Dear Don McLeroy of TX. We are not making you look like "dumb morons".

[madfloridian]

We don't need to do so. Just open your mouth and give interviews.

‘They want to make it look like we are dumb morons'

From an interview with the Globe and Mail.

The Globe’s John Allemang interviews Don McLeroy, a board member (and dentist).

Interviewer: You've been the leader in the campaign to introduce conservative values into the Texas school curriculum. What's your goal?

McLeroy:We're just trying to remove bias and get accurate history.

Interviewer: Where's the bias?

McLeroy:Here's an example: At the kindergarten level, the standards committee talked about the kids becoming global citizens instead of United States citizens. The bias is their idea that, ‘Oh, we're just part of the world,' instead of emphasizing the uniqueness of being an American. Some of us don't have a problem with seeing America as being a little unique. Here's another example: In eighth-grade U.S. history, the committee deleted, “Describe how religion contributed to the growth of representative government in the colonies.” Well, I was stunned. Our whole country was born out of Biblical ideals and principles.

He says the liberals are trying to make them sound like "dumb morons."

Interviewer: Speaking of Biblical principles, didn't your committee delete reference to Thomas Jefferson, who actually talked about the separation of church and state?

McLeroy: That's not true. Look, down here there are these groups from the far left. Whatever we do, they want to make it look like we are dumb morons. They're very effective, dadgummit. Jefferson's name was taken out of a list of Enlightenment philosophers in world history because he didn't fit the period of the Enlightenment.

Jefferson didn't fit the period of Enlightment?

Don McLeroy of the Texas Board of Education received a special award from The National Center for Science Education.

First Annual Upchucky Awards Announced

His nomination announcement:

Don McLeroy, former chair, Texas Board of Education

Don is a dentist and when he's not drillin', he's fillin' the Texas Board with an amalgam of misinformation and misunderstanding about evolution. His numbing effect on the board is accompanied by a high-pitched whine—the sound of Don drilling holes in Texas state science standards. (Thankfully, Texas voters just booted McLeroy off the board.)

Notable Don quote: "Somebody's got to stand up to experts!"

The announcement that he won the award:

And the winner is...Don McLeroy! (Chunderous applause.)

Said Steve Mirsky, who announced the coveted UpChucky award during a ceremony held in conjunction with the 2010 AAAS convention in San Diego:

"The amazing thing about Don is that he's a dentist who spends all his time—when he's not destroying academic standards in Texas—working with some of the primary evidence of human evolution. Teeth! Whole fossil lineages can be defined by their teeth! Don doesn't get that. He's clearly a worthy winner of the first annual UpChucky award."

No, none of us liberals had to make him and his fellow board members look like "dumb morons."

There was no need to do so.

[Arugula Latte]

1. OMFG. He actually said "dadgummit."

:rofl:

[madfloridian]

3. Good old Southern expression.

:evilgrin:

[Bolo Boffin]

2. The Enlightenment was taken out of that standard as well.

By the way, Don, Thomas Jefferson was included in that list because he was one of the main conduits of Enlightenment thought into the American system.

The moron couldn't meet the standard himself! He didn't understand why the standard had been conceived! So he butchers it in service of producing a religiously-based standard, and then claims it was the fault of a poorly written standard. Jiminy Cricket, what an asshole.

[RubyDuby in GA]

4. "Our whole country was born out of Biblical ideals and principles."

Jesus H. Goddamned Christ! These people can't really sit on a school board, can they? Shouldn't you have some basic knowledge about something before you sit on a school board??????????

I want them gone. I want my own country where we, the educated, don't have to put up with the willful ignorant.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. The RWingnuts were very smart a few decades ago..starting filling up all the school boards

with their minions... They have worked their way up the ladder to the White House via GHB.

We would do well to learn from their example.
We had better start getting those school boards filled with progressives and liberals,
or we will NEVER get our country back from those that want to drag us back into the 14th Century!!

People do not bother to vote for school boards and other local elections..That is how the RWingnuts got their feet in the door, and how they will keep control unless we go out and beat them at the local level, and then on the national level.

[one_voice]

21. You're right..

I watched a documentary called "With God on Our Side:George W. Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right in America".

It's definitely worth the watch if you haven't seen it.

I've also seen Jesus Camp...and that scared the shit outta me. I still wonder why many of those nut cases haven't been charged with child abuse/neglect.

[BrklynLiberal]

24. That Jesus Camp movie is truly scary as hell!!!

[madfloridian]

31. It really was a scary movie to watch.

To think that is going on in this country is appalling.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. What a total schmuck. He is an embarrassment to Dentists and Texans.

[madfloridian]

30. Yep, an embarrassment to both.

[caty]

6. Anyone who wants

to deprive our children of a good and fact based education, which will put them far behind the children in countries that get an excellent education, is a "dumb moron".

[RubyDuby in GA]

7. And I don't think we have to work very hard to make them look like "dumb morons"

They're doing a pretty bang up job of that on their own.

