The Koch Brothers are trying to re-write history. Caitlin MacNeal over at TPM is reporting that the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has “encouraged” state high school teachers to start teaching a curriculum that was drafted by a Koch Brothers-funded group.

The Koch Brothers-funded conservative takeover of public education in North Carolina started back in 2011, when that state’s legislature passed a law requiring public schools to offer a history course based on America’s “Founding Principles.” That law was based on "model legislation" written by everyone’s favorite corporate lobbying juggernaut, ALEC. After North Carolina passed that law, the state hired the Bill of Rights Institute to draft the curriculum for the classes.

The Bill of Rights Institute has received numerous grants and donations from Charles Koch himself, and from a variety of Koch-funded groups and organizations. That’s why the curriculum being taught to North Carolina students is filled with the Koch Brothers’ libertarian beliefs and ideologies, and a whole lot of misinformation on American history.

A great deal of the curriculum focuses on the libertarian love affair with "limited government." As MacNeal writes, “Throughout the curriculum, students are asked to tie lessons back to the concept of limited government, which the state's 2011 bill calls for.”

While that may be the Koch Brothers’ spin on the the Founders' intentions, that’s simply not the truth and not historically accurate. In his Report on Manufactures from December 5th,1791, Alexander Hamilton explained why the Founders included the General Welfare clause in the Constitution.

Read more here.

-Thom

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... Torture report...CIA'S Brennan responds (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

Be sure to check out our new videos: CARBON, LAST HOURS & GREEN WORLD RISING - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio

Need to Know: Backstopping the banksters?!
- America's Lawyer Mike Papantonio, Ring of Fire Radio

Screwed: Torture report...CIA'S Brennan responds
- Shahid Buttar, Bill of Rights Defense Committee

Why we need a basic income for all...
- Mathew Schmid, Total Freedom

Your Take / My Take Live: If you want to get in on the conversation and ask me a question or make a comment send us your videos to YourTakeMyTake@gmail.com - you can tweet them at Thom_Hartmann using the hashtag #Talk2Thom or send us a Facebook message.

Thursday's Daily Stack

Article: "Omnibus set for Thursday vote in House" by Jamie Dupree.

Article: "Sanders Votes No on Defense Authorization Bill" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Article: "‘Cromnibus’ Highlights: IRS Cuts; No Raise for Biden; Break on School Lunches" by Siobhan Hughes.

Book: "The Crash of 2016: The Plot to Destroy America--and What We Can Do to Stop It" by Thom Hartmann.

Site: District Sentinel.

Article: "Surprise Right-wing “Aggressive Fantasies” Undermine Budget Talks" by Sam Knight.

Article: "Elizabeth Warren: Bank giveaway a budget deal breaker" by Rachel Maddow.

Law: "Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act", 2010.

Site: CallCongress.org

Article: "Sweet Deal: Corporations Get $760 from the Government for Every Dollar They Spend on Elections" by Alex Ellefson.

Article: "Dennis Hastert: 'There Is No Hastert Rule'" by Alex Seitz-Wald.

Article: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation" (FDIC) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Hastert Rule" by Wikipedia.

Quote: "“Fascism: A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism." -- 1983 American Heritage Dictionary.

Quote: "Fascism should more appropriately be called corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.Giovanni Gentile", entry in the Encyclopedia Italiana.

Article: "The Conservative Ideas The Koch Brothers Want To Sneak Into Schools" by Caitlin MacNeal.

Article: "These are the times that try men's souls" -- Thomas Paine.

App: "Congress" by Sunlight Foundation.

Thom talks budget bill with Congressman Peter DeFazio, U.S. Congressman (D-OR, 4th District)

Article: "Floor Drama: Boehner Embarrassment As House Nearly Kills Omnibus On Procedural Vote" by Matthew Boyle.

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Case: "Buckley v. Valeo", 1976.

Article: "Fixed Fortunes: Biggest corporate political interests spend billions, get trillions" by Bill Allison and Sarah Harkins.

Article: "Functional constituency (Hong Kong)" by Wikipedia.

Article: "American Legislative Exchange Council" (ALEC) by SourceWatch.

Article: ""Unequal Protection": The Boston Tea Party Revealed" by Thom Hartmann.

Law: "Tea Act", 1773 (GB).

Article: "Report on the Subject of Manufactures" by Alexander Hamilton.

Article: "Constitution of the United States" Article 1 section 8. "The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States".

Book: "Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country" by Thom Hartmann.

Book: "Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country" by Thom Hartmann.

