PRESS: No place for paranoid ideas

I was disappointed when I read the “My Turn” column last week regarding the IB curriculum in our schools, particularly in light of your previous editorial to limit the debate to non-conspiracy matters. The writer contended that the IB curriculum is an anti-American plot.

We know that there are people like that in North Idaho but I don’t think you should be dedicating editorial space to them and their paranoid views. The Aryan Nations are making a comeback in the area but it is not appropriate to publish the Nazi manifesto at their behest nor do you have to give every wingnut and his conspiracy theories editorial space. We already get plenty of that in the letters to the editor section.

I am not implying that school district policies are beyond debate but let’s limit that debate to rational matters.  As we claw our way out of the great recession I can understand the point of view that in the current economy, we can’t afford such luxuries as the IB curriculum. That is a point worthy of debate although personally I would argue vigorously against that point. As we try to rebuild our economy it seems to me to be more important than ever to invest in the education of our young people who we will be depending on to carry on our nations business.

Years ago there was a homeless man who lived on Hollywood Boulevard that wore an aluminum foil hat and waved an aluminum foil covered cardboard “sword”. He spoke mostly gibberish and contended that the Martians were coming and the aluminum foil hat was the only way to protect against Martian mind control. The notion of anti-Americanism imbedded in the IB school curriculum reminds me of the aluminum foil hat theory. Perhaps that is not a good analogy. On second thought, the aluminum foil hat makes a lot more sense.

 JOHN McLEOD

Coeur d’Alene