“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, July 4, 1776.
The Fourth of July in America has never been a day of quiet reflection. It’s about fireworks, parades, and barbecues. It’s a day of celebration, not meditation—and there is a lot to celebrate this year. We are finally free of the Declaration of National Emergency under which we have lived for the past three years. So let’s all raise a toast to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness!!!
But wait minute! It seems that there are some Americans who don’t like Thomas Jefferson. I presume they are not so keen on the Declaration of Independence or the Fourth of July either. Party Poopers. What’s their problem?
“Because of Jefferson’s complex legacy and history as an enslaver, City Council members requested that the statue (of Thomas Jefferson holding the Declaration of Independence) be relocated to a place where it could be interpreted within a historical context.” New York Historical Society
Hmm. “All men are created equal— except my slaves.” We can’t deny the inherent contradiction there. Should we cancel the fireworks? Not in my opinion. On July 4th we celebrate a resounding kick in the teeth to monarchs, tyrants, dictators, aristocrats, oppressors, overlords, and wannabe masters of all kinds. Yes, the first kicks were given by our clay-footed founding fathers, but each generation has kept on kicking and hopefully, future generations will continue to do so.
The only thing that might stop us — the inability to recognize a tyrant when we see one.
Who or what has been in control for the last three years? It sure wasn’t you or me. No one asked our opinions about lockdowns, and masks; warp-speed science and vaccine mandates; vaccine ID’s and vaccine apartheid. Decisions were made by a very small group of people compared to the vast majority of citizens. We were told what to think and what to do by tiny talking heads that lived within the borders of our digital screens. We were expected to obey. Disobedience was rewarded with…discomfort.
This looks more like an Aristocracy than a Democracy. So who are the Aristos? There are several categories.
Let’s start with the Lords of Science, because they annoy me the most. Why? Probably because I was a science teacher for almost thirty years during which time I made it my mission to dispel the notion that science is the private club of a select group of very smart people whose membership requires years of specialized study in elite universities—no “commoners” allowed.
Hog Wash! Or better yet, Bat Guano!
The best way to make science democratic instead of aristocratic is to have children use practical science skills to learn about nature. I did not invent this idea. When I started teaching, this philosophy was an integral part of the science curriculum in the New York City Board of Education. By the end of 8th grade students were expected to carry out several controlled experiments and then design one of their own for the science fair.
And Yet, what to my horrified eyes should appear but tiny talking heads who have made it very clear that science works by EXPERT CONSENSUS. It seems that over time there has been such a vast accumulation of scientific knowledge that it must to be divided into smaller and smaller areas of expertise that have become increasingly difficult to understand if you are not an expert in the field. That is why the tiny talking heads have repeated over and over and over again: DON’T DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. Why? Because you are just too stupid (relatively speaking, of course. No offense).
Bat Guano!
That isn’t science, it’s aristo-science. Science can be and should be as democratic as baseball. Anybody can practice the skills of baseball. All you need is a ball and a bat (a mitt comes in hand-y, but is not strictly necessary). Anybody can play the game of baseball. All you need is two teams of nine players each, an empty field, and (this is very important) knowledge of the rules of the game. However, all baseball players are not created equal. Major League baseball players are the professional elites of the game. But would there be such a thing as the Major Leagues without the fans? And is there such a thing as a fan that has never played baseball?
What would happen if a batter hit a home run and started to jog around the field, but before he could reach first base, the first baseman tackled him to the ground? Universal shock and outrage–that’s what would happen! But not to worry. Who would ever try to break the rules while the whole world is watching?
Science also has strict rules. Although scientists don’t have umpires and millions of fans watching their every move, they do have other scientists who should catch mistakes as soon as the work is shared among experts in the field . This is called peer review. But what if the experts belong to an elite group of scientists chosen by an elite group of financiers? What if everyone else can only see the conclusions but not the evidence on which the conclusions were based? What if those who disagree with the conclusions are dismissed from their jobs and shunned?
Let’s face it, the Lords of Science have locked us out. That’s alright. There’s more than one way to break into a castle.
SOURCES
Update: July 28, 2023.
I recently watched a Corbett Report video about citing your sources and realized that I should have been much more diligent about citing mine. Red face, hanging head, self-flagellating (mentally), mea culpa, my bad. Traditionally, sources were cited by adding footnotes at the end of the article/chapter/essay. Nowadays, most people, including Corbett, use hyperlinks. From now on I will include a list of helpful sources at the end of each post. If you are reading this on a printed page, I invite you to visit my website, controlsavvy.com where you can easily use the links to jump to the source of your choice.
Citing Sources
“How (and When and Why) to Cite Your Sources” – #SolutionsWatch 07/12/2023 https://www.corbettreport.com/solutionswatch-sources/
“When and Why to Cite Sources” State University of New York– https://library.albany.edu/infolit/resource/cite-sources
Images
Opening Image: Committee of Five— https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee of Five
Closing Image: Attack on the walls of a besieged town — https://www.fromoldbooks.org/OldEngland/pages/0869-Attack-on-the-walls-of-a-besieged-town/
The Declaration of Independence
Transcript https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Historical relevance: https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/declaration-of-independence
Declaration of National Emergency
Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak –March 13, 2020 https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-declaring-national-emergency-concerning-novel-coronavirus-disease-covid-19-outbreak/
Banishment of statue of Thomas Jefferson holding Declaration of Independence
Letter to Mayor de Blasio from Corey Johnson, Speaker, Council of the City of New York –June 18, 2020 https://council.nyc.gov/press/wp-content/uploads/sites/56/2020/06/Letter-to-Mayor-de-Blasio.pdf
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio on the Likely Removal of a Statue of Thomas Jefferson from City Hall, Fox 5 News, October 14, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2tHlZTcsFE
NYC commission votes unanimously to move Thomas Jefferson statue from City Council chambers ABC News Monday, October 18, 2021 https://abc7ny.com/thomas-jefferson-city-council-new-york-save-our-statue/11139323/
Science Curriculum for New York Board of Education (while I was teaching science)
Intermediate Level Science Core Curriculum–Standards 1, 2, 6, and 7: Expanded Process Skills pp. 4-9. https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/curriculum-instruction/intersci.pdf
Rules of Baseball
Wiki How https://www.wikihow.com/Play-Baseball
Baseball 101 Basics — Baseball Canada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHGMLEF7QK4
Rules of Science
Scientific Method for Kids with Examples BySarah McClelland Updated onMay 10, 2023 https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/using-scientific-method-experiments-kids/
The Scientific Method by Science Made Simple https://www.sciencemadesimple.com/scientific_method.html
Fallacy Detective http://www.fallacydetective.com/articles/read/a-beginners-guide-to-scientific-method/
Control Savvy 
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