Control Freak

   The president said he wants government intervention to prevent terrorists from using the Internet as a recruiting tool.
   At least, that's what he told military veterans gathered in Reno for the annual convention of the American Legion. On the surface, that may sound like a fine idea. But if the government can control or censor one communications medium, it's not a big step to an effort to intervene in other media.
   The result could well be government control and censorship of all communications media, from local newspapers and radio stations to magazines, major metropolitan newspapers and television networks.
   The First Amendment to the Constitution has not (yet) been repealed, and any effort to control communications media would violate the presidential oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
   The president also warned that America's school children are "trapped in government schools." But where would America be without universal basic education for all, in government operated schools at the local level? 
  The tradition of free basic education for all children goes back to the days of the first colonists -- the Pilgrims who arrived in Massachusetts in 1620.
   Their initial goal was to teach reading, especially of the Bible, but the importance of basic education quickly spread, so it became a critical part of the American tradition, regardless of religious affiliation -- or none at all.
   Granted, there may be problems with some school systems, especially in communities that lack the funding for adequate facilities and salaries for teachers.
   But the solution is not to privatize the school system, as promoted by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, but increased funding to improve local school systems nationwide.
   
   Meanwhile, the Washington Post has tracked the number of lies, falsehoods and untruths perpetrated by the president since inauguration. By their count, that number has surpassed the 1,000 mark. That's 214 days since inauguration Jan. 20, or an average of 4.67 lies per day.
   So considering that track record of false speech, why should the public believe anything he says?
   A larger question is whether this pattern of prevarication is a deliberate effort to control the flow of information, both in the press and in the school system, the better to control the activities of American citizens.