Truth or Their Idea Of It

I know I run the risk of alienating some people; I have to speak my piece. The recent decisions made by the Texas Board of Education are absolutely unconscionable. Words have been changed, history has been rewritten, and our largest growing ethnic demographic has been dismissed.

They have removed Thomas Jefferson from the list of writer’s who have influenced our nation’s intellectual origins because he was a deist and felt that separation of church and state was necessary. I believe our first amendment states we are to have a choice of religion or how to worship and not be persecuted for the choice we make. Need I remind everyone that he wrote the Declaration of Independence!?!?

Ralph Nader and Ross Perot will not be mentioned in our political teachings even though Ralph Nader is widely regarded as having changed the outcome of the Gore and Bush presidential race, giving Bush the win. In addition, they are touting General Stonewall Jackson, the confederate leader, as a role model for more effective leadership. Does anyone down there realize he lost the war?

Another offensive direction they took is dismissing the influence that Hispanics have in our society. They are the fastest growing segment of our population and have been so for many years. This does go hand in hand with their decision to only include country and western music as a cultural movement. They completely left out hip hop and Latin influenced music. Because of these decisions, they have effectively made a statement that is against the majority of their own residents. Am I the only one who thinks this smells racial?

The Texas Board of Education needs to get their heads out of the sand. Their actions show a narrow-mindedness we haven’t seen since Senator Joe McCarthy sat in his seat in our nation’s capitol.