Raising American Taliban

On my way to meet Myrna Blyth, author of "Spin Sisters," I glanced across the aisle of the subway car at a fellow passenger's newspaper and read, "American Taliban seeks reduced sentence." I was set to interview Ms. Blyth about her new book, "How to Raise an American," and wondered: If John Walker Lindh's parents had followed the advice in this valuable book, perhaps their son might not be sitting in a prison cell because he helped the Taliban fight American soldiers.

Sadly, my generation has spawned self-loathing Americans who actually believe that this country is evil. They have neither respect nor love for this nation. Rather they are being taught by today's academic community that America and its institutions should be held in contempt.

The subtitle of the book written by Ms. Blyth and her co-author Chriss Winston is "1776 Fun and Easy Tools, Tips, and Activities to Help Your Child Love This Country." It is a sad commentary on our education system that this guide is even necessary, but the fact is this: If your child attends a public school, you need to pay very close attention to their textbooks.

I sent all my children to parochial school so that our religious values would be reinforced in their education. We sacrificed many material things to do so, but we considered the cost an investment in their future. I never had to worry, however, that they were being taught a gross disrespect for our Founding Fathers and a distortion of American history.

Ms. Winston, who was the first woman to head the White House Office of Speechwriting in the first Bush administration, received a rude awakening when she read her son's 11th-grade history book and discovered the liberal bias that permeated it. The textbook gave more credit to Mikhail Gorbachev than to Ronald Reagan for ending the Cold War. More than 1,000 words were dedicated to Iran/Contra but only 78 to Neil Armstrong and the moon landing. Ms. Winston recommends that parents read their children's textbook to learn exactly what's being taught.

In a chapter of Ms. Blyth and Ms. Winston's book called, "Don't Know Much About History," the two authors compare two textbooks and the results are eye-opening. One textbook, "A People's History of the United States," is written by all-around American basher Howard Zinn, who is described as "one of the favorites of the education establishment and elite media." Recommended in its stead is a new textbook, "A Patriot's History of the United States," which the authors say offers a thorough and balanced look at our past.

For example, look how the books treat World War II. "A Patriot's History" calls it "Democracy's Finest Hour." The "People's History" says, "It was a war waged by a government whose chief beneficiary — despite volumes of reform — was a wealthy elite."

On Abraham Lincoln, the "Patriot's History" writes, "On racial issues, Lincoln led; it is critical that an understanding of emancipation begin with Lincoln's perception that it, first and foremost, was a moral and legal issue not a military or political one." The "People's History" says, "Lincoln was signing into law a whole series of laws to give business interests what they wanted … The Emancipation Proclamation was a military move that had all the moral grandeur of a bill of lading."

Other examples in the book are equally disturbing.

Howard Zinn explains the mission of his book as this: "I think it extremely important for young people to learn a different history that will make them skeptical of what they hear from authority. I think if people knew, for instance the history of lies and violence that have accompanied American foreign policy, they would not be enticed into joining the armed forces."

Well, that explains a lot about the behavior of today's college students and their disregard for authority figures. Look at what is happening at Columbia University, where students six months ago mocked the First Amendment and stormed the stage to block the free speech of the Minuteman founder, Jim Gilchrist, who had been invited to speak on the border defense program.

I'm just grateful that Howard Zinn wasn't around to poison the minds of the brave men and women who fought the wars to end slavery and the Holocaust. Unfortunately, many educators agree with his distrust of our nation, and they are teaching your children to do the same.

John Walker Lindh is not an anomaly. Just read your child's textbook. We are raising many more of the same.