SchoolSucks Podcast: The END of Public Education

(American History F-ed #5) The fifth installment in a series of shows about government school's history curriculum. We'll explore the lies, myths, omissions and distortions used to indoctrinate blind patriotism (aka nationalism aka mysticism). Critical Thinking Question: You know that light at the end of the tunnel that political leaders are always pointing at... Telling us to be hopeful about... Directing us to follow them in that direction... What if that distant illumination is actually the headlight on a big, dirty oncoming train with no brakes? Topic: A continuation of the previous topic. Gardner Goldsmith (Liberty Conspiracy) and I switch from the legend of Abraham Lincoln to the legend of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. We talk mostly about WWII, but I've included some additional audio covering the New Deal and Social Security - the lasting effect and current implications of FDR's policies. Bumper Music: "Casey Jones" Johnny Cash "Casey Jones" The Grateful Dead Look Closer: Liberty Conspiracy Website http://www.libertyconspiracy.com/ How FDR's New Deal Harmed Millions of Poor People by Jim Powell http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3357 Obama's New New Deal: As bad as the old new deal? (Reason TV) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnqto6sDtGI FDR's policies prolonged Depression by 7 years, UCLA economists calculate http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/FDR-s-Po licies-Prolonged-Depression-5409.aspx FDR's 'New Deal' paved way for Obama's 'Raw Deal' http://jedistudis.blogspot.com/2010/01/fdrs-new-d eal-paved-way-for-obamas-raw.html Pearl Harbor: Hawaii Was Surprised; FDR Was Not http://www.friesian.com/civil.htm Peter Schiff, Ron Paul, Max Keiser - Social Security Ponzi Scheme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kETGgP-Pq5s Jaso n Osborne's Movie "Chartarum" (Teaser) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaCDz0aFkNA

(American History F-ed #4) The fourth installment in a series of shows about government school's history curriculum. We'll explore the lies, myths, omissions and distortions used to indoctrinate blind patriotism (aka nationalism aka mysticism). Critical Thinking Question: How compelling could a mythology be if it didn't have any gods? Topic: Honestly, Abe...aggression doesn't solve problems. The truth about the greatest American (government school) hero. Gardner Goldsmith of Liberty Conspiracy Podcast joins me for this discussion. Bumper Music: "The Last Goodbye" Jeff Buckley Look Closer: Liberty Conspiracy Website http://www.libertyconspiracy.com/ The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War | Book Reviews http://eh.net/bookreviews/library/0542 DiLoren zo Is Right About Lincoln by Walter E. Williams http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig2/w-williams1.h tml It’s Time To End Hamilton’s Curse by Thomas J. DiLorenzo http://www.lewrockwell.com/dilorenzo/dilorenz o136.html "Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/liesmyteacherto ldme.php Hamilton's Curse: How Jefferson's Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution--and What It Means for Americans Today by Thomas J. DiLorenzo http://www.amazon.com/Hamiltons-Curse-Jeffers ons-Revolution-Americans/dp/0307382842 Lincoln Unmasked by Thomas J. DiLorenzo http://www.lewrockwell.com/dilorenzo/dilorenz o112.html Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men, A History of the American Civil War, by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel http://www.friesian.com/civil.htm Jason Osborne's Movie "Chartarum" (Teaser) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaCDz0aFkNA

(American History F-ed #3) The third installment in a series of shows about government school's history curriculum. We'll explore the lies, myths, omissions and distortions used to indoctrinate blind patriotism (aka nationalism aka mysticism). Critical Thinking Question: How does the supposed mistreatment of a piece of cloth by the owner of said piece of cloth become a more serious offense than the violation of the property rights of the owner of this cloth? Topic: The Pledge of allegiance. Enough said. IDOL 1. An image used as an object of worship. A false god. 2. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively. 3. Something visible but without substance. [Middle English, from Old French idole, from Late Latin dlum, from Greek eidlon, phantom, idol, from eidos, form; see weid- in Indo-European roots.] Bumper Music: "Nothingness" Living Colour Look Closer: The Strange Origin of the Pledge of Allegiance http://w2.eff.org/Censorship/Academic_edu/CA F/civil-liberty/pledge.history Rockland residents outraged by auto dealer's upside-down flag http://www.enterprisenews.com/business/x728183522/ Rockland-residents-outraged-over-upside-down-flag Upsi de down flag causes controversy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjC-xOV2EmM MAN FLIES FLAG UNION DOWN TO SHOW PROPERTY IN DIRE DISTRESS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4uC_6bruGs "L ies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/liesmyteacherto ldme.php McCain, National Socialist "POW Story About The Pledge Of Allegiance" Speech http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/m/mccain-fl ag.htm Jason Osborne's Movie "Chartarum" (Teaser) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaCDz0aFkNA

