Superintendent Robert R. Neu spoke to the Federal Way Noon Kiwanis Club this week regarding the post he stepped into on July 1. Previously superintendent of Waterford School District in Waterford, Mich., for four years, Neu told us that Waterford isn’t as diverse as Federal Way. He wants his six kids to share in the cultural dynamic of our community.
In fact, Rob Neu made several remarks regarding the challenges of diversity and technology.
As Federal Way’s honorary Neanderthal, I had to interrupt Rob to ask, “Now that we have heard the mandatory references to diversity, tolerance and cultural understanding, how can we work toward such praiseworthy objectives and transmit traditional American values like the U.S. Constitution, American history and loyalty to our heritage as a nation?”
Rob assured us that Federal Way has history classes in our schools. We will continue to teach U.S. history in our schools, he assured us. Now, of course, I don’t question whether we teach U.S. history in our classrooms! I question how much of our history, civic and social studies are taught from a curriculum designed to promote diversity objectives at the expense of traditional American education.
It must be difficult to inculcate understanding of expansive social theories about government or gay, lesbian and transgender issues while explaining the strict limitations on government enumerated within the four corners of the U.S. Constitution. Classroom time for civics is not infinite.
Any time spent encouraging understanding of innovative social theories about American history gives short shrift to the fact that our Founding Fathers wanted Americans to be educated against expansive government powers in order to be armed against a government that might foist elitist philosophies upon us. Enforcing elitism against individual rights was — and still is — the way government is done in Europe and much of the rest of the world.
Todd Beamer High School will not even let me display a paid ad for my law firm on a school events calendar. Other businesses pay to do so. Todd Beamer sent the calendar back to the publisher last year because I had a picture of a gun in my ad. The high school denied my request to include the URL for my Firearms Lawyer website.
Our new superintendent is from Michigan where they understand the Second Amendment. Are Michiganders as ferocious about the First Amendment as Washingtonians? A school should not deny my opportunity to express my love for my neighbors when other members of the community can do so. I represent armed citizens. The lack of tolerance for my message sends the wrong message to the kids — and the community.
I quote the Bible and Madison, Jefferson and Adams. Rob Neu likes to quote George Bernard Shaw and Eleanor Roosevelt. Tolerance means that I don’t get to attack Rob just because he quotes progressive icons. But school administrators who deny me opportunities to freely express my traditional American values send a message that educational values have become hopelessly confused.
