Public Education: on constitutional matters

Public Education

We have the greatest opportunity the world has ever seen, as long as we remain honest — which will be as long as we can keep the attention of our people alive. If they once become inattentive to public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, judges and governors would all become wolves. — Thomas Jefferson

Every collectivist revolution rides in on a Trojan horse of "emergency". It was the tactic of Lenin, Hitler, and Mussolini. In the collectivist sweep over a dozen minor countries of Europe, it was the cry of men striving to get on horseback. And "emergency" became the justification of the subsequent steps. This technique of creating emergency is the greatest achievement that demagoguery attains. — Herbert Hoover.

Sed quis custodiet ipsos Custodes? (Who is to guard the guardians themselves?) — Juvenal, Satires, ~120 CE.

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References

Rhetoric, by Aristotle (c. 350 BCE) — Still the classic reference on the art of public speaking and persuasive writing.

Give me six lines written by the most honourable of men, and I will find an excuse in them to hang him. — Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642)

In the twentieth century being "well-spoken" came to mean speaking in such as way that you can't easily be discredited by being quoted out of context. — Jon Roland, 1995

Educational Reform

The Lancasterian Monitorial System of Education — The methods of the 19th century may offer the best hope for the 21st.
Lancasterian Society — Support private schools using the Lancasterian Monitorial System, a method that uses more advanced students to teach less advanced students, and teach each at his or her own best rate.
Texas Textbook Review — Efforts to reform the ways textbooks are written.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Review — Standards for public school instruction and textbooks.
Alliance for the Separation of School and State — The solution for education is getting the government out of it.

Student Government — The principles of constitutional republican government also apply, with some adaptations, to this formative experience of future constitutionalists.

It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so. — Will Rogers.

Commentary

Only half would vote for Constitution — Why it is so important to support efforts like this site.
John Swinton on the independence of the press
the deliberate dumbing down of america — Site for a book by Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt, former Senior Policy Advisor in the U.S. Department of Education.

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man; brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. — Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)

Interaction

Congressmen Weak on Constitution — Call-in by Roland to C-SPAN with guests Sen. Howell Heflin and Rep. Bob Inglis.
Exchange between Morris Dees and Jon Roland, Assembly at California State University, 1999 Nov. 9 — Illustrates use of questioning to turn an argument against someone.

Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. — James Madison, Letter to W.T. Barry, August 4, 1822.

Chat and Forums

Freedom chat

Audio Texts — You will usually need to download and install a player such as Realplayer.

American Phonic

One of the first rules of effective communication is to so compose the message as to anticipate all the ways it could be misinterpreted, and minimize such misinterpretation. This is especially important with laws, which are messages from the past to the future. It is well to keep in mind Murphy's Law of Lawmaking: "If it can be misinterpreted it will be, and it will be misinterpreted in the worst way possible." — Jon Roland, 1997

Letter to editors

Militias Against Drug Lords — Letter to editor by Roland on militias as response to drug-financed corruption.
Militias Against Terrorism — Letter to editor by Roland on militias as response to terrorism.
Militias and Constitutional Republics — Letter to Soldier of Fortune re: article by James L. Pate in Feb. 1996 issue.

I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are false hopes, believe me, these are false hopes. Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it; no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it. While it lies there, it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it. — Judge Learned Hand

Editors to whom letters might be sent

Giant E-Mail Links — Compiled by the Conservative Caucus. Includes email addresses of editors, talk shows, commentators, and elected officials.
NewsLink Directory — Fairly comprehensive directory, organized by size and market, of newspapers and magazines.
Rumor Mills Media Addresses — Email and snailmail addresses for most U.S. newspapers and broadcast media.

You may think the Constitution is your security -- it is nothing but a piece of paper. You may think that the statutes are your security --they are nothing but words in a book. You may think the elaborate mechanism of government is your security -- it is nothing at all unless you have sound and uncorrupted public opinion to give life to your Constitution, to give vitality to your statutes, to make efficient your machinery. — Justice Charles Evans Hughes

Educational Projects

Constitutional Literacy — Mission is to re-introduce the American public to the basic elements of our constitutional heritage.
John Stossel in the Classroom

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And what I can do, I will do. — D. L. Moody (1837-99), paraphrased. Similar to saying of Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909).

