Texas to remove Thomas Jefferson from school text books

[David.Seth2]

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/12...d-cuts-thomas-jefferson-out-of-its-textbooks/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/12/texas-education-board-app_n_497440.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cQk1rBQUi4

The Texas Board of Education has been meeting this week to revise its social studies curriculum. During the past three days, “the board’s far-right faction wielded their power to shape lessons on the civil rights movement, the U.S. free enterprise system and hundreds of other topics”:

– To avoid exposing students to “transvestites, transsexuals and who knows what else,” the Board struck the curriculum’s reference to “sex and gender as social constructs.”

– The Board removed Thomas Jefferson from the Texas curriculum, “replacing him with religious right icon John Calvin.”

– The Board refused to require that “students learn that the Constitution prevents the U.S. government from promoting one religion over all others.”

– The Board struck the word “democratic” from the description of the U.S. government, instead terming it a “constitutional republic.”

As the nation’s second-largest textbook market, Texas has enormous leverage over publishers, who often “craft their standard textbooks based on the specs of the biggest buyers.” Indeed, as The Washington Monthly has reported, “when it comes to textbooks, what happens in Texas rarely stays in Texas.”

Just when I thought conservative-extremists couldn't get any worse. They want to replace Jefferson with John Calvin? I'm a Christian and went to private schools K-8, and yet I never learned a damn thing about this Calvin. With all that talk a while back about Texas succeeding from the nation, I now fully endorse it. Only then can they re-write history any way they want.

edit: the real scary thing is that this could influence text book publishers to leave Jefferson out. These altered books would be the same ones kids in all the other states would read too =/

 

[Warped]

He who controls the past controls the future

 

[unozero]

omg...no comment really.
Whata buncha dumb ****s.

 

[David.Seth2]

they actually want to remove Neil Armstrong too:

http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2009/09/neil_armstrong_isnt_worthy_of_texas_textbooks.html

 

[unozero]

Christian Taliban fo sho.

 

[Stigmata]

they actually want to remove Neil Armstrong too:

http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2009/09/neil_armstrong_isnt_worthy_of_texas_textbooks.html

......... WHAT.

I need to go to bed. This is mind boggling.

 

[GreatEmperor]

Neil Armstrong didnt see Jesus in the clouds so hes obviously gotta go

 

[Acepilotf14]

what.

 

[GreatEmperor]

He went to the moon and no space-santa in a golden palace, hes not reliable obviously

 

[nurizeko]

Lol stupid ****s.

 

[15357]

So... did Jesus's mad moronic minions take over Texas without telling me? Because this is unbelievably retarded.

 

[Shem]

What a stupid thing to do. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, along with the combined ideas of several other famous men.

This is madness!

 

[Shakermaker]

What a stupid thing to do. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, along with the combined ideas of several other famous men.

This is madness!

Yeah, but he was also basically atheist, which apparently aggrieved the Texan Taliban.

 

[The Monkey]

Yeah, but he was also basically atheist, which apparently aggrieved the Texan Taliban.

No, he wasn't.

 

[lord_raken]

Um.... did you guys NOT hear the woman who said that her kid wasn't allowed to mention Christmas?

Granted they did keep it, but this sounds more like general political correctness.

Wait..... This is Fox... that woman was talking about a past event, not this new curriculum... Fox twisted the evidence..... F**K you Fox.

 

[sixteenth]

– The Board struck the word “democratic” from the description of the U.S. government, instead terming it a “constitutional republic.”

Are you ****ing kidding me?

 

[Sparta]

This is rewriting history to suit their political ideals.

When you're removing references to civil rights activists like Cesar Chavez, Senator Ted Kennedy, removing references to Tejanos fighting along side Davy Crockett at the Alamo and mentions of religions like Sikhism (5th largest in the world), while adding in references to William Buckley, Newt Gingrich, Billy Graham and then removing Thomas Jefferson and any mention of the statement "Seperation of Church and State", this isn't political correctness. It's literally rewriting history.

They also are working to slowly abolish evolution from being taught in schools by working to introduce intelligent design into the curriculum and by shifting the focus from all the incredibly sound scientific evidence on evolution (if a scientific theory can last 150 years, it's a pretty damn good theory) to focusing on what skeptics call the "flaws" of the theory of evolution (almost of those flaws can be debunked whereas the ones that can't be debunked, can't be used as evidence against it either because there simply isnt any evidence for either side.)

Look at the reasoning behind this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzrUt9CHtpY&feature=player_embedded#

The reason this is such a big issue is because public schools in the U.S. buy used textbooks in massive quantities from Texas, which (thanks to California's being broke) is now the largest purchaser of textbooks in the entire country. Since California cant buy new textbooks until they're back on their feet economically, that means that majority of textbooks bought in 2010-11 are going to be from Texas where they've rewritten history and they've seen fit.

It's pretty amazing that 10 Republicans on a school board in Texas have this much power over the curriculum of the entire U.S.

 

[Polaris]

Absolutely apalling. Replace one the greatest Americans by that Swiss lunatic? Republicans are slowly replacing their dubious patriotism with genuine religious zealotry.

No, he wasn't.

He was a deist and he edited his Bible a lot, removed all references to divinity, leaving only a moral and philosophical stuff. I guess redneck Christian wackos are not very happy about that.
TJ > :flame:

 

[Solaris]

No, he wasn't.

Christopher Hitchens seems to think he probably was. Either way, he certainly wasn't a christian.

 

[Stigmata]

Deism is a happy medium between theism and atheism. Ergo, evil incarnate to Bible Belt Christians.

