Comments about ‘Parents oppose wording on Alpine School District materials’

Oh - my- heck.

I guess when teaching about presidential elections, these parents would also like teachers to say there is only one party that runs for president each year. If the candidate read the curriculum, they would see there is no leftist agenda in it. Good gravy people. Education is about presenting ideas from all angles and letting people form their own conclusions. If it were up to these people, students would read books written by Hannity and Limbaugh.

This is embarrassing. But... on a lighter side, who would have ever thought that Utah County would not be conservative enough for someone. I am trying to laugh it off and consider this entertainment but, unfortunately, it affects my children and their education. The antics of this group leaves a bad taste in my mouth and a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

The Alpine Board of Education is a representative form of government. Not a democracy. The citizens of the district do not vote on the education issues, through a democratic vote they elect representatives, which create the Board of Education, who makes the decisions on the issues.

The Democracy Project that Alpine is tied to is a socialist push to change the United States from a Republic to a pure Democracy. Thus ASD has become an indoctrination tool of those wishing to destroy our Republic.

They actually used the terms "democracy" and "social"? This can only mean one thing- socialism is at play here. Nay, communism! Fire those sneaky fanatic educators now! Make Glenn Beck principal, and have the students recite the pledge of allegiance 5 times a day!

There is quite a bit of difference between a Republic and a Democracy. The United States of America is a representative Republic based on Democratic principles. As a result, national elections are determined by the Electoral College rather than a majority vote.

I'm not sure why writing an essay entitled "America: Republic or Democracy" would be a bad thing. Obviously some folks in the Alpine District leadership don't understand the difference between the two concepts as evidenced by their mission statement and the wording on the district mural.

Mural: "Enculturating the Young in a Social and Political Democracy"

Motto: "Educating all students to ensure the future of our democracy."

We do not pledge allegiance to our Democracy, but rather, "...to the Republic, for which it stands..."

I don't know if the Alpine District is purposefully promoting a liberal agenda in an effort to overthrow our Republic in favor of a Democracy. I doubt it; however, their wording used on the mural and in their motto shows an abysmal lack of understanding regarding what the United States of America really is.

To you skeptics on this thread, before you go shooting off your mouths against these parents why don't you actually do your homework, look up the essay by Meyers, go to his website and see if you agree with it. See if you agree that families should be limited to two children, that young girls should be given abortions on demand without the notification of parents among the other absurdities. Go and look up the definitions of "Social Democracy" and "Political Democracy" among defining the term "Enculturating". Go and find out about the other issues brought up.

You may well think that we just live in a democracy, but I ask you, do you enjoy electing representatives or would you rather have a mobocracy? Have you even read and studied the Constitution of the United States?

To Karen, Wow, Highland Resident and Ryan, before you mock others because you disagree with them, please thank a soldier who fought to defend the Constitution of the United States and your right to your own opinions.

Why would a direct democracy be socialist? The will of the people would choose socialism? Is that really what these parents believe?

Study, people. Our founders spoke against democracy, Marx and other socialists praised democracy. We elect representatives to govern, and as our founders said, they must be wise, moral people. Democracy allows the majority to take away the rights of the minority. Study these things and you'll see. It's obvious the district is also ignorant and they don't recognize the socialist terminology, but like too many, rely on mainstream teaching, which is socialist. Woodrow Wilson, working with John Dewey, said the principle aim of public education is not to prepare students for the world but to make them as different from their fathers as possible. The schools surely are turning the hearts of the children away from the fathers. Talk to students, ask them questions, and you'll see.

...Oh My!
Gosh, when will such insanity (inanity) end? Oh yeah, maybe it won't -- because Fear is the Mind Killer ... our country is not hanging by a thread, and if it were, it'd largely be the result of laissez-faire capitalism run amok (think Health Care, Wall Street) -- cases of Adam Smith's invisible hand slapping us silly.
All that socialism at its core means is putting the We before the Me.
Have we forgotten our roots ... early Mormonism(Orderville) is the epitome of socialistic principles.

The writers of the US Constitution in 1787 debated for WEEKS how to make SURE this nation did NOT deteriorate into a Democracy, which they, correctly, feared would lead to anarchy. Look at the African experience where, nation after nation has experienced factional anarchy and often genocide after becoming "democracies." George Washington viewed the factionalism of Democracy the greatest threat to unity.
The lengthy discussion at the ASD board meeting last night began after the board and the 200 person audience recited the Pledge of Allegience in which all appearted to be personal pledging their allegience to the "republic" for which the flag stands, not to the "democracy" for which the flag does NOT stand.

