Thursday, July 08, 2010

TX Textbooks: Tn State BOE member speaks in Madison Saturday

Saturday morning at the Davidson County Republican Party’s regular Madison Bacon & Eggs Summit will feature a woman that may be of interest to many of you. Along with District 5 Congressional Candidate Bob Schwartz, Cynthia Dunbar of the Texas BOE will be speaking. 

Ms Dunbar (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3715 ) is a constitutional scholar and is the author of “One Nation Under God (How the Left is Trying to Erase What Made Us Great)”. As an elected member of the Texas State Board of Education (TSBOE) she helped lead the fight to insure that history books used in the Texas school system accurately present the Judeo-Christian heritage of America and present a proper understanding of the founding principles of our county. Since Texas is one of the largest purchasers of school text books, the textbooks written to satisfy Texas are often used in the rest of the nation.
There was a LOT of consternation over this vote by the Texas BOE with all sorts of accusations and fears about it coming (or not coming) to a school near you. Here’s a rare opportunity to hear first hand testimony of what actually took place. I encourage those of you in the area to consider attending.

This Saturday morning, Madison Piccadilly 8:30, for a great breakfast at a bargain rate, and at 9:00 the meeting begins. This is on Gallatin Road between Old Hickory and Due West. Actually in the Madison Square Shopping Center.

13 comments:

William said...

As a teacher, your support of Cynthia Dunbar puts you in a very bad light. This radical creationist theocrat is an extremist in every sense of the word.

In her book, Dunbar argued the country’s founding fathers created “an emphatically Christian government” and that government should be guided by a “biblical litmus test.” She endorses a belief system that requires “any person desiring to govern have a sincere knowledge and appreciation for the Word of God in order to rightly govern.”

Also in the book, she calls public education a “subtly deceptive tool of perversion.”

The establishment of public schools is unconstitutional and even “tyrannical,” she wrote, because it threatens the authority of families, granted by God through Scripture, to direct the instruction of their children.

Dunbar home-schooled her own children.

Dunbar penned an online essay shortly before the presidential election warning Barack Obama was plotting with terrorists to attack Americans. She refused to retract her claim, even under pressure from Republicans.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/falkenberg/6516556.html

Kay Brooks said...

Cynthia doesn't put me in a bad light. What puts teachers in a bad light is a 40% drop out rate, paying dues to an organization that is more interested in its own well-being and political power than actually educating children, and failing to get the truth of what goes on in school administration out there for the public to judge and hold accountable.

And, you'll be hard pressed to actually prove that public education hasn't been, isn't being used, for propaganda purposes. It's why Johnny can recycle but can't read.

Public school does threaten the authority of families...in loco parentis, remember? And any family with kids in three different schools in three different areas of town completely understands how their family is at the mercy of the school system and that compulsory attendance law.

OOOOHHHH, a lawyer from an educated family dared to school her own children....Katy bar the door!

Bill Ayers is a terrorist, mentor and neighbor of Barack Obama's. The New Black Panther's just got a free pass from Obama's Justice Department after terrorizing voters. How is that not an attack on one of the essential foundations of our republic--voting?

William said...

So, we're going to do our children a service by pushing creationism, and telling them that the Constitution didn't really mean anything about a religious test for office, and that people who don't look and pray like us are not real Americans suited to be in leadership roles? That the Joe McCarthy witch hunt was justified, and that civil rights were really not as important as knowing about black militantism? Yes, that's it, fear those blacks and Muslims. Fear those college professors with doctorates. Fear education by real scientists, engineers, and artists, anyone with a PhD ...they may be liberals indoctrinating your kids.

Everyone take notice here, that is exactly what Kay Brooks is pushing. Taking her talking points from teabagger Fox News race baiting. Fox News and right wing media has been inventing ‘whitey fear the blackman’ scandals ever since Obama was elected. Van Jones, Acorn, Black Panthers, now this Shirley Sherrod lie and character assassination. Here is the proof.

My friend, who is an attorney, decided to leave her practice to teach middle school. On an alternative licensure, she was qualified as a language arts specialist. The next year, they forced her to teach science (where all but one of the science teachers were creationists and told her to avoid topics like evolution and the big bang). She was labeled as a socialist because she is a Democrat, a vegetarian, and unlike her Baptist and Church of Christ colleagues, she is an Epicopalian. Here is a highly educated person who wanted to make a difference and she was treated like shit. Needless to say, she went back to practicing law.

If "liberals" are the ones ruining education, why are all the professors with PhDs, liberal, while all of the science denying fundamentalist creationist minority fearing theocrats like you, conservative? You're right, it is a sad state of affairs. As much to do with the ignorance and narrow-mindedness of conservative parents as anything.

Kay Brooks said...

