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littlestranger

TX Board of Education is wacked

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This article ran on the front page of today's Austin American Statesman. The publisher I work for is a sister company of HRW and we deal with legal compliance issues on a regular basis, this however is beyond belief. The adoption of these middle school textbooks is in the final approval stages and this idiot wants to remove all references to same sex relationships because of a state law on same sex unions in Texas. Now when did this law go into effect? It sure wasn't on the ballot I used Tuesday.

I have never really had an opinion on the same-sex marriage issue, but after talking to my friend, Cathy who is in a committed same sex relationship, I understand the reason they want the right is because they want to be recognized as a viable union in the eyes of society. It's kind of sappy and sweet and I sure don't have a problem with that. It's funny how you can just avoid an issue for so long and then one day it matters:S.

Many of these changes that are being suggested are semantic and petty, i.e.:

Student Edition, grade eight
Currently reads: 'Another part of adolescence is the beginning of romantic attraction to others.'

Proposed change: 'Another part of adolescence may be romantic attraction to the opposite sex.'

Other's are downright scary:

Teacher' edition, grades six through eight
Currently read: 'If you discuss the issue of homosexuality in class, discuss it respectfully. Be aware that someone in your class may be homosexual or related to someone who is homosexual, or have a friend who is homosexual.'

Proposed change: 'If you discuss homosexuality in class, be aware that Texas law rejects homosexual "marriage." Students can therefore maintain that homosexuality and heterosexuality are not moral equivalents, without being charged with "hate speech."'

OMG


Suggested changes on marriage being eyed before final vote

State board member wants texts to clarify marriage, condemn homosexuality.
Advertisement
By Jason Embry

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Friday, November 05, 2004

A State Board of Education member stalled a vote to approve middle school health textbooks Thursday by saying the books should condemn homosexuality and make clear that marriage exists only between men and women.

Board member Terri Leo, R-Spring, called for about 30 changes to teachers' and students' editions of proposed health books in grades six through eight.

The board skipped a preliminary vote on the books after a representative for the books' publisher, Holt Rinehart and Winston, said the company would consider Leo's changes and report back before today's final vote. The board also delayed a vote on high school health textbooks that emphasize abstinence as virtually the only way to prevent pregnancy and disease.

Some board members questioned Leo's suggestion but are reserving final judgment until they hear the publisher's presentation today.

Leo said that three of the 10 middle school books up for approval would not conform to a state law banning the recognition of same-sex unions as marriages. She said they endorse same-sex marriage by referring to the heads of families as couples or adults instead of husbands and wives or fathers and mothers.

"We're considered a state agency, and we need public acts and records recognizing that marriage is between a man and a woman," she said.

Some of her suggestions, however, go beyond the marriage issue.

One passage in a teachers' edition says that "surveys indicate that 3 to 10 percent of the population is gay. No one knows for sure why some people are straight, some are bisexual and others are gay."

Leo wanted to replace those sentences with: "Opinions vary on why homosexuals, lesbians and bisexuals as a group are more prone to self-destructive behaviors like depression, illegal drug use and suicide."

"This is an effort that is both ridiculous and hateful, to essentially try to eliminate homosexuality from health textbooks," said Samantha Smoot, president of the Texas Freedom Network, an Austin group that monitors social conservatism in government.

State law says the board can judge textbooks for their factual accuracy and compliance with state curriculum guidelines. George Rislov of the Texas Education Agency's curriculum division said the guidelines for middle school health classes do not define marriage.

Agency lawyer David Anderson said the law does not prevent textbooks from mentioning illegal acts, such as drug use.

"If you are concerned that your curriculum does not comply with some other state law, you need to address that through amending the curriculum," Anderson said.

Other board members noted that photos of families in the health books showed men and women with children. Board member Dan Montgomery, R-Fredericksburg, asked whether the board also would have to purge references to bank robbers in other textbooks because robbery is illegal.

"We might be getting into one of these language-police situations here in which we're going to have to take just about everything out of the books," Montgomery said.

Leo, a former teacher who has been active in Republican politics for at least 20 years, won her Houston-area board seat in 2002. She said she does not expect the publishers to follow her suggestions word for word.

"As long as the content of the books shows that marriage is between a man and a woman, I'm OK with it," she said.

Some of the education board's most colorful debates have centered on textbook content.

In 1994, the board removed from health textbooks discussions of homosexuality and contraception, as well as drawings of breast and testicular examinations. Lawmakers restricted the board's powers to shape the content of textbooks the following year.

Much of the public debate leading up to Thursday's meeting centered on contraception in high school health books. The board also skipped a preliminary vote on the high school books after a couple of members asked publishers to make changes and present them today.

Gail Lowe, R-Lampasas, asked that the books not stress the effectiveness of condoms in fighting sexually transmitted diseases. Patricia Hardy, R-Fort Worth, asked for a teachers' edition to include a chart about contraceptives.

