Posted under Academia & Political Philosophy
Texas is having its annual textbook controversy over the teaching of evolution and intelligent design and or creationism.
This has been going on for years and it really doesn’t prevent the world from spinning on its axis. But apparently, now that many leftists are no longer alienated from the U.S. because THEIR man is in charge, it’s time to start using a little muscle to straighten things out down there:
“tempting as it is to “let Texas revel in its own ass-backwardness,” it’s best to resist that temptation.
First, Texas is “one of the nation’s biggest buyers of textbooks, and publishers are reluctant to produce different versions of the same material.” Weaker science classes in Texas has far-reaching consequences for students elsewhere.
Second, Texans have elected nutjobs to the State Board of Education, but that’s not a good reason to punish the state’s public school students.
And third, this nonsense really needs to stop as a national phenomenon. Fundamentalists are entitled to their personal beliefs, but these efforts to undermine science education have gone on long enough. The country just can’t afford to tolerate this nonsense anymore — the competitive advantage the United States used to enjoy is vanishing, and conservatives’ anti-science push comes with too high a burden for the country.”
Looks like the Stars and Stripes are flying high over the Washington Monthly building. Cue John Wayne. I guess this means Vermont independence is off the table, right?
Or perhaps we should all say “Hail Science” like they did in one particular episode of South Park or better yet: ”Be Like Us or Else!”
It’s amazing other big states like New York, Florida and California, who would presumably not be opposed to evolution in the textbooks, don’t have the same weight or pull as Texas. If I was a textbook writer, I would simply tell the state to take it or leave it before you could dictate to me what I write. Publish your own books if you want them to say what you believe. And the Monthly answered its own question as it showed that business leaders in Texas will more than likely in the future back candidates for the Board of Education that are more science friendly and that will be that. No interference from Washington is required to resolve this issue.
But don’t tell that to reborn nationalist left concerned about another state’s “ass-backwardness.” Would they like Texas Rangers being sent up North to deal Washington D.C.’s crime problems? Or should we send the U.S. Marines to deal with Iraq governance problems? I think not.
But don’t let the hypocrisy stop you.
roho on 24 Jan 2009 at 2:48 pm #
The entire academia system from elementary school to Universities are “State Owned” and ran by State Employees. Never, have I met a “Federal School Teacher”. And all issues should be worked out in the STATE GOVERNMENT.
George C. Wallace understood that.
Bill Lussenheide on 24 Jan 2009 at 6:01 pm #
Fight and protect the right to homeschool your children.
Homeschooling can arguably be called the largest counter revolution movement of our times.
mark on 09 Nov 2009 at 6:25 pm #
brainwashing your children so they are not exposed
to any other opinion is CHILD ABUSE! Raising little
stepford children who walk lockstep with their fanatic parents is troubling. Allow your children to be free thinkers. Are you afraid that your children won’t be able to function using their own coping skills? They may rebel when they turn 18 and never forgive you for stunting their intellectual growth. You need to examine your “motivations” for really keeping your children away from the world. truly troubling
cleveland on 09 Nov 2009 at 8:21 pm #
From my experience, most people who want to home school their children have control issues.
They want to control what their children watch and hear. I had a neighbor that was like that, funny thing he ended up being investigated by child services. There are different reasons some choose to home school, but in this situation the guy was hiding something.