Required reading of public HS seniors-to-be: Book of Genesis

The article goes back and forth on whether this is teaching religion or giving students a background they might not otherwise have that would assist them in understanding American literature, specifically early Am Lit which drew heavily on biblical themes.

I would really, really like to buy that theory b/c it's valid in many respects (it drags down the class when a teacher has to stop and explain what should be obvious allusions or symbolism). However the problem I have is this:

Fran Eppy was taken aback when she looked at her son's summer reading list. His only requirement was to read passages from the Bible. (emph. mine)

I would think that if the argument is that students need to learn about source material in order to gain a better understanding of litertaure, they would also be required to read mythology and to study folk tales, songs, history, etc. from the culture.

I attended a (public, state-run) university which had a "Bible as literature" course. I was always interested in it but it never fit into my schedule.

Read the article and post your thoughts.

Silent majority

While American voters have mixed opinions about abortion, they support the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision 63 - 33 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Men support it 68 - 28 percent, while women support it 58 - 37 percent.

Voters divided along party lines on the use of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate "to keep unfit judges off the bench" or prevent a full vote on judicial nominees. Republicans oppose filibusters 48 - 39 percent while Democrats support their use 70 - 23 percent and independent voters back them 54 - 39 percent.

Voters nationwide approve 44 - 39 percent of the job the U.S. Supreme Court is doing, the lowest score for the court and down from a 56 - 27 percent approval in a March 5, 2003, poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.

As President George W. Bush makes future Supreme Court nominations, 39 percent of Americans want to maintain the present ideological balance on the court, while 29 percent want the court to be more liberal and 27 percent want it to be more conservative.

"While the filibuster fight ended in a truce, most American voters were backing the Democrats on this one," said Maurice Carroll, Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "If this fight were really about Roe v. Wade, Quinnipiac University polls have shown a consistent 2 -1 support for this historic ruling, with more support from men."

Looking at American voter attitudes about abortion, the poll finds:

* 18 percent say abortion should be legal in all cases;
* 37 percent say abortion should be legal in most cases;
* 27 percent say abortion should be illegal in most cases;
* 14 percent say abortion should be illegal in all cases.

"On abortion, there's a silent majority. Both ends of the debate are making the noise, but 64 percent of American voters are in the middle, perhaps looking for that common ground," Carroll said.

In other attitudes about the Supreme Court, American voters say:

* 50 - 33 percent that the next Chief Justice should be a member of the current court, rather than an outsider;
* Support for any one justice to take the top job does not top 6 percent;
* 65 percent haven't heard enough about Justice Antonin Scalia, the most widely quoted justice, to form an opinion;
* A total of 79 percent say public opinion should have a "great deal" or "some" influence on Supreme Court decisions, but only 34 percent say public opinion actually has a "great deal" or "some" influence;
* 51 - 42 percent that the Supreme Court should consider changing times in making decisions, rather than the original intent of the authors of the Constitution.

Voters also say 60 - 34 percent that a nominee to any federal judgeship should state his or her position on abortion.

"The Supreme Court doesn't listen to the people, but it should, most Americans say. And despite what the lawyers and legislators say, Americans want to know where judicial nominees stand on abortion," Carroll said. President Bush's Approval

American voters disapprove of the job President George W. Bush is doing 50 - 44 percent, his lowest approval rating since becoming President. This compares to a 48 - 45 percent disapproval in a March 9 Quinnipiac University poll.

For a breakdown of the survey itself, visit the site. You can read the wording of the questions and all available answers. Percentage breakdowns are given for all answers. You can also compare the trends of answers as far back as March 2003.

50 Republicans Help Pass Bill to Repeal Restrictions on Federal Funding

Defying President Bush's threat to impose his first veto, a broad swath of House Republicans voted with an overwhelming number of Democrats yesterday to repeal his restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and plunge the government deeper into the controversial science that supporters say could lead to cures for debilitating diseases.

The 238 to 194 vote, unusual because 50 Republicans broke with Bush and top House leaders, followed a highly personalized, occasionally tearful debate in which a parade of lawmakers recounted medical tragedies that had afflicted their families, while opponents contended that the science is built on destroying human lives.

