May 09, 2003

Roger Hedgecock on the Rush Limbaugh Show

Rush Limbaugh show, third hour. [Rush 24/7 members link] (transcribed)

RODGER HEDGECOCK: I’ve brought you the headline of the day, the quote of the day, the Danish pizza shop owner of the day. And now the book of the day.

It’s by Peter Brimelow, journalist and author, and his is called The Worm In The Apple, the book is called The Worm In The Apple, subtitled How Teacher Unions Are Destroying American Education.

This could be the topic for many, many days. I refer this book to you, because it will get you on the track of asking the right questions about how this could possibly have happened.

San Francisco Examiner reporter Emily Gurnon is quoted in this book [pages 12-13], and this started out pretty innocently, Emily just out talking to high school students , and then she writes some stories in the Examiner about this, In 1999 she was just walking around at a high school graduation, talking to seniors, and asking questions, and here’s one of them, just to give you the flavor of what happened here in this book, she asked the seniors to identify the country from which America won its independence. For those of you who have recently graduated from public school, I will repeat slowly, she asked to identify the country from which America won its independence. [July 4th: Kids Unclear on the Concept, by Emily Gurnon, July 4, 1999, San Francisco Examiner]

Here are some of the answers. I quote, because I could not make this up, answer one

Answer number two, quote

"It wouldn't be Canada, would it?"

Answer number three, ah, this the only honest answer of the bunch, quote

 “I don’t know, I don’t even have a clue.”

Answer number four, again how could I make this up? quote

"I want to say Korea. I'm tripping."

Gurnon wrote in her piece, Emily Gurnon in her piece in the San Francisco Examiner at that time in 1999, quote

“One student wondered aloud whether the Fourth of July was somehow related to Pearl Harbor. Another was not sure whether our independence came before or after the Vietnam War.”

Fundamental problem, ladies and gentlemen, I know Rush has raised it, it deserves to be raised every day in every community.

(Later)

During the break, a lot of calls, “come on, I’m driving on the Interstate! I couldn’t write down the author and name of the that book, I want to get that book!”, Okay, pencils poised: The book about education in America, that you all need to read, and that  we all need to do something about together, is called The Worm In The Apple, The Worm In The Apple, by Peter Brimelow, and Peter’s last name is spelled B-R-I-M-E-L-O-W, and I apologize if I’m saying  it wrong. [He wasn’t] That’s The Worm In The Apple, subtitled How Teacher Unions Are Destroying American Education.