© 1994 - 2007
Against the Grain

Site Design, Hosting and Logo
by DNA Web Media

Neal Boortz
http://Boortz.com
May 26, 2005

AND YET ANOTHER GOVERNMENT SCHOOL OUTRAGE

This time we go to Eagleville High School, Tennessee. This year's graduating valedictorian is one Abe Stokla. Young Abe sure went out with a bang. During Eagleville's High School graduation ceremony he made a speech. That's what valedictorians do. During his speech Abe Stokla said to the principal and faculty:

"You have given us the minimum required attention and education to master any station at any McDonald's anywhere. For that, we thank you."

There was more, but at that point the school officials cut his mic. Abe's prepared remarks contained more .. but at that point he was shut down and escorted off the stage.

What else did Abe have to say? How about "Of course, I'm only kidding. Eagleville is a fine institute of higher learning, with superb faculty and staff."

Nice try, Abe. The first part of your speech was probably far more accurate than the part you didn't get to deliver.

And what about Eagleville High School? Well, they're withholding Abe's diploma. For what purpose? Do they seriously think that they can deny Abe Stokla his diploma because he nailed them during his graduation speech? He might have been better off just pulling out a gun and putting a few holes in the ceiling.

AND WHERE DOES HE GO TO SCHOOL?

And the winner of the National Geographic 17th annual geography bee is ------ 13-year-old Nathan Cornelius of Cottonwood, Minnesota! This is no small accomplishment ... beating 5 million other kids who entered the competition. Question: What river was dammed to create Lake Gatun, a man-made lake in the Panama Canal system? Answer: The Chagres River. Nathan handled this and other tough questions. So, where did Nathan go to school? What great institution of learning in Cottonwood, Minn. gets to claim the credit for this smart young lad? None, as a matter of fact. Nathan, you see, is home schooled. Nathan has parents who recognized and accepted their responsibility when they brought him into this world. Nathan's parents are bright enough to realize that government is not the way to go when it comes to educating a child. They accepted the responsibility, and educated him at home.

Not to get on my soapbox again .. but this is one of the most important issues facing our country today. We are suffering from the impact of generation after generation of Americans who have been educated by government. As a result America is populated by a citizenry that knows little about the founding of this country or the basics of our Constitution. Today's Americans can't write a cogent sentence on the difference between a rule of law and a rule of man. They believe that America is and is supposed to be a democracy, and have no idea what a constitutional republic might be or how it might operate. Not 1 out of 100 Americans could tell you that the government of Nigeria has official representation in Washington DC, but that the government of Nebraska does not. Few Americans know that the American economy is hamstrung by a system of taxation that puts us at a competitive disadvantage with the rest of the industrialized world.

Americans have a limited, if that, sense of self-reliance. Health care? That's your employer's responsibility, or your governments. Retirement planning? Let the government do it, we don't want to be burdened with the responsibilities. Americans are becoming lazy and dependent .. and that is precisely and exactly what our politicians want. A lazy and dependent American is a am American who will invite more and more government. Again, that is just what the political class wants. And who controls our system of education? Why, the political class! Politicians! What a deal? They use their control over the education of our children to create generation after generation of dumbed-down myrmidons who believe that America is great because of its government. What else would you expect?

This country is on the ropes, my friends. Socialized medicine is all but inevitable, and we can't even convince a majority of the people that it is wiser for them to handle their own retirement funds rather than turn their money over to politicians to be spent on vote-buying programs. If freedom and economic liberty is to be resurrected and preserved we must do something about the day-after-day, year-after-year indoctrination of yet another generation of Americans in this hideous system of government schools. The first step would be school choice. Parents ought to be allowed to make decisions as to how the money that they earn will be spent in the education of their children. Vouchers ought to be at the top of the list when we make our decisions at the polls next November. I don't care what else a politician might have going for him, if he doesn't support school choice, if he doesn't support vouchers, then that politicians needs to be sent home and replaced with someone who will return the control of education to the parents.

There is no one institution that has contributed more to the deterioration of America than our system of government schools. Do Americans have the guts to stand behind their children, and their country?

[Emphasis added]