For those who think only liberals want their BS in the classroom

[Father Time]

E TEXAS TEXTBOOK TUSSLE, CONT'D.... Over the last several months, the Monthly has been keeping an eye on the Texas Board of Education, which has been working on a social studies curricula steeped in conservative Republican ideology. It's a rather remarkable story: board members -- 10 Republicans to 5 Democrats -- have recommended downplaying the contributions of civil rights leaders, minimizing an "emphasis on multiculturalism," and trying to "exonerate" Joe McCarthy.

The first draft of the standards mandated that Texans be taught to "identify significant conservative advocacy organizations and individuals" -- with no comparable progressive leaders or groups.

The ridiculous crusade continues apace.

The conservative bloc on the Texas State Board of Education won a string of victories Friday, obtaining approval for an amendment requiring high school U.S. history students to know about Phyllis Schlafly and the Contract with America as well as inserting a clause that aims to justify McCarthyism.

Outspoken conservative board member Don McLeroy, who reportedly spent over three hours personally proposing changes to the textbook standards, even wanted to cut "hip-hop" in favor of "country" in a section about the impact of cultural movements. That amendment failed.

The board also voted to delay further debate on the nationally influential standards until March, with a final adoption vote now scheduled for May.

The Washington Monthly

 

[Dr.Traveler]

...as well as inserting a clause that aims to justify McCarthyism.

That right there is enough to reject this as idiocy. McCarthyism still rates as one of the blackest times in our history. Defending that period is something that immediately identifies you as a crank in my mind.

 

[AllieBaba]

What complete bullshit. As it turns out, McCarthy was exactly right.

 

[Father Time]

What complete bullshit. As it turns out, McCarthy was exactly right.

BS. Not all of his wild accusations have been proven to be right.

Although in any case he didn't cough up any evidence to support his multitude of accusations so the man was freakin scum.

Even if it turned out that some of his random claims turned out to be true that doesn't excuse his recklessness.

 

[AllieBaba]

"Evans, the director of the National Journalism Center who is writing his own book on Senator Joseph McCarthy, said one of the most notorious myths is that the Wisconsin Senator never named any names of suspected communists in government. Holding up a file of material, Evans said, “Here are the names. Right here. Anybody who wants to can look at them.” He produced a letter that McCarthy sent to Senator Millard Tydings in 1950 in which he listed the names. The original list, which included numbers of cases and not names, was obtained by McCarthy after it was put together by congressional staffers. It was drawn from the files of the State Department itself. But McCarthy provided the cases to Tydings with the names attached. Critics have said over the years that the list was either outdated, blown out of proportion, that the individuals named were cleared by congressional committees, or that they were just mildly leftist. But none of that was true. Evans quoted from some of them: “...he furnished material to a known Soviet espionage agent…” and “...He is a known Communist Party member.” Evans said the biggest piece of disinformation was that these cases had been cleared by congressional hearings. This was false. The chairman of one committee said the information showed “a large number of communists on the rolls of the State Department.” He added, “It makes me wonder if there is any representation of the United States in the State Department.”

Joe McCarthy Was Right

 

[Father Time]

Return to Responses, Reflections and Occasional Papers // Return to Historical Writings

 

[AllieBaba]

"I got an e-mail from a disgruntled listener recently. He was a Californian who was disturbed at my diatribe about liberal indoctrination of our kids at school. He said he thought he was listening to Joe McCarthy. Ironically, I received that e-mail the day the story broke about a Colorado high school teacher caught on tape bashing Bush, America, capitalism and democracies, in general. Jay Bennish is supposedly a geography teacher. Instead of teaching his students to locate countries on the map, he launches into harangues of hatred against the evil empire – the United States of America. Unfortunately for him, one of his students caught it all on tape.



My e-mailer told me I was a reactionary. That's what they love to call those of us sounding the alarm. He suggested I apologize for saying there was a concerted effort on the part of some educators to influence and indoctrinate our kids – brainwash them, if you will. Before I could respond, the taped teacher story was all over talk radio.



It's not so much that this teacher was criticizing President Bush in a school environment. Although it was probably inappropriate in this setting, criticism of our elected officials is often necessary. What was really troublesome about this particular teacher was his decidedly anti-American rhetoric. It wasn't that he hated the president; he hated everything this country stands for."

"Everything about capitalism and democracy is evil to people like Bennish, and too many of them have the ears of our kids. We, according to these America haters, are the force of evil in the world. He even suggested that it would be justifiable for countries to invade North Carolina and firebomb the tobacco crops since we were destroying the coca crop in Columbia. I'm not making this up."

