Print 
PDF
The middle school principal says he's doing away with Valentine's Day to "avoid encroaching on the educational opportunities of others and threatening a culture of tolerance and respect for all."
He also says he's banning celebration of all "dominant holidays"---"including Thanksgiving and Christmas" so the school "can strive for more cultural sensitivity..."
A spokesperson for the school says, "We're sensitive to being inclusive but do not feel these celebrations are important for building a sense of community."
The Star Tribune says, "This touches off a wider debate on school celebrations."
Indeed it does.
This morning I will be talking a bit about the Republican debate Saturday evening in New Hampshire, and about the upcoming primary election tomorrow on our live radio program "Straight Talk."
You can join me live at 9 AM PST from anywhere in the world. Or rebroadcast at 7:30 PM PST. Here's how.
WWCO TV in Minneapolis reported last week that the school, Bruce Vento Elementary School in St. Paul, was considering the ban.
Even before the letter was sent to the parents it had been leaked into social media and the principal's concerns that not everyone would agree with the decision began to come true.
Principal Scott Masini is being jeered and cheered. Many posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc., opposed the decision and said "all the fun is being sucked out of school."
It isn't as much fun as it used to be, neither is it as effective in educating kids as it used to be. The quality of education in America has fallen substantially in recent years compared to our developed countries.
Parent William Moore told the TV station, "It seems to me that shouldn't be main issue that we should be talking about in St. Paul Schools."
He said, "I still want to know how well they're doing in educating our kids. I think that's the number-one issue, and they should be laser focused on all the things that they need to do to get our kids that are in our St. Paul public schools educated."
Millions across the country feel as he does.
Other parents agree with parent Moore and are sounding off.
The Star Tribune says the Valentine's Day ban touches off a wider debate on school celebrations.
They report, "Across the metro area and the country, schools are juggling sensitivity with holiday fun as student bodies become increasingly diverse."
Masini says, "I'm struggling with this and I don't know what the right answer is. But, what I do know is celebrating some holidays and not others is not inclusive of all of the students we serve."
While Jesus was not talking about public education or patriotism, He was clear that people are incapable of serving 2 masters.
When the identity of America is discarded in favor of an evolving "progressive" identity, with borders that are not enforced, language that is not respected or required, and fundamental principles of education are abandoned in favor of politically correct pursuits, the result is found in Principal Masini's frustration---"I'm struggling with this..."
While this discussion in St. Paul and elsewhere focuses on "holidays and fun," the Star rightly points out there is, and must be, "a wider debate."
The expectation of assimilation into the American culture has been replaced by hyper sensitivity to honoring each defined cultural group, replacing the idea of a "melting pot" with a "stew pot" model---multiculturalism.
Covering the confusion multiculturalism and political correctness creates, is the agenda of a few to exploit these current issues and fundamentally "remake America."
Political Correctness allows a few to subdue the many. It is in the process of destroying Europe---particularly Germany, now and will ultimately destroy America unless we wake up.
And there is an awakening.
In 2003---13 years ago, former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm, a Democrat, spoke out on open borders and multiculturalism. The following is the text of his speech. It's worth the 2 to 3 minutes it takes to read it.
I have a plan to destroy America
by Richard D. Lamm
I have a secret plan to destroy America. If you believe, as many do, that America is too smug, too white bread, too self-satisfied, too rich, let’s destroy America. It is not that hard to do. History shows that nations are more fragile than their citizens think. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and they all fall, and that “an autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.” Here is my plan:
1. We must first make America a bilingual-bicultural country. History shows, in my opinion, that no nation can survive the tension, conflict and antagonism of two competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. One scholar, Seymour Martin Lipset, put it this way: “The histories of bilingual and bicultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension and tragedy. Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with its Basques, Bretons and Corsicans.”
2. I would then invent “multiculturalism” and encourage immigrants to maintain their own culture. I would make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal: that there are no cultural differences that are important. I would declare it an article of faith that the black and Hispanic dropout rate is only due to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out-of-bounds.
3. We can make the United States a “Hispanic Quebec” without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently, “The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved, not by tolerance, but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentrically, and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together.” I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with a salad bowl metaphor. It is important to insure that we have various cultural sub-groups living in America reinforcing their differences, rather than Americans emphasizing their similarities.
4. Having done all this, I would make our fastest-growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50 percent dropout rate from school.
5. I would then get the big foundations and big business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of victimology. I would get all minorities to think their lack of success was all the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population.
6. I would establish dual citizenship and promote divided loyalties. I would “celebrate diversity.” “Diversity” is a wonderfully seductive word. It stresses differences rather than commonalities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other–that is, when they are not killing each other. A “diverse,” peaceful or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together, and we can take advantage of this myopia.
Look at the ancient Greeks. Dorf’s “World History” tells us: “The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common language and literature; and they worshiped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic Games in honor of Zeus, and all Greeks venerated the shrine of Apollo at Delphi. A common enemy, Persia, threatened their liberty. Yet, all of these bonds together were not strong enough to overcome two factors … (local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions …)” If we can put the emphasis on the “pluribus,” instead of the “unum,” we can balkanize America as surely as Kosovo.
7. Then I would place all these subjects off-limits–make it taboo to talk about. I would find a word similar to “heretic” in the 16th century that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like “racist”, “xenophobe” halt argument and conversation. Having made America a bilingual-bicultural country, having established multiculturalism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of “victimology,” I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra –“because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good.” I would make every individual immigrant sympatric and ignore the cumulative impact.
“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.” –Noam Chomsky, American linguist and U.S. media and foreign policy critic.
Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Informed. Be Prayerful.