Don't confuse 5th-graders with the facts--or so the public schools seem to think
Did you know one of the jobs of the president was to "make sure the laws of the country are fair"?
I didn't know that. In fact, I thought the judicial branch--which the Founders amusingly assumed would be governed by something called "The Constitution"--determined whether a law was "fair."
If you heard this being taught in public schools you might thing something was amiss. But don't worry, citizen: It's okay because they're just teaching this to 5th-graders. Trying to be, you know, accurate would only confuse 'em. Plus the schools have, like, seven more years to clear this up...or to fill 'em with even more bullshit.
How about this one: "The commands of government officials must be obeyed by all." I like that! Has a nice ring to it. Sorta like the defense used by Nazis at the Nuremberg trials: "You can't try me for gassing those civilians because I was just following orders!"
Oh, wait...the nations conducting those trials ruled that both soldiers and civilians were required to know what kinds of orders were legal, and to not obey illegal orders--and that if they did they could face the death penalty for doing so. But no matter--the schools are just teaching this to 5th-graders, and they're not nearly sophisticated enough to realize that's "You must obey all commands from government officials" isn't actually what we tell adults to do.
We need to keep things simple for 11-year-olds: "The commands of government officials must be obeyed by all" is nice and simple--much like "If the president does it, it's legal"--which is how former president Richard Nixon described the chief executive's powers.
The two lines above are from the latest darling of the Education Establishment called "Common Core." Image of the source (click to enlarge):
As some famous person said, "Get 'em when they're young and you can get 'em to believe anything you tell 'em."
I didn't know that. In fact, I thought the judicial branch--which the Founders amusingly assumed would be governed by something called "The Constitution"--determined whether a law was "fair."
If you heard this being taught in public schools you might thing something was amiss. But don't worry, citizen: It's okay because they're just teaching this to 5th-graders. Trying to be, you know, accurate would only confuse 'em. Plus the schools have, like, seven more years to clear this up...or to fill 'em with even more bullshit.
How about this one: "The commands of government officials must be obeyed by all." I like that! Has a nice ring to it. Sorta like the defense used by Nazis at the Nuremberg trials: "You can't try me for gassing those civilians because I was just following orders!"
Oh, wait...the nations conducting those trials ruled that both soldiers and civilians were required to know what kinds of orders were legal, and to not obey illegal orders--and that if they did they could face the death penalty for doing so. But no matter--the schools are just teaching this to 5th-graders, and they're not nearly sophisticated enough to realize that's "You must obey all commands from government officials" isn't actually what we tell adults to do.
We need to keep things simple for 11-year-olds: "The commands of government officials must be obeyed by all" is nice and simple--much like "If the president does it, it's legal"--which is how former president Richard Nixon described the chief executive's powers.
The two lines above are from the latest darling of the Education Establishment called "Common Core." Image of the source (click to enlarge):
As some famous person said, "Get 'em when they're young and you can get 'em to believe anything you tell 'em."
posted by SF at
12:02 PM
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