Re: letter to the editor

["Archie" <archie@moscow.com>]

Bill & Visionaries;
I believe Bill London has hit the nail on the head with this posting.  I shudder to think about the
effects of a system in which every child is exposed only to the biased and often hate-filled
opinions of his or her parents, as would often be the case in the system of private schools
advocated by Doug Wilson.
-Archie George, Moscow

----- Original Message -----
From: "bill london" <london@moscow.com>
To: "Vision2020" <vision2020@moscow.com>; <letters@dnews.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 11:25 AM
Subject: letter to the editor


> letter to the editor
>
>     Responding to Doug Wilson's letter (May 28) about the reason he uses
> the term "government schools" instead of "public schools": I think his
> answer is far less than candid or complete.
>     He claims the term is used "simply in the interests of precision."
>     His answer neglects to include the political agenda behind that
> choice of words.  Wilson is a teacher of logic and rhetoric, he
> certainly understands the power of words to affect perceptions and
> opinions.  I believe he is choosing to use that term because it furthers
> his political goals.
>     The term "public schools" indicates that the educational system
> represents and serves the people.  The public owns the school system,
> and through election of local school boards and votes on levies and
> taxation, controls the public schools.  The schools are inclusive of all
> elements of the public.
>     Wilson seems to scoff at that idea.  He wants a privately-funded
> school system that is very exclusive, educating only those who share his
> specific views and conforming all knowledge to meet his biases.  So he
> created such a system.  That's perfectly legal and certainly OK with me.
>
>     What's not OK with me is an effort to attack, denigrate, and
> ultimately destroy the school system that educates the vast majority of
> Americans.
>     One of the tactics in such an effort is to separate the public from
> their schools, to teach people to view the schools as controlled by an
> external force, like "The Government."  So he calls them government
> schools.
>
> Bill London, Moscow
>