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You imply that this is some sort of lesson plan used by New Jersey teachers. That is so misleading you should be embarrassed to have posted this. This isn't written by a teacher or for the use of teachers. It's written by a tenth grader who was assigned to pick a controversial topic and do research on both sides and write about what he thought. Other students wrote about the death penalty, Middle East peace, assisted suicide, telecommunications reform, and overpopulation.

Click here to see the list of all the tenth graders' papers posted on the website.

We did this sort of thing when I was in school. I remember studying Reagan's and Carter's positions in sixth grade in 1980 and writing about why I thought Reagan should be elected.

So this kid disagrees with you, me, and lot of other people on Free Republic about gun control. Big deal. If he'd reached the conclusion you like, then would his assignment have bothered you? I doubt it. I guess some people like free thought only when it agrees with them. At least they've got them doing research on both sides of the issues and trying to learn how to think about real issues of controversy. I don't want schools indoctrinating anybody, but I also don't want them discouraging independent thought about controversial issues. Do you?

I have no problem with free THOUGHT.

There is a big difference between THOUGHT and regurgitating media and educational propaqanda.

Based on what I know of the NJEA's track record of opposing things like the Second Amendment, Initiaive and Referendum, right to life issues, school vouchers, teacher tenure, the death sentence, etc, I stand by my statement of it being a left-wing, ultra-liberal political organ with Far too much power over the political processes in the state of New Jersey and far too much power in orchestrating propaganda directed at impressionable young minds.