Books that the board approves can go on the state's "conforming" list and are more likely to be used in schools.***

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There have been arguments about this kind of thing as long as I can remember living in Texas. And that's quite awhile.

There are folks who think that just because they don't refer to something, their kids are so stupid that they won't figure out it exists anyway.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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We must all remember that this is happening in TEXAS. Remembering this will keep everything in perspective.

Whenever you read a bizarre headline and you can't believe how such weird a thing can be true and then you find out it happened in Texas, don't you just nod and smile to your self and understand that it then make sense?
"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

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We must all remember that this is happening in TEXAS. Remembering this will keep everything in perspective.

Whenever you read a bizarre headline and you can't believe how such weird a thing can be true and then you find out it happened in Texas, don't you just nod and smile to your self and understand that it then make sense?



Ian, please enlighten me as to what parts of Texas you've visited and for what durations of time? I would like to know from whence you speak. Also, please enlighten me as to some of the other bizarre headlines about Texas that lead you to this statement. As I've said before, it never ceases to amaze me how the truly "enlightened" among us who would never consider stereotyping a particular ethnic group or nation have absolutely no problem stereotyping the state and people of Texas. Every state has a few extremists and eccentrics in its political ranks. Texas is no different. But Texas is far from the backwater "Hicksville" many outsiders like to paint it as. Next time, rather than taking the easy road and giving into bigotry, try pursuing an intellectual dialogue about the issues.
I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

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Lighten up buddy... It's Friday! Sorry to have offended you.

As for sources of weird stories about related to Texas read the article above or just do a Google search. There's lots of them. Is Texas alone in having weird stories? Nope, not at all. There are lots of weird things every where. Just look around, there's lots to smile about.
"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

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As for sources of weird stories about related to Texas read the article above or just do a Google search. There's lots of them. Is Texas alone in having weird stories? Nope, not at all. There are lots of weird things every where. Just look around, there's lots to smile about.



Thanks for proving that folks who attempt to write attacks in SC tend to have uninformed opinions, for instance apparently you have never been to Texas for any amount of time and you are making broad and hateful comments.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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I've been there a lot and I think TX has some strange things. Like legal U turns?!



Legal or illegal? I wish Texas had more legal U-turns. That's one thing I like about driving in California--You can do a U-turn at just about every light.
I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

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As for sources of weird stories about related to Texas read the article above or just do a Google search. There's lots of them. Is Texas alone in having weird stories? Nope, not at all. There are lots of weird things every where. Just look around, there's lots to smile about.



Thanks for proving that folks who attempt to write attacks in SC tend to have uninformed opinions, for instance apparently you have never been to Texas for any amount of time and you are making broad and hateful comments.



I've been in Texas quite a bit and I think it's strange - especially the people that live there.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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The whole concept of a legal Uturn is weird. They are illegal statewide here.

On politics in TX... I never overheard more people wishing that Kerry/Edwards would end up dead before the election then I did in Dallas last week. Should have heard some of the same people Wednesday morning before it was called :S I'd give out rabies shots if they had any more foam at their mouths :D
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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My sister lives in Texas and is raising two kids there.
Several years ago, I talked to my niece on the phone one day after school. She was 7 or 8 at the time. She was all excited about what she learned at school that day. They were talking about the civil war, slavery, Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad. My niece said to me, (And I am NOT joking) that Harriet Tubman was "a good slave who did her work"! That's what she learned in school that day! A few years ago, she was maybe 15 years old and she visited us at Christmas. My guy and I took her to his sister's house. He and his sister are Mexican American, his brother in law is from Ecuador. Pretty much his whole family was there, most speaking Spanish. My niece was very proud of the fact that she spoke Spanish because she had to in order to speak the the busboys where she worked! (Yes, she said it out loud in the middle of a crowded living room!) So, yeah, I'm a little concerned about my niece and nephew growing up in Texas!

Oddly enough, she's 18 now and has turned into quite the outspoken liberal! I have NO IDEA how it happened!

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The whole concept of a legal Uturn is weird. They are illegal statewide here.



Ok, see, that's weird. They are always LEGAL here unless you're within so many feet of an intersection or there is a sign prohibiting it.

And for NJ, I don't know what the legality is, I just know you can't turn left...ever...there's always a median. If you need to go left you have to turn right first, or find a circle, or drive to the ocean and turn around ;)

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Texas is not full of weirdos; there are a lot of people here, and, well, that gives us a bigger chance at having our own selection of (generally harmless) weirdos.

There are a lot of in-your-face my-way kinds of people here -- Texans pride themselves on thinking for themselves. Of course, some of them think that means that they should never actually acquire information before making a decision :P.

But, well -- what your niece said doesn't jibe at all with what my son learned in Texas schools. And, in much of Texas, yes, a lot of restaurant and domestic workers are hispanic. Not all (although there are probably parts of Texas where it's even more noticeable), but a lot.

