Watching the decline of the late, great United States of America

Commentary by James H. Shott

The idea that America is in a steep decline is wide-spread among people old enough to know what our country was like before the 1970s. The country had been in decline for a while, but back then it was a slow process. Then liberalism burst forth, the flower children and their fairy tale ideal of peace and love came along. There is nothing wrong with peace and love and other liberal ideals, but their implementation is nearly always unrealistic and mostly makes things worse.

The foolish thinking that blossomed in the mid-60s and 70s, and continues today, produced ideas and policies that have accelerated the decline. All of this is completely unrecognized by the vast majority of younger souls who don’t know, either through experience or through education, what the United States was all about, and what made it special among the nations of the world.

People came to the English colonies for different reasons, and there were many things the colonists did not agree on. But as time passed, the growing sense of nationhood was strong enough to surmount those disagreements. The colonists came to see themselves as Americans, not as British subjects who lived in America, and the sense of unity, self-reliance and national independence had grown so strong that the colonists rose to armed rebellion against the English Crown, citing a long list of grievances and abuses in the Declaration of Independence.

Here is how history professor Dr. John Ferling described the revolution: “... the American Revolution was the birthday of a new world. The new epoch that they wished to create was one that would sweep monarchs and titled nobility from power, loosen the bonds of society, and open the way to greater opportunities, so that a man could rise as high as his merits could take him.”

“That age left us with two documents that remain crucial today,” Dr. Ferling wrote, “the Constitution, our fundamental charter, and the Declaration of Independence, with its ringing message of liberty – with many notable participants who continue to inspire, from the obvious Founding Fathers to obscure farmers, workers, and soldiers who struggled and sacrificed to win Independence and achieve the new world.”

The American Revolution and the formation of a government whose scope and power were strictly limited by the United States Constitution set the country on a course that over the next 150 years led to its being the freest, most successful nation in history, a magnificent accomplishment.

It’s too bad we haven’t had the good sense to honor the wisdom and sacrifices of our Founders by maintaining that system. Having traveled a long way down the road of decline we now stare straight into the face of the possible collapse of the American idea; our once great republic is on the precipice of disintegrating into another failed effort at big-government socialism.

We’ve lost our good sense and our soul. We have failed to teach the young of recent generations why America is special, its values and ideals, how it works, and why it was set up the way that it was. Instead we have taught them that families and commitment are not important; that there is no downside to having children out of wedlock to grow up without a father; that it is permissible for people to sit on their backsides and expect to be taken care of. We are able to fund only 60 percent of everything the government does by taxing the earnings of the people, but only half of them contribute. And we borrow the rest, mounting up a colossal, murderous debt in the process.

Instead of preparing our children to exist in an unforgiving and often unfriendly world, we have taught them that how they feel about themselves is more important than learning to cope with adversity, that hurting someone’s feelings or making them uncomfortable is worse than nearly anything else, and that politically incorrect thoughts must be punished.

We no longer recognize that some things are wrong, absolutely. We attempt to excuse the worst behavior, like pedophilia, by trying to blame it not on the evil predator but on some overwhelming force, and excuse violent crime not as the fault of the criminal, but of the society in which he grew up.

We have abandoned the ideas of limited government, honor and integrity in government, fiscal responsibility and personal freedom. The government tells us what light bulbs we can buy, what kind of energy we should use, where we can open businesses, and what kind of food we should eat. It takes Joe’s home and land and sells them to Mary for Mary’s personal benefit. It is enormous, expensive, wasteful, inefficient, abusive and corrupt.

Worst of all, we have lost our heart. We no longer believe that America is at its best when its people are allowed to be free and produce on their own merit and initiative, not because of the government, and often in spite of it.

We have traded our freedom for the false comfort and the bondage of Big Brother. Perhaps because of our stupidity and our faithlessness we deserve the horrible future we are racing toward.

Cross-posted from Observations

Dumbing Down History in North Carolina and America

Dumbing Down History in North Carolina and America
Revising History to Favor Socialism and Marxism
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
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Another leftist plot is afoot here, in North Carolina, to reinforce the ignorance of our young students of their history, their heritage, and their REAL American culture. And this is not the first time the left has tried this move in North Carolina. We urge you to go to NCSOUTH’s blog site and read the entire article there. This is a must read! Go HERE!

http://ncsouth.blogspot.com/2010/02/dumbing-down-history-again.html

In an article at "Common Core" entitled "Dumbing Down The Tar Heel State," James Elias says the following: "Newly proposed standards would mean that, over their high school career, students in North Carolina would take an ambiguous course called global studies in 9th grade, take study civics and economics in 10th grade, and study U.S. history from 1877 to the present in 11th grade." He goes on to say: " The Lexington Institute’s recent report, The Teaching of American History: Promise and Performance, documents the country’s growing indifference toward its own history. How can students assume the responsibilities and privileges of democratic citizenship if they don’t know the basic facts of our national experience?" You may read the entire article HERE.

