ABOUT FAITH & FREEDOM

Monday, February 20, 2023

The World's Apostle of Liberty

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Which U.S. president: had states, babies, seven mountains, eight streams, nine colleges, and 33 counties named after him? 

And...

Has a national holiday for his birthday (February 22nd)?

Has an image of his face carved 60 feet tall in granite?

Was elected president two times, unopposed?

Why has the National Education Association removed teaching materials for public school teachers about him from their website?

Be informed, not misled.

Happy Birthday George Washington. And Abraham Lincoln. 

Both were instrumental in shaping what America would become.

But none more than George Washington.

Apostle of Liberty

The sixty-foot-tall granite likeness of his face carved in the mountain shows George Washington looking out across a nation he may not recognize today.

Nor do some care to recognize him today.

The National Education Association (NEA) removed its resources on Presidents Day from its websites in 2020. Three years later, the teachers union still has not updated the page. 

The resources, last saved on June 17, 2020, included lesson plans celebrating “the lives of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, their contributions to the United States, and the lives and contributions of all our presidents.” 

Presidents Day lesson plans included “George Washington: A National Treasure,” which celebrated Washington as an American hero, and “George Washington: Centerpiece of a Nation,” where students studied the characteristics that made the first president a great leader. 

Now, if you click the "Presidents Day" resources site you get a “Page not found” result, instead referring users to NEA’s resource library. 

"Page not found"

The NEA says, "We're sorry! We can't find the page you're looking for. Would you like to visit our homepage or browse our resource library instead?"

The library includes Black History Month lessons from Learning for Justice, the education branch of the Southern Poverty Law Center; a report on how teachers can advocate for abortion services; resources for teaching about Indigenous people; an article about implicit racial bias; and posters, bookmarks, and stickers for celebrating “banned” books. 

Is this what Washington and Lincoln gave themselves for?

Washington was "educated" not indoctrinated.

Washington’s early education came from his mother and father, and his curriculum consisted of history, penmanship, moral character, respect for scholarship, mathematics, the Bible, and literature. His later education was with Col. William Fairfax who had one of the best educations that England could offer and an extensive library. With Fairfax, Washington attained the equivalent of a university education and was considered “the best-educated man of his time.”  

In establishing the example of the love of country first, he served as the commander of the Army without pay and was only reimbursed for expenses. He was known as a “humble, earnest Christian” who studied the scriptures to pattern his life.

The page is "Not Found" because the NEA loathes Washington and hates what he stood for.

Presidents Day lesson plans included “George Washington: A National Treasure,” which celebrated Washington as an American hero, and “George Washington: Centerpiece of a Nation,” where students studied the characteristics that made the first president a great leader.

What teachers can find on NEA's resource page is Black History Month lessons from Learning for Justice, the education branch of the Southern Poverty Law Center; a report on how teachers can advocate for abortion services; resources for teaching about Indigenous people; an article about implicit racial bias; and posters, bookmarks, and stickers for celebrating “banned” books. 

Consequences.

While the Left lives in denial, wrong thinking has real consequences. The so-called "progressives" are not progressive. 

They're dead wrong. They are regressive.

Unfortunately, they are taking a generation of kids, teachers, and administrators with them down their destructive path.

The discarded webpage included lessons on the Revolutionary War, constitutional government, the Bill of Rights, the Civil War, and the Gettysburg Address.  

The absence of information on U.S. history on the NEA website is part of a nationwide trend of canceling American Founding Fathers. 

America has seen a sharp decline in schools named after presidents. In 1986, more than 6,000 schools were named after a president. In 2020, that number dropped to 4,889, according to a Heritage Foundation report released Friday on the decline of patriotically named schools.

More than 63% of parents and almost 74% of teachers say civics education should be emphasized more in schools, according to The Heritage Foundation’s survey of teachers and parents in 2021.  

“The National Education Association’s removal of content on the great former presidents of the United States would seem to indicate they no longer value them as such or believe their ideas and examples in leadership merit study by American culture. This is regrettable, pathetic, and quite frankly, anti-American.” 

Takeaway

  • I will be giving you the latest on the spontaneous spiritual revival that is continuing to break out on university campuses across the country on this morning's live radio program.

While public education dismisses Washington, Lincoln, and other leaders who forged the founding of the greatest nation in the history of the world, the United States Senate has not dismissed them.

No Senate tradition has been more steadfastly maintained than the annual reading of President George Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address---all 7641 words.

His address, in letter form, began "To Friends and Citizens."

Washington warned that the forces of geographical sectionalism, political factionalism, and interference by foreign powers in the nation's domestic affairs threatened the stability of the republic. He urged Americans to subordinate sectional jealousies to common national interests.

Every year since 1896, the Senate has observed Washington's birthday by selecting one of its members, alternating parties, to read the 7,641-word statement in the legislative session.

At the conclusion of each reading, the appointed senator inscribes his or her name and brief remarks in a black, leather-bound book maintained by the secretary of the Senate. The book's first entry, dated February 22, 1900, bears the signature of Ohio Republican Joseph Foraker. 

We celebrate the birthdays today, but Washington's Farewell address will once again be read in the Senate---in full, day-after-tomorrow, February 22.

God bless the Senate. May elected leaders stand firm in the Faith, and for our country in the most perilous times since the times of  Washington and Lincoln.

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Active. Be Bold. Be Prayerful.