Texas OKs school textbook changes

[Skjellyfetti]

The Texas State Board of Education adopted a social studies and history curriculum Friday that amends or waters down the teaching of the civil rights movement, religious freedoms, America's relationship with the U.N. and hundreds of other items.

In one of the most significant changes leading up to the vote, the board attempted to water down the rationale for the separation of church and state in a high school government class, pointing out that the words were not in the Constitution and requiring that students compare and contrast the judicial language with the wording in the First Amendment.

They also rejected language to modernize the classification of historic periods to B.C.E. and C.E. from the traditional B.C. and A.D., and agreed to replace Thomas Jefferson as an example of an influential political philosopher in a world history class. They also required students to evaluate efforts by global organizations such as the United Nations to undermine U.S. sovereignty.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37271857/ns/us_news-life/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"We are fighting for our children's education and our nation's future," Dunbar said. "In Texas we have certain statutory obligations to promote patriotism and to promote the free enterprise system. There seems to have been a move away from a patriotic ideology. There seems to be a denial that this was a nation founded under God. We had to go back and make some corrections."
...
Several changes include sidelining Thomas Jefferson, who favoured separation of church and state, while introducing a new focus on the "significant contributions" of pro-slavery Confederate leaders during the civil war.

The new curriculum asserts that "the right to keep and bear arms" is an important element of a democratic society. Study of Sir Isaac Newton is dropped in favour of examining scientific advances through military technology.

There is also a suggestion that the anti-communist witch-hunt by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s may have been justified.

The education board has dropped references to the slave trade in favour of calling it the more innocuous "Atlantic triangular trade", and recasts the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as driven by Islamic fundamentalism.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ma ... MP=twt_iph" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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[AZGrizFan]

Rednecks.

[clenz]

I don't see why using BC and AD is an issue, since that is how the calendar years are set up. It's not just Christians that go by that set up.


The rest of it is pretty ridiculous though

[danefan]

Why did they feal the need to change "Slave Trade" to "Atlantic Triangular Trade."

Does the term "Slave Trade" have a liberal bias?

[OSBF]

Revisionist history, no matter who is doing the revision, is a very dangerous thing

Talk about your classic slippery slope

[Baldy]

Some of these changes were much needed:

During the monthslong revision process, conservatives strengthened requirements on teaching the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers and required that the U.S. government be referred to as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic." Students will be required to study the decline in the value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard.

Reasons for the abandonment of the gold standard.
Study of the decline of the US dollar.
The US is in fact a Constitutional Republic and NOT a democracy.
Deny it all you want, but the founding fathers were VERY VERY religious (even Thomas Jefferson) and that fact the feelings they held greatly influenced the very principles in the founding of the United States.

It's funny how 10 years ago when the old standards were set into place by non-ideological activist Donks that the curriculum wasn't influenced by politics whatsoever.

[danefan]

Some of these changes were much needed:

During the monthslong revision process, conservatives strengthened requirements on teaching the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers and required that the U.S. government be referred to as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic." Students will be required to study the decline in the value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard.

Reasons for the abandonment of the gold standard.
Study of the decline of the US dollar.
The US is in fact a Constitutional Republic and NOT a democracy.
Deny it all you want, but the founding fathers were VERY VERY religious (even Thomas Jefferson) and that fact the feelings they held greatly influenced the very principles in the founding of the United States.

It's funny how 10 years ago when the old standards were set into place by non-ideological activist Donks that the curriculum wasn't influenced by politics whatsoever.

I'm fine if you want to teach that as a point of view. As long as you present it as just that, a point of view. Which means there is a differnet point of view and you teach that as well.

[Pwns]

I'm all for introducing kids to ideas they don't get in school. Way too many kids have their kids brains filled with naive and romantic mush about the UN, don't realize a lot of the people accused by McCarthy were guilty, and have an oversimplified comic-book view of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.

