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Texas Schools Board Rewriting US History
suraj.sun picked up a Guardian (UK) piece on the Texas school board and their quest to remake US education in a pro-American, Christian, free enterprise mode. We've been keeping an eye on this story for some time, as it will have an impact far beyond Texas. From the Guardian: "The board is to vote on a sweeping purge of alleged liberal bias in Texas school textbooks in favor of what Dunbar says really matters: a belief in America as a nation chosen by God as a beacon to the world, and free enterprise as the cornerstone of liberty and democracy. ... Those corrections have prompted a blizzard of accusations of rewriting history and indoctrinating children by promoting right-wing views on religion, economics, and guns while diminishing the science of evolution, the civil rights movement, and the horrors of slavery. ... Several changes include sidelining Thomas Jefferson, who favored separation of church and state, while introducing a new focus on the 'significant contributions' of pro-slavery Confederate leaders during the Civil War. ... Study of Sir Isaac Newton is dropped in favor of examining scientific advances through military technology."
These creeps need to be dragged into the streets whipped into their sense, then educated and sent to work in a coal mine before they corrupt the entire nation with their ignorance and ill formed beliefs. They don't have a clue and Christ would puke on them if they got close to him.
And that was as mild as I could get with these freaks invading text books and messing up young kids' minds.
Given British history and how it is taught and perceived in Britain, the lack of separation of church and state, and the kind of nutty statements from UK Christian leaders, it's kind of ironic for the UK to point the finger at the US over this.
Why not? The Japanese rewrote the parts of history they didn't like too...
Not a big fan of kdawson's trolling. There a lots of places on the Web for this tripe. Why on slashdot?
and if they could include that Japan decided to nuke itself during world war 2 that would be even better.
No, the modern Republican party and the Democratic party aren't that far right.
"The US Department of Homeland Security defines right-wing extremism as hate groups who target racial, ethnic or religious minorities and may be dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."
Neither the GOP, Teabaggers or Democrats are involved in this.
The Republicans are more centre right - "liberal democracy, capitalism, the market economy (albeit with some limited government regulation), private property rights, the existence of the welfare state in some limited form, and opposition to socialism and communism. "
The Democrats are centre left - "Environmentalism and environmental protection laws, value-added/progressive taxation system to fund government expenditures, Immigration and multiculturalism, Fair trade over free trade, Advocacy of social justice, human rights, social rights, civil rights and civil liberties."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_left
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_right
Well, I and other non-American slashdotters are curious.....when Texas periodically calls to secede from the Union.....why isn't the rest of the country jumping up to help them along their way? ; )
Between the falling angel and the rising ape
History is an exercise in 'majoritarian' mythology (As a quick aside, please don't use these ridiculous news channel fear mongering fake words, they just make you sound stupid. You could easily have said something along the lines of belief in stories without first person accounts lining up with evidence). Wars determine not who is right, but rather who is left. Sure, today we may have more information about both sides of a war than say 10(00) years ago, but in some places, history really is whatever people say it is. I don't agree with knowingly teaching things that are incorrect (ie teaching creationism as science), but lets not pretend that even a best effort historical evidence based approach will give us a true view of history.
Bridge inspections are a vote on whether or not they are going to fall down. I can tell you from personal experience (I was 3 feet away from a bridge that fell at a NASCAR track in charlotte) that inspections don't determine whether or not a bridge will fall; it simply tells whether or not it is up to code. Our inspection system (bridge or otherwise) is based on level of failure. We keep a level of requirement for inspection, then when something fails while passing inspection, we change the requirements (regardless of whether or not the failure was due to items under inspection).
I know I'm putting my Karma at stake here, but believe me, I'm trying to be constructive.
I'm brazilian and live in Brazil. But as someone that for 15 years is in contact with americans - through places like slashdot, several news sources (no, not Fox ;-) ), my local newspapers and TV news, colleagues from my last job (american multinational), etc It's impossible not to say that it amazes me how USA seems to be two different countries: one with reasonable, open-minded, modern-thinking people, that tries to reach the rest of the world and knows that international cooperation, climate, civil rights, REAL liberty, some level of state control over companies and things like that are important; and other with radical, close-minded, beliccose people that live in the 18th century, believe in creation exactly as the Bible describes it, thinks the USA have the right to rule every other nation in the planet using force and that each foreign person is a potential enemy and needs to be subjugated.
Please, please don't take me wrong! I'm not some anti-american idiot, and I'm not saying my society is better than yours - we are plenty of horrible people and structural problems in areas where the USA are examples to be followed. I'm just trying to understand why this is like this - or, maybe, if I't's not and I'm just wrong. Yes, I know a bit about the civil war, the Texas being "another country", etc, but sometimes I feel obligated to compare the lack of progress of these people with the lack of progress of other cultures that still live in the past - and are criticized by the same people - like arabs for example.
For example, I don't understand why someone need to choose between believing in "God" (in any way you can interpret this word) AND in creation EXACTLY as described in the Bible; OR not believing in God at all. I believe in God. I have a Christian religion. But, come on, any 10 year-old can explain to you that you were not created from mud, nor the earth created in seven days. I know the universe is fucking enormous and that Mary could not be a virgin. The science PROVES it - along with several other things. So, I need to put my brain in the trash bin to have a religion? Or maybe, just maybe I could think: "hey, maybe this is not a literal description!". Science and religion are not enemies, than can be allies, as Einstein pointed out. But to allow his to happen, one need at least to THINK about other points of view - and these people don't.
Maybe if that crazy russian analyst that predicted the USA would be divided in the future is right, things would be better. We don't even need 6 parts, just two: the morons to one side, and the thinking persons to the other. And then the world as a whole could just let the morons live their miserable lives, ignoring the reality, and go on.
Sorry for the rant...
--- Illogical Spock
Yes but you see the constitution legally prohibits us from doing anything worthwhile and the wishes of 200 year old slave owners must be respected
These bastards AGAIN? What the hell, racist, sick, science-hating sons of bitches forcing children into lives of ignorance and unintelligent. Might as well just kidnap the kids and train then into something like "KKK Youth". These people really need to get the hell out of education and leave it to professionals.
As a child I was indoctrinated that society always progressed. This has been false several times in history, most notably the middle ages, and it looks like we are heading into another damn regression of sorts. Maybe not as full thanks to the internet, but it burns every cell in my body to read about it, and watch it happening, and to be demonized for speaking up.
I get so tired of our politics, peoples nonprofessional opinion, religion, and such being the biggest consideration in how we teach history and science. If we are going to do that, why not just reinstitute beating and forced religion in schools? Oh wait, texas did suggest that. These dark ages are going to suck.
Where is the mod rating for "scary"? Also,
The plain fact is that almost 100% of blacks today have joined the Democrats, as have a majority of Jews, Asians, Latinos, and any other minority you care to name. And the undeniable fact is that virtually all racists have joined the Republican party
Does anyone else see the irony having literally listing the races you believe to be superior to falling under the sway of any racist thoughts (making snap judgments on a person and their character based upon the color of their skin). No black parent would be mad about their child dating a white kid, or Asians their kid dating a black kid? Or to you is racism only a problem when it manifests itself in a race you don't like?
If you want to actually eliminate racism you need to be ready to address it in all forms, on all fronts, and leave it no safe harbor, no acceptable form that you're willing to overlook for now. Otherwise the pendulum just swings back and forth and we'll never move past it.
That is of course assuming that you're actually interested in combating racism for a better tomorrow and not just wishing to wield it as a political weapon.