In an article by Molly Henneberg at "The Water Cooler" entitled: "North Carolina Schools May Cut Chunk Out of U.S. History Lessons" Ms. Henneberg says: "He may be the president who governed during the Civil War, freeing the slaves, but under a new curriculum proposal for North Carolina high schools, U.S. history would begin years after President Lincoln, with the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877." She goes on to say: "State education leaders say this may help students learn about more recent history in greater depth." Ms. Henneberg continues: "Under the proposed change, the ninth-graders would take a course called global studies, focusing in part on issues such as the environment. The 10th grade still would study civics and economics, but 11th-graders would take U.S. history only from 1877 onward." You may read the entire article HERE.

What we have, here in North Carolina, is a bold-faced move, by the political left, to isolate young Tar Heels from their history, their true culture, and their true heritage.

There has been a movement by the left, for a number of decades now, to dumb down our students -- especially as to their history, the history of their respective states, and the history of western civilization -- especially the history of America. Why? Well allow me to answer that question with another question: Had the American electorate actually known American history, the history of western civilization, do you seriously think they would have elected Obama to be President of the United States? The answer, of course, is a resounding NO!

This is all about the indoctrination of America's young to favor socialism/Marxism, at an early age, while they are still within the government/union-run indoctrination machine we refer to, laughingly, as the Public Education System in America. This is about creating a generation(s) of young socialists/Marxists. AND IT IS WORKING! If you doubt me, look at Congress and the Office of the President of the United States. Today America has a socialist government!

For more on the indoctrination of our young students, go to the Internet and look for something called "Organizing for America." You will learn that Organizing for America is the grassroots arm of the Democratic National Committee. You will also learn how the Obama Regime is using America's high school students as a leftist army of young people supporting Obama's socialist/Marxist agenda. You will also learn that some high school students have been given applications for employment at Barack Obama's personal political wing: Organizing for America (OFA). Included on the 20-page application is a recommended reading list that includes the most radical propaganda literature imaginable. Prominent on the list: Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, which is a step-by-step guide to the violent overthrow of the United States government. You may read more about this and see the "Intern application" for "Organizing for America" for yourself HERE.

Why aren't you hearing about this in the Mainstream Media? Do you REALLY have to ask that? The MsM is so deep in the tank for Obama, and his socialist/Marxist agenda, that it is embarrassing!! Had the Republican National Committee done this, the MsM would have been howling to high heaven! Of course, we all KNOW they are not biased!

According to Wikipedia: "Organizing for America is a community organizing project of the Democratic National Committee. Founded after the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, the group seeks to mobilize supporters in favor of Obama's legislative agenda." Read the entire article HERE.

What is happening in North Carolina Public Education is inexcusable! For Tar Heels to sit on their hands, and do nothing to stop it is even worse. North Carolinians should be contacting their state representatives and state senators about this issue by personal contact, letters, telephone calls, faxes, and e-mail -- any way they can -- to make sure the General Assembly KNOWS, without a shadow of a doubt, that Tar Heels want their kids left alone! We do not want our children indoctrinated in leftist politics while spending those precious hours in an attempt to gain, at least, a rudimentary education!

The Department of Public Instruction should understand that we want our children taught the true, un-revised, history of the North Carolina, of the United States of America -- and of Western Civilization. We want our children to know WHO they are, and WHERE their ancestors came from, and WHY. We want them to understand their TRUE culture -- and just as important -- we want our children to know and understand their true HERITAGE!

If you wish to control a people, any people, these are the things from which you isolate them. You cut them off from any ties to their history, their culture, and their heritage -- and you do it FIRST and you do it EARLY in their development.

It is not difficult to see and understand what is happening in North Carolina. It is happening all over the United States. Americans are watching a coup de tat take place right before our eyes!

Americans have lost their government to socialism/Marxism. The country is on its knees economically. It is weakened, humbled, and very, very, vulnerable. The enemies of freedom, within our country, know this and they are striking now to take advantage of America's preoccupation with its current economic woes. We cannot allow them to win. We cannot allow them to crush, to destroy, the experiment in freedom that was America.

We can, and we must, begin the struggle to fight back right here in North Carolina.

The state motto of North Carolina is: "To BE rather than to SEEM." There is a reason that phrase was chosen as our state motto.

The tenacity of North Carolina’s Confederate troops is still extolled where real history is taught. During America's War Between the States North Carolina Troops were known to be "FIRST at Bethel, FARTHEST at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, and LAST to surrender at Appomattox." The bravery of Tar Heels is legendary. North Carolina actually declared its independence from Great Britain BEFORE the other colonies. THIS is only a tiny fraction of the history Tar Heel students should be taught. No matter if the history is good, bad, or even ugly, our students should know it. It is THEIR STORY.

We urge our fellow Tar Heels to contact your North Carolina state representative and state senator and demand they step in and stop this move to dumb down North Carolina's students. Do it for the sake of the students, for the sake of North Carolina, and for the sake of America.

J. D. Longstreet