[butterdezillion]

Excellent essay! My son is doing a research paper on gun control, and I sent him this, to give context.

One thing that we’re struggling with is the teacher’s insistence that he only use SIRS, eLibrary, and one other search engine. It supposedly makes it so much “easier” for students to use credible sources when the search is limited to what these engines want you to see. So when he looked up “Fast and Furious”, for instance, I think he got 2 articles that were even vaguely associated with Obama’s gun-running operation to Mexican drug cartels.

And the argument the teacher uses is that these are the search engines that colleges require their students to use. That explains a lot. It’s no wonder that colleges are altars to communism.

The teacher said that you just have to know the magic search terms to use, and then you can find articles on everything. We used the exact names of the court cases in some instances and there was nothing. He will challenge her to find out what the magic search terms are, to find specific information, and we can see whether she can get milk from a turnip. If she can’t, this is flat-out censorship on the part of colleges and high schools who censor their students from using other search engines and actually being able to find sources with the information they need.

My son found a site which is (I think) called justthefacts. It links to specific studies and/or official reports so he can click on the link and have the documentation just like that. He loves it. It will be interesting to see how many of those government reports and scientific studies appear in a search of SIRS, eLibrary, or the other search engine that he is supposed to be using. This project is going to end up as a research project far beyond what this teacher intended - because my son is interested in the truth, not only about guns and gun control, but about the censorship that has fueled the rise of communism in America.

[JimRed]

It supposedly makes it so much “easier” for students to use credible sources...

Which in the warped minds of academia means MSNBC = credible; FOX = not credible.

[little jeremiah]

You raised your son well.

[Stegall Tx]

My son found a site which is (I think) called justthefacts.

Probably http://gunfacts.info/ . If not, this is an excellent resource to bookmark.

[brityank]

My son found a site which is (I think) called justthefacts. It links to specific studies and/or official reports so he can click on the link and have the documentation just like that.

I think Just Facts is the site:

The mission of Just Facts is to research and publish verifiable facts about the leading public policy issues of our time. To accomplish this with impartiality and excellence, we use Standards of Credibility to determine what constitutes a credible fact and what does not.

Our vision is to equip individuals throughout the world with facts that empower them to make truly informed decisions. This requires authoritative facts that accurately convey big picture realities, not half-truths or talking points.

A gold mine of information that's on top of my search list.

Thanks, Travis - have copied and will forward it on. Just hope that folks will read all thirteen pages of solid info. Cheers.