Indoctrinating--Oops, I mean TEACHING our children

In a moment of web searching while my husband worked from home on a Saturday morning (work so un excusably interjected itself into our morning tea/coffee time) I stumbled on this article about oil companies giving money to The National Science Teachers Assoc. I actually found it through The Conscious Earth's blog (thank you Odiyya) from the Friday Dec. 9th posting. O.K--I have to admit I was amazed. And even very saddened. I think I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. A comment that Phelan made to me the other day about how she didn't feel we would be able to stop NAIS, but she was going to keep trying as hard as she could and now this, has me feeling a bit down :-( Some days I just feel more empowered than others.
Recently I read somewhere a comment that was made about left (oops that's a right slant ) leaning people and how they are not taken seriously because the majority of people think they are "loopy". What is it with "middle" leaning people hiding their heads in the sand though? Maybe I am a bit loopy but when are people going to wake up and smell the coffee? When they have to register to get it? If you hide it won't effect you? Some people I know are like that ---but look at the head way the right and the extreme religious made in the last four years. (yes, just four years) It's extremely scary sometimes. We can't keep hiding our head in the sand hoping someone else will write our representatives or vote them out.
Unfortunately I have to admit I am as guilty as others in the case of the Science Teachers. Call me an idiot for not seeing it but I just never never thought a government run entity like education would be so "bought". Sounds dumb now that I write it out doesn't it? How about naive? I guess we all have our moments but I have to admit---since school is so "local" I never really saw it. You know it's the whole---I KNOW those people teaching my kids kind of thing. And before we get into the ---"that's why I home school my children" I would like to say that IS part of the reason why we home schooled our two children. I am enough of a conspiracy theorist to believe that schools do actually indoctrinate our children. But I always saw it more of a "Class get in line please" so that it would translate into "Stand in line over here and keep the assembly line moving so the big BOSS can get rich" or "Just do it BECAUSE I know what is right and I said so---don't think for yourself" kind of thing. I never saw the public school system as actually being bought out as is indicated in the article. Yes, I understand the whole religion in school thing seems very similar ---but I always equated that as a different thing than oil vs global warming, I mean it IS religion not weather for goodness sakes. (Just for reference on this subject I am actuality a Christian BUT I completely believe the founding father's didn't want religion in our schools or government or courts. They wrote most succinctly about that subject and I agree wholeheartedly. I think it is up to every individual to teach their child what they believe about religion and for others to allow and respect that. Jesus didn't twist any arms or make laws for them to follow.)
But to have "big business" in our schools!?!? I have to admit I am flabbergasted and will have to make a point of saying more on this subject to people I know. And you know what else---I think I will buy an "Inconvenient Truth" and donate it to my local library. Maybe the school library will even take one---I will ask them next week.