THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VIII, Issue # 161, August 27, 2006
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
MAKING KIDS ECO-CRAZY
By Alan Caruba
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENTALISM, POLITICAL INDOCTRINATION, & AMERICA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS: INSTILLING
ENVIRONMENTALIST IDEOLOGY IN THE MINDS OF AMERICAN SCHOOL CHILDREN & YOUTH -- POLITICAL
ENVIRONMENTALISTS HAVE BEEN DISSEMINATING THEIR LOONEY PROPAGANDA IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS & POISONIHG
THE MINDS OF CHILDREN & YOUTH
FULL STORY:
It’s back to school time for kids and, of course, for the environmentalist crazies, that means creating a huge mythology of
things that will kill them the minute they venture into the jungle of hazards and horrors that await them in school.
As a school boy, the biggest hazard I encountered was a kid named Mario, who, not surprisingly, ended up in jail. I did not
worry about what my clothes were made from, if the acrylic paints would poison me, or the importance of using both sides
of the piece of paper.
Let’s understand that, for years now, children have been taught that the Earth is virtually on its last legs and that Global
Warming is sufficient for them to abandon all hope of ever being as old as their grandparents, most of whom are probably
already dead from inhaling asbestos, having their lungs destroyed by radon, or being slowly poisoned from having used
pesticides to kill bugs in their bedroom. Plus, those old people all ate fast foods, drank soda, and probably smoked. If they
aren’t dead, they are obviously just a freak of nature.
So you can imagine how thrilled I was to receive an email from something called “EcoMall.com” and described as “one of
the oldest and largest portals for environmental shopping.” According to the folks at EcoMall.com, back-to-school time is
also the perfect time to “start introducing earth-friendly concepts into their children’s everyday lives.”
Or, to put it another way, time to start scaring the living daylights out of them by ruining what fun they might have in the
few, short years of their childhood.
One hardly knows where to begin in the long list of life-threatening things the mere act of going to school involves. For
example:
“Petroleum oil, a non-renewable resource, is used in the manufacture
of chemicals and plastic commonly found in most school supplies.
Environmentally speaking, using supplies made from natural
ingredients is always preferable.”
Wait a minute! Are these loonies telling me that oil is not a “natural” substance produced by the Earth? Are they
suggesting that all chemicals are automatically a hazard? That plastic is a bad thing? Yes, they are. And they are telling
your children this as well.
For the environmentally demented, recycling is as much a religious duty as facing Mecca five times a day is for Muslims.
“Schools should remember to use both sides of the paper, save and reuse paper clips, thumbtacks, rubber bands, etc.,
and recycle newspapers, cans, and bottles.”
Suffice it to say, recycling is expensive, requires a lot of power, and many states and cities have concluded it is a huge
waste of money and manpower. It has no practical value, other than to make people feel bad about using stuff.
EcoMall.com is determined to warn parents to dress their children only in “organic cotton and hemp” because
“conventional cotton cultivation uses 25% of the world’s pesticides.” It is also one of the most popular cloths in the
world and under attack from a wide range of insect predators, such as the famed Boll Weevil. You want cotton? You
have to kill the bugs. EcoMall.com actually says that their cotton products “do not contain toxic pesticides.” What do
you want to bet that ordinary cotton clothing doesn’t either?
It is important, too, to make sure the school only provides “organic food and juice, as well as rBGH-free milk.” Have
you checked the cost of organic food versus the food that all the rest of us buy at the supermarket?
Perhaps most important of all is to “Make your school a toxin-free zone.” Parents should storm the local school board
and demand the use of non-toxic cleaners “which can impact indoor air quality.” Whatever else is going on in school, it
is essential that “toxic pesticides” are not used “in or around the school” because of the “significant health risks to
your children, if exposed.”
Oddly, I know something about pest control, having worked with the industry for several decades. None of the pest
control professionals I have known are bent on killing every child in every school in America. Quite the contrary, they
are concerned with killing the legions of cockroaches, mice, rats, and other disease-spreading pests that routinely
invade school cafeterias and anywhere else food can be found, such as desks, lockers, and the teacher’s lounge!
They fend off pigeons whose droppings degrade school structures and, universally these days, they do this work at
night, when schools are empty. Despite being around pesticides all day, these people actually have families of their
own and their children are as healthy as yours. Many of them go into the business!
Here are just a few of the school items EcoMall.com warns against: magic markers, disposable pens, plastic folders and
notebooks, acrylic paints and scented art products, epoxy or instant bonding glues, artist’s pastel crayons, and glossy
paper used for art projects. You have been warned!
Somewhere in this great land of ours, some eco-scientists are conducting experiments that will conclusively prove that
your children are in more danger in school than if they lived in downtown Baghdad.
It’s all foolishness, of course, but it is a dangerous, malign, and evil foolishness. It adds levels of anxiety to the daunting
challenge of learning anything in today’s horrid schools, which routinely fail to teach the basic knowledge children will
need to survive in a world where the competition will be truly global.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Policy Issues Relating to Energy, Environment,
& Natural Resources
Education & America's Schools
A Practical Guide to Homeschooling
Alan Caruba is a veteran business and science writer, a Public Relations Counselor, and Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a
clearinghouse for information about media-driven scare campaigns. Caruba writes a weekly commentary, "Warning Signs," posted
on the Internet website of the National Anxiety Center, which is located at
www.anxietycenter.com.
© Alan Caruba 2006
Published with Permission of Alan Caruba
ACaruba@AOL.Com
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