Having lived in Texas myself some years back, I know that there are sane, decent people throughout the state. It's unfortunate that there are not more on the Texas State Board of Education which is now dominated by far right Christianists who have an agenda of re-writing history to fit their warped religious extremism. They also seem to seek to dumb down Texas students sufficiently enough so that they will not know better than to question the voodoo version of Christianity that these folks are peddling. One irony, of course, is that while they see themselves as super patriots/Christians, their efforts to conform history to their personal extremist views are reminiscent of Soviet Russia and the true history that was lost to everyday Russians until after the fall of the communist regime. In addition, their efforts to establish their version of religious belief as the defacto official religion flies in the face of the true desires of the Founding Fathers. Here are highlights on this travesty from the Dallas Morning News:*
AUSTIN — In a landmark vote that will shape the future education of millions of Texas schoolchildren, the State Board of Education on Friday approved new curriculum standards for U.S. history and other social studies courses that reflect a more conservative tone than in the past.
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Split along party lines, the board voted 9-5 to adopt the new standards, which will dictate what is taught in all Texas schools and provide the basis for future textbooks and student achievement tests over the next decade.
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Approval came after the GOP-dominated board approved a new curriculum standard that would encourage high school students to question the legal doctrine of church-state separation - a sore point for social conservative groups who disagree with court decisions that have affirmed the doctrine, including the ban on school-sponsored prayer.
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Before the final vote on the lengthy list of standards, the board’s five Democrats criticized the Republican majority - primarily social conservatives - for injecting their political and religious views into the standards and giving short shrift to important minority figures in history.
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Board member Mavis Knight, D-Dallas, called the proposal a “travesty.” “The board has made these standards political and had little academic discussion about what students need to learn,” she said. “I am ashamed of what we have done to the students and teachers of this state.”
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While most of the world is seeking to better educate students for the competitive global economy, U.S. Christianists are actively trying to dumb down American students so that they will buy the religious based insanity that now is part and parcel with the Republican Party. It is very distressing to anyone who knows and respects true history.