"Mr. Bennish was suspended from teaching pending a hearing on his conduct. He has hired a lawyer who argues his First Amendment rights were violated. He actually maintains this teacher has the right to say anything he wants to in class, even if it has nothing to do with his job or the subject he's teaching. Ironic, isn't it. Jay Bennish is now hiding behind the Constitution from the very country he loathes."

Was McCarthy Right?

Dr, heal thyself.

 

[rdean]

Every time I think the right has gotten as loony as it can possibly be, they surprise me and prove they are even more loony.

It takes a lot of energy to see "boogeymen" at every corner. I tried to figure out why these people think the government would be interested in what they are doing or thinking, then it hit me. These people think they are made in the image of some Gawd, so, in a way, they are a kind of Gawd themselves. That means, they think they are somehow relevant or important. So strangers must be "interested" in what they do or think.

The truth is, no one cares.

Please keep mysticism and the occult out of public schools. No prayers to spooks. No occult texts. Just stick to the basics

 

[HUGGY]

What complete bullshit. As it turns out, McCarthy was exactly right.

What a crock of shit.! Where do you get these ignorant opinions? McCarthy was a deranged grandstanding fear mongering bigot. You clearly do not know what you are talking about. I am wondering how old you are. It is obvious you did not experience the time of which you refer. I am also curious who is feeding you these lies about one of the most destructive movements against free speach in our countries history.

 

[Father Time]

"I got an e-mail from a disgruntled listener recently. He was a Californian who was disturbed at my diatribe about liberal indoctrination of our kids at school. He said he thought he was listening to Joe McCarthy. Ironically, I received that e-mail the day the story broke about a Colorado high school teacher caught on tape bashing Bush, America, capitalism and democracies, in general. Jay Bennish is supposedly a geography teacher. Instead of teaching his students to locate countries on the map, he launches into harangues of hatred against the evil empire – the United States of America. Unfortunately for him, one of his students caught it all on tape.



My e-mailer told me I was a reactionary. That's what they love to call those of us sounding the alarm. He suggested I apologize for saying there was a concerted effort on the part of some educators to influence and indoctrinate our kids – brainwash them, if you will. Before I could respond, the taped teacher story was all over talk radio.



It's not so much that this teacher was criticizing President Bush in a school environment. Although it was probably inappropriate in this setting, criticism of our elected officials is often necessary. What was really troublesome about this particular teacher was his decidedly anti-American rhetoric. It wasn't that he hated the president; he hated everything this country stands for."

"Everything about capitalism and democracy is evil to people like Bennish, and too many of them have the ears of our kids. We, according to these America haters, are the force of evil in the world. He even suggested that it would be justifiable for countries to invade North Carolina and firebomb the tobacco crops since we were destroying the coca crop in Columbia. I'm not making this up."

"Mr. Bennish was suspended from teaching pending a hearing on his conduct. He has hired a lawyer who argues his First Amendment rights were violated. He actually maintains this teacher has the right to say anything he wants to in class, even if it has nothing to do with his job or the subject he's teaching. Ironic, isn't it. Jay Bennish is now hiding behind the Constitution from the very country he loathes."

Was McCarthy Right?

Dr, heal thyself.

So we have one teacher preaching liberalism and anti-capitalism vs. a school board who wants to inject conservative BS into the school curriculum of an entire state (a very large one at that).

Clearly these two cases are entirely equal and their wrongness cancels each other out.



Oh and your article didn't even suggest that Mccarthy's accusations against individuals were accurate.

 

[AllieBaba]

How is toning down the liberalism of the curriculism injecting conservative bs?

And you need to read that article before you flap your lips.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Don't know about the rest of you, but I like my history taught honestly and truthfully. Doesn't matter who tells me the story as long as it's historically correct and doesn't have either a right or left bias to it. I think it's a big problem to not be honest in teaching history to our children. History doesn't need to be rewritten. It just needs to be taught. You learn from history, therefore, it should be honest so you don't learn improper things or create the wrong ideas in your mind. It also should be taught with all the "main characters" involved that created the history of this country. That includes George Washington right on down to the bus driver that wouldn't allow the black lady to sit where she wanted to sit that began the civil rights movement. Sometimes history is ugly (Pearl Harbor) and sometimes it's great (moon landing) but it's the history of our nation. Let's tell the truth.

