| Last week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal highlighted Scott Walker’s most recent column at the Washington Times, which leads off with a shocking finding on the views of Generation Z. “A recent poll by the Daily Mail showed nearly 1 in 5 voters aged 18 to 29 had a relatively positive view of Osama bin Laden,” Walker writes. “The poll also found that 3 in 10 of those surveyed believe the views of the global terrorist were a ‘force for good.’” How did we get to this point? Walker notes that what's being taught at colleges and universities is generally “insufficient and inadequate to encourage good citizenship,” instead focusing on “opposing colonialism and framing” early American history in an overly critical light. To fix our civics woes, Walker recommends that states “adopt an ‘Educational Transparency Act,’” which would require institutions “to provide easily available course syllabuses, student enrollment figures, occupational outcomes, and other data.” He also contends that faculty searches should not be “‘focused solely on racial, ethnic, and sexual orientation, or gender identity.’” At Fox News, Patrick O’Donnell reflects on Christmas in 1776, one of “the darkest periods in American history.” He writes that “the economy was in ruins, and Washington’s army had lost one battle after another.” But then, George Washington made a crucial strategic move that would help boost the American cause for self-government. Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River in a driving storm on Christmast night led to a surprise attack on Hessian troops encamped at Trenton, which was “part of 10 crucial days and two more battlefield victories” that “would change history,” O’Donnell notes. He continues by pointing out, “Looming disaster spurred Americans into action; some even believed such a crisis was necessary to motivate people.” As Doctor Benjamin Rush later wrote to John Adams, “We require adversity and appear to possess most of the republican spirit when most depressed. Our republic cannot exist long in prosperity.” In the News Scott Walker, Washington Times Meg Kinnard, AP Preston Brashers, Daily Signal Marshall Cohen, CNN Douglas MacKinnon, Fox News Politico Dan McLaughlin, National Review Sebastian Murdock, HuffPost Olivia B. Waxman, Time Joshua Jansa & Eve Ringsmuth, Chicago Sun Times Ben Shapiro, RealClearPolitics Robert C. Thornett, Law & Liberty ASU News Patrick K. O'Donnell, Fox News Matt Jaworowski, Yahoo News Jack Miller Center Does the rising generation believe in the American dream? In a time of uncertainty in education and... National Constitution Center In this episode, Joyce Lee Malcolm, author of "The Times That Try Men's Souls: The Adams, the... Carl Cannon's Great American Stories The careers of Robert Burns and Laura Ingalls Wilder show that creativity can come at any age. Burns was not ... It's Friday, Dec. 22, the day of the week when I share a quotation intended to be informative or uplifting. ... It's Tuesday, Dec. 19, a notable date in history for those of us who write for a living, whether one ... | 