This past Saturday morning I got a call from a young woman claiming to be from Gallup Researchers, the ones who take polls that are then quoted on the news and used by elected officials to make policy decisions on a wide range of subjects. The particular poll she was conducting concerned education in America, and since I’m an educator, of sorts, I thought, “Hell yeah, I’ll participate.”

At first the polling questions were rather mundane; asking me what was my highest level of education and whether I felt the education I had received was helpful in my current job. However, then she got to the meat and potatoes by asking me, “On a scale of 1 to 5 how would I describe the education I received from the public school system?” I answered by saying a 1, but before she could get another word out of her mouth I added the caveat that I don’t believe I got an education, I believe I received an indoctrination and it has taken me most of my life to free my mind of all the bullshit, (and yes I used that word) I’d been fed in school about our country’s history and its system of government.

For a moment I thought she’d hung up on me as there was a prolonged moment of silence on the other end of the phone that was almost palpable. Eventually she must have regained her composure because she started asking questions again. I just wish I’d been in the same room as her just so I could have seen the expression on her face when I said those things.

In my defense she did tell me to be completely honest; I guess she wasn’t prepared for someone who likes to be brutally honest.

There is a scene from the movie adaptation of Pink Floyd’s classic album, The Wall, that contains a disturbing scene that is pretty representative of my thoughts on public education. The scene is accompanied by the song, Another Brick in the Wall and begins when the teacher encounters a young Pink writing song lyrics (poems) in class, but the disturbing part comes when it shows the students, with faceless masks, marching steadily into a meat grinder.

I can’t speak for Roger Waters, the bass player/vocalist responsible for the concept the produced The Wall, but I see that scene, and the song itself, as a metaphor for the entire public school system, “We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control.”

It is my belief that our schools should be teaching children how to think, not what to think. Yet if you were to ask any high school graduate to explain why America had a Civil War, most of them would probably answer that it was fought to end slavery in America; which is a blatant lie.

In his first Inaugural Address Lincoln said that it was not his intent, or purpose, to interfere with the institution of slavery, and that he had no lawful right to do so. In a letter to Horace Greeley, Lincoln said his goal was to save the Union, not free the slaves. In fact, in the debates leading up to the Presidential election of 1860 Lincoln said THIS about the black man, “I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.” (Source: Lincoln’s 4th Debate with Stephen Douglass)

Can you picture anyone saying that today; the angry backlash they would face? Yet those were Lincoln’s thoughts on the black man, and he is touted as the man who freed the slaves; the Great Emancipator, and that those evil Southerners were only trying to keep them in bondage. If that’s the case, why did Lincoln support the ratification of the Corwin Amendment, which ironically would have become the 13th Amendment; which did the exact opposite of what the current 13th Amendment does; instead of freeing the slaves it would have made slavery permanent and irrevocable. Yeah, Lincoln said that too, in his Inaugural Address. Yet you are taught that the Confederacy were the bad guys, that Lincoln is a hero to be idolized – in short you were indoctrinated regarding this crucial period of American History.

What else might you have been indoctrinated about?

Before I get to that I need to discuss something else. It is my belief that there are 4 stages of political awareness in America. Stage 1 covers those who don’t pay much attention to politics at all; those who watch a lot of TV, play a lot of video games, but can’t tell you who the current Vice President is or how many articles there are in the Constitution. Stage 1 people either don’t care about government, or they have just given up; believing that government is going to go on doing whatever it wants to do regardless of what they have to say about it, so why bother getting involved?

Stage 2 consists of those who call themselves politically active. They are the people who pay attention to the news, watch the political debates, and choose sides between the so-called liberals and conservatives; basing most of their political decisions along party lines and their position on key issues such as taxes, immigration, abortion, and national defense.

Then there are the Stage 3 people; those who have taken the time to learn a little bit about the Constitution – or a lot about it in some instances. Stage 3 people believe that government has become corrupted by politicians and the outside influence of special interests and the Deep State, or Shadow Government. Stage 3 people believe that if we could just restore our country to a truly Constitutional form of government then all would be well in the land of the free. Stage 3 people are those who belong to many of the so-called Patriot movements; the Tea Party, the Oathkeepers, those who follow Alex Jones and Infowars, and those who fall into any manner of other sub-groups that promote the idea of limited government under the Constitution. People often stop their quest for knowledge at Stage 3, thinking they have learned all they need to know. That is, to put it mildly, a fatal belief and keeps you enslaved to a system that was designed to fail – but more on that later.

