-By Warner Todd Huston
Over at RealDebateWisconsin Fred Dooley was contacted by the mother of a Racine Unified School District 8th grade student in Wisconsin public schools about an outrageous thing she found in her son’s school textbook. Apparently, in this textbook supposedly teaching about literature, one of the books being pushed as a perfect example of that subject is Barack Obama’s memoir Dreams from my Father. That’s right, a book by a current political candidate for president is being pushed on our children as “literature.” It also seems probable from campaign donation records that a principle member of the publishing company is a large Obama donor.
One would think that focusing on the ideology of a politician currently running for president would be a bit over-the-top even for our extreme left leaning system of education in this country. But there it is anyway. The book even presents a photo of the Senator at a campaign rally with signs advertising his campaign website address to help better indoctrinate the kids.
Of course, the very first question that comes to mind is this: how wide spread would this story have become if it were a Republican featured in a kid’s textbook? Would the left-o-sphere stand silent as John McCain appeared in school textbooks? Would the Old Media ignore such a story? Somehow, I doubt it. Who can doubt that the story would be such big news that the school district would have been shamed into taking such propaganda out of their school rooms apologizing for their lack of judgment as they do so. A book like this with McCain included would never even have made it out of the publishing house before stories would have been leaked to the press. Certainly it would be national news. But, in this case, the textbook is manufactured without opposition and is passed out to kids without a peep from the usual suspects.
The mother and her child have asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal from the school. So, their names are withheld to protect the innocent family from any possible harm that might come to this boy or his grades in an apparently ideologically extreme school system. However, we have plenty of scans of the book to prove the case isn’t just unsubstantiated claims.
On one page, for instance, the kids are urged to discuss what makes them “proud” before they read Dreams from my Father. The message here is that an Obama candidacy is supposed to make everyone “proud” apparently. If you stand against Obama, I guess you stand against pride, huh?
A few photos from Obama’s childhood are also included, showing that a simple discussion of the literary worth of Obama’s book is not all the textbook is interested in.
The Wisconsin Mother wrote the following:
My 8th grade son is in an advanced English class at a public middle school here in Racine, Wisconsin. I just found out that my son’s new (copyright 2008) Wisconsin – McDougal Littell Literature book has 15 pages covering Barack Obama.
I was shocked – No John McCain, no Hillary Clinton, no George Bush – Just Barack Obama. I’m wondering how it is that Obama’s story gets put into an 8th grade literature book? It would be one thing, if it was just the tidbit about his boyhood days, but 15 pages, and they talk about his “Life of Service”. Honestly, what has Obama really done to be included in this book? Not only that, but on page 847 there is a photo of Obama at the 2004 Democratic Convention with at least 8 Obama signs in the background! Front & center is an www.obama2004.com sign.
Now I understand that many teachers are liberals, but does the school have the right to shove Obama down our kid’s throats? All the kids grouped together and read the story. After that, they discussed it… I guess it appears that Obama is planning ahead. If he doesn’t get his coveted Presidency, Obama is going to make sure, that the younger generations know all about him, and his “life of service”.
If you would like to see the 15 page story on Obama, it appears that you can order this book online. There is a note in the book that says, For more on Barack Obama, visit the Literature Center at www.ClassZone.com The book is: Wisconsin – 8th grade – McDougal Littell Literature – copyright 2008. The Obama story starts on page 830. I hope you will take the time to look at this book. I’m really angry about this – In fact, I would love to rip the pages right out of this book.
By the way, you might find this interesting: I did a little checking on McDougal Littell, and it appears that MCDOUGAL, ALFRED L CHICAGO , IL 60611 – N/A/RETIRED has been making contributions to Barack Obama’s campaign!
I found that information on this website.
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=IL&last=MCDOUGAL&first=ALFRED
Now I’m not an expert at these things (just a PTA mom), but It looks to me like Alfred McDougal is connected to McDougal Littell the same company that publishes the 8th grade textbook that has 15 pages on Obama. Like I said, I’m not an expert, but I’m sure you have someone who can delve into the dirty little details.I guess my question is: Is it ethical for an Obama supporter to publish an educational book which has a 15 page Barrack Obama story in it? If the tax payers are paying for these books, why is it okay for McDougal Littell to promote Obama? This really bothers me. I would have no problem with it, if Obama had actually done something important. Why is Obama being put up on a pedestal, before he actually wins the pedestal? All I can say, is we can thank the liberal media, and now the liberal book publishers. Thanks to them, I’m sure there are probably thousands of these books all across the United States.
That’s quite an upset mother… and rightfully so. This sort of partisanship on the part of the textbook publisher is amazing, to say the least.
Far from simply discussing the supposed literary value of Obama’s book, there’s all sort of things about Obama in this textbook.
One page also urges the kids to go on-line and look up more info about Barack Obama.
It’s all pretty amazing to see a current candidate for high office pushed in our schools like this, isn’t it? Can you imagine the schools having John McCain’s campaign biography in them? And, what exactly is it that makes this particular tome great literature? Oh, sure, it’s an acclaimed book, though one that suspicions of ghostwriting are beginning to emerge. But, is it of high enough caliber to be considered fodder for a literature class?
Of all the great books in history, is this one so exemplar that it should be a subject in an 8th grader’s class? Have we by 8th grade already familiarized a student with the full cannon of great American literature that we can lower ourselves to campaign biographies? Did this school balance this lesson with a section on Barry Goldwater’s Conscience of a Conservative? Why not? After all, Goldwater’s campaign book inspired pride in several generations of conservatives and helped lead to the election of one of our greatest presidents, Ronald Wilson Reagan.
And let’s not even mention the fact that these textbooks are wholly empty of the great religious works of literature in the history of the western world. In fact, the entire American religious tradition has been excised from our schools.
Yet we do see Barack Obama pushed on our children in their textbooks. The indoctrination of our children by issuing paeans to the messiah is now complete. Even in 8th grade, the kids are now told for whom to vote.
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston
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