Labels

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Today's School Lesson - Censorship and Agitprop

Update at end.

Every kiddy should get some education. Lots of nodding heads in the Tavern to that idea. Every kiddy should have access to the internet at school. Some thoughful shakes as well as nods to that one.

It pops up from time to time when this government policy or that pushes schools into the internet age and even issues every school kid with a 'Free' laptop. Well, they announce that, but in practice many kids miss out and the parents suffer losses through theft and simply mislay. The laptops and other computer gizmos get to some but far from all kiddies. 

And very few get the 'Free' steak knives either.





So schools themselves expend vast amounts on installing the technology themselves. All well and good.

Then of course the government, school boards, parents groups, etc all clamour to censor what kiddies can and cannot look at. For we do have to acknowledge that at this infant stage of the Knowledge Revolution where the Human Psyche is expanding into the public sphere, there is more 'Id' than 'super-ego' alive and thriving in cyberspace.

And this is where the messiness arises. The knives come out !

There are those who go well beyond blocking smut. The super-ego drive is politically dependant and markedly left wing. Some mind-smut is positively encouraged.

As was found by one lad at school, as told to open mouthed patrons of the P&B the other day by Todd Barnes. 

Todd tried hard not to get over-excited but I did have to provide some more wholesome froth to his lips as he spoke.


Jesus, Republicans and NRA banned 
on school website
One of the lessons that Andrew Lampart learned from being on his school’s debate team was to 
gather facts for both sides of an argument. 
So last month when his law class was instructed to prepare for a debate on gun control, Andrew went online using the school’s Internet service.

“I knew it was important to get facts for both sides of the case,” said the 18-year-old at Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury, Connecticut.
So, this was not a small child being 'protected' from any of the zillion naked women on the net. He was after 'balance'; iffs and buts,  not butts.
Andrew decided to set aside his debate preparation and started researching other conservative websites. He soon discovered that he had unfettered access to liberal websites, but conservative websites were blocked.

When Andrew tried to log onto the National Rifle Association’s website, he realized there was a problem – a big problem.
“Their website was blocked,” he told me. Andrew decided to try the Second Amendment Foundation’s website. That too, was blocked.

His curiosity got the best of him – so Andrew tried logging on to several pro-gun control websites. Imagine his surprise when he discovered the pro-gun control websites were not blocked.

“I became curious as to why one side was blocked and the other side was not,” he said.
Be curious no more, young man.  The school is protecting your young adult mind from making itself up for itself.
For example, the Connecticut Republican Party website was blocked. 
The Connecticut Democratic Party website was not blocked. 
National Right to Life was blocked, but Planned Parenthood was not blocked. 
Connecticut Family, a pro-traditional marriage group, was blocked, but LGBT Nation was not blocked.

Andrew found that even Pope Francis was blocked 
from the school’s web service. 
But although he could not access the Vatican website, the school allowed him to access an Islamic website.

“This is really border line indoctrination,” 
Andrew told me.
There is barely a border to be seen here. The enemy is streaming across like illegal immigrants. 
“Schools are supposed to be fair and balanced towards all ways of thinking. It’s supposed to encourage students to formulate their own opinions. 
Where did he get that idea from !!   Quick, a lefty has fainted.
Students aren’t able to do that here at the school because they are only being fed one side of the issue.”
Andrew gathered his evidence and requested a meeting with the principal. The principal referred him to the superintendent, which he did. The superintendent promised to look into the matter and fix the problem.

“I gave him a week to fix the problem,” Andrew said. “But nothing had been done.”

So last Monday, Andrew took his mountain of evidence to the school board.

“They seemed surprised,” he said. “They told me they were going to look into the problem.”

Since the school board didn’t resolve the problem, I decided to take a crack at it.
Superintendent Jody Goeler sent me a rather lengthy letter explaining what happened.
He admitted there are “apparent inconsistencies” in the school district’s filtering system “particularly along conservative and liberal lines.”
Get away ! And he had not noticed. !  
“Many of the liberal sites accessible to the student fell into the ‘not rated’ category, which was unblocked while many of the conservative sites were in the ‘political/advocacy group’ category which is accessible to teachers but not to students,” he said in a written statement. 
“The district is trying to determine the reason for the inconsistency and if the bias is pervasive enough to justify switching to another content filtering provider.”

I find it hard to believe the superintendent needs more evidence to make that determination.

“The district does not block individual sites, only categories of websites,” he wrote. “The categories are supposed to be inclusive of all sites that fall into a common description.”

Without getting into the weeds here, the school district is blaming the blocking on Dell SonicWall, their content filtering service. 
They said they are waiting for Dell SonicWall to clarify its process for assigning websites to categories.

Dell SonicWall did not return my telephone call so I can’t tell you whether the district’s statement is the gospel truth or baloney. But something smells fishy.

Superintendent Goeler said they have “an interest in exposing students to a wide and varying number of viewpoints."

“The district does engage in unblocking sites to provide diverse points of view and balance in the instructional process,” he wrote.

