Cal Thomas devotes his latest Washington Examiner column to the textbook wars in the Lone Star State:
The left started this war by attacking what was for years taken for granted about America, most especially that we are an exceptional country. The proof is the number of people who want to come here and the selflessness displayed by our citizens in the treasure we’ve spent and the blood we’ve spilled on behalf of others.
Too many on the left seem embarrassed by America’s prosperity and standing in the world. The right seems just as committed to tearing the country down, literally and figuratively.
When liberals rewrite textbooks, inserting their own spin on history, they are said to be engaging in academic freedom. When conservatives attempt to do the same, they are called censors, bigots, anti-scientific and worse.
Surely conservatives can acknowledge that slavery and the civil rights movement are important subjects to study. And just as surely, liberals ought to acknowledge the contributions made to America by people who were motivated by their faith in God; that Ronald Reagan was a force in bringing down Soviet communism; and that the sovereign state of Israel is a democracy and beacon of freedom in a tough neighborhood.
The discussion reminds me of Thomas’ recent address to a John Locke Foundation Headliner audience in Wilmington: