Texas Social Studies Votes Continue Today!! Church/State Language Rejected,Mother Theresa, Einstein, Edison Restored. Live Blogging!!

(Jonathan Saenz, Director of Legislative Affairs, Liberty Institute)

We’re back this morning, blogging from inside the State Board of Education meeting.  We’ll be here all day giving updates on debates and votes.

CHECK OUT OUR OP-ED JUST PUBLISHED. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/03/11/kelly-shackelford-texas-textbook-social-studies-standards-american-history/  Leave your comment about the op-ed!!

Comment on our Op-ed:mnblitz–There is one state in the union where the people still have their conservative brains. Good for them to get back to the basics and forget about the new age teaching.   Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 1:44 PM

CHECK OUT FOX NEWS COVERAGE ON VIDEO http://www.foxnews.com/topics/us/textbook-bias.htm

Last night, Mother Theresa, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, were all added back to World History.  They were all previously removed from by an unelected group of educrats who were allowed to make changes before the State Board of Education votes.

LIVE BLOGGING!!!  Thursday Hearing ends.

 9:30 p.m.  Mercer adds: Human Rights violations suchas those against the  Christians in Sudan.  Passes.

9:20 p.m. Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Mother of Argentian children who disappeared during the “Dirty War”).

9:09 p.m.  McLeroy proposes removing “Hip Hop” music from a list of literature, art and music.  Amendment passes.  7-3.  Craig, Mavis wanted to keep Hip Hop in.  Hip Hop is removed.

8:58 p.m.  McLeroy Amendment-explain Constitutional issues raised by federal government policy after WWI, Great Depression, WW II, 1960s, and 9/11.  Passed.

McLeroy amendment on American Exceptionalism, describe how American values are different and unique from those of other nations and details related to this.  Passes 8-3.  Craig, Hardy, and Knight against.

8:40 p.m. Amendments continue.  Close to end.  Cargill has an amendment.  Explain the contributions of Founding Fathers, such as-John Jay, John Witherspoon, Benjamin Rush, John Hancock, others.  Passes. 

Lionel Sosa,  Estee Lauder also added.

7:41 p.m.  McLeroy amendment:  add civil rights figures, concepts, adversarial approach by some Civil Rights leaders, versus Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Craig tries to take out word “adversarial.”  Attempt fails.  Bradley removes the word “adversarial” but adds “the Black Panthers” as a different approach than Dr. King.

7:27 p.m. Knight amendment-add landmark civil rights cases such as Brown v. Bd of Education, Mendez v. Westminster, Hernandez v. Texas, Edgewood I.S.D. v. Kirby, Sweatt v. Painter.  Added.

7:04 p.m. Craig amemdment-add  Medal of Honor recipients of all race and gender, Vernon J. Baker, Alvin York,  and Roy Benavides.

6:49 p.m.  Mercer wants to add Medal of Honor receipients, William Carney and Phillip Bazaar, along with Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee.

Dan Quinn of Texas “Freedom” Network is totally losing his cool and exploding.  He’s talking to Fox News reporter, Griff Jenkins, throwing out cuss word after cuss word, ripping on individual members of the SBOE, because he can’t stand that the conservative board members, like Cynthia  Dunbar, are smarter than him when it comes to the law and legal concepts.  He’s really burned up about the artist Bazaar, that was removed earlier due to her nude artwork not being proper for middle school.

It’s always easy to tell when the Austin liberals aren’t getting their way.  Think temper-tantrum.

6:36 p.m.  Review the human rights abuses including the oppression of Christians in Sudan

6:23 p.m. Regardless of what people may think about particular members of the SBOE, you have to marvel at their ability be so committed to their work and put in such long hours.  Remember, they receive no salary, they have no staff, and no office.

5:55 p.m. Pat Hardy wants to strike language “holding public officials to their word”.  Allen, Knight, Hardy voted to strike this language.  Her effort fails, 3-11.

5:43 p.m.  John Danny Olivas is added to Social Studies standards.  Raised in El Paso.  Hispanic Astronaut. Added.

5:30 p.m.  Berlanga reaches her limit, according to her, because she wants more Hispanics in Social Studies.  She storms out of the meeting room.  Some media follow her.

