Text 8004, 124 rader
Skriven 2010-05-24 16:42:37 av Roy Witt (1:387/22)
   Kommentar till text 7980 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Obama's Middle Name Ignites Textbook Battle   Was: Off to the religious
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22 May 10 12:05, Robert Bashe wrote to All:

 RB> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10141121.stm

 RB> I'm considering giving up my "Texas citizenship". Didn't realize the
 RB> "religious right" had taken over the state so completely up to now.
 RB> Texas used to be a nice place to live, with nice people.

No worry, you've lost your Texas citizenship when you took on German
citizenship. What it comes down to is that it all depends on where you get
your news and your background.

Real news sources from Texas don't report it as being the fault of the
religious right, but something the liberal left couldn't fuck up.

Here's the gist of what really went on:

By William Lajeunesse & Lindsay Stewart

"Should history books refer to the president as Barack Obama, Barack H.
Obama or Barack Hussein Obama?

Who's more important: Christopher Columbus or John Smith?

Clara Barton or Ruby Bridges?

Ruby Bridges or Dolores Huerta?

Is the story of Nathan Hale too gruesome for first graders?

Will history books refer to the 44th American president as Barack Obama,
Barack H. Obama or Barack Hussein Obama?

Late into the night, the Texas Board of Education considered these and
other questions for the state's social studies curriculum. The debate has
set off a culture war, pitting conservatives against democrats in a battle
that attracted 40,000 e-mails from parents, teachers and academics from
around the nation.

The curriculum covers grades kindergarten through high school, and yet
after 12 hours of debate the board had only just begun talking about its
biggest challenge - high school standards - at 9 p.m. Thursday.

All day long the board dropped, added and swapped the names of historical
figures and events into and out of the standards. It began with 1st
graders. John Smith was dropped, as was Nathan Hale, not because he wasn't
important, but because, according to one teacher, `the kids couldn't get
past the hanging.'

Despite deep political differences, the debate remained polite until the
topic focused on President Obama. Then it got personal. Lawrence Allen, a
black former high school principal from Houston offered a motion to enter
President Barack Obama's name in a section of the curriculum that
recognized significant dates in U.S. History.

David Bradley, a white businessman from Beaumont, motioned that the
president's legal name should be used, Barack Hussein Obama. "I think we
give him the full honor and privilege of his full name."

"I am getting pretty fed up with this," said Democrat Mary Helen
Berlanger. "You don't have to be derogatory. We don't always put in
Jefferson in William Jefferson Clinton."

"The intent behind what you are doing I think is pretty obvious," said
Republican Bob Craig.

"This is our first black president," said board member Mavis Knight, who
is black. "You are making it sound humiliating."

"I ask the member to withdraw the motion and move forward in a dignified
manner," said Democrat Rick Agusto.

Bradley did, but said under his breath, he did so, "to put an end to the
whining."

Knight shot back, "I don't consider it whining."

Moments later Craig motioned to add Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
to a list of women who have made significant contributions. It passes, but
another motion weakens the language, by changing the wording. Instead of
study that "includes" women like Sotomayor, the standards now reads women
"such as" her.

Berlanger bristled again. "I have been listening all night to you add
names" but the board can't include her.

At 12:10 a.m. the meeting adjourned, 15 hours after it began, with the
board giving preliminary approval to the U.S. History since 1877
curriculum. The so called Block of Seven, a group of social conservatives
won almost every battle they fought, strengthening the study of the
Founding Fathers, free enterprise, eugenics, the extent of Soviet spies
during the cold war that helped explain the 'Red Scare' and motivate Sen.
Joseph McCarthy.

They also succeeded in including study of the Black Panthers during
discussion of the Civil Rights Era, the internment of Germans and
Italians, as well as the Japanese during WWII, and the economics standards
now require teachers to consider the "solvency" of entitlement programs
like Social Security and Medicare."


                R\%/itt

PS - The use of the phrase 'social conservative' in the above text is a
political or moral ideology that believes government and/or society have a
role in encouraging or enforcing what they consider traditional values or
behaviors based on the belief that these are what keep people civilized
and decent.

PSS - A second meaning of the term 'social conservative' developed in the
Nordic countries and continental Europe. There it refers to liberal
conservatives supporting modern European welfare states.

Social conservatism is distinct from cultural conservatism which focuses
on cultural aspects of the issues, such as protecting one's culture,
although there are some overlaps.

PSSS -  Note that none of the above refers to anything or anyone's
religious beliefs as Bashe would have you believe...


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