FOREGROUND: The State BACKGROUND: The Future (American History F-ed #2) The second installment in a series of shows about government school's history curriculum. We'll explore the lies, myths, omissions and distortions used to indoctrinate blind patriotism (aka nationalism aka mysticism). Critical Thinking Question: In school we are led to believe that we are all living in someone's ideal vision of what society should be... But who's vision is it? And what were their ideals? And all things considered, does this even matter? Topic: Truth, justice, and the American way... What is this way? Where does it come from? And where does it lead? The dreaded America/Third Reich...Bush/Hitler...Obama/Hitler comparisons. NOTE: Joseph Goebbels was the Nazi Minister of Propaganda Alternate titles: The Way of the Gun, The Prussian Knot, Prussian Backdoor Action, Founding Vaters Bumper Music: "She's Waiting" Eric Clapton Incredible Live Performance!!! Look Closer: The Drug War - Nazi Comparison http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/law02.htm The Nazi Comparison http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_da ily_dish/2009/05/the-nazi-comparison.html Comparing U.S.A. to Nazi Germany http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/compariso n.html Is Barack Obama like the Nazis or Adolf Hitler? http://www.humblelibertarian.com/2009/08/hitler -obama-comparisons-is-barack.html "Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/liesmyteacherto ldme.php A People's History Of The United States by Howard Zinn http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistor y.html McCain: War and Country, "Country First" Speech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlotcOHpoi0 Quan tum Shift TV: The underground history of North American education http://www.quantumshift.tv/v/1198046178/ CBS : Parents arrested for failing to register home-schooled kids http://www.cbs6albany.com/articles/district-126989 5-school-county.html Jason Osborne's Movie "Chartarum" (Teaser) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaCDz0aFkNA

ABOVE: As you can see, private education is...not necessarily the answer. An issue that I've been meaning to cover for a while: The real difference between private and public schools, or pedagogical lack thereof. After reflecting on more recent business-related trips to schools, I want to make sure I'm not oversimplifying. A listener named Sebastian sent me one of his posts from the Freedomain Radio Boards, which was a big help. Psychologist Carl Rogers' quotation about instructional approach: "To free curiosity; to permit individuals to go charging off in new directions dictated by their own interests; to unleash the sense of inquiry; to open everything to questioning and exploration; to recognize that everything is in process of change—here is an experience I can never forget." Read Sebastian's post and the related comments here: Podcast 1532 (homeschooling topic) Discussion

ABOVE: Not the easiest place to look for those who have hidden their identity behind nationalism, bigotry and mysticism An introduction to a series of shows about government school's history curriculum. We'll explore the lies, myths, omissions and distortions used to indoctrinate blind patriotism (aka nationalism aka mysticism). Critical Thinking Question: How does that which is completely illogical and completely immoral transform... into what is completely acceptable? into what is even completely preferable? and, believe it or not, into what is unquestionably sacred? Topic: The purpose of the American History curriculum in government school SEEMS to be two-fold: 1. Build up a mythology about America and government when we're most impressionable (Grades 1-6) 2. Make history seem so boring and pointless that we never want to learn anything else about it again (Grades 7-12) Bumper Music: "River of Deceit" Mad Season I'm pretty sure it's a song about the destructiveness of addiction Look Closer: "Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/liesmyteacherto ldme.php A People's History Of The United States by Howard Zinn http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistor y.html History Is A Weapon http://www.historyisaweapon.com/indextrue.html Chomsky: "Manufacturing Consent" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0EaYqPfK_k Cho msky does not understand economics, but some of his work is worth checking out

ABOVE: If you want to get 30 extra guys in the NES game Metroid, start the game and quickly press up + down + up + down + left + right + left + right + A + B + Select + Start. Enjoy! Who said I wasn't tech-savvy? Topic: Paul, a fifteen-year-old high school student and listener to the show, asked me to provide some assistance with a psychology project he's working on. The topic is public education. He was actually told about the show by his English teacher. This is the discussion we had on Skype. Bumper Music: "The Legend of Zelda" Theme by FFYears http://www.youtube.com/user/FFYears Look Closer: Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn http://www.alfiekohn.org/books/pbr.htm The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education by Grace LLewellyn http://www.amazon.com/Teenage-Liberation-Hand book-School-Education/dp/0962959170 The Psychology of Liberty by Wes Bertrand http://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Liberty-Wes-B ertrand/dp/0738837407 Complete Liberty Podcast http://completeliberty.libsyn.com/ Stefan Molyneux and Freedomain Radio freedomainradio.com

