13 March 2010 Don’t wait for Texas to secede again

13 March 2010 Don’t wait for Texas to secede again


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html?th&emc=th

“Texas Conservatives Win Curriculum Change

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.

Published: March 12, 2010

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. “

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“Cultural Rewind » Texas Adopts a More Conservative Curriculum

Texas Adopts a More Conservative Curriculum

posted at 3/12/2010 6:08 PM EST

*Moderator*



PhilipKennicott

First post: 11/12/2009

Last post: 3/12/2010

Total posts: 43 Texas is at the center of yet more cultural controversy over the content of textbooks after the State Board of Education adopted new, and more conservative standards for the teaching of history and other subjects. Dozens of changes to the curriculum will emphasize the role of Christianity in the founding of America and downplay the role of Hispanics and other minorities, according to reports.

“As part of the new curriculum,” says the AP, “the elected board — made up of lawyers, a dentist and a weekly newspaper publisher among others — rejected an attempt to ensure that children learn why the U.S. was founded on the principle of religious freedom.”

What role should professional educators play in the creation of these standards, and how much should be left to elected boards? “



What a timely find in light of yesterday’s entry!

Sometimes the words don’t come easily and other times something hands them to you like a gift-wrapped package.

I’m reminded of the many papers, magazine articles, and books published in the period 1950-80 about the use of school curricula as a means of indoctrination by those organizations within the USSR and the Communist Party responsible for education. The term “revisionist” was hurled frequently and vehemently by the host of anti-communist authors. The idea that anyone would want to alter history for political purposes was horrifying. The thought of using schools to advance a particular religion was felt to be nearly criminal.



Fast forward from the Nixon southern strategy’s implementation to the present day. The GOP has encouraged a near theocracy for decades now. Those churches that are most militant in their desire to convert the world have fallen happily in line and now have heroes in their ranks who would happily subvert our Constitution, and its essential 1st Amendment to the proclamations of a poorly translated sacred book. This power base has brought us to the point where our schools are too often prevented from teaching a valid science-based curriculum but where individual teachers feel free to interject their particular religious mythos into classrooms with no penalty.

It seems to me that the good folk of Texas have elevated some from among their own to replace the commissars of the USSR. Texas schools, far from being bastions of educational honesty and accuracy, will now become mechanisms for distorting not only Texas but U.S. and world history. They will also become extensions of churches. We’ll be shelling out taxes that Texas will receive and then use to establish a state religion.

I’m certain that the good folks of Texas would object if tax revenues were somehow used to advance recruitment and instruction of Texas students by the Roman Catholic Church. Yet a sizeable number of them see no harm in public schools being used to force education by a protestant sect; or that the sect in question is twisting history, banning valid biological studies, and refusing to acknowledge contributions to society by anyone who looks or prays differently from that sect. Sounds very similar to the USSR’s programming to me.

Texas may have been convinced by a power base of theocrats that our founding fathers were all Christians. The founders I learned about in those more fortunate days when historical accuracy was somewhat more valued knew of the danger of theocracy only too well. To expunge Jefferson from history texts and to replace him with the likes of Phyllis Schafly and a rehabilitated Joe McCarthy is on par with the exclusion of the Torah from public libraries because of its Jewish origin. It won’t be long until young Texans are taught that a blue-eyed, 6’4” Jesus spoke English and chased Mexicans from the Alamo alongside Sam Houston. Once you start revising, why stop until there’s nothing left to revise? After all, Jesus will be so busy deciding who wins high school football games that he’ll need someone else to help run the government.

Maybe we should replace that white star on the Texas flag with a red star.

Perhaps it is time for Texas to secede. I’m sure that Mexico would welcome them back with open arms. Of course, we’ll have to move our space center and all those military bases and equipment that are there now. But I’m sure there are equally educationally backward states to absorb the bases and the space center would do well in Colorado, Oklahoma, or New Mexico.

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