That doesn't make it right that there should be that kind of channeling, but kids pretty much just reflect their environment. If all of the janitors and busboys at her school speak Spanish, that's her "normal."

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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Maybe they just didn't teach "political correctness" at her school. :$ I know her mother has tact, and raised her child to be polite and courteous! And I swear to you, the Harriet Tubman story is 100% true! I can't blame my sister, so I have to blame Texas, sorry!:P

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Hot diggitydog! Thats allright in my book:P.

And its "OK" to teach children that the perverse is normal and good and should be accepted by all and if you don't accept it or speak against it your a hatemonger that needs to be arrested and put away... NOT IN MY BOOK!

There is no such thing as "Hate Speech" or "Hate Crime", speech is speech and its a protected right, and crime is crime and punishable by law.

Marriage is between a Man and a Woman... Period.

ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414
Hellfish#511,MuffBro#3532,AnvilBro#9, D24868

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This whole issue reminds me of those folks up in the Woodlands, TX There is this open air shopping center with a venetian design called Portofino. In keeping with the venetian design they have these naked sculptures above the store entrances and also at the entrance drives (placed up high) . Well this wacko group from Cut N Shoot, Tx and other parts of Montgomery County who had probably never been to Europe or to a museum for that matter freaked out after this center had been open for almost a year. The wanted the sculptures covered up or some removed and actually succeeded in forcing their standards on everyone else. They just couldn't see art for art. They also didn't like some of the paintings in Buco de Peppo Italian restaurant in this same center and got them to take some of the art they considered offensive removed.

This shopping center actually looks a little naked with some of these sculptures removed.

When will this political correctness by some of these do-gooders ever end?

Just some thoughts.

Chris

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My sister lives in Texas and is raising two kids there.
Several years ago, I talked to my niece on the phone one day after school. She was 7 or 8 at the time. She was all excited about what she learned at school that day. They were talking about the civil war, slavery, Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad. My niece said to me, (And I am NOT joking) that Harriet Tubman was "a good slave who did her work"! That's what she learned in school that day! A few years ago, she was maybe 15 years old and she visited us at Christmas. My guy and I took her to his sister's house. He and his sister are Mexican American, his brother in law is from Ecuador. Pretty much his whole family was there, most speaking Spanish. My niece was very proud of the fact that she spoke Spanish because she had to in order to speak the the busboys where she worked! (Yes, she said it out loud in the middle of a crowded living room!) So, yeah, I'm a little concerned about my niece and nephew growing up in Texas!

Oddly enough, she's 18 now and has turned into quite the outspoken liberal! I have NO IDEA how it happened!



You are characterizing a large group of people based on anecdotal information from sources of questionable veracity (children). Would you like to hear some crazy stories about blondes doing really stupid stuff so that you can lump women with fair hair into one easily describable, moderately offensive category, also? I have a feeling your niece’s Harriet Tubman story might have lost a little something in the translation. I generally take anything a young child tells me with a grain of salt. Of course, if it supported my negative opinion of an entire state, I suppose I might just go ahead and accept it at face value. As to your other niece being proud that she learned to speak Spanish to communicate with her co-workers, you are entirely too sensitive if that offended you. God forbid she admit that the bus boys where she works are Hispanic. How embarrassed all of the Hispanic Americans in the room must have been to find that there are Hispanics in America earning an honest living in the food service industry! Thank God we have enlightened people like you watching out for America’s youth. Maybe you should form an organization to fight to keep the disease that is Texas out of your own community. If, for instance, a family of Texans moved in down the block, you could burn a Texas flag in their front yard to let them know they’re not welcome.

--Douva

Do you think maybe—just maybe—the fact that your niece grew up to be an outspoken liberal is at all discrediting to your portrayal of Texas as being overtly small-minded and bigoted?
I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

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This whole issue reminds me of those folks up in the Woodlands, TX There is this open air shopping center with a venetian design called Portofino. In keeping with the venetian design they have these naked sculptures above the store entrances and also at the entrance drives (placed up high) . Well this wacko group from Cut N Shoot, Tx and other parts of Montgomery County who had probably never been to Europe or to a museum for that matter freaked out after this center had been open for almost a year. The wanted the sculptures covered up or some removed and actually succeeded in forcing their standards on everyone else. They just couldn't see art for art. They also didn't like some of the paintings in Buco de Peppo Italian restaurant in this same center and got them to take some of the art they considered offensive removed.

This shopping center actually looks a little naked with some of these sculptures removed.

When will this political correctness by some of these do-gooders ever end?

Just some thoughts.

Chris



And California gave us Scientology. At least most of us are smart enough to know that a few nuts don't speak for an entire state.
I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

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On politics in TX... I never overheard more people wishing that Kerry/Edwards would end up dead before the election then I did in Dallas last week. Should have heard some of the same people Wednesday morning before it was called :S I'd give out rabies shots if they had any more foam at their mouths :D



Go check out Democratic Underground sometime... talk about rabid!!
Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

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