Nolan Finley's latest diatribe has hit a new low of absurdity:

"At a recent conference on the future of the military, an Army major was asked what subject should be emphasized in high school to better prepare young people for military service and encourage them to join up.

I guessed either math, because of the increased complexity and computerization of weapons systems, or physical education, because of the flabby condition of America's youth.

The major's answer: 'Government.'

'I'm not surprised,' says Oakland Circuit Judge Michael Warren, author of 'America's Survival Guide,' which decries the failure of schools to teach the nation's founding principles. 'The lack of understanding about what makes America exceptional in the world has a great impact on the willingness of people to defend America.'

That was the major's point. The U.S. military is scrambling to fill its ranks, increasing bonuses 300 percent and, in the case of the Army, allowing 30 percent of recruits to enlist without meeting quality standards.

An unpopular war is only part of the explanation for the lack of interest in the military. Warren says patriotism has gone out of fashion largely because the schools fail to instill in students a love of country and, worse, overemphasize America's flaws.

'We do not teach the triumphs of America as well as we should,' says Warren, a former State Board of Education member. 'There is a contingent in our classrooms that is all anti-American and emphasizes the blotches and warts. A lot of American history is horrible. But it has to be counter-balanced by all of the wonderful things America has done.

'There's a battle going on in American schools about which approach is going to dominate.'

It's not just the schools. The post-World War II generation -- mine -- grew up immersed in John Wayne heroism, certain of America's right and might.

Today's children don't even have a Rambo to idolize. Most of the recent movies with a military theme cast America as the villain.

'If you look at the television shows, movies and music, and actually much of the political class, there are people out there who seem to want America to fail,' Warren says. 'That gets echoed in the media and trickles down to the schools.'

The solution he recommends in his book is a vigorous civics curriculum that has at its core the nation's founding principles. Currently, Michigan requires just one high school civics course. Warren would mandate government be taught every year, and that the courses always circle back to the Founders.

The purpose is not just to create willing soldiers, but to drill into students the rights guaranteed them by the Constitution, build an understanding of why the rights make America unique and encourage them to fiercely defend their rights against threats from inside and outside the country.

Warren isn't advocating a propaganda campaign. He wants to restore the balance that has tilted too sharply toward a cynical, blame-America lesson plan.

American children should grow up knowing that although their country has its faults, it's built on a foundation of the purest principles. And it's OK to be proud of that."

Oh dear. Where to begin? Practically the only thing I agree with Finley on is that we do need to teach more about government. The functionality, major players, etc. We should also teach comparative government. If he truly means show where America is exceptional, show where we differ. Teach about parliamentary democracies, monarchies, and autocratic dictatorships. Let students decide for themselves what the best form of government is. We shouldn't teach that ours is the greatest. Because if you have to say it, it probably isn't true. Great governments and societies are self-evident; they don't need to be bragged about by the society in which they govern.

But that isn't what Finley, and the official he quotes, means. He means to brainwash students in believing a fairy tale of American superiority and righteousness. It's a fantasy, and just because Finley and the dittohead he quotes want to bury their heads in the sand to the reality of American history doesn't everyone else should either.

Yes, our illegal, immoral, and vastly unpopular war probably is just a part of the reason our armed forces are below their recruiting quotas. As Samuel Johnson wrote, "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." Or George Bernard Shaw: "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it." Patriotism, as Finley would have it, certainly has gone out of style. The blind love of a country, and more specifically its narrow-minded and selfish leaders certainly has shown to be a hollow enterprise in the 21st century. And we shouldn't go back to that. Nor should we ever teach it. If something is virtuous, its virtues demonstrate themselves.

He criticizes those that explain the horrible things our government has done in the past. "Overemphasis" is just a codeword for "not enough right-wing historical propaganda." And what triumphs shall we illustrate? Our centuries-long imperial agenda in South America, which gave rise to not only Fidel Castro, but also Hugo Chávez, FARC, the Colombian drug cartels, dictatorships in Brazil, the Zapatistas, among so many others? Our war on Iraq? Our war in Vietnam? Our cooperation and near-endorsement of the Nazi party before we decided to declare war after Pearl Harbor? Our genocide of the Native Americans and the theft of their land? The Trail of Tears? Slavery? Jim Crow?

It's not that America does not have its virtues; it does. But the ones Finley would like to recognize are probably just right-wing propaganda.

And do we need a so-called "Rambo" to idolize? Does Finley not realize that hero worship, militarism, and violence are some of the most agreed upon prerequisites to a fascist society? Is he joking?

Perhaps one of my most favorite right-wing talking point/propaganda is the accusation that those who point out the terrible crimes of our government, past AND present, are somehow wanting America to fail.

Hardly. In fact, quite the opposite. We point these things out so that we may not repeat the mistakes and atrocities of the past. We look back to the horrors and inhumanity of Jim Crow and slavery so that we need show that racism is not only immoral but also a complete intellectually bankrupt crime, and that the legacy of both Jim Crow and slavery exists. Racism is still here. No, because if you dig deeper into this right-wing fantasy, affirmative action is not necessary, despite historical and sociological evidence to the contrary. We look back to the folly of Vietnam and even World War I to demonstrate the idea that maybe sending young men to die for criminal causes is wrong. But Finley and his idiots don't agree. Because, if they did, we wouldn't be in Iraq right now.

And did he really suggest that these mandatory annual civics courses be designed to create willing soldiers? Really? Again, here comes the sure recipe for fascism in America. While I certainly agree we should teach the Constitution better, frankly an honest historical look at the Constitution brings up glaring contradictions.

The promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness accompanied by the 3/5 compromise. Protections against unlawful search and seizure accompanied by the Patriot Act. Promises of quick and speedy trials by jury accompanied by Guantanamo Bay. Promises of equal protection under the law accompanied by Jim Crow. Not to mention of course all of the promises that all men are created equal yet we only granted women the right to vote in 1920. Or that we talk about liberty yet we prohibited people from consuming alcohol for years, only to rescind that ban later (not to mention our continued racist prohibition on the consumption of marijuana, which arguably is far less harmful to you than alcohol). Or that we only let 21 years olds vote yet at 18 they could have died in war (until 1972).

I could go on. But the point I'm trying to make is that though Finley and his lackey say they don't want a "propaganda campaign", that's exactly what would end up happening if they were given the choice. Our schools do not teach a "blame-America" lesson plan. The ones they're probably referring to teach a far more honest view of American history and government, a corrupt government of kickbacks and campaign contributions and lobbyists than what Finley wants.

To conclude my long tirade against this demand for right-wing fantasy in our schools, I will paraphrase GEO's popular slogan during their campaigns for better wages and benefits against UM: Schools are not factories, teachers are not tools, students are not products.