 

[swan_song1973]

pretty stupid, i dont think it's something to worry about though theres no way itll go through.

 

[The Monkey]

He was a deist and he edited his Bible a lot, removed all references to divinity, leaving only a moral and philosophical stuff. I guess redneck Christian wackos are not very happy about that.
TJ > :flame:

Christopher Hitchens seems to think he probably was. Either way, he certainly wasn't a christian.

Deism =/= atheism. Besides, I think he was theist if anything, judging from these statements:

I can never join Calvin in addressing his god. He was indeed an Atheist, which I can never be.

No historical fact is better established, than that the doctrine of one God, pure and uncompounded, was that of the early ages of Christianity

If we did a good act merely from love of God and a belief that it is pleasing to Him, whence arises the morality of the Atheist?

...I trust that there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die an Unitarian.

But I honestly don't understand why people care so much if Jefferson was an atheist, a deist or a theist. Why does it matter?

 

[Shakermaker]

No, he wasn't.

OK, maybe not an atheist in the current sense of the word, but during his day he was highly critical of religion.

 

[[Dragoon]]

So... did Jesus's mad moronic minions take over Texas without telling me? Because this is unbelievably retarded.

Oh, they've been around for a while. Every few years they do something particularly retarded, like this, as if to remind everyone that they're still around. I'd say the best thing to do would be to ignore them, but people like this are often in actual positions of enough power (like school board members) to do some real damage.

And in this case the harm is particularly nefarious, further damaging our already lackluster public education system. Not to mention all the other things about this that I find appalling as an atheist.

 

[Emporius]

Calvin? The guy who bitched about his religion being mistreated before moving to Holland and burning heretics at the stake?

 

[Absinthe]

If we did a good act merely from love of God and a belief that it is pleasing to Him, whence arises the morality of the Atheist?

Just want to point out that after posing that question, he goes on to say "Their virtue, then, must have had some other foundation than the love of God."

Just so nobody gets the wrong idea about Jefferson.

Any way, the man was likely not an atheist. He did share many of the same criticisms and skepticism that atheists have with religion(s).

Fix Reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason than of blindfolded fear. ... Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its consequences. If it end in a belief that there is no God, you will find incitements to virtue in the comfort and pleasantness you feel in its exercise and in the love of others which it will procure for you.

 

[Solaris]

Just want to point out that after posing that question, he goes on to say "Their virtue, then, must have had some other foundation than the love of God."
.

I utterly despise it when people misquote like that. Religious nut jobs do it for Einstein all the time.

Although I know it must have been a mistake by our Monkey friend, he wouldn't do that on purpose.

 

[Noodle]

If I'm not mistaken Calvinism was the whole pre-destination thing, right? And now he's replacing our third president?

For me, he will always be a small mischievous boy with a tiger for a friend.

Also, what the F**K is oh damn people are so stupid...

 

[The Monkey]

I utterly despise it when people misquote like that. Religious nut jobs do it for Einstein all the time.

Although I know it must have been a mistake by our Monkey friend, he wouldn't do that on purpose.

Yeah no, it doesn't really change the point I was making, that Jefferson wasn't an atheist. I never suggested that he felt hatred towards atheists. But as I said, I consider this pretty much a non-issue.

 

[Shyam]

Wait, WAIT. Texas wants to secede from the U.S. and the U.S. don't give a shit ? What, you mention secession in other countries I am sure the Army and the para militaries would swarm in preventing that.

How many Texans actually want to secede ?

 

[Krynn72]

Probably not many. But the loud ones say they do. Of course, as soon as they did they'd probably regret it. And we value our freedom of speech, so they can say they want to secede all they want. Besides everyone knows they won't.

Just like saying "The South shall rise again!" Yeah, whatever. You've been saying that for almost 150 years now.

 

[A2597]

I just have to pop in here and say that as a bible believing Jesus freak:

This is the stupidest things I have read in awhile. To the level of "WTF" that can only be expressed by a dual wielding trout slap. (Because IRC references can be used to punctuate ANY statement!)

I honestly question if these people ever bothered to read the new testament of the bible, or if every single one of Jesus teachings just dribbled out of their heads with what little gray matter remained in their skulls.

 

[Solaris]

I just have to pop in here and say that as a bible believing Jesus freak:

This is the stupidest things I have read in awhile. To the level of "WTF" that can only be expressed by a dual wielding trout slap. (Because IRC references can be used to punctuate ANY statement!)

I honestly question if these people ever bothered to read the new testament of the bible, or if every single one of Jesus teachings just dribbled out of their heads with what little gray matter remained in their skulls.

Didn't Jesus say "I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets,"

 

[gFrohman]

I'm ashamed to be living in Texas right now. This is ridiculous.

 

[jverne]

Why do people always go..."oh they are a minority, they can't do anything", it's the minority who is usually very fanatical. The majority is passive most of the time.

Islamic terrorist might be a minority but they sure as hell have influence. If you have lot's of money, members are not really that critical.

For this case it's similar, some zealous dickheads raise up so much commotion.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

It's ****ing redneck texas, the hell did you expect. Giving a crap about the constitution of the US?

 

[lord_raken]

This is a case of the loud idiots getting ALL the attention. Most people in Texas don't support this shit. I know I don't.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

You should kill'm. No man, no problem.

 

[David.Seth2]

This is a case of the loud idiots getting ALL the attention

and its these loud idiots that are changing the standards. Which could affect many kids throughout the US.

 

[Shyam]

You should kill'm. No man, no problem.

You have a psychopathic streak.



Keep it up.