Critical Thinking Question: Why would something that's so good for us, like public education... need to be imposed on us with the use of force ? And funded with the use of force ? Maybe something else is going on. Topic: The problem with the "business?" of public education. And it's a big one. (An evaluation of the logic and ethics of the American public education system) Bumper music: "Stitching Leggings" by Kate Nash www.myspace.com/katenashmusic Look Closer: "The Non-Aggression Axiom of Libertarianism" by Walter Block http://www.lewrockwell.com/block/block26.html "T he Argument From Morality (Or, how we will win…)" by Stefan Molyneux http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/molyneux7.htm l "For A New Liberty" (Chapter 7: Education) by Murray Rothbard http://mises.org/rothbard/newlibertywhole.asp# p119

Above: If this picture isn't disturbing enough, read the article that goes with it. Imagine a door to complete freedom, abounding opportunity and greater personal satisfaction... Public education is the lock. This is the first in a series of non-sequential shows about finding keys. The END of Public Education? END: It's over, irrelevant, useless, needs to be done away with. Considering the time we're living in, this is more true than ever... Bumper Music: "Free" by Phish Topics: -What has changed in the last two decades? -Taking technological advancement for granted -Facebook -Wikipedia in High Schools -Alec Muller and Daniel Royer of Alekese.com join me to discuss the history of information control, the impact of technology on information & communication, and the future Look Closer: From Alekese.com What is Alekese? Alekese is a tool that helps groups of people with common interests share links to great free tutorials. Using our one-of-a-kind sorting system, you can quickly figure out which skills you need to learn and where to learn them. Because Alekese automatically keeps track of everything you've learned, it's easy to focus on learning the important stuff first. Commitment to Decentralized Education Distribution systems for knowledge are a powerfully tempting target for monopolies. In ancient Athens, in the 8th-10th century Muslim world, and in the 18th century Western Enlightenment, education was decentralized. Many people were well-educated, and they made critical contributions to human culture. Then, in each case, education became more institutionalized, more centrally regulated, and lower quality for the technology of its times. In essence, it became monopolized. The first two of these civilizations suffered severe decline—and one could argue that we’re living somewhere in the declining period of the third. We here at Alekese believe that monopolistic control of education is the greatest-single threat to a free people. We are firmly committed to developing technologies that disrupt educational monopolies by providing people with compelling, viable alternatives.

The concluding episode in a series aimed at detailing and dismantling specific elements of the destructive hidden curriculum in public education. Critical Thinking Question: What if the only thing we really learn in school is...how to get through school? And what if, for too many of us, that is actually one of the most destructive things we can possibly learn? Topic: A review of what I consider to be the three foundational lessons of public education. These are the most destructive to the individual. I go to Jonathan Taylor Gatto for reinforcements. I also recount my recent visit to three New Hampshire public schools. And some jibba-jabba about the show. Bumper Music: "Another Brick In the Wall" by Pink Floyd Video Look Closer: "The Six-Lesson Schoolteacher" by John Taylor Gatto http://www.cantrip.org/gatto.html High School Counselors www.kartooner.com/archives/2004/09/19/high-s chool-counselors/ "Dismantle Public Education" (STOPandLOOK Productions) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swl8frWSNEQ "Public School Blues" by Hannah Hoffman (Excerpt From Her Bio): Beginning in ninth grade, Hannah got her first, unpleasant dose of public school, where she was sickened by the prison-like atmosphere. During her four years as an inmate, Hannah found solace in the band room and inspiration in the written works of a freedom-oriented philosopher, Lysander Spooner. His principled philosophy and her less-than-delightful experience with the flawed public school system shaped Hannah’s political and moral views, giving her a greater understanding of herself and the world around her. www.hhmusic.net

Wes, Daniel and I continue our discussion, switching to the topic of civil disobedience. This topic will be an open forum in the near future. If you want to come on the show and discuss it, please let me know. Bumper Music: "Keystar" by Munchausen by Proxy (Zooey Deschanel) http://zooey-deschanel.us/ Mentioned: Epis ode 9.3: The State's Facade of Honor and Benevolence http://schoolsucks.podomatic.com/entry/eg/2009-11-22T0 4_30_34-08_00 Wes Bertrand's Site, Complete Liberty http://completeliberty.com/ Daniel Lakemacher's Site www.warisimmoral.com/ Spooner vs. U.S. Postal System by Lucille J. Goodyear http://www.lysanderspooner.org/STAMP3.htm The Civil Rights Laws & The Growth of Government by by Harry Browne http://www.harrybrowne.org/WGDW/CivilRights.htm Please Vote For School Sucks Podcast On Podcast Alley Click Here

