The more I think about what the Bush Administration has done, the more conspiracy-minded I become. I can't help it. It all seems to fit together into some evil plot. Today, I'm thinking about "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB).

Many people more knowledgeable than I have explained how detrimental to the public education system NCLB has been. If you Google, you can find dozens of examples. It's amazing how many different problems this one program has caused.

But the propensity for evil, to me anyways, is the total removal of any sort of critical thinking skills from the education process. Critical thinking cannot be measured in the way the NCLB tests like to measure things. Students and teachers are forced to focus on the "what" but not the "why" or "how."

As usual, the question arises, "Is BushCo (I can't just single out George; there's a whole group behind him. Bush is just the spokesperson, like the Jolly Green Giant or the Pillsbury Dough Boy) stupid, or is it evil?" It's difficult, because compelling arguments could be made either way.

My vote? Evil. If you take away people's critical thinking skills, they can no longer question authority. They will do what you tell them to do, buy what you tell them to buy, and life will go along peacefully and happily for the people in charge.

This administration is not achieving its goals by happy accident. It's not "dumb luck" that certain events just happen to further their ultimate purpose.

I recommend buying this book or one like it now, while you still have the chance.

That way, when someone says, "Oil prices will only go down when we're allowed to drill in protected areas," you can ask questions like, "Aren't you already allowed to drill in places? Are you drilling there? Why aren't you drilling where you're allowed to drill, first, before asking to drill in protected areas? Aren't those areas protected for a reason? What is that reason?"

Or, you could sit back and hope someone else does it FOR you.