The legislation, which has strong support in the Senate, would make federal money available for research on embryonic stem cells extracted from frozen embryos donated by couples who no longer need them for fertility treatments. It would lift a restriction imposed by Bush nearly four years ago that limits federally funded research to fewer than two dozen embryonic stem cell colonies, or lines.

Bush said last week that he would veto the bill. With the debate under way at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, he underscored his opposition by holding an East Room ceremony surrounded by children whose families had adopted them as embryos. The same families had appeared several hours earlier on Capitol Hill, with parents and children alike sporting stickers that said "Former Embryo."

Reason #1 that I'm posting this: It's good to see so many representatives break from the party line.

Reason #2: Are we not all "Former Embryos?" As an adoptee myself I find it highly offensive that Bush is trotting out adoptees (children no less) to back up his neolithic ideas about stem cells. Last I looked there were no adopted children in the Bush family.

ETA: The following day in The Huffington Post, Paul Feig wrote:

Nice to see President Bush on the front page of the New York Times holding up a baby to show the world how immoral stem cell research is. Does this mean I get to dig up the corpse of my father who died from Parkinsons disease and stand him up in front of the White House to show my support for stem cell research?

Healthful food in school?

Looks like someone finally got a clue:

Public elementary and middle schools (in New Jersey) would be prohibited from selling soda and junk food under a package of measures approved Monday by a state Senate panel taking aim at a growing epidemic of childhood obesity.

The bills aim to restrict the amount of sugar, fat and salt children consume, at least during the school day.

"The most effective way to prevent obesity in our children is to teach them the right way to eat," said Assemblyman Herb Conaway, D-Burlington, a physician who co-sponsored a similar measure in the Assembly.

Similar proposals have been introduced in at least 17 states this year, according to the national Conference of State Legislatures. Policies are on the books in a few states, including California and Arkansas, while a proposal in Connecticut would extend the ban to high schools.

The New Jersey legislation would prohibit public school vending machines from stocking any item that lists sugar as its first ingredient, or anything that has more than eight grams of total fat, except nuts and seeds. The ban would be in effect until 30 minutes after schools closed for the day.

The measures also require that vending machines in high schools be stocked with at least one healthy snack; home-baked goods sold at fund-raisers would be exempt from the restrictions.

Robert Earl, senior director for nutrition policy at the Food Products Association, a food and beverage industry trade association, believes the restrictive approach that states are taking will not improve children's health.

"We certainly believe school is the right environment for teaching students about developing lifelong eating habits," he said. "We believe it is incorrect to apply guidance about diet to individual foods because that often eliminates very wholesome food products."

Now if public schools would bring back the physical education (including recess) and arts classes they cut to make room for courses designed to teach students how to test and therefore raise standardized test scores, we'd be making really progress against childhood and teen obesity.

Libraries and the patriot act

From USA Today:

Librarian's brush with FBI shapes her view of the USA Patriot Act

It was a moment that librarians had been dreading.

On June 8, 2004, an FBI agent stopped at the Deming branch of the Whatcom County Library System in northwest Washington and requested a list of the people who had borrowed a biography of Osama bin Laden. We said no.

I find this sort of thing too frightening for words...

Praying for Theocracy

Catherine Crier asks of the Religious Right: "Just how much do they want? They want it all."

In a piece in today's Huffington Post, she talks about the march toward theocracy and how it's manifesting through this whole judicial nominee mess.

The real fight is not over the lower courts in the federal system, but instead, the ultimate prize--the highest court in the land. There is no question that President Bush will have the opportunity to appoint several justices to that Court during his second term. He has made his ideological preferences clear. Conservative justices aren’t enough. He wants jurists of a particular persuasion. They must satisfy the requirements of fundamentalist Christians, with a willingness to roll back the clock to a time where children prayed to Jesus in public school, gays were back in the closet and women were forced into back alleys.

Those with different religious beliefs, (forget those with none at all), are dismissed entirely. Those who assert they are moral without believing in the Scriptures, verbatim, go straight to Hell.

