Dakota Beacon

One thing we should never question is the absolute durability of the proponents of totalitarianism.  They just never quit.  A few weeks ago, I discussed the fear of Harvard professor Elizabeth Bartholet that people might be taking advantage of the coronavirus shutdown to homeschool their kids.  No telling what damage they might do!

She was in the midst of organizing an important conference, peopled by those of her ilk and mindset, to address this massive threat (it was to have been “invitation-only”).  After all, as she can tell you, there is no reason why these crazy right-wing extremists would want to teach their own kids at home other than making an opportunity to physically abuse them.  Because everyone knows that they are insane Christian fundamentalists and scary red-necks.  Unfortunately her conference ran aground due to the coronavirus itself.  Too bad, because there is no doubt that a lot of revealing commentary would have issued therefrom to put us on notice of the mental derangement of people who teach at Harvard.  

Well, luckily for us, Bartholet didn’t let that stop her.  She went ahead and gave another interview, this one in her favorite - the Harvard Gazette.  Again she stridently accused homeschool parents of abusing their children.  And depriving them of the benefit of the state-approved set of “values” and social mores, substituting instead the far-inferior values and principles in which their parents believe.  Shocking.  And again she beat the old drum about test scores.  I don’t know why she does this, because test scores, whether they are testing academic proficiency, social skills or psychological health, show a strong advantage for the homeschooled children over the public school kids.  

So again she rants, mindlessly and emotionally, without substance to any of her claims, and once again she is debunked.  Utterly.  I would cite studies, but why?  I did last April when she reared her ugly head the first time.  I refer to her again only because again she has spouted off without truth or substance, accusing decent American parents of abusing and neglecting their own children by not turning them over unquestioningly to her kind.  Sorry, Miss Elizabeth.  We aren’t buying it.  Bartholet is disingenuous, dishonest and unscrupulous in her allegations against honest and serious homeschool parents.  Homeschool is not the easiest or cheapest form of school - for some it means a parent must stay home instead of earn a second income.  For all it means taking on a great responsibility.  This isn’t hooky that is producing high achievers in academic subjects.  And she really should be sued by parents for her specious and malicious accusations that they are locking their kids in closets or beating them.  I honestly believe that parents should initiate a class-action suit here.  Until someone does she will continue to libel every decent homeschooling parent.  

And to all those otherwise sane pundits like Ben Shapiro and Pam Geller - stop with the “back to school” message.  Yes, it would be a good idea, it seems, to stop with the shutdown and begin to restore sanity to our world and health to our economy, but the last thing we should wish for is more time for our kids in the public schools.  Unless what you want is homework involving hard-core, transgender porn.  Truly, the one silver lining we might find in this miserable lockdown is that people are homeschooling their kids now, and teaching them decent American values instead of communist propaganda and offering lewd drag story hours.