Filed under: Iowa

Reaction to the Grand Jury Investigation on Higher Education

Restoring educational traditions central to American greatness provides the sure basis for strong families, prosperity and limited government for, by and of the people.  Many people are in the dark about the God-rejecting worldview now being imposed upon captive student classrooms and as a result, they do not join in opposition. 

 

It was my privilege to chair a Grand Jury for the Eleventh Judicial District of Iowa that investigated activities at Iowa State University and made several recommendations for changes in higher education.  As noted in a previous blog*, the God-rejecting worldview in American education must be exposed.

 

"Ames, Iowa--(AP)--The Grand Jury wants 'moral pollution'… 'and defamation of our country' (in the Humanities curriculum) stopped" (Denver Post).

 

With a prestigious media network, political, religious and social studies courses, statewide extension offices, and an adult education outreach, universities possessed (and still possess) immense power to shape public opinion.  The president of the university and campus radicals did everything they could to discredit the Grand Jury's work.  Initially, however, news of the Presentment was unimpeded.  The university president and all members of the Iowa Board of Regents except one were out of the state during Christmas break when the Presentment became public.

 

Except for the coverage in the Des Moines Register and a few radical student publications, most news reports were accurate.  Those who were critical were very spirited in their objections.  A January 8, 1969, Des Moines Register headline read, "ISU President Lashes Out at 'Distorted' Report by Jury."  Later, the Iowa State University Press published a book for the Iowa Civil Liberties Union entitled Freedom in Iowa.  This publication showered ISU President Robert Parks and the liberal presidents of the other two universities in Iowa with honors and attacked the work and reputation of several Iowa leaders, past and present, including myself.

 

The Grand Jury Presentment itself was well documented.  One news article reported that the Iowa Civil Liberties Union had decided they would not sue the Grand Jury.  Another paper reported that an ongoing effort had failed to get the new judge, Harvey Uhlenhopp, serving the Eleventh Judicial District, to dismiss the Presentment.  Within two years, Judge Uhlenhopp was elevated to the Iowa Supreme Court.

 

I was concerned that some reporters and editors would misrepresent the Grand Jury Presentment.  Consequently, reporters were told that I would respond to inquiries in writing only, and this brought their interest to a halt.  I personally received approximately one hundred letters from citizens, all of whom praised the jury's work.

 

I was later told that an Iowa State University administrative vice president was briefing the incoming extension course attendees and denigrating the work of the jury.  Eventually, a county extension officer attending one of the on-campus short courses stood up and strongly criticized the vice president's presentation.  His practice of criticizing the jury report ended.

 

Out_in_iowa_ames_daily_tribune_1969

*http://davidanorris.posterous.com/the-healing-of-citizen-paralysis

 

For more information or to purchase Restoring Education Central to American Greatness:

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http://www.amazon.com/Restoring-Education-Greatness-Principles-Liberated/dp/1...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/restoring-education-david-a-norris/1103308053...

 

For previous blog entries on similar topics, simply go to this site and scroll down:

http://davidanorris.posterous.com/

 

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The Beginning of a Grand Jury Investigation

It was my privilege to chair a Grand Jury for the Eleventh Judicial District of Iowa that investigated activities at Iowa State University and made several recommendations for changes in higher education.  This study of higher education is even more relevant now than when adopted December 23, 1968.  With the imposition of teacher unions and tenure laws, radicals in the soft sciences now dominate lower-level public education.

 

News reports had made it clear that drugs, immorality and disrespect for constitutional authority had become an ongoing part of the academic menu in our universities.  With about six months left in our term, I suggested to the county attorney, Charles Vanderbur, that the jury investigate what was going on at Iowa State University.  He said, "Dave, I'll do anything I can to help you."  He provided us with tape recordings of campus presentations by radicals.  After hearing the first tape, the jury members gave the go-ahead to undertake the investigation.  The jury's main concern was the education environment and its impact upon the behavioral patterns and decision-making ability of students.

 

My challenge as the foreman was to obtain unanimous agreement for significant recommendations from three Republican and three Democrat jurors.  Several legislative directives for changes in the administration of Iowa's colleges and universities followed the release of the study.

 

Because of tenured radicals embedded in the system, the impact of the Presentment faded within four or five years.  The Grand Jury report received nationwide media attention, and requests for copies of the Presentment came from government officials in Iowa, California and Washington, DC.

 

"As one of the tens of thousands who admire the action of your Grand Jury, I wish to commend  Foreman Norris and his jury for their courageous and true Americanism in focusing public attention on the perverted minority… who would destroy what we have… in America and deliver us unto our enemies" (E. Allen, Burlington, North Dakota, letter to the Nevada, Iowa Journal).

 

"OUT IN IOWA… The jury's report said 'there is a need for increased emphasis at all levels of education of the American ideal.  Our soldiers have been dying for this ideal.  Education as never before should clearly teach it.'  So say we" (from the Boston Record, printed in the Ames Daily Tribune).

 

Old-oak-entrance-door-ot-grand-jury-room-in-crown-court

Image from http://vaticproject.blogspot.com/2011/11/update-111511-people-to-people-strat...

 

For more information or to purchase Restoring Education Central to American Greatness:

http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000185969/Restoring-Education-Cen...

http://www.amazon.com/Restoring-Education-Greatness-Principles-Liberated/dp/1...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/restoring-education-david-a-norris/1103308053...

 

For previous blog entries on similar topics, simply go to this site and scroll down:

http://davidanorris.posterous.com/

 

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A Suggested Letter to the Editor of Your Local Newspaper

Applicable today, the confusion of many now trying to decide which candidates for government service best represent the civic and economic interests of our families and businesses is understandable.  The decline in the quality of what is taught about American history, morality, government and free enterprise comes at no surprise with the secularization of government education and, in my opinion, this is NOT the fault of the great majority of teachers.