Talk Radio, Television & Webcasting

The first of these is a local database of talk radio and TV stations and programs. The others mix talk media with other kinds, so you will have to pick out those which can serve as outlets for alternative news and opinion.

Prager University — Educational videos by Dennis Prager.
Talk/News Radio & TV Directory — Local archive of data, including WWW links and email addresses, of radio and television stations and programs that offer listener call-in, and therefore an opportunity to promulgate information and opinion that is ignored by the mainstream media.
Live & Let Live — Longest running Libertarian talk show, on Austin Community Access Cable. Webmaster is occasional host or guest. Saturday at 8:00 PM Central Time. Webcast live feed and partial archive. Archive up to 02/09/2008.
Republic Broadcasting Network — Several interview programs with various hosts on reform topics. You will need a media player to access online.
Philip Dru Interviews — Collection of radio interviews of prominent opinion leaders.
More to Know Talk — Difficult to characterize this interesting site, but worth visiting to find out what they're up lately.
Liberty Works Radio Network — Network dedicated to champions of liberty and constitutional compliance.
Just the News — Extensive collection of links to WWW news sources.
American Freedom Network — Alternative network for news and commentary.
Doug Fleming's Radio Database — Radio and TV stations, both on and off the Internet.
MIT Radio Links — Radio stations of all kinds on the WWW.
Yahoo Radio Stations - Eastern States
Yahoo Radio Stations - Western States
INFOSEARCH Broadcasting Links — Includes all kinds of broadcasting stations, organizations, associations, and networks.
Guide to Talk Radio Programming — Directory of syndicated hosts and their syndicates, but lacks links to the individual hosts.
Radio on the Internet
College Radio Stations
European Radio Stations
European Radio Links
Non-Commercial Radio Sites
Radio/TV Dial Pages — Published by Michael R. Lewis, includes "dial pages" for each area that show what stations a person visiting there would get on his dial, and unofficial WWW pages for every radio station. Valuable effort, but in a very early stage of construction.
David H. Citron's South Florida Radio Pages — Directory and news. Especially interesting is his Media Bias Web site.
Infowars — Alex Jones is a nationally syndicated radio and access TV talk show host based in Austin, Texas.
Jeff Davis Show — Patriot radio and access TV talk show based in Austin, Texas.

Throughout human history mankind has always been only one generation away from barbarism — Unknown origin.

College or postgraduate institutions

These are a few institutions which offer courses that are avoid statist dogma.

University of Chicago — Hotbed of libertarian thought and research and the alma mater of the webmaster. See their Law School.
Hillsdale College — Refuse to accept government funding to avoid the undue influence that comes with it.
Grove City College — Refuse to accept government funding to avoid the undue influence that comes with it.
New Saint Andrews College — Refuse to accept government funding to avoid the undue influence that comes with it.
Regent University — Christian graduate school in Virginia. Have an especially good School of Law.
Virginia Commonwealth University — Have a proposal for a constitutional studies program.
Pepperdine University — West Coast institution with a conservative cast, especially their School of Law.
Robert Welch University — Dedicated to providing a classical education with a focus on American constitutional values.
YorktownUniversity.com — Dedicated to the study of Western law, philosophy, and the history of Western civilization.

Homeschooling Resources — We can hardly do justice to all the sites that have emerged, but here is a sample:

Homeschool World — Popular site on the subject.
Homeschooling Today — Magazine devoted to the subject.
Home Education Magazine— Magazine devoted to the subject.
Homefires— The Journal of Homeschooling Online.
The Homeschool Zone— Gateway to homeschooling resources.
Homeschooling Texas— Focus on the Lone Star State.
EducationalFreedom.com — Defending the right of parents to teach their children better than public educational systems do.

Teacher Honor Roll — Here are a few teachers who are doing a good job of teaching constitutional principles.

TeachWeb — George Thomson, Nogales High School, Arizona.

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Original URL: //constitution.org/1-Education/cs_pubed.htm Maintained: Constitution Society Original date: 1995/9/25 —