Of course, the way a lot of these people talk it seems they are not interested in removing the globalist left-wing bias in the curriculum but instead want to turn the bias the other way.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

"For the first time in my adult life I am proud of this country" or at least two of the states that have a clue.
Texas and Arizona

[Grizalltheway]

Some of these changes were much needed:

During the monthslong revision process, conservatives strengthened requirements on teaching the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers and required that the U.S. government be referred to as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic." Students will be required to study the decline in the value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard.

Reasons for the abandonment of the gold standard.
Study of the decline of the US dollar.
The US is in fact a Constitutional Republic and NOT a democracy.
Deny it all you want, but the founding fathers were VERY VERY religious (even Thomas Jefferson) and that fact the feelings they held greatly influenced the very principles in the founding of the United States.

It's funny how 10 years ago when the old standards were set into place by non-ideological activist Donks that the curriculum wasn't influenced by politics whatsoever.

He also fucked his slaves, is there any mention of that in these books??

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

So do I.

Whats the big deal?

[native]

Some of these changes were much needed:


Reasons for the abandonment of the gold standard.
Study of the decline of the US dollar.
The US is in fact a Constitutional Republic and NOT a democracy.
Deny it all you want, but the founding fathers were VERY VERY religious (even Thomas Jefferson) and that fact the feelings they held greatly influenced the very principles in the founding of the United States.

It's funny how 10 years ago when the old standards were set into place by non-ideological activist Donks that the curriculum wasn't influenced by politics whatsoever.

I'm fine if you want to teach that as a point of view. As long as you present it as just that, a point of view. Which means there is a differnet point of view and you teach that as well.

You are entitled to your own point of view, DF, but not your own facts. Baldy's list is made up of historical facts.

Big mistake not to use the term "slave," however. Bullsh!t, actually.

[danefan]

I'm fine if you want to teach that as a point of view. As long as you present it as just that, a point of view. Which means there is a differnet point of view and you teach that as well.

You are entitled to your own point of view, DF, but not your own facts. Baldy's list is made up of historical facts.

Big mistake not to use the term "slave," however. Bullsh!t, actually.

Presenting facts is one thing. And yes, Baldy's list if factual.

Maybe I erroneously put a conclusion in Baldy's mouth (no homo), but I just assumed that someone who wants to teach a fact like the religous persuasion of the founding fathers also supports teaching that they didn't really believe in the separation of church and state.

Their religious persuasion is a fact. The separation of church and state issue is not.

BTW, I thought it was pretty clear that the Founding Fathers were very religious and I'm pretty sure I learned that in 2nd grade. Are teachers really teaching something else now?

[mrklean]

IN a few years they will take out slavery from our History Books. The American Civil War was fought over Beans and Rice..............lol This is what happens when you let Rednecks run the school system. And Texas is full of them.

[Skjellyfetti]

The US is in fact a Constitutional Republic and NOT a democracy.

Ugh. I feel like we've had this discussion plenty of times... but, I couldn't resist. IT'S BOTH A DEMOCRACY AND A REPUBLIC. I know it completely blows your mind that the two aren't mutually exclusive... but, it's true.

[Baldy]

The US is in fact a Constitutional Republic and NOT a democracy.

Ugh. I feel like we've had this discussion plenty of times... but, I couldn't resist. IT'S BOTH A DEMOCRACY AND A REPUBLIC. I know it completely blows your mind that the two aren't mutually exclusive... but, it's true.

Sorry, the two are mutually exclusive. Even though the definition of democracy has been bastardized since the early 1900's, they are now and have always been entirely different forms of government.

[youngterrier]

You are entitled to your own point of view, DF, but not your own facts. Baldy's list is made up of historical facts.

Big mistake not to use the term "slave," however. Bullsh!t, actually.

Presenting facts is one thing. And yes, Baldy's list if factual.

Maybe I erroneously put a conclusion in Baldy's mouth (no homo), but I just assumed that someone who wants to teach a fact like the religious persuasion of the founding fathers also supports teaching that they didn't really believe in the separation of church and state.

Their religious persuasion is a fact. The separation of church and state issue is not.