4:34 p.m.  Cargill wants to remove Santa Barazza, whose artwork features nudity.  This is for 7th grade.  Mavis Knight, of course, supports Barazza.  Doesn’t think SBOE should be responsible for this.  Really, I thought this was a part of your duty.  Berlanga is talking about what students would do in college.  Uh, but this is not college, this is 7th grade.  Berlanga is saying that this omission is racially motivated because Barazza is Hispanic.  Of course, if all else fails, pull the race card.

Cargill  wants to instead insert Tex Avery, cartoon artist for Bugs Bunny, and others.  Seems more appropriate. 

Mavis is making another speech, threatening to lose control, once again.  I think that is 3 or 4 times now she has made this threat.

Amendment passes.  10-4.

4:53 p.m.  Victory at San Jacinto brought civil, political and religious freedom in Texas.

4:23 P.M. Bob Craig, to add Milton Friedman, McLeroy-to add Friedrich Hayak.  Both pass.

4:11 p.m. Sociology section over.  Now onto Economics.

4:00 p.m. Cargill amendment to add language about ” the importance of personal responsibility about life choices”.  Passes.  10-5.  Nunez for, otherwise, along party lines.  Once again, Mavis Knight strongly opposes this language. 

3:40 p.m.  Cargill asks to remove Sociology phrase:  “differntiate between sex and gender as social constructs and determine how gender and socialization interact.”  Passes.  9-6.

3:30 p.m. Long lunch break. Debate over removing section in Sociology about “institutional racism”, Cargill.  Amendment fails. 3-11.  For: Cargill, Leo, Bradley.

1:05 p.m.  Dunbar proposes “constitutional republic” amendment.  Passes, 9-3(2 abstain). Craig, Nunez, Knight against. All other Rs for.

1:00 p.m. Dunbar moves to add discussion about  the conditions that produced the 14th Amendment, Bill of Rights,  and the failed Blaine Amendment and Supreme Court rulings, and scope of fundamental rights.

Amendment passes, 8-7, Miller, Dunbar, Leo, Bradley, Lowe, Cargill, Mercer, McLeroy, for.

12:49 p.m.  Dunbar seeks to add language, some is directly from Declaration of Independence” explain major political ideas in history including the laws of nature and nature’s God, inalienable rights, divine right of Kings, social contract theory, and the rights of resistance to illegitimate government.

Belanga, Knight, Nunez-no.  Allen-abstain.  All other vote for, all Rs, and Agosto.  Amendment passes.

12:31 p.m.  Mavis Knight make motion about Founding Fathers and the so-called “separation of church and state” and that they were supported “barring promoting of disfavoring any religion over all others.”  This is a clear effort to try to indoctrinate students with a concept that is highly debatable.  Dunbar is up, addressing this, countering Mavis Knight.  Saying that this phrase is inaccurate.  Dunbar is constitutional attorney, scholar and professor. Establishment clause and free exercise of religion is what is in the constitution.  This “separation” viewpoint is inaccurate.

5-10 amendment fails.  Along party lines.

12:27 p.m.  Berlanga motion to add interest groups: Gi Forum, MALDEF, Council of La Raza and Carrizo/Comecoudo Tribe of Texas.  motion fails.  3 votes for.

12:23 p.m.  Berlanga moves to add Hector P. Garcia again.  He is at least in two other sections.  Amendment fails.

12:05 p.m. Debate over “U.S. free enterprise system” phrase.  The unelected teacher groups recommended that this  phrase also have (capitalism, free market) in parentheses afterwards.

Terri Leo, conservative board member, was the parenthetical info dropped.  Believes that liberal professors have used the word “capitalism” in such a negative way over time, that including the word “capitalism” in describing our economic system is their way of speaking negatively about America.  Other board members seems to agree. 

Dunbar says, remember the during the “strengths and weaknesses” debate over science, people said those words have had their meaning changed.  Same here, but looks like some Democrat board members, Bob Craig, and Pat Hardy don’t agree.  Amendment passes.  Chair Lowe casts the deciding vote.  All Rs vote for, except for Craig and Hardy. 

11:15 a.m.  Amendment to put back in standards that studuent will learn issues raised by “judicial activism and judicial restraint.”  Amendment passes.  Tie vote and SBOE Chair Lowe casts deciding vote.  Against-Bob Craig, Knight, Allen, others. Wow.

10 a.m.  Major debate has broken out on adding Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.  SBOE Member Mary Helen Berlanga and Mavis Knight want amendment to specifically add MOH recipients specifically that our Hispanic and African-American. SBOE member Bob Craig and others want to add MOH recipients for individuals of all race and gender.