Capitalism is villainized in a Soviet-era cartoon shown to high school students attending a state-sponsored “cyber camp.” I get chased off from filming.

Dateline Tuesday July 29, 2014 – Portland, Oregon: What in the world does Soviet-era Communist propaganda have to do with a High School Cyber camp being sponsored by Portland State University (PSU)? For now that question remains unanswered. While strolling through campus I noticed many kids wearing the same shirts advertising the camp. I then happened upon an open doorway where I noticed a Russian cartoon being shown. Curious, I stood in the hallway and began filming with my iPhone.

The cartoon I watched portrayed Capitalists as war-mongering dogs, and money as the root of all evil. As the cartoon ends and the discussion begins, I’m pulled away from the open door by one of the event organizers and asked to leave. While it is a private event (he closes the door) I found it Orwellian that the media would be shut out from filming what might be considered a Communism indoctrination session. Granted the follow-up discussion by the teacher appeared to be two-sided, but I wasn’t allowed to hang around to find out.

The five-day camp was put on by the school’s College of Engineering and Computer Science at the taxpayer funded University. According to the school’s web site: “The camp includes discussions, hands on engineering and computer science labs involving mobile robots, a cryptographic treasure hunt, film sessions, and a final cyber challenge.” As I was chased down the hall and harassed by the organizer, I had to wonder to myself: “just what are these people hiding?”

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