If we want a Theocracy in this country, then ignore the assault on our nation’s judges. If you believe in the Republic that our Founding Fathers bequeathed, then prepare to battle for the one remaining branch of the government that has not yet been co-opted -- the federal Judiciary.

Definitely worth reading.

From Bill Press

The Difference Between Newsweek and George W. Bush

Newsweek relied on faulty intelligence to write a magazine article. George W. Bush relied on faulty intelligence to start a war which has cost over $200 billion, and which has taken the lives of over 1600 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis.

Here's the difference. Newsweek didn't know its intelligence was phony. And Newsweek apologized.

No PreSchooler Left Untested...

The fact they were testing Head Start preschoolers was news to me...
I'm reminded of a cartoon I saw once, with a politician asking a young boy, "So, Johnny, what did you learn in school this year?" The boy's speech bubble contains a standardized test form with letters filled in.

GAO: Federal preschool test flawed

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 Posted: 11:12 AM EDT (1512 GMT)


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The test used to gauge the academic progress of children in Head Start is not a valid measure of their learning, congressional investigators say.

The Government Accountability Office's review, released Tuesday, found a series of flaws with the National Reporting System test and with the way it is run by the Head Start Bureau.

"Leave My Child Alone"

Buried deep within the No Child Left Behind Act is a provision that requires public high schools to hand over private student information to military recruiters. The purpose of this invasion of family privacy is to allow minor students to be recruited at home by telephone calls, mail and personal visits. If a school does not comply, it risks losing vital federal education funds. The only way to keep your children’s contact information from military recruiters, is to submit an “opt-out” letter in writing to your school district’s superintendent.

This provision known as section 9528 was inserted with almost no debate into the No Child Left Behind Act by Rep. David Vitter of Louisiana, who learned from the Pentagon that many public schools had strict privacy policies protecting student information from being released to any outside parties, thus preventing aggressive military recruiting.

For more information on how to protect the privacy of your family, visit the "Leave My Child Alone" website. They supply complete "what can I do" lists, organizational materials, flyers and more.

ACLU Sues HHS Over Abstinence Aid

The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit yesterday against the Department of Health and Human Services, accusing the Bush administration of spending federal tax dollars on an abstinence education program that promotes Christianity.

Filed in federal court in Boston, the lawsuit alleges that the programs and educational materials distributed by Silver Ring Thing are "permeated with religion" and use "taxpayer dollars to promote religious content, instruction and indoctrination."

The organization [Silver Ring Thing] has received $1 million in federal grants since summer 2003 and expects to receive $255,000 this year.

"The federal government should not underwrite the religious indoctrination of Massachusetts students," said Carol Rose, executive director of the Massachusetts ACLU. "The Silver Ring Thing is nothing more than a vehicle for converting young people to Christianity."

In a statement, [Silver Ring Thing] founder Denny Pattyn said he had not seen the lawsuit but in general "is aware of the proper designation of the federal funds received and asserts that these monies have been properly directed."

Silver Ring Thing, also known as the John Guest Evangelistic Team, describes its mission as "evangelistic ministry" with an emphasis on "evangelistic crusade planning," according to IRS filings.

The ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project won a similar case in 2002 against the governor of Louisiana for sponsoring a state abstinence program that furthered "religious objectives" and used taxpayer money to "advance religion."

HHS declined to discuss yesterday's filing because it does not comment on pending litigation, a spokesman said.

From the NYT review of "Revenge of the Sith"

At one point, Darth Vader, already deep in the thrall of the dark side and echoing the words of George W. Bush, hisses at Obi-Wan, "If you're not with me, you're my enemy." Obi-Wan's response is likely to surface as a bumper sticker during the next election campaign: "Only a Sith thinks in absolutes."

Conservative pundits are already blasting RotS as an anti-Bush movie, forgetting that its a fantasy story with direct origins established years ago and inspiration that comes from millenia of experience and from mythology.