BTW, I thought it was pretty clear that the Founding Fathers were very religious and I'm pretty sure I learned that in 2nd grade. Are teachers really teaching something else now?

The Founding Fathers were religious, but not the kind of religious the David Barton Wallbuilders want you to think

[youngterrier]

Ugh. I feel like we've had this discussion plenty of times... but, I couldn't resist. IT'S BOTH A DEMOCRACY AND A REPUBLIC. I know it completely blows your mind that the two aren't mutually exclusive... but, it's true.

Sorry, the two are mutually exclusive. Even though the definition of democracy has been bastardized since the early 1900's, they are now and have always been entirely different forms of government.

10th grade students @ my High School thought a Democracy was a government ruled by Democrats and a Republic a government ruled by Republicans; they have to figure out the definition of each one before they can determine what our government is

[kalm]

Ugh. I feel like we've had this discussion plenty of times... but, I couldn't resist. IT'S BOTH A DEMOCRACY AND A REPUBLIC. I know it completely blows your mind that the two aren't mutually exclusive... but, it's true.

Sorry, the two are mutually exclusive. Even though the definition of democracy has been bastardized since the early 1900's, they are now and have always been entirely different forms of government.

We are a democratic constitutional republic. "We the people"...

And while the founders tended to be religious, as we all know, many of the more important ones were deists. I'm not sure evanelical Texans are going to fairly represent that notion.

[houndawg]

Some of these changes were much needed:

During the monthslong revision process, conservatives strengthened requirements on teaching the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers and required that the U.S. government be referred to as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic." Students will be required to study the decline in the value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard.

Reasons for the abandonment of the gold standard.
Study of the decline of the US dollar.
The US is in fact a Constitutional Republic and NOT a democracy.
Deny it all you want, but the founding fathers were VERY VERY religious (even Thomas Jefferson) and that fact the feelings they held greatly influenced the very principles in the founding of the United States.

It's funny how 10 years ago when the old standards were set into place by non-ideological activist Donks that the curriculum wasn't influenced by politics whatsoever.

Yes the founding fathers were religious. That is a VERY, VERY, far cry from the United States being a christian nation. For some reason there are a lot of christians who think that the ff being religious = the ff being christian = the US being a "christian country". Congress put the lie to that in 1790.

[kalm]

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."

- George Washington in the Treaty of Tripoli

[youngterrier]

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."

- George Washington in the Treaty of Tripoli

uuuummmmm.......call me crazy but I don't think Washington said that but rather it was just the text in the treaty but I don't know for sure

[JohnStOnge]

In one of the most significant changes leading up to the vote, the board attempted to water down the rationale for the separation of church and state in a high school government class, pointing out that the words were not in the Constitution and requiring that students compare and contrast the judicial language with the wording in the First Amendment.

Water down? It's just the truth. Whatever else is going on with this comparing and contrasting what the Constitution's establishment clause actually SAYS along with what actions of the time say about how it was construed with the modern concept of "separation of Church and State" is just exposing students to the truth that what the Supreme Court has to say about the matter is a lie. It's not "watering down" at all.

[Baldy]

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."

- George Washington in the Treaty of Tripoli

"And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
--George Washington farewell address 1796"

[Baldy]

Sorry, the two are mutually exclusive. Even though the definition of democracy has been bastardized since the early 1900's, they are now and have always been entirely different forms of government.

We are a democratic constitutional republic. "We the people"...

And while the founders tended to be religious, as we all know, many of the more important ones were deists. I'm not sure evanelical Texans are going to fairly represent that notion.

There is no such thing as a democratic constitutional republic. Sorry.

The only founding father who could even be considered a Deist in any way would be Jefferson. The funny part is that many of his writings and thoughts of the time very closely mirror the philosophy of Ayn Rand in the middle of the 20th century. The only considerable difference is that Rand was an dyed in the wool Atheist.

I still would like to know who the "many" are. Washington? No. Adams? Definitely not. Franklin? Not even close. Madison? No way. Sam Adams? Absolutely not.