The Oklahoma House Common Education Committee has advanced a bill that would ban Advanced Placement U.S History curriculum in the state because, if we don't stop it, students may learn that America isn't perfect and that we've done a few bad things in our relatively short history.
[State Rep. Dan Fisher] said Monday that the AP U.S. History course emphasizes "what is bad about America" and complained that the framework eliminated the concept of "American exceptionalism," according to the Tulsa World.
The House Common Education Committee voted for the bill 11-4, with all Republicans voting for the legislation and all Democrats voting against it.
There may be no greater perversion of patriotism than the idea of "American exceptionalism," an idea that apparently survives only as long as we are willing to delude the next generation.
If the existence of so-called American exceptionalism is so fragile, does it really exist?
Promoting the idea that America is perfect as it was and perfect as it is could be seen as a subtle way of undermining the cause of and need for liberalism. Because if America is perfect, and if liberals believe there is still room for improvement, then liberals must be anti-American.
There are no perfect nations and America is no exception to that.
This growing movement to censor and intentionally obfuscate our history is a bigger threat to the future of the nation than any terrorist organization.
(image via the College Board)