Hijacking of American Education (eBook)

How Cancel Culture and Critical RaceTheory Destroyed Our Educational System

Robert V. Carabina (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
312 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-6678-7914-7 (ISBN)

Infos

Finally, a book on education that is definitely not boring. A refreshing discussion of the events and social issues which have had an influence on American education. It takes you places where nobody else will dare go. Exposes the destructive influence that 'cancel culuture', 'critical race theory' and 'wokeism' have had on our public schools. Well researched and teeming with facts. Amazing account of the transformation of our public schools spanning a seventy-year period. Very anecdotal in many instances based on the author's personal experiences as a student, teacher, and advocate for better schools. A must read !

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Finally, a book on education that is definitely not boring. A refreshing discussion of the events and social issues which have had an influence on American education. It takes you places where nobody else will dare go. Exposes the destructive influence that "e;cancel culuture"e;, "e;critical race theory"e; and "e;wokeism"e; have had on our public schools. Well researched and teeming with facts. Amazing account of the transformation of our public schools spanning a seventy-year period. Very anecdotal in many instances based on the author's personal experiences as a student, teacher, and advocate for better schools. A must read !

Textauszug

Chapter Two

 

College Years

 

1. Broken Vows

 

Providence College (PC) was my alma mater. It is a Catholic college located in the now sanctuary city of Providence, RI. PC is well-known for its successful basketball program and competes in the Big East Conference. In general, Catholic schools are run either by the Dominican or the Jesuit religious orders of the Catholic Church. The Dominican Friars have the honor of being the gatekeepers at PC. Hence, the school’s nickname is the Providence College Friars. During the years of my attendance, it was an all-male school. In 1970, however, the college decided to admit women and became a co-ed institution commencing with the 1971-1972 academic year. Welcome to the twentieth century, Friars.

The President of the college during my days at PC was a Dominican priest. His official title was Rev. William Paul Haas, O.P. Father Haas had a reputation of being an elusive soul. He was not readily accessible to the students at the college and there were persistent rumors that he was playing “hide the salami” with his secretary. In the case of Haas, the rumors proved true. Short of taking a cyanide capsule, he did the next best thing and resigned as President of the college. Subsequently, he severed all connections to PC and resigned from his faculty position at the school. In 1973, Pope Paul VI granted him a dispensation from his priestly obligations which allowed him the right to marry. Shortly thereafter, he was laicized and married his former secretary. Although he had broken his vows, there is one redeeming quality that may be said about the “good” father. Haas may have run off with his secretary; at least he didn’t run off with the altar boy.

2. Undercover Bob

 

In 1968, I had graduated from college. It was a year of tumultuous events.

The nation bore witness to the assassinations of Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968 and that of Robert F. Kennedy just two months later on June 6, 1968. Furthermore, there were protests against the Vietnam War in cities and on college campuses throughout the U. S. Protesters expressed their displeasure at the number of deaths and casualties suffered by American armed forces in Vietnam. President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) was under scathing attack for the manner in which the war was being conducted by the bureaucrats in Washington, DC. Protesters hurled epithets such as, “LBJ! LBJ! How many boys have you killed today?” Finally, Johnson succumbed to the mounting pressure and declined to run for re-election.

Vice-President Hubert Humphrey was nominated at the Democrat Convention as its standard bearer. Former vice-president and unsuccessful candidate for the presidency in 1960, Richard M. Nixon, was the nominee of the Republican Party. The American Independent Party nominated the Democrat Governor of Alabama, George C. Wallace. After all votes had been counted, Nixon emerged victorious garnering 301 electoral votes to Humphrey’s 191 votes and Wallace’s 46 votes.

In addition, the emergence of the Hong Kong Flu, would leave its mark on the world’s population. The flu was caused by the influenza A (H3N2) virus, which had originated in China. The ensuing pandemic ran its course of sickness and death from 1968 - 1969. At the time, it had the notoriety of being the third influenza pandemic of the 20th century. The Hong Kong Flu had been preceded by the Asian Flu of 1957-1958 and the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919.

Notwithstanding the upheavals of 1968, it was a time for college graduates to seek employment in the workforce. I had wanted to pursue a career in federal law enforcement and had arranged for several interviews with various federal agencies. Illegal drugs were of paramount concern to the government. In order to combat the smuggling of illicit drugs into the U.S., various federal agencies were seeking new hires to work undercover and infiltrate the drug-dealing networks.

