The King in the Dark Tower

Mr King has stated that he will not apologize for his remarks regarding student literacy (in this case a lack thereof) and their future--specifically a future that allegedly, almost exclusively, includes a weapon and a pair of BDUs. I strongly disagree with his remarks, but I do not want him to apologize in any manner or form. I am tired of the constant need for apology that plagues today's culture. I am delighted to have his word-ed views on the subject of our Armed Forces--and all those of liberalism--be on display.

The comments themselves are nothing we haven't heard before from a "kum ba yah" leftist, as is most of the comments he made in his follow-up interview: the war is bogus, the war is taking away precious [enter your favorite government subsidy here] funding, the U.S. military is little more than a better equipped 18th-century version of itself, conservatives are mindless ditto-heads. The last point is rather humorous, given that everything he stated are nothing more than the same old talking points spewed by liberal pundits all over cable news since the war began. So on that premise: at the very least, it's a pot-and-kettle conversation.

I would love to rail on the liberal ignorance and arrogance of all of the above points, but Mr King is most concerned about the war's affect on education. What is ironic is that after all the millions of dollars this country spends on education, liberals such as Mr King crow that our education system is failing. This is a refreshing assessment given that the education system in this country is (and has been) run by leftists. Remember that Mr King believes that conservatives are brain washed by the new media? No doubt that our kids can spout reams of "intelligence" concerning Christian imperialism, Franklin D Roosevelt, economic unfairness, and man-made global warming; but ask your children what they have been taught concerning Muslim sectarianism, Ronald Reagan, capitalism, and intelligent design. Whom is brain washing whom?

Mr King is right about the failures of Big Education to equip our young people with the full range of knowledge that will turn them into thinkers, not robots. He is also correct that there are few options for those who come out of school with a limited education. But he is wrong that one of those options is the U.S. Armed Forces. The military requires recruits to pass aptitude tests; someone without a working mind or with a lower-than-average literacy will not pass the rigorous education system of the U.S. military's tech schools.

Mr King is also wrong that Big Education is failing to make our kids literate. You see, if our kids do not come out of public high school and college being able to recite the liberal mantras, then they are "failures"; when children cannot read it is the state's fault, not a lack of personal responsibility; if students come out of graduation eager to serve their country with honor, then those men and women are to be "supported" in what all too often sounds more like pity.

In all cases, the obvious recourse (to a liberal) is to assess Big Education to figure out what could possibly have gone wrong, to blame conservatives (duh), and finally, to pour more funding into public education in hopes of doing a better job "educating" the masses.

Not being a fan of double-talk myself, I am happy to answer Mr King's questions: I am for the war in Iraq; I am for the greater War on Terrorism. I am not for investing more funds into a public education system rife with liberal agendas and biases.

I am amused that the moment you challenge what a liberal means by "I support the troops", you are somehow challenging their patriotism. Maybe we are just curious. After all, since Mr King has been all over the world, I would be interested to know when the last time was that he drove himself a few miles down the street of his "National Guard town" to show his "support" by hosting a private book signing for our local soldiers and airmen. Then again, to be fair, perhaps he doesn't because he expects there will be no books to sign.