 

Articles in the local Ames Tribune* opinion page by an atheistic professor in the religion department of Iowa State University suggest that he MAY not understand two things.  One is the Judeo-Christian Bible and the other is American history.

 

The tone of one's deeply felt religious belief, be it God-honoring or otherwise, and values sought for government, law and education, ARE INSEPARABLE.  Much older than any other text, the Bible has remained intact down throughout history.  The reasons are many, but one is that it resonates with human life experience.  The moral law, John 3:16 and Psalm 23 have no equal.  The Bible tells the truth and it DOES NOT GLOSS OVER the evil done in the name of religion.

 

The power of government comes from the people who fund the gigantic bank called the Public Treasury.  We pay for courthouses, schools, highways, salaries of public servants, etc.  Good government is a tool for protecting life and liberty for the pursuit of happiness.  The God-honoring American Declaration of Independence is universal and immortal in scope.  That Declaration and Bill of Rights, added later to the Constitution, are the design, and the Constitution is the tool for implementing that design.

 

Patriotic Americans applaud diversity.  They recognize, however, that worldly concoctions for diversity that tear down family values, morality and appreciation for the American idea, IN GOD WE TRUST, are evil and totally unacceptable.

 

"Patriotism is as much a virtue as justice, and is as necessary for support of societies as the natural affection is for the support of families.  The Amor Patriae is both moral and a religious duty.  It comprehends not only the love of our neighbors but millions of our fellow creatures, not only the present but of future generations.  This virtue we find constitutes a part of the first character of history."

 

The above essay on patriotism by Dr. Benjamin Rush was published in 1773.  He was a delegate to the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.  A devout Christian, Rush established Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and served as professor of medical theory and clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania from 1791 to 1813.

 

This particular blog entry is not under copyright, and we encourage you to use it as a template to write a letter to the editor of your own local newspaper.  Use of the blog is increasing by over 1,000 repeat users per month.  You can help restore the American dynamic by informing your friends about this refreshing review of American values provided by Heartland Foundation, Inc.

In-god-we-trust-1

*http://amestrib.com/

 

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For more information or to purchase Restoring Education Central to American Greatness:

http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000185969/Restoring-Education-Cen...

http://www.amazon.com/Restoring-Education-Greatness-Principles-Liberated/dp/1...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/restoring-education-david-a-norris/1103308053...

 

For previous blog entries on similar topics, simply go to this site and scroll down:

http://davidanorris.posterous.com/

 

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Socialism = Old European Secular Philosophy

The old European secular philosophy is the reflection of a hope in a fantasy world.  


Marxists used socialist slogans, such as "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."  The Soviet Socialist Union lasted but a whiff in time in spite of their great universities, KGB (secret police), a worldwide propaganda machine and military aggression (1917-91).

 

Liberals in present-day America justify socialism by saying that we are a wealthy nation.  Some in America, who budget wisely and have a good income, do have wealth, but the truth is that the American government is broke.  The Soviets not only funded their government by an excessive tax on the Russian people, but they also extracted a tax from over a dozen captive countries--and they still went broke. 

 

Liberal politicians create a supportive voting block by promising them wealth redistribution.  This comes by stealing from Americans (excessive tax), stealing from future generations (debt obligation) and the added tax of interest on the debt.  When government officials are allowed to continue imposing high taxes, the incentive of the people to work hard and save is greatly diminished and the base for taxation is gradually destroyed.  Also, the ability of the people to support churches and to assist the poor is greatly diminished.  The national debt is over 14 trillion dollars.  The revenue left after funding excessive government is not enough to pay the interest, so the shortage must be added to the principal indebtedness.

 

Monopoly unions are also used by the champions of old European philosophy to consolidate political power.  When legislators succumbed to handouts from leftist National Education Association unions, laws began to turn against traditional American law and citizen self-government.  The nonpartisan Iowa Family Policy Center Newsletter, March, 2008, reports that "Iowa Democrats have accepted $440,000 from out-of-state homosexual activists, with $170,000 going directly to Democrat legislators facing hotly contested races [Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure]."  Seeing the involvement of at least $40 million nationwide in 2008, we understand that the financial and political influence of NEA leftists is immense (Education Reporter, #272, Eagle Forum, St. Louis, MO).

 

 

 

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.

 

~ Winston Churchill

Churchill

 

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For more information or to purchase Restoring Education Central to American Greatness:

http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000185969/Restoring-Education-Cen...

http://www.amazon.com/Restoring-Education-Greatness-Principles-Liberated/dp/1...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/restoring-education-david-a-norris/1103308053...

 

For previous blog entries on similar topics, simply go to this site and scroll down:

http://davidanorris.posterous.com/

 

Like on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Restoring-Education-Central-to-American-Greatne...

 

Restoring Education Central to American Greatness: Fifteen Principles That Liberated Mankind from the Politics of Tyranny By David A. Norris

“As one of the tens of thousands who admire the action of your Grand Jury, I wish to commend Foreman Norris and his jury for their courageous and true Americanism in focusing public attention on the perverted minority… who would destroy what we have… in America and deliver us unto our enemies.” (E. Allen, Burlington, North Dakota, letter to the Nevada Iowa Journal)

 

Ames, Iowa – (AP) – The Grand Jury wants “moral pollution’… “and defamation of our country ( in the Humanities curriculum) stopped.” (Denver Post)

 

Posterous theme by Cory Watilo