I’m a supporter of the American public schools, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any criticisms at all. I’ve heard the public schools being called “indoctrination centers” from every flavor of critic, but those critics don’t seem to agree on the fictional or factual indoctrination that’s happening. My favorite are the Christians who believe that their kids are being indoctrinated into secularism, while the rest seem to think that the public schools are sneaking Jesus into the lessons. I think that I’d have happily sided with the folks who felt that were of the opinion that Christianity was being scraped out of the public school systems, however it looks like that movement in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana recently have suggested that the American Wahhabists are having their way in the government.

To be fair to “public schools are indoctrination centers” - I lack the imagination to envision a public school system that could exist within a healthy democracy that wouldn’t have someone from some quarter leveling that charge. It’s impossible, and, to a degree, should be impossible.

One of the things that I had drilled into my head that I’m quite happy to leave there is a hatred of the monarchy. When the government under which I was born and live was founded - it separated from a monarchy that it felt was tyrannical and established itself as a republic. That same public school system didn’t really bother explaining to me what a “republic” is, but it’s, very generally put, “not a monarchy”. The ruling class cannot be fixed - it must change. Having a person who claimed to have permission from the divine to rule over all people and be the principal beneficiary of all of the country’s economic activity is a fraud and a theft. I’m happy to report that, to the best of my knowledge, never in my life have I met an American monarchist. If I had my way, this country would cease any and all economic activity with a country that had a functional or even traditional monarchy - including England.

As that same public school system didn’t really spend much time on how other countries politics or government operated, I was surprised to find out more than two decades after graduating with a high school diploma that there are many countries who have oaths to the king or queen of England when their officials take office. How disgusting. There are the “Commonwealth of Nations”, which are essentially the countries that Britain claimed as colonies during the early 1900’s.

Fortunately, our friends in New Zealand and in Canada are giving some push back on these insane oaths of loyalty to monarchs.

From The Guardian: ‘Charles’ or ‘skin rash’? Māori MPs’ oath of allegiance to king sparks translation debate, in which three members of New Zealand’s Te Pāti Māori party likely replaced King Charles name in the translation to a word that meant “skin rash”. From the BBC: Canada town council gets alternative after refusal to take King’s oath, in which incoming town council members declined to take a similar oath in solidarity with an Indigenous council member who took issue with pledging allegiance to the representative of the government who leveled genocide against their ancestors.

End all monarchies. End all theocracies.