In a previous entry I included our universities in the same category as the media and the Hollywood elite in discussing the leftist strategy to undermine America and to change our nation from one based in representative democracy, capitalist economy and Judeo-Christian values to one based in communism, socialist economy, and secular values.  This commentary focuses on the immense impact that our educational system (including both higher education and secondary education) is having in that attempt at destruction of America.  This commentary originally appeared on my previous web log and is copied here with some minor changes. 

The anti-war protesters of the 1970’s saw American’s and Vietnamese being killed by the thousands in a war that made no sense to them.  The geopolitical defense of the war was weak at best.  Protesters saw it as a manifestation of the ego of two American presidents.  They were in part correct.  However, their actions served only to embolden the enemy, prolonging the war longer than would otherwise have been the case.  Because their actions lengthened the war, people like David Horowitz, Tom Hayden, Jane Fonda and their cohorts are directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of American and Vietnamese who might otherwise have lived.

America failed to meet its immediate objective in Vietnam.  However, the war was not a complete failure, since it helped set the foundation for the bankruptcy of the Soviet Union.  The process was completed during the Reagan years when the Soviets found it necessary to sink billions into defense against a tough American President.  It is ironic that it was the financial reality of building bombs and not the release of those bombs that led to the end of the Cold War.  While it was clearly not the objective of the anti-war protesters to break the Soviet Union, their actions added so many years to the war that the inevitable occurred earlier than would otherwise be expected.  Strangely, the communists, socialists, and Soviet sympathizers among us who helped promote the anti-war movement created the undoing of their “model” society.

So where did the antiwar protesters of the 1970’s go?  Some, like David Horowitz, came to see the error of their ways, acknowledging that their acts were traitorous.  Many continued to agitate against American foreign and domestic policy.  Many in the latter group returned to the safety of the educational institutions that spawned them, where they once again took up study with their mentors.  Those mentors were far-left-wing educators still promoting communism and/or socialism as the morally correct path.  As part of their message, those educators taught that “capitalism is oppressive while socialism or communism frees”, “America is always to be blamed first”, and “aggression by America is always wrong, even when that aggression is for the purpose of defense”.  Apparently, the latter edict only applied to America.  Any aggressive action by the United States, whether to defend itself or an ally, was condemned. No such condemnation of aggression by other nations was heard, presumably because they were really victims and thus could not be held accountable for their actions.

Many of the educators from the 1970’s who fueled the anti-war movement of that era have either retired or died.  But a large number of their students have remained in education.  Some continue the work of their mentors in the colleges and universities, promoting leftist viewpoints among a new generation of university students.  Others work in elementary and secondary education, having blended into the American landscape.  For some, the lessons learned during the 1970’s are quite conscious while for others they have become part of the fabric of a reality that is the unquestioned and unexamined norm. In either case the lessons learned during the 1970’s and passed on from one generation to the next have been indelibly etched.  These messages are now being passed down to our children in the guise of “progressive” and “enlightened” elementary and secondary education. 

What is the impact of these messages on our youth and on our nation?  Catastrophic!  Our country is growing weaker by the year.  Secondary and even elementary school students are learning that our nation is to blame for many or even most of the ills of the world.  They are not informed of the nations and lives saved by American military and/or diplomatic action.  Students are being taught that our economy promotes inequity and a growing population of have-nots.  They are not informed that our economic system has led to creative and personal successes that cannot even be tallied.  They are also not informed that our economic system is the envy of the world and is aspired to by communist nations such as China.

Most detrimental to our nation on a day-to-day basis is the message being given our students that American aggression in all forms is wrong.  This has bred a view that our nation must not take action to defend itself or its allies and should not take preemptive action that might saves lives later.  As a result our enemies are given aid and comfort, realizing that they will not be held accountable for their actions.  This message is the most detrimental of all because it has been translated so as to apply not only to the nation but also to the most personal actions of individuals.

Since the 1970’s, our students have been taught by left-leaning educators that if they are attacked or bullied they are to take no action.  They are told to tell the teacher or a school administrator.  Unfortunately, when they do so, no action is taken.  The schools do not enforce laws addressing assault and terrorist threat, and the bullies remain free to perpetrate further, often heightening their attacks.  Like their global counterparts, school bullies are not held accountable for their actions.  If a student does take defensive action, punishment by the school is meted out to both parties.  The futility of pro-action and self-defense is learned by the victim, who comes to define him or herself as just that…a victim. 

Throughout life, many of these self-perceived victims continue to look to the authorities for help, feeling deflated when that help is not available, just as they did in school.  Anger grows toward the authorities and eventually the government.  Because they have been taught not to be proactive they do not succeed, blaming the government for not taking care of them.  The message that America breeds inequity is strengthened.  Out of their dejection, these individuals generalize their feelings and assume the “blame America first” approach to all the world’s problems.  Without challenge or debate, the message that pro-action and/or self-defense is either futile or wrong (both at a personal and national level) becomes cemented into the American culture.   The true wrongdoers at all levels are not held accountable.

So, once again, what is the impact of this process on our youth and on our nation?  The answer can be summarized in the statement made by one Minnesota high school freshman on February 14, 2003:  “America sucks”.

So while the actions of the anti-war protesters of the 1970’s led indirectly to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the message of the protesters has contributed directly to the slow collapse of America from within.  While some of today’s educators may have forgotten the source and may be unwitting carriers of the message, they and their more conscious comrades have helped the protesters move closer to their goal.  Those educators will continue to clone generation after generation of themselves unless we confront their message for what it is.  Only through loud and forceful action by those of us who have not been indoctrinated can the tide be turned.  The silent majority can no longer remain silent.  To remain silent will mean the end of our nation and the liberty it defends.