As the USA succumbs to a creeping insanity, the state of Texas leads the field. A new state-mandated school curriculum officially called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills is in fact a mess of arrant nonsense and extreme right fundamentalist claptrap that will pitchfork Texans into some anti-intellectual heart of darkness.
"Perhaps you have heard something about a labor movement in the 20th century? No longer will your children. The only reference to a 20th-century labor movement will come when learning about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. No mention of the Fair Labor Standards Act or the National Labor Relations Act. No mention of strikes or any labor dispute. The words "labor movement" were taken out of the TEKS. Perhaps there is not enough time because students must now "understand how the free enterprise system drives technological innovation ... such as cell phones, inexpensive personal computers and global positioning products." Students will learn about the contributions of Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority. Maybe the students will read Falwell's claim that feminists and homosexuals were partially responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Phyllis Schlafly, the Heritage Foundation and the NRA are all included. Students will also be required to "discuss the meaning of ‘In God We Trust.' History in Texas classrooms will be decidedly different from when we were students. I never learned "both the positive and negative impacts of ... country and western music" in my high school history class. Where would you rate Estée Lauder in terms of historical importance to our country? If you think she is one of the 68 most important historical figures, you agree with the board. Yes, the board included her in the state curriculum, but not George Washington.” Click here for more.
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The secret word is Hopeless
went to the la brea tar pits and my uncle said it is amazing that the dinosaurs would come that close to downtown
ReplyDeleteI've maintained for years that we live in a post-literate socuety, partly as a humorous response to universal symbols for evrything from walk signs to bathrooms, but I've noted that many people simply don't read. I send email and put everything in the first sentence because that is all that will be read in too many cases, and this is a technical profession (IT--well maybe).
ReplyDeleteBut we have progressed. We are also fast becoming a post-rational society. I have said on many a day: "Oh my god am I here all alone." when I realize how confused many people are about very simple logical situations.