People in Stages 1-3 consist of, probably, 95%-99% of the people in this country; with 99% being a more realistic number. At the same time Stage 3 people most likely only consist of about 5% of the people in Stages 1-3.

You see, I think there is a direct relationship between how much one has learned about their system of government, and the history of their country, and the number of people in this country who have shown the same initiative; the more you have learned, the fewer people you will find of like minds.

Imagine you are sitting at street level in some crowded city. Your view of the world is limited to the buildings immediately facing you and the street you’re standing upon. Now if you were to climb atop the roof of a house you could see a bit further; possibly one or two city blocks. From that perspective you can see things that others do not. Now imagine you were to climb atop the roof of some high rise; you could see MUCH farther; maybe thinking you could see all there was to see. BUT, if you climbed into an airplane or helicopter and broke free of gravity’s bond, you could see much more. Then if you were to climb into a rocket ship and leave Earth’s atmosphere you could see even more.

Now if you were to transpose knowledge for height, and your view of your surroundings with the history of your country and your government, then that metaphor might make some sense when it comes to understanding why a complete and thorough education, (one in which you have been taught the truth) is so vitally important if you truly want to make informed decisions.

If you are basing your decisions upon what you have been taught in school you are basing those decisions upon lies, or at best, incomplete truths. That should bug the hell out of people; but it sure doesn’t seem that it is of much concern to the overwhelming majority of people I meet. In fact, most people seem to be quite content in their ignorance – with their indoctrination.

Now if you will recall I mentioned that there are 4 Stages of political awareness, but I only discussed 3 of them. I intentionally left out Stage 4 because it may come as a shock to some of you. You see there is something I have learned on this journey of mine; that being that the higher up the ladder of knowledge you go, the harder it becomes to accept some of the things you discover.

Going back to my metaphor, if you live your entire life at ground level, never leaving your street, you might never know, and be shocked to learn, that there is a landfill or military base just a couple blocks away. From your perspective the only things you know about your world are what your eyes can see from your perspective. As you get higher, your perspective broadens; and the same goes for knowledge; the more you learn the more your perspective on things expands.

I don’t want to go too much into this, but there is a cult classic called Dark City about a guy who can’t sleep at night and sees things that others do not. What he sees is that people suddenly fall asleep at night and that the city is being rearranged while they sleep. He learns that there are forces, (people), who are controlling and manipulating people; altering their identities and moving them around like pieces on a chessboard. He finally discovers that his is on a planet far away from Earth and that he has no idea of who he is, only that he has the power to change his world to his liking.

You see, I see that film as a metaphor for us here in America. Most people are blind to what’s really going on around them; they live their lives believing whatever they have been taught and never questioning those in ‘positions of authority.’ From my perspective they are the Stage 1 and Stage 2 people; mindless automatons who go to work, pay their taxes, obey the law, get a job, and then go home and do whatever it is they do to be entertained. They do not realize, nor do they care to learn, the lie they are living. Stage 3 people are those who have begun to awaken from their slumber, but whose quest for the truth is, as of yet, incomplete.

Stage 4 people comprise maybe 2% of the people; maybe even less. They are considered by most to be radicals and their thoughts and opinions are almost considered heresy or sacrilegious. I consider myself to be a Stage 4 person, just recently having made the transition from Stage 3 to Stage 4; and I’m still coming to grips with the things I have learned.

While the Stage 1 people could care less, the Stage 2 & 3 people believe in the system; the Constitution and the government it produced. They believe that, either the government IS adhering to the Constitution, and that all we need to do is elect more people from their party to fix things, or that the government has been hijacked and if we could just return it to its truly constitutional form, then all will be well in America.

Stage 4 people don’t buy any of that shit; they have learned that the Constitution gives us exactly the government it was intended to; a corrupt, all powerful one designed to control and manipulate the lives of the people and benefit the elites.