Scheduling an interview was not a problem. Getting into the interviewer’s office was a challenge. Anti-war protests were rampant nationwide. Protesters targeted government agencies that were interviewing college graduates. One of their tactics would be to lie down in front of the interviewer’s office to obstruct anybody going into the office for an interview. In my case, I literally had to step over (and sometimes step on) those protesters as I made my way to the interview room.

There were three noteworthy federal agencies who were recruiting potential hires. One was the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI, however, was still under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover was primarily recruiting attorneys and accountants for positions within the agency. In other words, he was looking to hire “suits”. After having led the FBI for forty-eight years, Hoover died in 1972. It was at that time, that the FBI began to undergo changes in its hiring practices. In 1968, however, Hoover continued to exert extreme influence within the agency.

Two, the Health Department was another agency that was interested in recruits. The agency was embarking upon a program to eradicate syphilis in the U.S. The objective was to hire recruits to work undercover in the larger cities. Agents would live among people of dubious character and encourage them to seek treatment for their disease.

Three, there was the U.S. Customs Service. It had three major missions. First, collecting tariff revenue. Second, protecting the U.S. from smuggling operations and illegal goods which threatened our economy. Third, processing people and goods at ports of entry. Customs was interested in hiring me to work undercover in its drive to combat smugglers and illegal goods from entering the U.S. It was an extremely high-risk job and involved long hours of surveillance. If the FBI was a “gentlemen’s club” for “suits”, then Customs was a “blue collar”, “get in your face” type of hazardous endeavor. In addition, Customs had enormous law enforcement powers, even exceeding those of the FBI.

Nothing, however, lasts forever. The U.S. Customs Service, formed in 1789, ceased operations as an independent agency of the U.S. federal government in 2003. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11), it was reorganized under Homeland Security and renamed the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

My interview with the U.S. Customs Service went well and I was offered a position as a field agent. Translation: undercover work. The life expectancy of a field agent was short. I was told that after five years in the field, I would be promoted to a supervisory position. I asked the recruiter to elaborate on that promise. He said that one of three things would happen within that five-year period. One, I would resign from the agency. Two, I would be killed in the line of duty. Three, I would be promoted from field agent to supervisor. Furthermore, I would be given an alias. In the event of my death, the agency would disavow any knowledge of my employment.

The actual work of a government undercover agent is not what Hollywood portrays in its movies. There is no glitz and glitter that comes with the job. And there is definitely no supermodel waiting for you at the end of your assignment.

My tenure at Customs, however, was derailed by the Hong Kong Flu. It was a devastating experience. The doctors didn’t know how to deal with this version of the flu or virus. Antibiotics did not work because the version of the flu I had contracted was viral and not bacterial in nature. My symptoms were a persistent and uncontrollable cough. Moreover, the virus invaded my trachea (breathing tube or windpipe). That was not good. The medical terminology was viral tracheitis. Whenever I had coughed, my windpipe would spasm and I would collapse for lack of oxygen. It was like being a victim of strangulation or drowning. The doctors placed me in a hospital, and I was given oxygen. They also discussed the possibility of a tracheotomy to open up my airways. Additionally, I was given the last rites by a local parish priest. As a last resort, the doctors recommended steroid drugs which mitigated my symptoms. Fortunately, I was able to avoid a tracheotomy.

During that period, I had to restrict my activities, especially those which had required physical exertion. Just walking up a flight of stairs was a challenge. Moreover, there was no way of knowing just how long it would take me to fully recover from the complications of the virus. Therefore, I considered placing on hold my employment at Customs.

Moreover, because of side effects from the prolonged use of the medication, my doctor discontinued its treatment and referred me to a specialist for an alternative treatment plan. It took approximately four years from the onset of the flu (virus) and subsequent medical treatments before I could fully regain my ability to engage in strenuous physical activities.

Not until the pandemic of 2020-2021, did I realize how ill I truly was in 1968 from the Hong Kong Flu. My empathies are with the victims and their families who have suffered the effects from Covid-19. It is my honest opinion, that the doctors of today know little more about Covid-19 than their counterparts did in 1968 about the Hong Kong Flu.

Given my medical condition, I spoke with Customs and informed them of my intent to defer my employment at the agency until I had fully recovered from the effects of the Hong Kong Flu. My intent was to seek employment at a position that would require less strenuous activity. Customs agreed with my decision. They informed me that the agency’s door would be open...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 6.1.2023
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik
• ISBN-10: 1-6678-7914-6 / 1667879146
• ISBN-13: 978-1-6678-7914-7 / 9781667879147