 

[Father Time]

You serious?

"have recommended downplaying the contributions of civil rights leaders, minimizing an "emphasis on multiculturalism," and trying to "exonerate" Joe McCarthy."

"Texans be taught to "identify significant conservative advocacy organizations and individuals" -- with no comparable progressive leaders or groups."

References to the word "imperialism" were replaced with "expansionism." Ironically enough, Republican board members also demanded that references to "propaganda" in a section on World War I be removed ."

Vote on social studies curriculum delayed until March | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

"The group said the board is adopting a standard that specifically promotes the views of conservative icons, groups or concepts — included by name were Phyllis Schlafly, the Contract with America, the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association — while ignoring liberal politics and political figures. "

Please point to the section of your article that discusses Mccarthy's accusations all it seems to do is bash on one teacher and one caller.

Anything that promotes the putrid scum that was the "Moral Majority" is conservative bullshit.

 

[AllieBaba]

The whole McCarthy bonfire is essentially a liberal melt-down with no basis in reality.

Likewise, teaching multi-culturalism in the classroom is a huge FAILURE and waste of time. Teach fucking math instead.

 

[Father Time]

The whole McCarthy bonfire is essentially a liberal melt-down with no basis in reality.

Likewise, teaching multi-culturalism in the classroom is a huge FAILURE and waste of time. Teach fucking math instead.

Once again Mccarthy named names (a lot of names) without ANY evidence. If you think such wild and random accusations are OK you're despicable.

I'd say talking about the NRA for any considerable amount of time is a waste of time in the classroom and I support the NRA's position.

And did you miss the part where they're specifically trying to shift the weight in favor of conservatives and where they're promoting such scum like the laughably named "Moral Majority".

 

[AllieBaba]

Once again, those allegations are false. He had all sorts of evidence, as has been revealed.

 

[Shogun]

The whole McCarthy bonfire is essentially a liberal melt-down with no basis in reality.

Likewise, teaching multi-culturalism in the classroom is a huge FAILURE and waste of time. Teach fucking math instead.

did William Joyce get a sex change?

 

[PoliticalChic]

E TEXAS TEXTBOOK TUSSLE, CONT'D.... Over the last several months, the Monthly has been keeping an eye on the Texas Board of Education, which has been working on a social studies curricula steeped in conservative Republican ideology. It's a rather remarkable story: board members -- 10 Republicans to 5 Democrats -- have recommended downplaying the contributions of civil rights leaders, minimizing an "emphasis on multiculturalism," and trying to "exonerate" Joe McCarthy.

The first draft of the standards mandated that Texans be taught to "identify significant conservative advocacy organizations and individuals" -- with no comparable progressive leaders or groups.

The ridiculous crusade continues apace.

The conservative bloc on the Texas State Board of Education won a string of victories Friday, obtaining approval for an amendment requiring high school U.S. history students to know about Phyllis Schlafly and the Contract with America as well as inserting a clause that aims to justify McCarthyism.

Outspoken conservative board member Don McLeroy, who reportedly spent over three hours personally proposing changes to the textbook standards, even wanted to cut "hip-hop" in favor of "country" in a section about the impact of cultural movements. That amendment failed.

The board also voted to delay further debate on the nationally influential standards until March, with a final adoption vote now scheduled for May.

The Washington Monthly

Vouchers would solve the problem.

 

[PoliticalChic]

...as well as inserting a clause that aims to justify McCarthyism.

That right there is enough to reject this as idiocy. McCarthyism still rates as one of the blackest times in our history. Defending that period is something that immediately identifies you as a crank in my mind.

How ironic. You, showing the typical liberal knee-jerk reaction. And the event for this date as follows:

In 1950, on this very day, Alger Hiss was convicted on two counts of perjury for denying charges of espionage.


Further, I suggest that you pick up a copy of the Venona Papers.

"Venona project: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Alger Hiss, Harry Dexter White, History of Soviet and Russian espionage in the United States, List of Americans in the Venona papers (Paperback)
~ Frederic P. Miller (Editor), Agnes F. Vandome (Editor), John McBrewster (Editor)
$43 at Amazon

 

[PoliticalChic]

What complete bullshit. As it turns out, McCarthy was exactly right.

What a crock of shit.! Where do you get these ignorant opinions? McCarthy was a deranged grandstanding fear mongering bigot. You clearly do not know what you are talking about. I am wondering how old you are. It is obvious you did not experience the time of which you refer. I am also curious who is feeding you these lies about one of the most destructive movements against free speach in our countries history.

