Well here's a heck of a surprise! You may remember how Texas re-wrote its standards for history books back in 2010, to make sure that kids learned the important parts of history, like who Phyllis Schlafly is and how the Constitution was inspired by the Bible, while downplaying the importance of that nasty deist Thomas Jefferson. The standards adopted by the State Board of Education were so awful that the conservative Fordham Institute
The whole purpose of these craptastic "textbooks" is to create the next generation of Texas dumbfucks. So, to answer your question, "no."
Is that cartoon seriously in a textbook? Seriously? I have so many questions! Was the alien enslaved for several centuries/light-years? Can the alien vote?Did the human beat the alien, take his unobtanium powered reactor and make him worship a human god? Man, I wish I was in school again - hahhahhaahha, psych!
I do vote in every local election, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on Texas, 1500 miles away.
EDIT: I do get your point and I fully support it. We have been diligent all along about heading off that kind of extremism in my local area. But this isn't Texas. Mandorlin's point is well-taken. Texas and other Bible Belt states are fertile ground for this kind of thing and that's where the fundies have been concentrating their efforts. This didn't happen overnight. The state has been getting prepared for decades for this takeover. You have to look much further back than just the last couple of election cycles. Nevertheless I do fully support your call to be fully engaged and aware of local developments and to actively participate in the political process.
Granted I haven't been in high school in over forty years, but it is hard for me to imagine such textbooks being approved for use in schools outside of the Bible-y parts of the country, such as in NY, NJ, MA, etc.
People always talk about how influential Texas schoolbook standards are on the rest of the country, but I find that to be a bit hard to accept. What about other big states? Are California or New York standards just chopped liver?
What they mean by that is that society hasn't gotten appreciably more overtly pious and sanctimonious than it was in OWH's day. But that is certainly a matter for debate.
I'd take Bamz in a heartbeat vs. Walnuts/Grifter or Mittbot/LyinRyan. Obama may not have given you that pony he promised, but if you can't see the difference between him and his opponents you're just not looking very hard (here's a hint- think SCOTUS appointments and imagine if we'd added to the RATS thanks to a GOP president, instead of the moderate jurists Obama gave us. Think 5-4 sucks when Kennedy goes the wrong direction? Try 7-2 with an aging Ginsberg and Breyer to be replaced by a President Romney or worse yet, a president Cruz. Here's another hint- imagine the ACA being signed into law by McCain or Romney. It may be far from perfect, but it beats the shit out of nothing at all and no chance to even get that first tentative step in the right direction. Hint #3- think Obummer is warmonger in chief? Imagine the alternative- combat troops back in Iraq years ago, boots on the ground in Iran, boots on the ground in Syria and in the Ukraine and Dog knows where else). It may not be good, but it could be a metric fuckton worse. As a parting gift, imagine this- a complete abolishment of all corporate taxes, complete abolishment of the capital gains tax and the abolishment of Social Security and Medicare- because those things are GOP orthodoxy.
But that wasn't even my point- liberals are good at turning out for presidential elections, it's all the other ones where they flake. The wingnuts have systematically taken over school boards and city councils and county boards and state legislatures all over the country because liberals can't be bothered to get enthused for the non glamorous elections. There are good liberal candidates at the local level, but they can't get traction because liberals are fickle and worse yet, the Democratic Party as an institution sucks ass. The Dems at the local level are so busy currying favor, jockeying for power and position, basking in the reflected limelight of the national wins and doing everything and anything other than their jobs that it's a wonder they can even get their shit together once every four years to win the big ones.
There are some parts of the country where the Dems do a good job to be sure, but overall the party is a joke that relies on not being as batshitcrazy as the Republicans as the sole justification for their existence. Meanwhile those wingnut true believers are running for the local water and sewer commission or the local library board as if it is the most important job in the world, and because liberals don't care, those wingnuts get elected. Next thing you know, one of them decides that sewers are socialism or decides the library board means weekly book burnings and all hell breaks loose. Only then do liberals wake out of their stupor long enough to wonder how those crazy people got into positions of power, but by then it's too late.
David Barton strikes again?
Points given for false equivalencies, 2. Minus 1 for unfinished Alinsky reference. Plus one for Alinsky reference. Trolling award for this post + 3.
