Letter to the Editor:

"We sang beautiful patriotic hymns that only the adults knew because the songs are no longer taught at school."

This was part of an email describing the wonderful patriotic services held in a rural church in central Kentucky. The songs they were speaking of were basics to American patriotism: "My Country Tis Of Thee," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "America the Beautiful," and "God Bless America." I spoke with young people in my home area of northwest Louisiana and they confirmed also that patriotic songs are not taught in their schools.

We, the American taxpayers, are paying for public education where patriotism is considered politically incorrect! This is doubly true when patriotism involves mentioning God as in the songs listed above.

Several years ago, I saw a chart of the history of the national averages on the ACT and SAT scores. These scores peaked and began their downward spiral very close to the occurrence of one major American educational event. That event was the establishment of the national Department of Education.

As the control of education has been taken away from local and state governments and given to the federal government our educational systems have declined. History books have totally eliminated unedited copies of original documents like the Declaration of Independence since it speaks of "unalienable rights" endowed by a Creator God. The text of the Mayflower Compact is excluded because it is way too religious. Local PTAs are usually involved with fundraising and other school benefit projects, but have little or no input into what is taught in the classroom.

There are many movements today to "Take America Back" from those who are destroying her. But until we take back the educational system, we will not be able to take back the nation.

Steve Casey
Author of In God We Trust -- The Faith of the Men on Our Money
Stonewall, LA


Comment on this letter through The Grapevine blog

.