What exactly are the protesters protesting?

To the editor:

After watching the coverage of the protests that were held in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, I was both proud to be an American and confused by the comments made by some of the protesters.

Many said they had gone to D.C. from around the country to "take their freedoms back" from the government and the Obama administration. A curious thing to say, considering that these folks were able to travel unimpeded through various states to get to their destination.

They were able to assemble peacefully and voice their opposition to government policies without fear of persecution or prosecution.

They carried signs, some insulting and others downright crude (depictions of Mr. Obama as Hitler or the Joker) without being hauled off to jail or attacked on the street by "jack-booted thugs."

Others, given occurrences at recent town hall gatherings, probably carried firearms without worry.

Some carried signs saying that Mr. Obama is converting the United States into a fascist nation. Really?

I wonder if any of these fine Americans can tell me precisely which "freedoms" they lost and need to "take back."

Joel Rector

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Alarm bells

To the editor:

The U.S, Department of Education's distribution of a lesson plan for all public schools to use in conjunction with President Obama's online back-to-school talk was more than a "ham-handed" operation of little or no consequence, as you assert ("President Obama and education," Sept. 13 editorial).

Indeed, it was consistent with the Obama administration's current use of federal stimulus money to blackmail states into adopting national education standards and tests currently under construction by a coalition of academics and Washington lobbyists. According to regulations published this summer in the Federal Register, states must adopt these standards and aligned tests (amounting to a national curriculum), or else forfeit billions of dollars of federal aid.

Once all these tools of nationalization are in place, federal lesson plans will be commonplace.

The set that accompanied the president's seemingly innocuous speech was a precursor, which should be setting off alarm bells.

Robert Holland

CHICAGO

THE WRITER IS SENIOR FELLOW FOR EDUCATION POLICY AT THE HEARTLAND INSTITUTE.