California legislators are notorious for their many harebrained ideas, but some proposals are such an affront to commonsense and decency that it is impossible to comprehend their motivation. Senator Alan Lowenthal is the author of one of the most shocking bills introduced in the state senate not just this year, but in many years. SB 1322 would actually allow the promotion of communism in California’s public schools. Yes, communism—the very government system responsible for the deaths of an estimated 100 million people since its implementation.
Under current law in California, it is illegal for communist organizations to use public school or community college property for their meetings. Senator Lowenthal wants to strike that law. He also wants to strike the law that requires public (government) employees forswear membership in an organization (the Communist Party) bent on the “forceful or violent” overthrow of the United States government.
But that’s not the worst of it. Senator Lowenthal also wants to strike the law that prohibits a public school teacher from “teaching communism with the intent to indoctrinate or to inculcate in the mind of any pupil a preference for communism.” In other words, teachers would be allowed to create a preference for communism, or indoctrinate, their students. And if the teacher is unmasked as a card-carrying communist? Under current law he can be fired, but under SB 1322, that would be illegal grounds for dismissal.
Many conservatives somewhat jokingly complain that communists are teaching our children in universities, they just don’t use the title of communist. What is perhaps the most shocking aspect of SB 1322 is that it boldly promotes an inexplicable hatred for the government system that brought freedom to the millions enslaved by communism and its attendant misery.
What is particularly shameful about SB 1322 is that it was introduced in the very state that produced communism’s greatest foe: former governor Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan actually began his fight against the “evil empire” long before he ever entered the Oval Office. In fact, Reagan was one of the most articulate opponents of communism during his tenure in Hollywood. It was his understanding of the oppressive, soul-crushing government ideology that led him to so passionately and effectively bring about its demise. The deepest longing of the human heart is for freedom. Ronald Reagan recognized this truth and used it to defeat the greatest government assault on freedom the world has witnessed.
Communism still exists in the world today. While President Reagan delivered the blow that will lead communism to the ash heap of history, we still contend with a major world power that abides by communist ideology: China. Should our government allow the promotion of China’s communist, totalitarian government in our schools? It seems almost impossible to even ask the question; advocating amongst our future leaders a belief system that is the antithesis of everything our nation stands for.
In a 1981 speech at Notre Dame University President Reagan declared, “The West won’t contain communism. It will transcend communism. It will dismiss it as some bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written.” Apparently, and very sadly, Senator Lowenthal is not ready to end the chapter.