Hour Two: Why is America in decline?
- Sheriff Richard Mack, Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association

Article: "Constitution of the United States", article 3 section 2. "... the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make..."

Law: "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002" (McCain-Feingold).

Case: "Roe v. Wade", 1973.

Case: "Printz v. United States", 1997 (Mack and Printz v. United States).

Article: "Bill of Rights".

Bible: "Mark 12:14-17" "render unto Caesar".

Article: "ATF gunwalking scandal" (Project Gunrunner, Operation Fast and Furious).

Article: "Sharyl Attkisson" by Wikipedia.

Article: "South Carolina in the American Revolution" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Constitution of the United States" Article 2 section 4. "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Article: "Executive Order 13491 -- Ensuring Lawful Interrogations" by Barack Obama, January 22, 2009.

Video: "Concord Project GOTV - the importance of precinct committee members ".

Video: "Concord Project GOTV - how you become a precinct committee member".

Movie: "Citizenfour".

Article: "Sherman Antitrust Act", 1890.

Law: Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (1999) (Financial Services Modernization Act Of 1999).

Law: "Commodity Futures Modernization Act", 2000.

Site: Sunlight Foundation.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Ellen Ratner, Bureau Chief

Article: "UN Rights Chief: Torture Undermines ‘Claims To Be Civilized Societies’" by Luke Vargas.

Article: "UN Officials Demand Prosecutions for US Torture" by John Heilprin.

Article: "Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Lieber Code" by Wikipedia.

Article: "UN’s Ban Ki-moon: we must act on climate change now" by Charlotte Malone.

Article: "‘Free’ voter IDs are costly, Harvard Law report finds ".

Article: "Reps. Cummings and Castro Call for Expanded Review of State Voter ID Laws" by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings.

Article: "Omnibus Bill Allows Wealthy Donors To Give Even More to Political Parties" by Paul Blumenthal, Sam Stein.

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 12/11" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 12/10" by Victoria Jones.

Hour Three: What would Dick Cavett ask George W. Bush?
- Dick Cavett, Brief Encounters / The Dick Cavett Show

Video: Dick Cavett's Watergate.

Audio Book: Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks by Dick Cavett.

Article: "Chuck Schumer's Cure for Democrats" by Russell Berman.

Movie: "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues".

Article: "John Brennan defends CIA after torture report in rare press conference" by Eric Bradner.

Article: "Fairness Doctrine " by Wikipedia.

Article: "That awful congressional plan to allow pension cuts heads for enactment" by Michael Hiltzik.

Article: "Line-item veto in the United States" by Wikipedia.

Book: Don't Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives by George Lakoff.

Article: "Employee Retirement Income Security Act " by Wikipedia.

Friday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

It's Friday and that can only mean it's Brunch With Bernie! America's Senator...Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will be here talking about all the important issues of the day and he'll be taking your calls too...

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Should Congress pass the pork-barreled spending bill?

Vote here!

Torture Is Not an American Value

A Mom Demands Police Accountability for Her Son

Lone Liberal - Surprise! GOP has found another way to flood our Democracy w/cash

Chile's Neoliberal Flip Flop

Lone Liberal - A conservative says there was no torture

Why is America is falling apart?

Crazy Alert! Boob Twerking to Jingle Bells

Full Show 12/10/14: Torture Report Fallout and Who Should be Blamed?

On tonight’s “Lone Liberal Ramble” Thom discusses the U.S. torture report, who should be blamed and what punishment – pardon or prosecute – should happen and to whom. Kevin Martin of Project 21 and Scott Greer, Associate Editor at the Daily Caller debate on U.S. torture, the republican spending bill, marijuana legalization in Washington DC, corporate tax heavens in Luxembourg, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas comments on union power.

Robert Hunziker, freelance writer & environmental journalist, talks “Chile’s Neoliberal Flip Flop” and economic reform in the country.

Jeralynn Blueford, Co-Executive Director of The Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice & Founder of The Alan Blueford Foundation, speaks about her son’s death and the need for greater police accountability.

Richard Mack, Founder of The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, tells us why democracy is falling apart in America.

Thom gives his Daily Take on America’s founding principles, plus “The Good, The Bad, and The Very Very Ugly”

America: The Best Government Money can Buy...

Government Should Backstop Our Benefits, Not Banksters!

No Bailout for the Banksters...

THU Book Club: The American Revolution of 1800, Chapter 6

Does Free Speech Extend to your License Plate?

Caller: Torture is Fine if it Saves American Lives...