Another loose and unorganized non-episode installment of School Sucks. Wes Bertrand and Daniel Lakemacher join me to discuss my recent travels... -Pirate Paranoia -Did I participate in a voluntary society? Sure felt like it, but not really -US Customs and the TSA -My wonderful interactions with a very inquisitive three-year-old boy -Homesteading on the sea and the "Freedom Ship" -State predations on the cruise industry? During the 15 minutes I had access to the internet on my trip, I learned that many people had objected to my support of the Keene civil disobedients and FSP activists. In the second part, we'll discuss our thoughts in more detail, and I'll extend an open invitation to anyone who wants to share their position; you can come on the show and discuss it. Mentioned: Wes Bertrand's Site, Complete Liberty http://completeliberty.com/ Daniel Lakemacher's Site www.warisimmoral.com/ A City At Sea? http://www.freedomship.com/ Please Vote For School Sucks Podcast On Podcast Alley Click Here Add Your Support For the Show To This Discussion On the Free Talk Live BBS Kat Kanning Interviewed On "School Sucks" Show Become A Fan of School Sucks Podcast On Facebook Click Here NOTE: publicschoolbooksontape.com is not a real website

Critical Thinking Question: What's it hiding? What jumps out from behind that facade to confront people who are not obedient and apathetic? (It's not pretty) Topic: Kat Kanning (newhampshirefreepress.com) joins me to discuss the opposites of indifference and apathy: activism and civil disobedience. Bumper Music: "How Come" Ray Lamontagne http://www.raylamontagne.com/ Look Closer: The NH Free Press http://newhampshirefreepress.com/ The Free State Project: Liberty In Our Lifetime http://freestateproject.org/ Free Talk Live: 100% Pro-Liberty Talk Radio freetalklive.com/ Free Talk Live: The Boards bbs.freetalklive.com/ Free Keene - New Hampshire's Liberty Activist Destination freekeene.com/ OTN-Obscured Truth Network youtube.com/user/obscuredtruth Ridley Report: Don't get mad. Get video. ridleyreport.com/ Liberty Radio Network libertyradionetwork.com/ Free Minds Radio and TV www.freemindsmedia.org/ Liberty Scholarship Fund: New Hampshire's catalyst for independent learning! www.lsfund.org/ Lauren Canario Jailed (article by Kat Kanning) http://newhampshirefreepress.com/?q=node/219 Lauren Canario Eminent Domain Arrest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-ElrlwnMrA For an extended discussion on obedience, apathy, civil disobedience and the Browns (between Wes Bertrand, Dan Lakemacher and myself), check out Complete Liberty Podcast Episodes 74 and 89

Critical Thinking Question: Simply put, what have my work experiences revealed about public education? Topic: I record a podcast while driving a car. During the drive, I ponder a couple of important professional questions, veer off course (podcast-wise), channel Stewie Griffin, and discuss what I think the real job of an "educator" should be. My Embedded Curriculum: (Within Mainstream Tutoring Services) -Logical Reasoning -Critical and Creative Problem Solving -Revival of Childhood Curiosity -Building Positive Relationships with Adults Who Are Potential Mentors -A Healthy and Persistent Skepticism of Authority and Tradition (social, cultural & mystical) -Intellectual Confidence -Ethical Consistency Bumper Music: "Head Over Heels" Tears For Fears Click Here To Watch A Rad 80s Video! Look Closer: John Holt's Website http://www.holtgws.com/ A Good Resource For Unschooling http://www.unschooling.com/ "The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education" by Grace Llewellyn http://www.amazon.com/Teenage-Liberation-Hand book-School-Education/dp/0962959170 Teenage Liberation/Grace Llewellyn Website http://gracellewellyn.com/

The third episode in a series aimed at detailing and dismantling specific elements of the destructive hidden curriculum in public education. Critical Thinking Question: What happened to... "why?" Topic: The third embedded lesson of public education: Apathy and Indifference If the training in obedience and conformity doesn't properly sink in, or doesn't last throughout a person's life, this lesson provides a nice safety net for the status quo. “There is no neutral education. Education is either for domestication or for freedom.” -Joao Coutinho Bumper Music: "Got A Right To Be Wrong" Joss Stone http://www.jossstone.com/ Look Closer: CNN: How Stupid Are Americans? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0efLWdJWk4 Freedomain: The Money That Is Sold Abroad Is You! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd-SLRyuRq0 George Carlin - Education http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFwTIPRLwCM " The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education" by Grace Llewellyn http://www.amazon.com/Teenage-Liberation-Hand book-School-Education/dp/0962959170 Teenage Liberation/Grace Llewellyn Website http://gracellewellyn.com/