Texas Textbook Massacre

I am a teacher, I have been for seven years now as of 12.31.10, and for me it is the greatest role a person could ever have. Every day I spend in my classroom, I am aiding in the growth and development of my community's youngest and most vulnerable citizens. For that, I am humbled because I have been entrusted by my community to instruct their children. Since joining the education field, I have come to believe that being a teacher is a special privilege, and an honor that is seriously underappreciated in our society. Yet, as of Friday I am deeply ashamed of my colleagues in Texas who were party to the greatest assault on academic freedom in human history. On May 21, 2010, the Texas State Board of Education adopted a new social studies curriculum that will water down the teaching of religious freedoms, and hundreds of other items including -

• Removal of prominent Latino figures from curriculum
• Deletion of Thomas Jefferson as a prominent figure of the 18th and 19th centuries
• Renaming America as a "constitutional" republic instead of "democratic"
• Disallowing students to learn that the Constitution prevents the U.S. from promotion one religion over the other
• Require students learn about the conservative resurgence in the 80s and 90s, while denying them the opportunity to learn about liberal or minority rights groups
• Removal of information about the KKK, Texas Rangers, and other historical events surrounding the oppression or genocide of minorities and aboriginal peoples
• Limited study of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, desegregation, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965

- and that is just the tip of the iceberg. This whole debacle is the result of ultra-conservative Republicans who believe history has been skewed to the Left, and is part of a vast conspiracy by Progressives to undermine and destroy their beliefs by brainwashing their children. Standards and academic integrity have been thrown out the window in favor of political posturing, and gaining leverage over perceived enemies. The problem is that in this game of ideological chess, our nation's children are being used as pawns. 

Then again, what do you expect from a people who use fear, lies, bullying, and intimidation to achieve their goals? Less and only embrace a culture of ignorance so long as it doesn't threaten their narrow view of the world? If you want to get a look inside the mind of your typical fundamentalist, bible-thumping, ultra-conservative, just look at some of the religion-based curriculum they have on the market, specifically the SonLight program. Rather than provide children with the skills and information that will help them become critical thinkers, it wraps their minds in bubble wrap, and by the time they graduate they're a new crop of bigoted and ignorant bubble heads akin to the ones on the Texas State Board of Education.

It can only be offered as a home-school program because no teacher in their right mind would use it. Why? Because educators have an ethical and professional obligation to provide children with the skills and knowledge they will need to make critical decisions for the future of their communities, and the continued growth of this great nation. Teaching children that Jesus invented the Smith and Wesson to kill the dinosaurs, Martin Luther King Jr. was a troublesome Negro, and that if God wanted man on the moon He would have put him there is a direct violation of that obligation. Teachers need to take a stand against this action, because the Texas State Board of Education does not have the right to dictate what the children of this nation can and cannot learn! 

Despite the ultra-conservatives' popular belief, they are not God, and they are nothing more than tyrannical fascists akin to the propaganda machines of Benito Mussolini or the Third Reich. Remember, to incite loyalty amongst his people Hitler took over the schools, destroyed curriculum and materials that would question his authority, and instituted the movement known as Hitler Youth. Because of his philosophy of anti-intellectualism children were indoctrinated with the messages of the state, and easily led into a genocidal war machine.

Machiavelli said it himself, that the best way to lead or control a people, is to control what they learn. Yet, because governments once inveigled, obscured, and obfuscated the truth to keep themselves in power they laid the groundwork for a powerful revolution that would lead to the inception of this nation. A nation based on freedom, on democracy, and the inalienable rights to self-determination. Although, the next generation of American students probably won't know this. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of this great nation and author of the Declaration of Independence is being completely removed from future textbooks. Why? Because he espouses "liberal ideas", and therefore his contributions to the formation of this country are moot.


Last I checked, the purposeful dissemination of disinformation and propaganda in order to control the perceptions and therefore minds of a population is typically used by communists, fascists, depots, and other tyrannical entities who wish to eliminate any crumb of information that could threaten their positions of power. The Texas State Board of Education fits this description, because they are rewriting all of American history in order to fit their political agendas. Their actions have transcended the bitter struggle between Progressive and Conservative, and have become a threat to the heritage of this country and the sanctity of the U.S. Constitution. If anything, they should be tried as traitors for attempting to commit treason by undermining the ideals and philosophies of this country. 

We fought wars to preserve the intellectual freedom and academic honesty both in this country and overseas. America is supposed to be a place where one can study history, and use it as a means to question everything from modern society to political leaders which is the inherent right of all citizens. Yet, there are some people who want to cut out important historical figures because they espouse "liberal" and "socialist" philosophies, and delete anything that might be an affront to their religious orientation. Excuse me, but I thought we learned our lesson about allowing religious organizations to dictate academics from the Dark Ages.

Then again, if you don't know about history, you are doomed to repeat it.


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Hitler Youth
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitleryouth.html 

Texans Rewrite History
http://www.adn.com/2010/05/21/1289056/texas-board-adopts-new-social.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/13/texas-textbook-massacre-u_n_498003.html  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/14/backstory-how-the-texas-t_n_496831.html 

SonLight Program
http://www.sonlight.com/