by Jason A Clark How many of us think of Sweden as being a place where personal freedom doesn’t exist? Sweden is, in fact, a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government and a highly developed economy. It ranks first in the world in The Economist’s Democracy Index and seventh in the United Nation’s Human Development Index. It is the third largest country in the European Union in terms of area, and it has a total population of over 9.2 million. Yet Sweden has just taken away a freedom from its citizens that many here in the US exercise on a daily basis.
Having complete control over the education of the youngest members of the State is always an integral part of controlling a population. The 20th Century is littered with examples of State run indoctrination of the youth. Believe it or not, this is exactly the sort of thing many people want to do here in the US. There has been much talk over the past several years of outlawing home schooling and forcing parents to subject their children to government controlled education. You see, the powerful, who do not wish to give up power or who wish to control the destiny of a nation, know that they must control the minds of the youth in order to control the nation tomorrow. In such an environment there is nothing more dangerous to the powers that be than parents who teach their children at home where the indoctrination cannot take hold. I’m sure many think this could never happen in the United States, but they are wrong. It could. We must always be mindful of the possibility and we must always refuse to let our freedoms be taken from us without a fight. http://jasonaclark.com/2009/08/20/sweden-outlaws-home-schooling/ |