The board are not bad people. They are apparently uninformed. The voters need to replace them in November with better informed citizens who will figure out a way to keep links to socialist websites from mysteriously appearing on the School District website and on the walls of the Board's meeting room.

The question isn't one of semantics, it's one of principle. To 'enculturate' is the idea of removing the culture that one has and replacing it with another. In other words, take away what has been taught by the parents, and provide another 'culture', not better understanding of reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. In discussing government, it is a question of individual liberties versus liberties granted by the government. Democracies allow for liberties to be granted by the 'majority'. If the majority votes to take away my house or enculturate my children, are my individual liberties protected? No. Our Republic is based on the idea that each individual has rights that can't and shouldn't be removed, just by virture of their existence, that those rights come from "the Creator", someone or something outside of government. If government bestows those rights, government can take them away, inalienable no more. "The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind." --Thomas Jefferson, 1790 "Between a republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos." --Chief Justice John Marshall

I don't want a school district with a mural or motto like that doing any enculturating of my kids! I looked up the definition, and yeah, I don't really like it. It is too close to indoctrinate; it might as well mean brainwash. Of course, what are semantics? Republic/Democracy--same thing, right? NO! Words have meaning! Democracy=bad. (Constitutional) Republic=good. Socialism=bad. Capitalism=good. Failure=bad. Prosper=good. I give the Alpine School District an F on their motto and mural. I will allow an opportunity to revise, though. :)

The "we" before the "me" is the leaders. If you were a Mormon in China, or USSR, or Cuba, or Venezuela you would not be able to exercise your freedom of speech or religion. The first thing that your "we" do is take away the freedom of speech and kill the opposition. In socialism your mormonism will never flourish. You are the enemy there. Capitalism protected these freedoms for you.

It is unfortunate that this article contains a number of inaccuracies/falsehoods! The reporter says that people only became concerned when a link to a radical website was mistakenly put on the districts website. This is FALSE. People have been talking about this with the board for years! And "enculturating" hasn't MORPHED into a liberal word - type it in yourself. It has no recommended spelling because it is a NEW word. It's consider by professors to be a "squishy" word - but when you look it up in an online dictionary, it means "adapting to" or "assimilating", and that is what has always meant. And while you are at it, look up "social democracy" on the web. If that's what you want taught to your kids, I would humbly suggest a move to a socialist country. I personally prefer my child be taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, right here in the good old US of A!

Laissez-faire health care? Where've you been? How long has the government regulated and funded health care and insurance? Now, we do have laissez-faire in lasik surgery, and how has the market affected that? The United Order was based on free agency- you weren't killed or jailed or fined for not participating. Socialism is based on force, and who prefers force to free agency? Facts, not fear. Think.

Republics are just as likely to become socialist as any any other form of government. Since socialism is a type of economic system any government can be socialist. CHina is a Communist (extreme socialism) Republic, so is North Korea, so was the USSR, and don't forget the Islamic Republic of Iran.

These parents think that we need to return to how the constitution was in 1800. They want to ignore all the things that have changed in our country since then and believe that only a return to the views of 1800 will allow country to be the best it can be. These type of views are shared by many in the world- a return to how things used to be. Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Fascists- Mussolini wanted to bring back the glory of Rome, Timothy McVeigh- Oklahoma city bomber, etc.
Extremist views should not be given credence by our politicians or school boards.

I am Highland Resident and I do thank a soldier who risked his life for the country. He not only risked his life, but had the unfortunate job of determining which soldiers he commanded would die on a given day. He knows about defending freedom, he knows what it is to carry bodies, the overwhelming stench of blood and decay. He's lived it. And is highly decorated for it. He lived it for 30 years. I thank him often and see him everyday. I'm married to him. And his opinion of the whole democracy/republic issue is that it is laughable. A waste of time at best and dangerous fanaticism at worst.

The American Constitional Republic is based on Natural Law or the Law's of God. Among those, the right to Life, Liberty and Property. These are rights given to us by God - not Government. The US Constitution is there to protect us from those who would take those rights away. The reason this discussion is so important, is because there are people who wish to take away our rights and rule over us. Their method of attack is not a "frontal assault", but rather subversion and a step-by-step altering ("dressing-up") of words in order to slowly divert us from correct principles that maintain freedom. By the apparent acceptance of the words and phrases contained in ASD's literature, buildings and website it is plain to see that the frog is being slowly boiled. We mock and disregard these warnings from history at our own peril.