It is not just government agencies and officials, or even “failed” politicians (in other words, those not in office or who are not really in control: the puppets and ne’er-do-wells) who spout the biased, usually twisted and filled with lies, tales that seek to push this or that political or government idea.

Nor is it big (or small) business trying to cozen you into buying X or not buying Y. And trying to convince you of their honesty, their compassion, and their generosity. And it isn’t even your child or grandchild channeling Calvin!

The “academic community” may be the greatest purveyor of propaganda today. And we can show evidence that status may go back centuries. They are (regardless of “public” or “private” status) the natural allies of the powers-that-be: the rulers and would-be rulers in government.

Consider the Smithsonian Institution, and its centuries-long partnership with government. Not just the National Park Service (as you might expect), or the various historical elements of many other agencies. The Smithsonian, like NPS, USFS, BLM, USACE, and many other agencies, is an enormous generator of twisted lies and interpretations. And the source of most is not their political masters in Congress or down at the other end of the Mall in the White House. No, it is academia.

We easily see this in the National Museum of American History (NMAH), perhaps the best known of the Smithsonian’s outlets, with all the historical objects, many of the historical documents, and all in all, a vast treasure store.

Consider this: at the bottom of that august organization’s webpage is this: “Our mission is to empower people to create a just and compassionate future by exploring, preserving, and sharing the complexity of our past.”

Not “to educate” or “to inform” or even “remind” but “empower people to create a just and compassionate future.” You don’t need to bother to look: that ain’t in the Declaration of Independence or the US Constitution. But you will find similar language in the mission statements of most institutions of “higher education.” Today, that is what we expect from such. The NMAH (and all of the Smithsonian and virtually every State-level historical and scientific entity).

The Museum’s Interpretive Plan directs staff to, “whatever the topic,” tie exhibits back to a set of seven “core issues of our time” — specifically:

• race/identity,
• gender/sexuality,
• climate change,
• immigration/migrations,
• economic inequality,
• technological change, and
• nationalism/globalism

All, of course, as part of its “commitment to relevance.” And obviously to what today we call “Wokeness” and political correctness. Indeed, we would go so far as to label it as “worship of government” – in the sense that “worship” means to pay homage to, proclaim, and above all serve the object of their worship.

(That list, by the way, is found on page 7 of the Interpretive Plan, found here. One of a baker’s dozen pages that show how the Smithsonian and the NMAH worship government by spouting Woke doctrines and “progressive” principles (and lies).)

Note that the Smithsonian’s webpages do not identify it as an “official US government site” and their websites all use the “*.edu” suffix in their URL, not the “*.gov” or “*.mil” which every other government bureaucracy does.

Once more, we see how government seeks not to have control over all its subjects, but to extend that control more and more deeply as time passes. As well as expand the number of people. The Smithsonian does the same sort of twisting and “interpreting” so-called facts and concepts as all the other federal agencies. Read the historical markers at National Parks and National Monuments. (Especially those dealing with anything like the War Between The States or the Civil Rights Movement. But many more, as well.

It is critical to remember that Mark Twain, that contrarian, pointed out how many ways there are to lie:

1. Lies – Simple falsehoods (that is, statements that are outright untrue).
2. D**n Lies – When the liar is being nasty: the more egregious and/or harmful lies that can mislead significantly.
3. Statistics – A favorite of politicians and bureaucrats: Misleading data or figures that can and usually do distort the truth.
4. Exaggerations – Overstated claims that stretch the truth, but not so much as to cause us to not believe them.
5. Half-truths – Statements that contain some truth but omit critical facts: in other words, tell only part of the truth.
6. Fabrications – Completely made-up stories or information: the most successful way for “professionals” (like academics, medical personnel, and the Deep State bureaucrats) can pull the shade over our eyes.

As lovers of liberty, we do have to be careful that we do not end up imitating the enemies of liberty by using their tactics. And as always, hold ourselves accountable for our words and actions, by a higher standard than gaining and keeping power and wealth.

The choice is ours!