Texas Education Board Approves Curriculum Changes By Far-Right

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross."

- Sinclair Lewis 1935 novel "It Can't Happen Here". 

"We are on our way!"  Captain - 2010

Will Texas please secede already! This redneck haven for religeous zealots is spear-heading the destruction of America as we knew it. Ultraconservatives wielded their power over hundreds of subjects this week, introducing and rejecting amendments on everything from the civil rights movement to global politics. The far-right faction of the Texas State Board of Education succeeded in injecting conservative ideals into social studies, history and economics lessons that will be taught to millions of students for the next decade. Teachers in Texas will be required to cover the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers, but not highlight the philosophical rationale for the separation of church and state. Curriculum standards also will describe the U.S. government as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic," and students will be required to study the decline in value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard. In addition to learning the Bill of Rights, the board specified a reference to the Second Amendment right to bear arms in a section about citizenship in a U.S. government class.

As the nation’s second-largest textbook market, Texas has enormous leverage over publishers, who often “craft their standard textbooks based on the specs of the biggest buyers.” Indeed, as The Washington Monthly has reported, “when it comes to textbooks, what happens in Texas rarely stays in Texas.”
What the hell is happening to this country? This is a very scary decision. I'm just going to post the link to the article on Think Progress, there's nothing I can add that won't piss me off even more than I already am.

Think Progress

Thomas Jefferson being removed in favor of religious right icon John Calvin? Refusing to require that students learn that the Constitution prevents the U.S. government from promoting one religion over all others? Striking the word “democratic” from the description of the U.S. government, instead terming it a “constitutional republic.”? Every single day, this country is taking a giant step backwards.  The thing that is striking is that all these nutjobs waving their Constitutions in one hand with their Bible in the other won't even see the significance of striking Jefferson from the curriculum. This is how the right wing will re-invent history...one generation of students at a time. Theocracy, here we come...