ETA: From The Cannes Film Festival, Lucas had this to say:

“Because this is the back story, and one of the main features of back story was to explain how the Republic became the Empire, at the time I did it, that was really during the Nixon years and the Vietnam War, the issue was how does a democracy turn itself over to a dictator. I began to study a great deal about things like ancient Rome and why did the Senate, after killing Cesar, turn around and give the government to his nephew; why did France after they got rid of the king and that whole system turn around and give it to Napoleon; the same thing in Germany with Hitler. You sort of see these recurring themes where a democracy turns itself into a dictatorship.”

From blogActive

This post has been edited. For the original, click the post title.

The American Family Association is going after Kraft Foods for sponsoring the Gay Games. On their site they ask people to write to Kraft to object to sponsorship of the Gay Games. Well, you right wing pigs...two can play that game...

Take 45 seconds and CLICK HERE to thank Kraft for standing up to the hate and bigotry of the American Family Association.

THEN, CLICK HERE and open an email with links to Kraft for your friend. Tell EVERYONE to thank Kraft for not caving to these right wing freaks.

You can also call toll free to thank Kraft at 800-323-0768

Update on previous post

The preacher who was driving away half of his congregation has resigned.

Chandler’s resignation came a day after a national group that lobbies for church-state separation urged the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the tax-exempt status of the East Waynesville Baptist Church.

IRS rules bar clear-cut politicking by tax-exempt groups. Last October, days before Bush won a second term, the IRS said it was investigating about 60 charities and other tax-exempt groups — about a third of them churches — for potentially breaking rules that bar them from participating in political activity.

The outcome of those investigations is not known. The IRS is barred from naming the organizations it investigates or announcing case results.

I believe the organization is Americans United, as I got an e-mail update from them saying that they were petitioning to do this.

Lawmakers Vote to Restrict Access to Homosexual-Themed Children’s Books

“We’re not looking to ban any books,” (Rep. Sally) Kern said. “We just think the books should be easily identifiable to parents who may not want a child to read those materials.”

However, library officials have indicated they will not cooperate with parents’ requests

.

From LibraryLaw Blog:

Once again, one has to wonder whether legislators have studied the First Amendment, and if they have, whether they care. Although minors are not entitled to works that could actually be considered "harmful to minors," the breadth of the restriction in the resolution is staggering, bearing no resemblance to the legal standard. For a good summary of case law upholding minors' rights to receive information, see the 2004 Jenner & Block memorandum to the Freedom to Read Foundation.

You may view the resolution at LibraryLaw Blog.

Bush Second-Guesses 1945 Yalta Conference

Second-guessing Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Bush said Saturday the United States played a role in Europe's painful division after World War II - a decision that helped cause "one of the greatest wrongs of history" when the Soviet Union imposed its harsh rule across Central and Eastern Europe.

Bush said the lessons of the past will not be forgotten as the United States tries to spread freedom in the Middle East.

"We will not repeat the mistakes of other generations, appeasing or excusing tyranny, and sacrificing freedom in the vain pursuit of stability," the president said. "We have learned our lesson; no one's liberty is expendable. In the long run, our security and true stability depend on the freedom of others."

Religion and Politics-- it works both ways

I don't think I can even bring myself to comment on this article...(Full text at link above in title)

Ousted church members ponder next move
Kicked out for not voting for President Bush

Saturday, May 7, 2005 Posted: 10:43 PM EDT (0243 GMT)

WAYNESVILLE, North Carolina (AP) -- A pastor who led a charge to kick out nine church members who refused to support President Bush was the talk of the town Saturday in this mountain hamlet, with ousted congregants considering hiring a lawyer.

Court madness

I was just perusing my friend Stephanie's blog and found an interesting post.

The link quotes Pat Robertson as saying that the threat posed by liberal judges is "probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings."

No, really. He said that.