Pardon me, sir, but that’s a load of unadulterated, Grade-A hooey.
The National Rifle Association, Red State, SarahPac.com, National Right to Life, Second Amendment Foundation, Paul Ryan for Congress, Town Hall, TeaParty.org, ProtectMarriage.com, and Christianity.com are just some of the websites the school blocked.
And they still remain blocked.
“The thing that bothers me the most is that public education is supposed to be neutral,” Andrew said. “It’s supposed to expose kids to both sides of an issue and allow them to formulate their own opinions.”
So he has been told. It is written on the packet. But the goods tell a different tale. And still no steak knives.
Andrew has discovered the issue I write about in my new book, “God Less America.” Public schools have become leftwing indoctrination centers.

“Students are only being given information from one side of the issue,” he said. “They are told this is the information we are giving you – make the most of it. They are not giving them both sides of the argument.”

Andrew Lampart has done his community and his nation a great public service by 
exposing the politically correct firewall 
that was erected at Nonnewaug High School.

And now we must do our part and demand a free exchange of ideas not just in Woodbury, Connecticut, but around the nation.

Mr. Superintendent, tear down this wall!
 http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/06/19/jesus-republicans-and-nra-banned-on-school-website/

What is YOUR kiddy's school like?  Do you get to really look beneath the surface? 

Deeper looks will also show the vastness and pervasiveness of feminist agitprop that is allowed while sites which call for fairness and justice for men and fathers are routinely blocked as 'hate'. 

Update:

Perhaps your school is moving along the lines of Canadian schools. There the children as young as five are being taught that foldling Uncle Harry's penis while watching the TV at home is a fine education. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUIZy_UGixU

It is high time parents went into schools and laid down some old-fashioned Family Rules. Good luck with that.

Have a deep draught of Grace first.

Pax.

Disclaimer: No kick-backs to computer suppliers or internet service providers were paid from the Tavern Budget in the posting of this conversation.



6 comments:

  1. This reminds me of an exhibition in the British Library last year. I blogged about it but sadly I didn't get chance to visit it.

    "The propaganda of the state is placed under the microscope in a major new exhibition running at the British Library.

    From the Little Red Book to the Green Cross Code visitors can expect an eclectic mix in Propaganda: Power and Persuasion running until 17 September.

    More that 200 exhibits will be on display making this the first exhibition to gather such a significant range of international state propaganda in one room.

    The aim is to explore the many, varied ways in which the state has used propaganda to influence the thoughts and feelings of a nation – whether the message it carries creates an enemy, generates feelings of national pride, or promotes a healthy lifestyle.

    “We want visitors to consider the role of propaganda in their own lives today, as well as looking at the state’s use of propaganda throughout history,” said a spokeswoman at the library. “That’s why, as well as displaying iconic pieces of propaganda from the library’s collections – such as the posters from both World Wars, the Cold War and Vietnam – we’ll also be focusing on more surprising examples, such as 2012 Olympics and even Twitter. These are things you wouldn’t necessarily associate with a word like propaganda”.

    The exhibition includes many examples of propaganda in films including the humorous ‘cough and sneezes’ public health adverts starring Richard Massingham and the chilling AIDS campaign narrated by John Hurt – hailed as one of the most controversial health campaigns in history."


    From an early age we are told what we should and should not think by our parents and teachers... As we grow older we are told what we should and should not think by our governments and the media.

    The only hope is that we learn to think for ourselves!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A long time ago I attended the 'School for Propaganda'. It was at Old Sarum, an Army base, where the NATO Psychological Warfare Course was held annually. A fascinating course of study with very fine and senior instructors. (The Chief Instructor was Major General Richard Clutterbuck, by then retired and a Professor). Included was an insight into the various 'types' of propaganda including the infamous "Black Library' held in the bowels of the BBC and containing the best (worst?) of the 'misdirecting' efforts (and filth ) produced by the British during WW2, as well as examples of the efforts of others, including the enemy.

      There is a place for propaganda for confounding the enemy but there are severe ethical problems in confounding one's own people.

      Wartime is an 'ethics-testing' event. Schools however should not be engaged in AgitProp.

      Delete
  2. They silently worm their way into control of things. We don't care, they do, they connive into key roles.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I attended the 'School for Propaganda'

    I does indeed sound fascinating... I wish had, had the opportunity to attend that course!!

    The propaganda in WWI and WWII 'had' to confound one's own people to achieve the desired results...

    In addition to the Schools not being engaged with AgitProp I would say, neither should the media be engaged with AgitProp...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were moments of hilarity on that course, CherryPie. And 'unusual' info imparted.

      I was 'paired' with a german Lt Col who commanded a PsyWar batallion, the main task of which was to go round the publishing houses monthly and collect all the remaindered women's magazines. They took them back to barracks and spent a week cutting out pictures (adverts) of ladies frilly undies and cosmetics. They packaged them tightly in bundles of ten thousand and took them (lots of bundles) to the east German border where they sent them off under balloons. Explosive charges facilitated their delivery over the EG cities where Gretel would find them and berate Hansel for her lack of what western women had . Hahahaha

      Delete
    2. LOL that is hilarious :-)

      PS: I am sure those guys were happy in their work ;-)

      Delete

Ne meias in stragulo aut pueros circummittam.

Our Bouncer is a gentleman of muscle and guile. His patience has limits. He will check you at the door.

The Tavern gets rowdy visitors from time to time. Some are brain dead and some soul dead. They attack customers and the bar staff and piss on the carpets. Those people will not be allowed in anymore. So... Be Nice..