Michelle Malkin's latest Townhall article points out attempts to indoctrinate young children with liberal philosophies. She points out one example taken from That's Not Fair! A Teacher's Guide to Activism with Young Children:

On page 106 of the guide, co-author Ann Pelo details an activism project she initiated at a Seattle preschool after her students spotted a Blue Angels rehearsal overhead as they played in a local park. "Those are Navy airplanes," Pelo lectured the toddlers. "They're built for war, but right now, there is no war, so the pilots learn how to do fancy tricks in their planes . . . " The kids returned to playing, but Pelo wouldn't let it rest. The next day she pushed the children to "communicate their feelings about the Blue Angels."

Pelo proudly describes her precociously politicized students' handiwork:

"They drew pictures of planes with X's through them: 'This is a crossed-off bombing plane.' They drew bomb factories labeled: 'No.'"

"Respect our words, Blue Angels. Respect kids' words. Don't kill people."

"If you blow up our city, we won't be happy about it. And our whole city will be destroyed. And if you blow up my favorite library, I won't be happy because there are some good books there that I haven't read yet."

Pelo reports that the children "poured out their strong feelings about the Blue Angels in their messages and seemed relieved and relaxed." But it's obvious this cathartic exercise was less for the children and more for the ax-grinding Pelo, who readily admits that she "didn't ask for parents' input about their letter-writing -- she didn't genuinely want it. She felt passionately that they had done the right thing, and she wasn't interested in hearing otherwise."

The freedom that we have here in the United States is wonderful and I fully support Ann Pelo's right to her positions and activism, as much as I disagree with them. However, she definitely has crossed the line in attempting to implement her beliefs and biases into these children. At this age, the children accept all information presented by an authority figure as truth.

Each parent is responsible to provides the formative information for their children throughout their early years. If they intentionally choose an activist daycare and are aware of the specific philosophy that will be taught, then this kind of curriculum is appropriate. However, the action described above was intentionally done in secret. The only description for it is educational dishonesty - presenting one side of an argument in order to persuade small children is not teaching but indoctrination.

There are some who would argue that many parents are not capable of conveying the appropriate doctrine to their children. They argue that the only solution to the problem is universal childcare. This is a huge mistake because it would result in a small number of citizens deciding what universal norms and morals will be taught to all children. I have no issue with fair presentation of ideas and positions when children are old enough to evaluate the evidence and determine their own position. Until they reach that age, their parents serve as the gatekeeper.

Is this a perfect solution? Not in every case, but parents more likely than any other to place their children's needs above their own. Will parents pass their own values on to their children? Yes, and they have every right to do that. As I teach my kids, they receive not only a healthy dose of my own values, but also the reasoning behind them. I also try to prepare them for opposing viewpoints, explaining why some hold those beliefs and why I do not. I can only control their environment for a short time, but I can equip them for success in life once they are on their own.

I pray they will be completely prepared for guerilla teaching strategies like those employed by Ann Pelo.

(Hat-tip to Michelle Malkin)