The following message was sent to RC Murray in response to a recent article released on NewsWithViews.com. The writer, an English teacher, reflects many of the same views and experiences about public schools that Murray does in his last book, Legally STUPiD: Why Johnny doesn't have to read. Take particular note that the writer uses George Orwell's 1984 to teach the importance of language skills and how Orwell's fictional world correlates with what is taking place in the U.S. today.
Mr. Murray:
I just finished reading your latest article on NWV (Jan. 31, 2010) entitled "Uncommon Sense." Thank you for lifting the veil for those who have eyes to see. I teach English at the community college in Xxxxxxx, NC (xxxxxxxx Community College). I have been here over a dozen years. I am among a slim minority of conservatives on campus, as you might imagine. In your article you ask,
"What do you do with articles you read on NewsWithViews? If you say you forward them to all your friends and acquaintances, that’s good. But do you know if they read them? More importantly, do they understand what they read? Try to get feedback from them to ensure they understood the ramifications of what the NWVs writer is saying."
Not only do I read those articles and forward them to scores of former and current students of mine, along with family and friends, I also post the juiciest ones on my office door, hanging on a bolt I have screwed into the door with encouragement to those who pass to take the article, read it, and pass it along to others to do the same. I realize (a) that I am alone in this campaign, (b) that I am putting my position and retirement on the line, and (c) that this is precious little enough to do to awaken the masses who need awakening, but I'm committed to trying to save the country. I rant in class (when it is content-related, of course) about the ineligibility of our current Oval Office-holder, about the obvious corruption in Congress and Raleigh (state legislature). I read articles from NWV in class and ask for immediate feedback.
I have assigned Orwell's 1984 as the required novel in one of my classes and students must write a research paper comparing some element in our current society which infringes on our freedoms similar to the loss of that liberty in the novel, such as USA Patriot Act I or II, or other such treasonous instruments. Even though it is not a political science class, I harp about the Constitution, read and discuss the Declaration of Independence and of Jefferson's life and integrity because these are parts of the content of that particular course.
My point is that some of us, few indeed, are still in the trenches fighting for our country and trying to awaken the minds of those who still trust the educational system. It is a frightful experience, I assure you, because the degree of ignorance is appalling, and the lack of motivation to correct it is even more appalling. I am challenged in class all the time by students who vocalize sound bites and clichés or spout historical inaccuracies in support of their "views." I undermine their arguments and lead them to see the truth, but so many will continue to reject it because they have been so indoctrinated otherwise.
It may be hopeless, but I have gotten through to many and they come back sometimes years later to thank me for their awakening. It is that (and the pure thrill of being that cog in the educational machinery which is out of politically-correct alignment) that keeps me stewing. I begin my courses each semester with the same challenge: "Prove me wrong ! I will say nothing in this class which I cannot back up with mounds of valid documented research from reliable sources, so if you intend to prove me wrong, you'd better have done your 'homework' and have done it well, for I shall not accept half-truths, slack source-documentation, media sound-bites, hearsay, or other such lame excuses for 'common sense.' No, sir, I expect scholarship and truth, for you will get nothing less from me."
Occasionally, someone will ask for validation to what I claim (for ex., about 9/11 or about the illegality of IRS and fed income tax, or about the coming collapse, etc.). I hand them one-half inch to one-inch thick stacks of documents from a variety of sources to demonstrate to them that I am not offering opinions, but facts and truths. They sit flabbergasted, usually, and view me in a totally different light.
Some sign up for my classes merely to hear the material I present, which is all course-content-related, but ties so nicely into our current state of national decline. I speak of Jesus; of truth; of Islam as the only religion which codifies violence and genocide against unbelievers; of our Constitution as the "supreme law of the land" which can be superseded by nothing except valid amendments, not by executive orders, not by legislation from "the bench," not by Congressional legislation or presidential decree; and I speak of survival preparation when introducing books for their reading pleasure, such as Rawles' "Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse," John Ross's "Unintended Consequences," and Forstchen's "One Second After," and now the film, "The Book of Eli" (Bless Denzel Washington's heart !!). I have been hauled onto the administrative "carpet" and scolded, but I have told them, as well, to "prove me wrong" and I shall cease and desist. They cannot, and I believe, have decided to leave me alone.
The fight continues, and I am inspired by articles like yours and others (Jon Christian Ryter, Devvy Kidd, and those many who continue to pull the curtain aside). Please keep writing, and I shall keep disseminating the "Word."
Best regards,
Ren Decatur, Instructor
Dept. of English & Communications
xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, NC