Wow. Feel better now for name calling? Is that the sort of critical thinking skill you teach at Middle Tennessee State University? When all else fails throw the race card?

William said...
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William said...

I cited the evidence of racism. What does that say about your critical thinking skills that you dismiss it ? Is that what you teach your students, to ignore facts? Of course you will ignore these facts because they are presented by Dr. Maddow. You know, a liberal lesbian. Rachael Maddow, Rhodes Scholar, Doctorate from Oxford ... such a bad example for our kids.

Kay Brooks said...

This 'whitey' doesn't fear "the blackman". She's concerned about the policies Barack Obama and his administration have put in place. I'm not the racist in this discussion. But it if helps you to sleep better at night dismissing my legitimate concerns with that sort of broad brush...have at it. Oh, and delete and repost throwing in the lesbian part for good measure.

I should have added that when educators put their own dogma ahead of genuine inquiry and discussion that puts them in a bad light.

Obviously, you feel strongly about the misinformation you're getting and believing. What really would have helped is if you had come to the meeting, yourself, and spoken with Dunbar and discussed your concerns. I've got her book here in line to be read...so I can't speak directly to what it contains...yet.

I'm sad to read your attorney friend didn't find a warm welcome at the school where she was teaching. Likely, there was a lot more involved than being ill-treated by co-workers. Sometimes the system is tough on folks.

And if facts matter at all to you, not all PhD's are liberal...not all at PhD's at MTSU are liberal--though I sincerely doubt you spend much time with the conservative ones. Not all scientists who question the religion of macro-evolution are conservative. Not all people concerned about Barack Obama's policies are white. I don't get my talking points from Fox...can't afford cable and I have a life. I consider Rachel Maddow as reliable as Bill O'Reilley...which is to say not very.

William said...

Kay, liberal vs. conservative has no place is science, science education, the scientific method, scientific research, etc... The same thing that happened with textbooks in TX, coud happen here, especially with creationists like yourself involved.

Politics have everything to do with denial of science, the dissemination of manufactured scandals and misinformation. Such misinformation comes from one political side, almost always ... religious conservatives.

The Dover, PA intelligent design trial is a perfect example. Check out the documentary on that. See how the creationists willfully decieved, ignored facts, and tried to show the court that their position was not based on religion. All of the intelligent design "scientists" prepared to give testimony eventually bailed out.

The so-called "climategate" has been pushed relentlessly by conservative media, by those who can not separate political agenda from science. Now that the manufactured scandal has been destroyed by the truth and 5 separate investigations, the lies and damage are still done. Doesn't matter what 97% of scientists think.

Oh, and thanks for coming out on record as a creationist. Hope they don't let you teach science. I would suggest a field trip to the American Museum of Natural History, Hall of Human Origins. Better yet,
take your students the the NOVA website on evolution, it is excellent.

Yes, macroevoution is scientific fact, if you can't accept it, you either need further education, and/or you needn't be in a position to teach. Or, perhaps like Cynthia Dunbar, your religious dogma overrides your logic and ability to think critically. Such beliefs have put America behind other industrialized nations in education. Both our teachers and students need to be better educated.

What percentage of PhD biologists and geneticists do you think deny macroevolution? Please, give us some stats.

William said...

Kay, liberal vs. conservative has no place is science, science education, the scientific method, scientific research, etc... The same thing that happened with textbooks in TX, coud happen here, especially with creationists like yourself involved.

Politics have everything to do with denial of science, the dissemination of manufactured scandals and misinformation. Such misinformation comes from one political side, almost always ... religious conservatives.

The Dover, PA intelligent design trial is a perfect example. Check out the documentary on that. See how the creationists willfully decieved, ignored facts, and tried to show the court that their position was not based on religion. All of the intelligent design "scientists" prepared to give testimony eventually bailed out.

The so-called "climategate" has been pushed relentlessly by conservative media, by those who can not separate political agenda from science. Now that the manufactured scandal has been destroyed by the truth and 5 separate investigations, the lies and damage are still done. Doesn't matter what 97% of scientists think.

Oh, and thanks for coming out on record as a creationist. Hope they don't let you teach science. I would suggest a field trip to the American Museum of Natural History, Hall of Human Origins. Better yet,
take your students the the NOVA website on evolution, it is excellent.

Yes, macroevoution is scientific fact, if you can't accept it, you either need further education, and/or you needn't be in a position to teach. Or, perhaps like Cynthia Dunbar, your religious dogma overrides your logic and ability to think critically. Such beliefs have put America behind other industrialized nations in education. Both our teachers and students need to be better educated.

What percentage of PhD biologists and geneticists do you think deny macroevolution? Please, give us some stats.

William said...
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William said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
William said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
William said...

sorry for the duplicate comments, everytime I posted, I received an error message, assumed that I had to repost.