Because they’re not all crazy. And I have to wonder how these kids will do on their SATs:
AUSTIN, Tex. — After three days of turbulent meetings, the Texas Board of Education on Friday approved a social studies curriculum that will put a conservative stamp on history and economics textbooks, stressing the superiority of American capitalism, questioning the Founding Fathers’ commitment to a purely secular government and presenting Republican political philosophies in a more positive light.
Yeah, that Herbert Hoover – what an inspiration!
The vote was 10 to 5 along party lines, with all the Republicans on the board voting for it.
The board, whose members are elected, has influence beyond Texas because the state is one of the largest buyers of textbooks. In the digital age, however, that influence has diminished as technological advances have made it possible for publishers to tailor books to individual states.
In recent years, board members have been locked in an ideological battle between a bloc of conservatives who question Darwin’s theory of evolution and believe the Founding Fathers were guided by Christian principles, and a handful of Democrats and moderate Republicans who have fought to preserve the teaching of Darwinism and the separation of church and state.
And see, this is one of the reasons why liberals should definitely get active on their local school boards. Don’t leave a vacuum for the crazy people to fill!
It seems to me that maybe states like New York and California and Pennsylvania along with the New England states and others should get together and tell the textbook publishers that they will not buy this nonsensical crap. The publishers are free to print them for Texas and any other Bottom State that values its ignorance but not to expect any sales in states that have real schools.
At least on the college level, many textbooks have a large electronic component. This component is flexible and can be easily modified locally by schools and teachers. The days of the $100 textbook that are reused many times and resold, e.g. college, are numbered.
“questioning the Founding Fathers’ commitment to a purely secular government…”
I keep thinking this question has been answered. I must be dumb. Stupid. A dunderhead.
These loons remind me of Dr. Johnson, adapted: Not only stupid themselves, they are the cause of stupidity in others.
ARRRRGGGHHHH!
Um, I think this is becoming a catholic nation. I have to leave now.
http://tinyurl.com/yf8dxfv
““The (Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals) Court has just said what was self-evident to Thomas Jefferson and the signers of our Declaration of Independence in 1776 – our rights are unalienable precisely because they come not from the State, but from the Creator.”
“The Court was influenced in its ruling by the Beckett Fund’s argument for the constitutionality of the words “under God” in the pledge. The non-profit group stated that Congress’ purpose in devising the pledge was “to underscore the political philosophy of the Founding Fathers that God granted certain inalienable rights to the people which the government cannot take away.””
The Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty. http://tinyurl.com/ykj3npo
My brain hurts.
I’ve been following this story of Texas idiocy for quite some time and it’s tough to watch. Was Texas the inspiration for “Idiocracy”?
Steve Benen has a good post about this one too. I especially like how they want to remove Jefferson from prominent mention because he understood and wrote about the separation of church and State. Some of the “highlights”:
* Domestic politics: Students will now have to learn about “the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s, including Phyllis Schlafly, the Contract With America, the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association.”
* Civil Rights era: The curriculum will mandate that students study the violent philosophy of the Black Panthers, and emphasize that many Republican lawmakers voted for civil rights laws.
* McCarthyism: History lessons must tell students that Joe McCarthy’s suspicions were later “confirmed.”
* Economics: The new curriculum add Milton Friedman and Friedrich von Hayek to lesson plans, and replaces the word “capitalism” with “free-enterprise system.”
* Founding Fathers: Among 18th century figures whose work inspired revolutions, Thomas Jefferson has been cut, replaced with St. Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, and William Blackstone. Jefferson is generally hated by right-wing activists for his support of church-state separation.
Dan Quinn of the Texas Freedom Network described all of this as “a debacle for public education.”
See the entire post here:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_03/022841.php
A handful of Democrats and moderate Republicans are not fighting to preserve the teaching of Darwinism. They’re fighting to preserve the teaching of evolution. “Darwinism” is a right-wing word to make evolution sound like a religion.
Thanks, New York Times.
sounds like the Texas Board of Education is committing high treason wrapped in the sheep’s clothing of conservative ideals
And then people wonder why Bush couldn’t even speak in sentences, made no sense when he did, and blew his presidency just like all the other “ventures” in his life . . .