(Note: Republished from March 2, 2010)

"At twenty years of age, the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgment." — Ben Franklin (1706-1790)

THE COMING CULTURE WAR WILL BE BETWEEN THE 20-SOMETHINGS WHO VOTED FOR OBOMA AND THOSE INFLUENCED MORE BY MA AND PA. Benjamin Franklin was born over 300 years ago, but the efforts of his mother and father are still bearing good fruits today. His quote above is the opening statement in the Preface of my book, "Massey-Harris 101." Then comes this:

"It will come as no surprise to anyone who has listened to a commencement speech in the last ten years to know that a spirit of elitism has been fostered among students — and deliberately — by politicians . . Not so well known is the fact that many professors pander this same line to their classes . . telling them how smart, how well educated they are . . .

"The words of politician and professor combine to reinforce the usual late-teenage ignorance; students at this age already assert their self-superiority . . professors pander to their audience and help the student to believe what his feelings of inadequacy have led him to assert: that he is smart and educated, that youth equates with eternal wisdom, that age equates with obstinacy and wrongness, and that the past has no lessons for the present. .

"They feel no obligation to family or society or country; in their quest for identity they place self above all those things that history has taught to be important. They feel themselves above everything. Thus they believe they are justified in using violence to enforce pacifism; they can shout down speakers with viewpoints in opposition to their own . . .

"In short, their attitude of elitism leads them to believe they know better what is best for the country than do older or less educated yokels, and they intend to give it to the country whether it wants their solutions or not."

Those words came from a 1973 book by an anonymous college professor ("This Beats Working for a Living"; Arlington House). The "conclusion" of my Preface is this:

"John Stuart Mill wrote about 'the tyranny of prevailing opinion,' but the 'prevailing' culture of his day has undergone a 180-degree inversion, and the tyranny of Left-wing academe is the new 'conventional wisdom,' with devastating societal consequences. The worst 'monopoly' in the world currently is the monopoly of Thought in Higher Education."

A fool at forty is a fool indeed.

- Andrew Young (1683-1765)

PRESIDENT OBOMA SAYS HE READS 10 LETTERS FROM CHILDREN EVERY NIGHT. I suspect that it's been a long, long time since he's read anything from John Stuart Mill or Benjamin Franklin, so here are some "letters from kids" who have actually heard of the Founding Fathers.

Dear Mr. President: I am 5 years old and I have been home-schooled for three years. My mom says that 2 + 2 is 4. What was it when you were in school? My dad says you must not have the slightest idea." — Joshua

Dear Mr. President: I am 6 years old. I go to a private school. My question is: As a Constitutional lecturer, what do you think the original purpose of the Constitution was? My mom says you must not have the slightest idea." — Becky

Dear Mr. President: I am 7 years old and I would like to have a bicycle, but my dad says he is going to wait and see if you make us buy health insurance. So what's it going to be — a bicycle or health insurance that I don't need?" — Jacob

Dear Mr. President: I am 8 years old and live on a dairy farm. I have been doing chores since I was just a little kid — most of my life actually. My question is, why should people who dropped out of high school and have never worked get free milk? — Daniel

P.S. I know how to drive a tractor and a truck, but I don't have a bicycle yet. My dad says he's waiting to see if we have to buy health insurance or go to jail.

Dear Mr. President: I am 9 years old and we are studying philosophy in my parochial school. Some people use salt to melt ice and some people use salt to make ice cream. Do you think we will ever find out who's right? — Sarah

Dear Mr. President: I am 10 years old and I read the New York Times. The other day Al Gore said that the seas are evaporating, but some people think the seas are rising. Do you ever think we will find out the truth? — Isaac

Dear Mr. President: I am 11 years old and go to a public school. My teacher says that she knows for sure that Thomas Jefferson had a child by a slave. I didn't know my teacher was that old. — Ann

Dear Mr. President: I am 12 years old and go to a big city school. My sex ed teacher keeps hitting on me. Please advise ASAP. My place or hers? — [name withheld]

"All is flux." — Aristotle (384-322 BC)

"Democracy passes into despotism." — Plato (429-347 BC)

More to come.

P.S. Some notes from the week that was:

On February 24, the state senate in Vermont took the first step toward shutting down an operating nuclear power plant. Just a few days before, the President verbally committed to the building of a new nuke facility in Georgia. Last year, the President went to Dover one morning to verbally show respect for our soldiers, but that afternoon Ft. Hood got shot up by an insider. Am I detecting a pattern here or what?

The Bible says that "when they shall say 'Peace, Peace' sudden destruction shall come upon them." I just wish people would stop saying that! And watch what they do, not what they say; the other day the Prez verbally committed to "improving" public education, but I'm hearing that some people may have other motives, such as creating a cadre of young Obomaniacs for future use. Stay tuned.

PPS: Pray for America, and pray for the people of Chile and Haiti. We need it, and they need it. I am aware that people are suffering slow deaths down there. I dealt with the philosophical question, "How can God allow such suffering?" in a column after the quake and tsunami off Indonesia. See here:

www.renewamerica.com/columns/dahlgren/050105