I'll just reprint her post here:

On Sunday morning, Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson told TV viewers nation-wide that the threat posed by liberal judges is "probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings." When an incredulous George Stephanopoulos asked if Robertson really believed that these judges posed "the most serious threat America has faced in nearly 400 years of history, more serious than al Qaeda, more serious than Nazi Germany and Japan, more serious than the Civil War?," he responded, "George, I really believe that." [1]

Former Vice-President Al Gore summarized this disturbing strategy of judicial hate mongering in a recent address to MoveOn members. Here are some of the incidents he covered:

The Republican leader of the House of Representatives responded to rulings in the Terri Schiavo case, by saying ominously: "The time will come for the men responsible for this to pay for their behavior." [3]

In previous remarks on the subject, DeLay has said, "Judges need to be intimidated," adding that if they don't behave, "we're going to go after them in a big way." [4]

A Republican Senator from Texas directly connected the "spate of courthouse violence lately" to his view that unpopular decisions might be the explanation. "I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters on some occasions where judges are making political decisions, yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds and builds to the point where some people engage in violence." [5]

The Chief of Staff for another Republican senator called for "mass impeachment" by using the bizarre right-wing theory that the president can declare that any judge is no longer exhibiting "good behavior," adding that, "then the judge's term has simply come to an end. The President gives them a call and says: Clean out your desk. The Capitol police will be in to help you find your way home.'" [6]

Tony Perkins, leader of the Family Research Council, who hosted a speech by the Senate Majority Leader last Sunday has said, "There's more than one way to skin a cat, and there's more than one way to take a black robe off the bench." [7]

James Dobson who heads Focus on the Family focused his anger on the 9th circuit court of appeals: "Very few people know this, that the Congress can simply disenfranchise a court. They don't have to fire anybody or impeach them or go through that battle. All they have to do is say the 9th circuit doesn't exist anymore, and it's gone." [8]

Edwin Vieira (at the "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith" conference) said his "bottom line" for dealing with the Supreme Court comes from Stalin: "He had a slogan, and it worked very well for him whenever he ran into difficulty: 'no man, no problem.'" [9]


[1] http://www.moveon.org/r?r=719
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=721

[3] http://www.moveon.org/r?r=714

[4] http://www.moveon.org/r?r=716

[5] http://www.moveon.org/r?r=713

[6] http://www.moveon.org/r?r=717

[7] http://www.moveon.org/r?r=718

[8] http://www.moveon.org/r?r=712

[9] http://www.moveon.org/r?r=711

From It's the end of the world as we know it.

MoveOn has a petition you can sign here

From "Just Tex," a weblog

All hyperlinks are included in the original "Just Tex" post. No new hyperlinks have been added.

Talking sense in Texas

Texas Representative Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) gave this speech on the floor of the Texas House before they voted on an amendment to ban gay marriage. Other representatives tried to shut her up, I'm told, but she didn't stop until she was done:

I have been a member of this august body for three decades, and today is one of the all-time low points. We are going in the wrong direction, in the direction of hate and fear and discrimination. Members, we all know what this is about, this is the politics of divisiveness at its worst, a wedge issue that is meant to divide.

Members, this issue is a distraction from the real things we need to be working on. At the end of this session, this Legislature, this leadership will not be able to deliver the people of Texas, fundamental and fair answers to the pressing issues of our day.

Let's look at what this amendment does not do: It does not give one Texas citizen meaningful tax relief. It does not reform or fully fund our education system. It does not restore one child to CHIP, who was cut from health insurance last session. It does not put one dime into raising Texas' Third World access to health care. It does not do one thing to care for or protect one elderly person or one child in this state. In fact, it does not even do anything to protect one marriage.

Members, this bill is about hate and fear and discrimination. I know something about hate and fear and discrimination. When I was a small girl, white folks used to talk about "protecting the institution of marriage" as well. What they meant was if people of my color tried to marry people of Mr. Chisum's color, you'd often find the people of my color hanging from a tree. That's what the white folks did back then to "protect marriage." Fifty years ago, white folks thought inter-racial marriages were a "threat to the institution of marriage." Members, I'm a Christian and a proud Christian. I read the good book, and do my best to live by it. I have never read the verse where it says, "gay people can't marry." I have never read the verse where it says, "though shalt discriminate against those not like me." I have never read the verse where it says, "let's base our public policy on hate and fear and discrimination." Christianity to me is love and hope and faith and forgiveness-not hate and discrimination.

I have served in this body a lot of years, and I have seen a lot of promises broken. I should be up here demanding my 40 acres and a mule because that's another promise you broke. You used a wealthy white minister cloaked in the cloth to ease the stench of that form of discrimination.

