“Edutainment”.
Read on if this term grates on your ears.
Do you know the feeling when you get a glimpse of something revolting, and the deeper you look, the more vile and disgusting it gets? Like a maggot-infected wound, or some forgotten lettuce that turned all slimy. This started with a Guardian article; I get most of my news from the Guardian because legacy media are unreliable and rarely offer independent journalism. And that’s how I learned about “Freedom Trucks”:
“A fleet of six mobile museums, known as ‘freedom trucks,’ is traveling throughout 2026, bringing the story of American independence to students, families and citizens in every corner of the country.”
This is from war.gov, an official website of the United States Government, I’m not kidding. And right away I have to ask: WHY are our democratic legislators not loudly protesting the renaming of the Department of Defense?
Sure, there are currently millions of other matters that require strong objection. As an ordinary citizen, I have to fight against the urge to simply look away, to let it all just wash over me, to get used to the constant attacks on truth, common decency, intelligence. But our elected lawmakers – I would have expected that more than a dozen or so would voice their opposition to just about everything that transpires from the current regime. Vociferously.
What are “Freedom Trucks”, you ask? Gigantic double-wide 18-wheelers, six of them, travel around the country in celebration of its 250th birthday on July 4. And since this is the year when Trump turns 80, you can expect many more gigantic monstrosities, such as a 250ft tall arch, unsurprisingly called “Arc de Trump”, with a 60ft golden Lady Liberty on top. No kidding.
Planning for the anniversary celebrations actually started in 2016, when the United States Semiquincentennial Commission was formed and signed by – President Barack Obama! They have a website (America 250) and do organize stuff, but it’s hardly surprising that the Trump regime took control in 2025, replaced Democrats, diverted $10,000,000 towards the Freedom Trucks, and partnered with the right-wing PragerU organisation. And established the controversial Task Force 250: “a limited liability company created by, and housed inside, the National Park Foundation”. I encourage you to take a good look at their website, freedom250.org, but be warned: it’s irritating, to put it mildly. Not just the content, the site design is flashy (no surprise) and unwieldy. Besides, it has way too many Trump photos everywhere (no surprise, either). It is totally partisan.
There was a controversy about the possibility for donors to gain access to Trump and his inner circle by acquiring Sponsorship Packages costing between $500,000 and $10,000,000 and more. Senator Adam Schiff led an inquiry which asked for a list of donors and what kinds of benefits these donors might get, likening the practice to bribery. That was in February; the current Freedom 250 website doesn’t have the sponsorship page any more, maybe it was taken down after Schiff caused too much scrutiny.
One part of Freedom 250 is still included, although it should raise every red flag for anybody who is serious about our democracy: A PRAYER PAGE! When you scroll down all the way to the bottom of the Freedom 250 homepage, you’ll get to the image of somebody (Washington?) down on one knee, head lowered, praying to “the Heavenly Father” in front of a tree. With a link to a separate website, America Prays. You’re encouraged to add your prayer, they conveniently provided categories to choose from: “County” (the first one prays to bless President Trump, and many pray for Christian nationalism; a pox on the separation of state and church). Next is “Military”, and then there’s “Peace”. I’m not belittling people who pray, it’s just when they turn intolerant that I have a problem. And that goes for the whole conservative Republican bunch: so many of them not only think that they’re right but they also want to force their version down your throat. Democrats, on the whole, are more diverse and tolerant. Which has its own problems, but is so much preferable!
I’m not sure I can adequately convey the growing horror I experienced when I discovered all this stuff related to the 250th anniversary. And I didn’t even mention the IndieCar Washington D.C. Street Race on August 21, so patriotic, and I bet the neighbors will love the noise… It all shows a serious determination to turn this country of multi-cultural immigrants into a homogenous population dominated by white evangelical Christian nationals. Donald Trump, who could easily be flattered and manipulated, turned out to be the perfect tool for those who prioritize an authoritarian, racist, sexist culture.
That’s where PragerU comes in, the content producer of the Freedom 250 website. I had never heard of it, but this media organization and advocacy group seems to be as popular as Fox News and caters to white supremacists and right-wing conservatives. It produces slick, AI-created videos on culture, history, politics, and other subjects, deliberately addressing a young audience, advancing “Judeo-Christian values”, according to their website. But here is what Wikipedia says: “PragerU’s videos have contained misleading or factually incorrect information on slavery and racism in the United States, immigration, and the history of fascism. PragerU has been further accused of promoting racism, sexism and anti-LGBT politics… PragerU videos have argued against a $15 minimum wage, against increased gun control and in support of capitalism…[It] promotes fossil fuels while criticizing the use of renewable energy and disputing the scientific consensus on climate change … [It] framed climatic concerns as ideological and hysteria, and promoted a conspiracy theory that ‘big government control’ is the real motivation behind energy policies to reduce gas emissions. In November 2023, PragerU released a 21-minute film that follows two people who began gender-affirming care in their late teens and then later detransitioned. [It] was condemned by an American LGBTQ advocacy group, who called it ‘hate-filled propaganda’ ”
And now comes the absolute clincher: eight states use PragerU’s productions as supplemental education material (and the “U” does NOT stand for “University”, although that’s somewhat implied; it is absolutely NOT an academic institution). Florida, Texas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Montana, Arizona, Louisiana, and South Carolina use lesson plans and study guides developed by PragerU. Needless to say, this includes religious material.
If you want to learn more about the funding for PragerU, a non-profit – almost $70,000,000 donations in 2024 – , about its connections to the White House, about its ambitious plans for educating young children, please read this recent Guardian article: ‘Masquerading as a university’: inside the brazen rightwing plan to conquer American schools.
Quite a few people “look on aghast, as an organization with early ties to oil billionaires, and with an occasionally casual relationship with accuracy, seeks to mold kids at their most impressionable age.”
And before I forget to mention it: May 17th “the National Mall will be the scene of a historic gathering as Americans of every background across the country prepare for the nation’s 250th birthday with Scripture, testimony, prayer, and rededication of our country as One Nation to God.” Including “A New Birth of Faith and Freedom: A collective expression of gratitude for 250 years of freedom — and a unified moment of rededication asking for God’s blessing, guidance, and grace for the next 250.” If that doesn’t make your hair stand on end you haven’t been paying attention.
Good God, what an abomination. And this is the stuff we are allowed to know about. I am certain this is only the tip of an iceberg of dreadful things occurring behind closed doors.