NOTICE

The first book to tell the story of the protest from the words of the protesters is PROTESTER VOICES--The 1974 Textbook Tea Party. For purchasing information CLICK HERE.

"The 1974 Textbook Tea Party"--The book that tells the truth about it

By Al Benson Jr. July 20 (A book review)

Some folks that know me know that my family and I were involved in the Kanawha County public school textbook protest in West Virginia back in 1974-77. This was a time of turmoil in West Virginia, caused by those with a liberal/Marxist mindset who had managed to insert themselves into public school systems all across the country. This had been going on, to one degree or another, for decades. Almost no one woke up and realized they were there until they sought to implement their very dubious curriculum in the public schools in Kanawha County, West Virginia in the Spring of 1974. At that point they met notable opposition from both parents and local preachers who were expecting their kids to be educated, not brainwashed.

The parents and preachers were right. Unfortunately, at that time, they did not really understand the anti-Christ nature of the government, or public school system. As time went on many of them learned, but it was a hard lesson and they found, to their dismay, that when it comes to implementing a globalist curriculum in government schools, against the wishes of parents, the public school system and its minions fight dirty. They found that, when it came to the brainwashing of their children, the government school system couldn't have cared less what the parents wanted. All the parents were there for was to contribute tax money for the globalist subversion of their children (pay up and shut up). If they dared to resist, they were met with government force--sometimes physical. While there we saw some of the results.

The great majority of what has been written about that protest (and there was more than I initially thought) was presented with an obvious left-wing bias--trying to make the protesters appear to be a batch of ignorant, racist rednecks, out of touch with "modern society" (is that all that bad?) who were just not willing to let the "experts" educate their kids.

Finally, thirty-five years after the protest, a book has been written that actually presents the protesters' side of the story. It tells what really went on in Kanawha County, what the protest was really all about, and it exposes many of the dirty tactics employed by the public school system there to break the protest (which it is reported that they had orders from Washington to do), so the kids could be ushered back into Brainwashing 101 as quickly as possible.

The name of the book is "Protester Voices--The 1974 Textbook Tea Party." It was written by Karl C. Priest, who was, interestingly enough, a public school teacher that opposed the vile curriculum. There were several public school teachers there that did oppose it. Mr. Priest goes into the entire textbook controversy.

He shows how it was a forerunner of the conservative dissatisfaction that led, in 1980, to Roland Reagan being elected, and how it has, in its own way, contributed to the current Tea Party Movement. Mr. Priest puts it all in a historical perspective worth reading. When my family and I left West Virginia in 1977 I was disillusioned as to the outcome of the protest and how the establishment "educators" had seemingly shut it down. After reading Mr. Priest's informative book, I realize, in retrospect, that, in the Lord's providence, our time in West Virginia was not wasted. It was one small building block in the construction of God's Kingdom, which, no matter what, will not be stopped.

I strongly recommend this book! I read it, and, after having been there and known some of the people involved, I could not put it down. I could sense the atmosphere of mid-1970s West Virginia as I read it--and boy, did that bring back memories--some good, some not so good.

Like most really worthwhile books, the regular publishing media would not touch this one with a ten-foot pole, and so Mr. Priest had to pay out of his own pocket to get it printed. Needless to say, he didn't do it for the big money involved. It is a notable history of that time and place, and yet another reminder of how low the public school system will go to enforce its agenda on families. Folks, get out of your minds right now the fallacy that the public schools exist to educate. Indoctrination is the real name of their game.

This article was first published at Citizens for a Constitutional Republic. Many more excellent articles by al Benson can be found at http://www.cakewalkblogs.com/antiestablishmenthistory/1974-textbook-tea-partythe-book-tells-truth.aspx.

Also see other related articles by Al Benson: Thirty Six Years Later the Beat Goes On and The Thirty Years War.

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