Rush took statements from school lesson plans linked to by the NEA completely out of context to make it appear that the NEA blamed the US for the attacks.
On its "Remember September 11" web page, the NEA links to lesson plans authored by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). The NASP lesson plans are clearly directed at showing teachers how to minimize inappropriate student reactions to the horrific events of September 11th: While anger is a normal response felt by many, we must ensure that we do not compound an already tragic situation and react against innocent individuals with vengeance and intolerance.
Violence and hate are never solutions to anger. Perpetrators of violence—against fellow students or against our country--cause tremendous harm because they act violently against innocent people out of blind hate. We must not act like them by lashing out at innocent people around us, or "hating" them because of their origins, their appearance or their choice of dress.
Not only does the NASP not blame the US for September 11th, it clearly places the blame on terrorists ("someone is at fault….a few individuals"), while urging teachers to avoid suggesting that an entire racial or ethnic "group" is responsible for the acts of a few fanatics.
Address the issue of blame factually. Explore who and what may be to blame for this event. Use non-speculative terms. Do not suggest any group is responsible. Do not repeat the speculations of others, including newscasters. Do not encourage or allow random blaming; but understand that self-blame may be a way for students to feel "in control" (something different they "could have done" or "could do" in the future). Be careful to ensure students from targeted groups do not assume blame in order to make classmates feel better. Blaming is especially difficult in terrorist situations because someone is at fault. However, explain that the actions of a few individuals cannot be blamed on any racial or ethnic group. Help kids resist the tendency to want to "pin the blame" on someone close by. In this country, we still believe that all people are innocent until solid, reliable evidence from our legal authorities proves otherwise.
The NASP lesson plan points out the obvious, that placing blame on an entire racial or ethnic group for the actions of a few is not only unfair, it contravenes basic American principles. To avoid repeating mistakes of the past, the lesson plan points to historical events in which innocent Americans and others were unfairly punished by a societal "backlash" effecting an entire ethnic group.
Discuss historical instances of American intolerance. Internment of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor and the backlash against Arab Americans during the Gulf War are obvious examples. Teachers can do lessons in class, but parents can also discuss the consequences of these events and encourage their children to suggest better choices that Americans can make this time. http://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/tolerance_general.html
Despite Rush's assertions, the Pearl Harbor and Gulf War examples do not in any way justify the September 11 attacks. Instead, these historical examples are used to suggest that—this time—America's response to those horrific attacks should not compound the tragedy by hurting innocent people.
Rush Limbaugh: hysterical instance of American intolerance.
