After the ‘Take the Knee’ NFL Controversy, Missouri College Creates a Mandatory Class That’ll Make Libs’ Heads Spin

The College of the Ozarks, a private Christian college, recently announced a new mandatory military science class called “Patriotic Education and Fitness” which teaches students U.S. politics, flag protocol, and modern military customs.

This new class bucks the national trend (about which I write with great regularity) of trying to stamp out all patriotic sentiments from students. Independence Journal Review reports about the origin of the class:

The class was introduced in the midst of NFL national anthem protests, which have normalized kneeling for the national anthem. The college has taken a stand against the protests and has even stated that their sports teams will not play against teams that do not stand for the national anthem.

That’s quite different from the typical stance of modern colleges.  The university’s president explained why this sort of class is necessary in today’s world: “Understanding the military now is more important than ever because we have 99 percent of the population being defended by 1 percent, who are in uniform. We should be more intentional about patriotic education, and from our point of view that needs to occur from kindergarten all the way through college.

He also said, “We want to make it clear that we are not going to participate in a game where we think disrespect for the national anthem or the flag is being displayed. I don’t think it’s a partisan issue. It’s an American issue, how we feel about our country.”

When the class was announced, Terrence Dake — a member of the board of trustees and retired U.S. Marine Corps general — said, “I really think that if you give a person the tools of an education, the patriotic yearnings inside of themselves and the leadership tools that can be taught — they will be leaders.”

I’ve said this all along: parents who spend big money to send their kids to a college where the professors try to unteach every virtue they’ve ever instilled are really misguided.  Private colleges like The College of the Ozarks should be commended for instilling American values into their students…  and parents should reward this colleges (and others like it) with their tuition dollars.

Image Credit: Wikimedia

Hat Tip: Independence Journal Review