1. Left wing historians writings filled with righteous indignation and emotional abhorrence toward Joseph McCarthy and cool aloofness toward Joseph Stalin

2. …claim that McCarthyism was the most disgraceful episode in twentieth-century American life, but show a fading memory of the Communist threat.

3. Those who ‘suffered’ were chiefly Communists…hiding behind the smokescreen that they were innocent liberals falsely accused.

4. The thrust is that it was McCarthyism, more than Soviet espionage or Communism infiltration of government, that was – in the words of the October 23, 1998, NYTimes editorial, “a lethal threat to American democracy.” This, in the same editorial that admitted that the evidence against Julius Rosenberg, and “most likely” Alger Hiss, was clear.

5. The deciphered Venona messages document the CPUSA’s integral role in the Soviet Union’s massive espionage against the US.

6. The federally funded “National History Standards” for elementary schools were released in 1994, cemented a revisionist view of American Communism for schoolteachers, as the guide mentions McCarthy over twenty times, while Edison and the Wright Brothers got no mention. “It …repeatedly condemns McCarthyism as an unmitigated evil…[but] the Hiss-Chambers and Rosenberg cases, the two dominant controversies of the anticommunist era, are described with bland, neutral language crafted to keep from implying guilt while not being quite so foolhardy as to actually assert innocence..’National Standards’…implies that the cases are part and parcel of the McCartyite horror.” From “In Denial,” by Haynes and Klehr, pg. 151

7. Revisionist views are found, for example, in the work of Ellen Wolf Schrecker, Ph.D., a professor of American history at Yeshiva University, who states “ whatever threat to the United States such espionage [by US citizens working for Soviet intelligence] may have posed, it was gone by the time the main justification for the McCarthy-era purges.” The revisionists claim that the greater sin was not the betrayal of the country by American Communists, but anticommunists using that betrayal as “a rationalization for the most widespread and the longest-lasting episode of political repression in our nation’s history.”

8. The Professor’s view is based on the relatively small number of prosecutions and convictions, but this overlooks the objectives of the FBI, which weighed exposing sources vs. prosecutions. The aim in counterespionage is always to disrupt the cells and prosecutions are secondary. The ongoing decryption of the Venona cables severely damaged and disruptions of Soviet espionage rings (over 300 Soviet agents active in the US Government during WWII and thereafter) in the last half of the ‘40’s and ‘50’s, and, while only a few spies were prosecuted, scores of others were identified, removed from their government posts and neutralized. Others who functioned as support personnel for Soviet espionage networks (couriers, recruiters, hosts of safe houses, and providers of false identities and sham jobs) were identified, questioned and frightened into inactivity. The Cold War and Korea reduced government and public toleration for Communists and Communist sympathizers. Truman’s legal assault on communism, including the Smith Act, prosecuted leaders and included removing security risks from government. (see “In Denial,” Haynes and Klehr)

9. Senator Joe McCarthy confronted government officials concealing communist involvement and excessively lax security with regards to Communists in sensitive U.S. Government posts. In many cases he was on target, with over 81 of the names he gave the Tydings committee resulting in resignations or movement of security risks. Given that over 200 of the spies uncovered in the Venona decrypts were never identified, we can only speculate as to the national security impact of removing Communists from key DoD and State Dept posts. Arthur Herman, author of "Joseph McCarthy: Reexamining the Life and Legacy of America's Most Hated Senator," says that the accuracy of McCarthy's charges "was no longer a matter of debate," that they are "now accepted as fact." And The New York Post's Eric Fettmann has noted: "growing historical evidence underscores that, whatever his rhetorical and investigative excesses - and they were substantial - McCarthy was a lot closer to the truth about Communism than were his foes."

10. Whittaker Chambers wrote in his book WITNESS that liberals are/were incapable of ever effectively fighting Communism because they did not see anything in Communism that was antithetical to their own beliefs. In short, Liberals are Communists and Communists are Liberals. The revisionist is aware of the horrors of Communism; the tortures, the Gulags, the over 100 million persons done to death. She is even aware that the American Communists were taking their orders from Moscow and were attempting to impose the Red Utopia upon the United States. If successful, this would have led to millions tortured, enslaved, starved and murdered. It would have led to the death of human freedom for untold years. As the US was the bulwarked of freedom and Democracy, it's communization would have turned the entire world into an abatoir.