[Roland99]

9. O.M.F.G.!! Did you see THIS one?!?!?!

But didn't the increase in government come about because free enterprise failed during the Depression?

If I weren't a dentist, I think I'd enjoy being a teacher, because that's a great question to examine in history class. I'm not an expert, but basically a lot of people think we would have come out of the Depression sooner had it not been for the government interventions.



*facepalm*

[Hissyspit]

11. "A lot of people think"

A lot of people think you're a dumb moron, Don. Let's examine that in class.

[Roland99]

14. He has a future at Faux: "Many say..."

[proud2BlibKansan]

47. +1

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. Many can be translated into a FEW

and they are fellows working at the American Enterprise Institute.

This is actually standard Right Wing Economic Thinking.

Hell not even John Steele Gorden ever went there.

Oh and for some ahem tittles go to your local bookstore, I am not kidding. There is a pretty well organized revisionism going on right now.

[Roland99]

28. If the wingnuts had their way, Groupthink would be the law.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. That goes for any radical group

that said, I am doing quite a bit of readying now into the history of labor, so yes did the obligatory trip to Borders... and my blood ran cold at the revisionism going on. I am willing to bet this guy has read that revisionist crap. I fear I may have to read some of it too.

[Mopar151]

46. Check out this book!

http://www.amazon.com/Labors-Untold-Story-Richard-Boyer/dp/0916180018

I read it a few years ago - my Dad bought it through his union (UE - United Electrical workers). It expalins a lot about history that the mainstream texts leave out - like the origins of anti-immigrant fervor, and the pro-Hitler leanings of many prominent Americans.

Also, check out the Wikipaedia entries on : The Ludlow Massacre, The Coalfield Wars, The Baldwin-Felts Agency (Xe Services predecessor in many ways), and the First Columbine Massacre.

[Roland99]

33. Kick

[Hissyspit]

10. Dumb moron. nt

[Arugula Latte]

16. You spelled "moran" wrong.

:)

[LWolf]

12. He would fit in well with the politicians I heard speak at the

"rally" this weekend. A whole pack of "dumb morons."

[Selatius]

13. George Washington was a Unitarian, not exactly a bible thumper as well. Why wasn't he deleted???

[Nikki Stone1]

18. Because he wasn't a "thinker". He was a good military guy and a rich slave owner

:)

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. 'cause the Good General did not push for separ'tion of Church and State

and 'vent us from saying a prayer before the football game, bless be the lord.

(And sadly I am not kidding... the fact that this man who was not part of the Enlightenment, which is news to every expert... in history, removed all miracles from the Bible would be too alien to this good ol' country boy)

[Roland99]

15. On Economics (Free Market, Capitalism) >>>>>>>>>>>>

Can you see it being a problem when Texas students go out into the world and meet people with a different understanding of your country?

No, no. If they're taught good accurate history, what difference will that make? But if you're talking about being taught socialist ideas versus free-enterprise ideas, then kids in Texas who are taught free-enterprise ideas will be better citizens. Then, when someone wants to nationalize health care, maybe they wouldn't vote for it.

This guy is a fucking fruit cake and he's in charge of the history curriculum for an entire state?!??!

[RubyDuby in GA]

34. That is what aggravates the shit out of me. As someone with an actual degree in what I will now

refer to as Real History, I am more than disgusted that a whole generation of kids will grow up more stupid than the last.

As we all say, they can have their opinions but they are not entitled to their own set of facts. It will now have to be revised to being that they are not entitled to their own version of history.

:banghead: :rant: :mad::banghead: :rant: :mad::banghead: :rant: :mad::banghead: :rant: :mad::banghead: :rant: :mad::banghead: :rant: :mad::banghead: :rant: :mad:

Good grief these idiots make me sick!

[patrice]

17. You prove him right, when you insult him. Address his ideas instead.

For instance the idea that the standards want children to be citizens of the World INSTEAD of the United States: can he substantiate that "instead" in the standards themselves?

Can someone be an American AND a Texan? By his thinking, I guess not.

[madfloridian]

20. Address what ideas? I did not insult him. It was not needed.

I am tired of the ignorance being spouted by those who control the education agenda.

[patrice]

22. Sorry! I was addressing the thread generally. Mea culpa! I should have said that.

:hug:

[madfloridian]

25. Thanks.

Hugs back. :-)

[RKP5637]

19. When you look at the whole package of what comes out of Texas for statements, anymore, it's hard

to conclude that you don't look/sound/act like "dumb morons."

[Roland99]

23. FYI - Full proposal of changes (first 3 links in particular)

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=3643

[treestar]

32. Gee, anyone thinks their own country is "unique" - do we have to learn

that in history class? But thinking one's country makes one better than others and entitled to rule over them - that's what they are really getting at.

[SidDithers]

35. K&R...

Not a huge fan of The Globe, but occasionally they get it right. This is one of those times.

Thanks for posting.

