Michele Bachmann's School Banned 'Aladdin'

[teach1st]

Atlantic Newswire, via Yahoo News, 5/9

http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20110509/pl_atlantic/michelebachmannsschoolbannedaladdin37486

Michele Bachmann's path into politics was one followed by many conservative Christians: through the schools. Bachmann sent her five kids to religious schools near her suburban Minnesota home, but she sent her 23 foster kids to public schools. She found the materials brought home by those kids to be troubling. So in 1993, she helped found one of the first public charter schools in her state. Only three months after the school opened, Bachmann faced controversy for the religious bent of the curriculum, Bloomberg's Lisa Lerer and John McCormick report. One teacher, for example, had banned Aladdin because the Disney movie mentioned magic.

The Bloomberg profile offers several anecdotes that illuminate the character of Bachmann, the Tea Party favorite whose potential presidential candidacy is looking more serious. The story indicates just how central Christianity is to Bachmann's political career, and drops some interesting anecdotes.

When parents complained that Bachmann's publicly-funded school was overtly religious, the school district investigated and found that to be true. In fact, a board created to guide the school, which Bachmann sat on, advocated mandatory prayer. Bachmann resigned, though she said it was for academic reasons. Bachmann said she wanted to pair at-risk kids with high-achievers. "We were trying to bring kids up, and instead it ended up being a school focused on minimum level of achievement," she told Bloomberg. Bachmann moved on to joining a homeschooling group, then ran for school board office to overturn a state-mandated curriculum.

Lerer and McCormick also, under the heading "No 'Team Player,'" report this incident recounted by a former fellow Republican, who later became a Democrat:

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[RZM]

1. I didn't know that Bachmann was so into foster parenting n/t

[geardaddy]

9. She always had that in her campaign commercials

that she raised five of her own kids and 23 foster kids. She likes getting money from the gov't, but doesn't want anyone else to.

[Drale]

2. Wait Bachmann is a foster parent?

If that doesn't prove the foster system is broken right there, nothing ever will.

[Mz Pip]

3. Banned because it mentioned magic.

Fercrissake,this is from a woman who is waiting for God to tell her to run for President.:eyes:

[spanone]

4. bwahahahahahaaa

[Drale]

6. No probably banned because

It has the words "Praise Allah" in it.

[Johonny]

5. I never have any clue what Michele Bachmann is talking about

I think life is better that way when things that concern her are not even on your radar as important, interesting, nation critical.

[drm604]

7. 23 foster kids?

I wonder how many she had at a time? Isn't there some kind of limit?

[spedtr90]

20. She says she "raised 23 foster children"

but it seems most, if not all, were teenagers. To me, "raised " means they would have been younger and in her home for many years. I wonder how long each of them was actually there.

[Hubert Flottz]

8. I'd just like to try some of that shit she's smoking.

I mean, talking about somebody who has escaped reality 100%!

[Erose999]

12. I don't think she's just smoking it... she's freebasing it or injecting it. Look at those eyes...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OXoF_oQgckU/TUqoVVoZ31I/AAAAAAAABR0/QH8FSaJlKX0/s1600/MICHELE-BACHMANN-CRAZY+EYESarge300.jpg



One of these people is probably hiding their involvement in the death of Kurt Cobain. The other one is Courtney Love.

[hobbit709]

10. she proves Mark Twain's statement about school boards.

[geardaddy]

11. Dean Johnson was Republican Minority leader January 1993 – July 9, 1997

And DFL (D) Majority Leader from January 2004 – January 2007

[Angry Dragon]

13. Her government money allows her to live in a house

that is worth more than a Million dollars

[drm604]

14. I wonder how much money she got for keeping those foster kids? n/t

[RebelOne]

16. A lot. My daughter and her husband fostered children and

they got quite a bit for it plus free medical care. She eventually adopted 2 of her foster kids.

[klook]

15. Case study in why people who know nothing about education

should never be allowed to manage schools.

[hifiguy]

17. Bachmann belongs in a place with soft walls,

where Thorazine bombers are administered every four hours. She is certainly in contention for "most batshit insane person ever elected to a federal office" honors. She has openly stated that she listens to the voices she hears in her head (supposedly Jeebus) and hearing voices is a leading indicator of a schizophrenic mental disorder. (Why the hell can't these people ever hear someone benign like Elvis or Graham Chapman?? :shrug: )

When in the state leg here in MN she once skulked around in the bushes (there are pix out there on the intertubes) spying on a gay-rights rally at the state capitol. Guess she was afraid that teh gay would rub off if she got too close. :eyes:

This woman actually believes the toxic horseshit she spouts, which makes it nearly a lead pipe lock that she is severely mentally ill.

[blondeatlast]

18. Almost 20 years ago, Mother Jones had an exceptionally good article that basically said

that school boards were the stepping stone to extreme RRRWing policy AND the political careers for those who wanted to implement.

I've seen it happen in my son's districts. If reasonable minds don't start running for school boards, this country is doomed, I'm afraid.

EDIT: This might be it; it looks like the same one.

http://books.google.com/books?id=B-cDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT43&lpg=PT43&dq=mother+jones+school+boards+religious&source=bl&ots=xsFhrBka2a&sig=6Yazh6qPcTGp1GJJg9E260LIsjI&hl=en&ei=91XITf-KG-H40gHnrZ2wCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDYQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

[spedtr90]

19. She (& Pawlenty) have been messing with education for a long time

She invited David Barton to give a presentation to the Minnesota Senate in 2005 to try and influence the state’s “history standards.” She wanted "references to religion in historical documents" to be taught in the public schools. She thinks he's a genius.

This was 2 years after Pawlenty stacked an education committee with conservatives who thought sharing was not an approproate concept for kindergarten students - because of the "socialist implications". Organized labor was not included in the history or economics standards. Both home schoolers and religious schools were represented on the committee, even though they don't have to abide by the standards.


http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/04/tim-pawlenty-education-sharing-socialism?page=1