This knowledge did not come easy; it came when we devoted the time required to studying carefully the debates held in the various State Ratification Assemblies and the arguments both for and against ratification of your precious Constitution.

There was no overwhelming cry for our system of government to be altered or abandoned back in 1787; the furor was created when those seeking more power over us, and the States told of dire threats that threatened the very Union itself if they were not addressed. So delegates were chosen to attend a convention in Philadelphia to come up with proposals for amendments that would strengthen the existing government and make it strong enough to meet the needs of the Confederacy – which is what America was at the time.

At least that is what the States, and the people were told was happening behind closed doors in Philadelphia. What actually was happening was the lawyers and politicians were devising an entirely new system with enough features to make it appear federal in form, (one whose power applied to the States, not the people), but was constructed in such a manner that almost assured that it would obliterate State authority and subjugate the people under its jurisdiction.

It is interesting to note that the loudest voices for liberty during the Revolution were NOT in attendance at the convention which produced the Constitution. Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Samuel Adams all were notably absent.

While you might be thinking I am implying that we were given a system doomed to fail, you would be wrong. We got exactly what they intended; a system designed to produce the exact government we have today.

When cancer first enters into the human body and begins growing, its effects are not even noticeable. It is only when it has grown and expanded the area it covers that one begins noticing the effects – that is if they are paying attention. At this stage you can ignore the symptoms, or seek to excise the cancer, make the necessary changes to your diet and restore your health back to normal.

Well the Constitution was a cancer that was introduced in 1787; and the sad thing is that the delegates attending the State ratification debates welcomed it into their lives. If you look at the history of our government, you will see that with each succeeding generation government grew stronger and the State authority diminished – which was what the drafters wanted all along.

They keep us divided, all the while proclaiming the wondrous virtues of our democracy, the whole time they are plotting and scheming how to further diminish our liberty and deprive the States of any last vestiges of authority.

They tell us we have a choice in the direction our government, and our country takes due to the fact that we can vote for either Republicans or Democrats; two arms of the same Leviathan monster that is destroying all that the Patriots of 1776 fought for.

While I used to think that by restoring State sovereignty we might forestall the eventual downfall of America, and possibly even restore Constitutional government in America; that was the futile dreams of a Stage 3 person…now I know better. The same cancer of divisiveness, (fostered and nurtured by the press and our educational system) is alive and thriving in our States; meaning that the States have all but become branches of the same corporate monster headquartered in Washington D.C.

Having just recently made the transition from Stage 3 to Stage 4 I cannot say with any certainty that there is a solution to the problem in this country; I am only aware of its existence and the root cause behind it – parchment worship; this insane belief that our Constitution outlines the best form of government ever produced by man.

I can almost picture the gears in your heads moving now, “Neal has finally lost his mind; it’s time we called the men in white suits and have him taken away to the loony bin.” Well, I could provide plenty of quotes to back my position up, but I know from previous experience that they would fall upon dear ears and closed minds. Just know this, I can support my position based upon the things that were said and written during the period which saw our Constitution come into existence, and become the Supreme Law of the Land.

Can you support your steadfast faith in its ability to restrain government and defend your liberty?

I thought not.

Well maybe it’s high time you stopped believing everything you have been told and start digging through the history of the founding of this country so that you can uncover the truth for yourselves – before the Ministry of Truth, (public education and the Politically Correct Media) completely erases it. Your country needs you; are you going to answer its call, or are you going to sit back in the comfort of your homes and accept the absolute bondage that your inaction almost assures is coming.

As Thomas Paine said in his Crisis Letters, “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.”

Knowledge is the key, but you won’t find it on TV and you won’t get it from your history books – you are going to have to dig for it. I did, and if I can do it, so can you.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming…

~ The Author ~
Neal Ross, Student of history, politics, patriot and staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Send all comments to: bonsai@syix.com.

If you liked Neal’s latest column, maybe you’ll like his latest booklet: The Civil War: (The Truth You Have Not Been Told). Life continues to expand for this prolific writer and guardian of TRUE American history.