Coast to coast am... ?

I wanted to jot down that on monday morning when the alarm went off just before 5 am I caught the very tail end of coast to coast am. usually I sort of roll my eyes whenever i flip past that show (I'm not into the paranormal or UFO's or bigfoot etc) but this morning a heard a voice that I "recognized" though it took me a few moments in my pre-dawn stupor to realize who it was.

It was John Taylor Gatto.

I didnt hear the question that the interviewer had asked but I did hear Mr Gatto's response and one of his statements in particular hit me right between the eyes. here it is as best as I can recall (exact words in quotes):

Our current educational system was designed to produce "human resources", adults that are specifically unable to think critically. It promotes the false idea that "important books are hard to read. And you don't need to read them." That instead of reading the important books yourself you can just read the synopsis in the text book or take the professor's word for it. He recomended All Quiet on the Western Front (the book, not the movie) as an illustration of the effects of this system (ie. adults unable to think critically). Prussia was the first modern nation to undertake manditory complusory education and the book is about men produced in this educational system and sent to fight in WWI.

I guess I'll have to put that on the reading list.