Sam Weaver
November 16, 2005
Restoring American public education: A three-part plan
By Sam Weaver

With origins as early as 1873 in The Slaughterhouse Cases, the "incorporation theory" is a contrivance that liberal jurists have used with reckless abandon since the mid 1940's to apply restrictions against the U.S. Congress (in selected portions of the Bill of Rights) to state and local governments. In Everson v. Board of Education (1947), Justice Hugo Black (citing Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists) interpreted the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to mean "a total separation between church and state." [NOTE: Not only did this interpretation ignore precedent — e. g., Holy Trinity Church v. United States (1892) — but Justice Black must have either been ignorant of or simply chose to disregard the fact that Jefferson's statement had been cited by the Court many times before and had never been interpreted in that way.]

Because of stare decisis and the incorporation theory, after Everson the term "wall of separation" (meaning "total separation") was to attach to every case or controversy arising under the Establishment Clause or the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. This, in turn, led to a string of cases continuing to this day banning Bible reading, prayer and any mention of or symbolic reference to God or Jesus Christ from all public schools and school-sponsored activities.

Meanwhile, a tremendous body of evidence and tradition points to an inescapable fact: At the time of the founding of the United States of America, it was all but universally understood that Religion & Morality are indispensable aspects of any child's education. Religion (or religious and moral ideas and principles) is the cornerstone of any society's culture and every individual's worldview. To remove religion and morality from a child's education is to obliterate the very basis of cultural and worldview understanding.

The incorporation theory is unconstitutional. The very purpose of the U. S. Constitution is to preserve and protect individual liberty. Please take a careful look and Amendments IX and X of the Bill of Rights if you doubt any of this! Much like the Second Amendment, Amendments IX and X are pesky little parts of the greatest political document ever written by man that liberals have to distort or ignore completely. To apply the restrictions of Congress to states and localities is to completely dismiss the Ninth and Tenth Amendments! It is to totally misunderstand American liberty. [Again, the definition of liberty: Near absolute individual freedom provided the individual is responsible to the Laws of Nature and Nature's God.]

For at least 60 years, the federal courts have used their "theories," "doctrines," "principles," "rules" and "tests" to undermine individual liberty. Nowhere is this fact more true than in the realm of public education.

It is not just the right, it is the duty of every parent or guardian to instill religious, moral and cultural principles and values into his children. Today, a major goal of public education is the "desensitization" of the child. In other words, a primary objective of modern public education is to "cleanse" the child of home-taught, "superstitious," "judgmental," "capitalistic" ideas and values, and to replace them with relativistic, secularist, and socialistic "values" and "principles." Public education's raison d' etre is "the socialization of the child."

At this point, to send a child to public school is to risk that child's absolute ruin. Right now, the only alternatives are homeschooling and private schools. Unfortunately, this is no alternative for many if not most families. So, what is the solution? In my mind, there is only one answer and it involves a three-pronged, comprehensive strategy.

First, the power and scope of the federal courts must be put in check. This will not be achieved only by placing constitutionalist justices on the bench. Precedents must be overturned. Principles, doctrines, rules, tests and theories that have been used and abused for decades must be revised or abandoned. The people must revolt and call on Congress to do its duty as established in Article III, Section 2, Paragraph (2), and Clause ii of the Constitution to check and balance the Supreme Court. Also, we, the people must start demanding that Congress employ the prerogative of impeachment. I suggest we begin with the notorious Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the infamous Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The High Crimes and Misdemeanors of this renegade judge are painfully obvious to every moral, educated and informed American.

Second, the power and influence of the "progressive" education establishment must be abrogated. How can this be done? I'm not sure, but I suggest we take a strategy lesson from the progressive educators themselves. Fight them with their own fire. Give them a taste of their own medicine.

Third, it is imperative that all federal funding, influence and control of education be abolished. For the same reason the incorporation theory is unconstitutional, federal funding of education is unconstitutional. Federal funding of anything involving domestic policy leads not only to some degree of federal control, but also to rampant corruption as states, localities and individuals vie and cajole for federal handouts. Even the tiniest degree of federal funding and control infringes on individual liberty and violates the Ninth and Tenth Amendments of the U. S. Constitution.

Obviously, neither the second nor the third strategic initiatives outlined above can be achieved until the Department of Education is abolished. None can ever see the light of day until we the people vote in strong and principled leaders in Congress who both understand and revere the U. S. Constitution and the meaning and Source of American liberty.

Are my three strategic objectives a mere pipe dream that can never be achieved? If so, then the demise of liberty is imminent and certain. If not, then there is still hope.

It does not take a village to raise a child! The villagers will always mold and shape the child according to the image of the village. It requires moral, educated and informed parents (a responsible and accountable mother and father) to raise responsible and accountable children. Any solution to the modern public education debacle must include parental choice (i. e., the full personal liberty of individual citizens to decide where to send their children for education) without the double jeopardy of being forced to pay twice for their child's education. Equally important, any solution requires competition among schools based on merit, achievement, excellence and the bottom line.

It is absolutely vital that every person who loves liberty and the Ultimate Source of American liberty and justice work together with determined resolve to win back education for the people! The future of our nation and her culture is at stake.

© Sam Weaver

 

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Sam Weaver

Sam Weaver is a native Texan. Lively discussions back in 1984--first with his very liberal girlfriend, and then with several college instructors--made him question his beliefs and his belief system... (more)

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