Sid

[UTUSN]

36. K&R #25 n/t

[madfloridian]

37. Why Newt Gingrich and Phyllis Schlafly are worthy of being studied in textbooks.

Interviewer:"You've added Newt Gingrich, Phyllis Schlafly and other conservative figures to your curriculum. Why are they worthy of being studied?

McLeroy: It's an accurate reflection of history: There was this pushback against big government and it led to a bunch of prosperity. I see conservative values being much more Americam values while the left values about big government and taking care of everything to me is just kind of horrifying. America was founded on the idea of limited government and the importance of the individual. Our country started changing a lot with the New Deal and the Great Society.

Interviewer: But didn't the increase in government come about because free enterprise failed during the Depression?

If I weren't a dentist, I think I'd enjoy being a teacher, because that's a great question to examine in history class. I'm not an expert, but basically a lot of people think we would have come out of the Depression sooner had it not been for the government interventions."

[Javaman]

38. Dentist, huh? looks like he has something in common with orly taits...

stupidity and a need for self aggrandizing.

[sonias]

39. He is an idiot - I'll say it and I'm a Texan

But for the record - this idiot McLeroy lost his seat on the SBOE in the primary in March of this year. That means that even the craziest of the wing nut base thought someone else should hold that seat. He lost to a moderate Republican.

Now it is true that until this board term ends (12/31/10) these wing nuts will continue to do damage to Texas children by fracking up the curriculum. But we have hope. The Texas Legislature is already suggesting doing away with this board, and the new board members elected in November may swing the board back into the sane column. Either way McLeroy has sung his last stupid harrah!

And one more thing - the Texas textbook thing is a myth.

Texas Tribune 3/26/10
The Textbook Myth

As the furor over the State Board of Education’s ideological rewriting of social studies standards has exploded nationally in recent weeks, a primary narrative has emerged: that whatever 15 politicians in Texas (or at least the rightest-leaning half of them) decide will be published in textbooks nationwide for years to come.

That fear has already stoked a political backlash: One California state senator is drafting legislation to keep any hint of the Texas version of U.S. history out of California textbooks. “The de-emphasis on civil rights in so many areas — reducing the scope of Latino history, especially in a state like Texas — is just mind-boggling,” said Adam Keigwin, chief of staff for San Francisco Democrat Leland Yee.

But Yee and his liberal-to-moderate contemporaries in other states need not fret, textbook industry experts say. Though Texas has been painted in scores of media reports as the big dog that wags the textbook industry tail, that’s simply no longer true — and will become even less true in the future, as technological advances and political shifts transform the marketplace, said Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers. Diskey calls the persistent reports of Texas dominating the market an “urban myth.” Yet the myth persists.

“I’ve been in this job about three and a half years, and I see it reported all the time,” Diskey said. “I give my explanation to reporters, and about half of them believe me and half of them don’t.”

Just saying - give us a chance in Texas. We are on the path to correct our course. And restore history to reality too!

[madfloridian]

44. I heard he lost. Did not realize it went on until Dec with this board.

That was one of the biggest deals with the GOP during the Newt years and Bush years....fill the local school boards and county offices with extremists. They did a good job in TX and in FL for sure.

[sonias]

49. I danced in the street on March 2nd and into the 3rd

Over McLeroy's loss as well as another of their nuttiest wing nuts - Rep. Betty Brown who also lost her primary race. Betty you may recall suggested to an Asian American that "his people change their names" to make it easier for Americans to deal with.


Sometimes sanity can be restored in the world, albeit slowly.

Oh and the reason the board continues to serve until Dec. is that the general election is held in November and these are seats elected in the general election. His loss was in the primary for his crazy republican party. There are good Democrats looking to unseat a couple of the other kooks too. But McLeroy and Cynthia Dunbar were the Dumb and Dumber of the SBOE. He lost, she quit.

:toast:

[Mopar151]

48. Keep up the good fight!

We should'nt give up on any kid, anywhere! And thanks for the heads-up on the future of what were once textbooks. It is long past time that kids can be kept innocent - Wounded Knee needs to be told alongside the Pilgrims. Tesla, Stienmetz, and Westinghouse need to be placed in proper perspective with Edison and Marconi.

[alp227]

40. Texas BoE should think about its out-of-state image.

Throwing out inconvenient facts (like the Enlightenment, Thomas Jefferson) to fit a slanted worldview of US history is just not smart.

[callous taoboy]

41. We have the Texas Freedom Network combating these idjits. Please throw them $ if possible.

[madfloridian]

42. One of my favorite sites. Link

http://www.tfn.org/site/PageServer

[callous taoboy]

43. The voters have spoken- Old Donny dumb dumb is out on his ass.

[awoke_in_2003]

45. It is idiots like this...

that make me wish I could find a similarly paying job back in Cleveland. I really miss that place, sometimes.

[pundaint]

50. Like novocaine for the mind, eh doc?

[DFW]

51. For some in Texas, it's not enough for ignorance to be bliss

They want it to be a state-wide standard.

I wouldn't want this mental garden slug drilling any of my teeth. He might drill my toe instead.