The whole purpose of these craptastic "textbooks" is to create the next generation of Texas dumbfucks. So, to answer your question, "no."
That, and the Cross-Bronx Expressway.
Is that cartoon seriously in a textbook? Seriously? I have so many questions! Was the alien enslaved for several centuries/light-years? Can the alien vote?Did the human beat the alien, take his unobtanium powered reactor and make him worship a human god? Man, I wish I was in school again - hahhahhaahha, psych!
I do vote in every local election, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on Texas, 1500 miles away.
EDIT: I do get your point and I fully support it. We have been diligent all along about heading off that kind of extremism in my local area. But this isn't Texas. Mandorlin's point is well-taken. Texas and other Bible Belt states are fertile ground for this kind of thing and that's where the fundies have been concentrating their efforts. This didn't happen overnight. The state has been getting prepared for decades for this takeover. You have to look much further back than just the last couple of election cycles. Nevertheless I do fully support your call to be fully engaged and aware of local developments and to actively participate in the political process.
Granted I haven't been in high school in over forty years, but it is hard for me to imagine such textbooks being approved for use in schools outside of the Bible-y parts of the country, such as in NY, NJ, MA, etc.
People always talk about how influential Texas schoolbook standards are on the rest of the country, but I find that to be a bit hard to accept. What about other big states? Are California or New York standards just chopped liver?
Abraham did it all on Highway 61.
I tried several times to get through the Critique of Pure Reason before realizing that I just Kant even.
Talk about a craven image.
What they mean by that is that society hasn't gotten appreciably more overtly pious and sanctimonious than it was in OWH's day. But that is certainly a matter for debate.
<a href="https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch\?v=IIAdHEwiAy8" target="_blank">Bloody Romans!</a>
The worst part is if it is approved in Texas it usually eventually gets used nationwide.
Stupid is forever; ignorance can be fixed... but not with these textbooks!
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/wat..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_x8dk10U4M">https://www.youtube.com/wat...
I&#039;d take Bamz in a heartbeat vs. Walnuts/Grifter or Mittbot/LyinRyan. Obama may not have given you that pony he promised, but if you can&#039;t see the difference between him and his opponents you&#039;re just not looking very hard (here&#039;s a hint- think SCOTUS appointments and imagine if we&#039;d added to the RATS thanks to a GOP president, instead of the moderate jurists Obama gave us. Think 5-4 sucks when Kennedy goes the wrong direction? Try 7-2 with an aging Ginsberg and Breyer to be replaced by a President Romney or worse yet, a president Cruz. Here&#039;s another hint- imagine the ACA being signed into law by McCain or Romney. It may be far from perfect, but it beats the shit out of nothing at all and no chance to even get that first tentative step in the right direction. Hint #3- think Obummer is warmonger in chief? Imagine the alternative- combat troops back in Iraq years ago, boots on the ground in Iran, boots on the ground in Syria and in the Ukraine and Dog knows where else). It may not be good, but it could be a metric fuckton worse. As a parting gift, imagine this- a complete abolishment of all corporate taxes, complete abolishment of the capital gains tax and the abolishment of Social Security and Medicare- because those things are GOP orthodoxy.
But that wasn&#039;t even my point- liberals are good at turning out for presidential elections, it&#039;s all the other ones where they flake. The wingnuts have systematically taken over school boards and city councils and county boards and state legislatures all over the country because liberals can&#039;t be bothered to get enthused for the non glamorous elections. There are good liberal candidates at the local level, but they can&#039;t get traction because liberals are fickle and worse yet, the Democratic Party as an institution sucks ass. The Dems at the local level are so busy currying favor, jockeying for power and position, basking in the reflected limelight of the national wins and doing everything and anything other than their jobs that it&#039;s a wonder they can even get their shit together once every four years to win the big ones.
There are some parts of the country where the Dems do a good job to be sure, but overall the party is a joke that relies on not being as batshitcrazy as the Republicans as the sole justification for their existence. Meanwhile those wingnut true believers are running for the local water and sewer commission or the local library board as if it is the most important job in the world, and because liberals don&#039;t care, those wingnuts get elected. Next thing you know, one of them decides that sewers are socialism or decides the library board means weekly book burnings and all hell breaks loose. Only then do liberals wake out of their stupor long enough to wonder how those crazy people got into positions of power, but by then it&#039;s too late.