So, now that blacks and women can vote, and now that blacks and women have equal rights — you turn your hatred to homosexuals — and you still use your misguided reading of the Bible to justify your hatred. You want to pass this ridiculous amendment so you can go home and brag — brag about what? Declare that you saved the people of Texas from what? Persons of the same sex cannot get married in this state now. Texas does not now recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions, religious unions, domestic partnerships, contractual arrangements or Christian blessings entered into in this state — or anywhere else on this planet Earth.

If you want to make your hateful political statements then that is one thing; the Chisum amendment does real harm. It repeals the contracts that many single people have paid thousands of dollars to purchase to obtain medical powers of attorney, powers of attorney, hospital visitation, joint ownership and support agreements. You have lost your way; this is obscene.

Today, you are playing to the lowest common denominator; you are putting aside the real issues of substance that we need to address so that you can instead play on the public's fears and prejudices to deceive and manipulate voters into thinking that we have done something important.

I realize that gay rights are not the same as civil rights, but I can guarantee you we are going in the wrong direction. I cannot hide my skin color. In fact, in most of the South, people as pink as Rep. Wayne Smith were still black by law if they had a great grandparent who was African. I was unable to attend an integrated and equally funded school until I got my master of laws degree. There were separate and unequal facilities for nearly everything.

I got second-hand textbooks even worse than the kind you're trying to pass off on every public school student next year. I had to ride to school on the back of the bus. I had to quench my thirst from filthy coloreds-only drinking fountains. I had to enter restaurants from the kitchen door. I was banned from entering most public accommodations, even from serving on a jury.

I had to live with the fear that getting too uppity could get you killed — or worse. I know what third-class citizenship feels like. In my first term, one of my colleagues walked up and down this aisle muttering about how "nigras" should be back in the field picking cotton instead of picking out committees.

So, I have to wonder about Rep. Chisum's 3/5 of a person amendment. Some of you folks hid behind your Bible then, too, to justify your cultural prejudices, your denial of liberty, and your gunpoint robbery of human dignity.

We have worked hard at putting our prejudices against homosexuals in law. We have denied them basic job protections. We have denied them and their children freedom from bullying and harassment at school. We have tried to criminalize their very existence.

But, we have also absolved them of all family duties and responsibilities: to care for and support their spouses and children, to count their family's assets in determining public assistance, to obtain health insurance for dependents, to make end-of-life or necessary medical decisions for their life partner — sometimes even to visit in the hospital, even to defend our own country. And then, we can stand on our two hind legs and proclaim, "See, I told you homosexual families are unstable." And nearly every one of you on this floor has a homosexual in their extended families.

Some of you have shunned and isolated these family members. Some of you, even some of the joint coauthors, have embraced them within your own family for the essence of Christianity is love. Yet, you are now poised to constitutionalize discrimination against a particular class of people.

I thought we would be debating real issues: education, health care for kids, teacher's health insurance, health care for the elderly, protecting survivors of sexual assault, protecting the pensions of seniors in nursing homes. I thought we would be debating economic development, property tax relief, protecting seniors pensions and stem cell research, to save lives of Texans who are waiting for a more abundant life. Instead we are wasting this body's time with this political stunt that is nothing more than constitutionalizing discrimination. The prejudices exhibited by members of this body disgust me.

Last week, Republicans used a political wedge issue to pull kids — sweet little vulnerable kids — out of the homes of loving parents and put them back in a state orphanage just because those parents are gay. That's disgusting. Today, we are telling homosexuals that just like people of my ilk, when I was a small child, they too are second-class citizens. I have listened to all the arguments. I have listened to all of the crap.

Mr. Chisum is a person who I consider my good friend and revere. But, I want you to know that this amendment [is] blowing smoke to fuel the hell-fire flames of bigotry. You are trying to protect your constituents from danger. This amendment is a CYB amendment for you to go home and talk about.

The Texas House then voted to approve the constitutional ban on gays have equal marriage rights by a vote of 101-29, one more than needed.