ranging across virtually the entire society... Wherever one looks, the traditional virtues of this culture are being lost, its vices multiplied, its values degraded — in short, the culture itself is unraveling."
Our culture is still unraveling ten years later.
As a parent you probably feel stymied by a school district telling your Lakewood, Ohio public school child, "Christmas will no longer be celebrated" because after all diversity is important and they wouldn't want to offend those three other parents who might be agnostic or atheists. But it is OK to offend, by omission, Christians when other ethnic holidays or events are celebrated." It doesn't make sense. Of course not. It's not supposed to.
What about the members of the Parker family in Massachusetts? Last year in January a young elementary school student in the Parker family brought home his book bag, which had in it an item called, "Who's In A Family?" which depicted same-sex parents happily co-existing with their other parents.
Well Papa Parker was more than a bit irritated because after all in Massachusetts a school must notify parents, that is, Papa Parker before discussing sexuality with his children. He immediately contacted the school's principal, much like you probably would. He explained to the principal that he did not want his son to be taught that same-sex families are "a morally equal alternative to other family constructs." It appears that when it comes to values and morals, a parent's voice in the minority can only be heard when it's heard arguing against Christmas or maybe against saying "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
It sure seems that way in Massachusetts because the school was not listening and on April 27, Papa Parker was arrested for criminal trespass when he refused to leave school property. Why the handcuffs? Well the school would not assure him of parental notification of lessons with sexual content in the future.
So in America a parent is barred from his child's school property, which of course prevents him from attending events open to other parents or even taking an active interest in the school's activities.
What needs to be done?
There are two solutions for parents in winning the Cultural War in America's classrooms.
As Rebecca Hagelin the author of Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture That's Gone Stark Raving Mad has said, "As parents, commit to the daily battle. Understand that you have to succeed everyday in standing up for your children." She says she begins everyday with a prayer: "Lord, please help me today to uphold the values and standards my husband and I have set for our family." She also stresses that parents should take a hands-on approach with their child's education.
Think about it, as Hagelin suggests, "When was the last time you picked up your child's English book, or science book and actually read it? Do you know what she is being taught in history? Exercise your right to opt your child out of misguided sex-ed classes. Challenge the reading lists if the assigned books are pop garbage."
All of this is essential advice because remember you are the parent, and while the political correctness patrol can pick and choose when they want to intervene in your child's "best politically correct interest" you as the parent have to get it right 100 percent of the time for 100 percent of your child's future.
Kevin Fobbs is President of National Urban Policy Action Council (NuPac), a non-partisan civic and citizen-action organization that focuses on taking the politics out of policy to secure urban America's future one neighborhood, one city, and one person at a time. View NuPac on the web at www.nupac.info. Kevin Fobbs is a regular contributing columnist for the Detroit News. He is also the daily host of The Kevin Fobbs Show on News Talk WDTK - 1400 AM in Detroit. Listen to The Kevin Fobbs Show online at www.wdtkam.com daily 2-3 p.m., and call in toll-free nationwide to make your opinion count at 800-923-WDTK(9385)
© Copyright 2006 by Kevin Fobbs
Why the handcuffs? Well the school would not assure him of parental notification of lessons with sexual content in the future.
So in America a parent is barred from his child's school property, which of course prevents him from attending events open to other parents or even taking an active interest in the school's activities.
What needs to be done?
There are two solutions for parents in winning the
I'm so glad I don't have to worry about my little girl's public school education.
We are happy homeschoolers here. :)
I too homeschool.I live in a suburb in North Pittsburgh,and I am looked down upon as my child for home schooling.We are considered misfits.
Homeschooling and/or private schools that share the same values as the parents are the only answer. The Cultural Marxists took over public schools long ago
If you're from Pittsburgh, you already know all about the Cultural Marxists courtesy of Quinn and Rose.
Proud to report I was threatened with arrest in the cafeteria in front of my third grade daughter on trumped up crap Even prouder to report that when it was over the principal hasn't principaled another day and the super 'retired' immediately after a board meeting during which I sat in the gallery next to my third grade daughter with a unique 'bracelet' on my wrist.
Parents can win.
Hang tough, Patricia. We have homeschooled our daughter all 12 grades, she is in her 12th now. There were times when the going got really tough, we just didn't think we could hang with it. But I am glad now, so very very glad that we did. It is worth it all in the long run. Makes you feel like you have conquered Mount. Everest.
See my last post. I think it's worth it.
Revel in your misfit-ness. Oh yeah, also know that you are shoving a knife deep into the heart of the beast.
My Girlfriend was home-schooled by her wonderful parents. She's also the only home-schooled person I ever met. She's also the sweetest and most intelligent woman I ever met.
You are describing my daughter. It makes a huge difference when they do not come out leftist indoctrinated ginks.
This article is right on. I have an EXTREMELY leftist World History Teacher who daily rants about our President and calls anyone who votes for him to be outright stupid. She is VERY open in her political beliefs to the class and baisically does not tolerate any other opinions, although I have tried on various occaisions to point out where she is wrong. (which is everyone!) To make a perfect example, yesterday she said Hillary Clinton would make a WONDERFUL President. I almost puked.
Argh, I just thought of something else which just miffed me the other day. She said that generally she was against abortion, but no laws should be made against it because that would be gender biased and unfair for women. I wanted to scream.
later read/possible pingout.
You could ask your school board (the heck with the principal-say it in public so you have witnesses to safeguard your grades.) if your teacher is paid for her opinions.
You should find out about the David Horowitz's Students Bill of Rights and have it with you.
They still do.
We didn't have sex-ed when I went to school. We weren't allowed to even say the word.
It's sad what's happened to our schools today. We pump billions of dollars into them and all they seem to learn is what a bad country this is, and that there's nothing wrong with an alternative lifestyle.
I've heard that the agenda-driven teachers get away with much racier stuff when a parent is nowhere in sight.
The problem is, who has time to sit in on every one of your kids' classes that might be a bad influence? It's the same old "silent majority" stuff. Conservatives are, by definition, too caught up in the commitments of life for serious activism.
We need to organize "Parents'Unions" (How's that for hijacking a Lefty label?).A "Parents' Union" would coordinate a rotation schedule for individual parents to politely monitor the sex ed classes of each other's kids. No kid would want their own parent at at their sex ed class, it'd be embarrassing, but they'de hardly know if a stranger's in the back of the room, quietly observing. Oh, and take notes, just like a reporter. How nervous do you think THAT would make the tenured Goebbels Squad?
Check out today's ( 1/8/06 ) Sunday syndicated comic, Baby Blues.
Starts with early grade-school boy running to dad with picture:
"Dad! We painted self-portraits in school today!"
"Really? let me see!"
Frame shows drawing - a large "head shot" :
"That's you?"
"Sorta!"
"You drew yourself with earrings?"
"That's my bling."
"The eyelashes seem a little um ... prominent."
"Yeah, Mom's always saying I have really long eyelashes, so I drew them that way."
"And I copied the lips out of a fashion magazine."
"So this is the way you see yourself, son?"
"Naw, this is just to get a good grade, my real self-portrait is this,"
Frame shows drawing of barbarian with a head on a pike and sharp teeth dripping with blood, fending off arrows with his shield.
Mom asks, "Where's Daddy?"
"In the kitchen breathing a big sigh of relief."
END
Now this is supposed to be FUNNY? It seems to be a stealth message from someone more on the political right, but it may reflect acceptance of the feminizing agenda in education, seen as an amusing foible.
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