American Cant

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Such is the Wickedness of some men, and the stupid Servility of others, that one would almost be inclined to conclude that Communities cannot be free.  —Sam Adams

Much American public discourse—the larger part—is made up of false impressions and invalid assumptions, what sensible people used to call cant, that are designed to disguise and support the wickedness of power seekers.  For instance:

Spending more money leads to better education.

More and better buildings and equipment lead to better education.

More well-paid administrators lead to better education.

The purpose of education is to get a good job.

Education guarantees getting a good job.  (Ceased to be true some time ago.)

Spectator sports are an essential part of education.

Spending more money leads to a better national defense.

Occupying foreign countries is national defense.

Occupying foreign countries helps them to achieve democracy.

Affirmative action leads to equal opportunity for all.

Abraham Lincoln was a saintly man.

School integration has been a world-class success.

Disarming law-abiding citizens will increase public safety.

Television newspersons are well-informed and fair.

Israel is an indispensable ally.

The Bill of Rights was given us by the Founding Fathers so the government could guarantee us our rights.

The Constitution requires “a wall of separation” between government and religion, especially Christianity.

The Constitution proclaims democracy and  that “all men are created equal.”

All Presidents are basically decent  and well-meaning (except possibly Nixon).

America’s primary task today is to “defeat terrorism.”

The Federal Reserve Chairman is a very wise man who knows how to “manage” the economy.

The Constitution establishes the Democratic and Republican parties.

John F. Kennedy, for his charm and intelligence, was a universally admired President.

The best way to stop the incredibly lucrative illegal drug trade is to put drug users in jail.

Americans cruelly stole land from Mexico.

American settlers (from whom a majority of “Americans” are no longer descended) stole land from the Indians.

The United States is a democracy where the people rule.  (You have to be really dumb after the last few weeks not to figure out that the United States is a plutocracy.)

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