Zen fascists will control you

People need to stop indoctrinating their children. Or stop making books about it at least. Here is the latest, How to Raise an American. I am all for patriotism, but the book is clearly aimed at raising American Republicans. I have a horrible vision of being lectured by Wilford Brimley-Rush Limbaugh hell-spawn when I think of what reading this book must be like.

Since that one is aimed at parental readers, albeit ones hell bent on alienating their children, I find it a bit less irritating that Why Mommy is A Democrat, which is meant as a bed time tale. Of course it promotes the Us vs. Them mentality of the book above, but it does so in a scary paternalistic way. Have a look at these sample pages, "Democrats make sure we are always safe, just like Mommy does." So the Democratic party=your parents? This book may as well say "Democrats will think for you, just like Mommy does." If you want your children to get beat up, be sure to purchase a "My Mommy is a Democrat, Ask Me Why!" T-Shirt.

As manically ideological as these people (on both sides) are, they should start churning out propaganda posters like those found in Maoist China. I rather like this one which shows a gleeful peasant (in the middle of the Great Leap Forward, mind) saying "We sell dry, clean, neat and selected cotton to the state!"