This is Ridiculous

In the grand scheme of things this little pet project of mine called "equality" isn't the biggest political news item this year, in fact it hasn't even been the hottest hot button issue in some time. That fact not withstanding, there is still the ability for certain political and social positions to get under my skin, and irritate me to no end, so, I rant. This is a fair waring, this is a rant of the first order...

Today, much to my dismay at reading something so propagandist and spiteful before consuming my first cup of coffee, I came across an op-ed piece by Cal Thomas; there are two versions which you can read here and here.

Oh, the horror of teaching humanist based lessons in our schools! Thomas bats around the term humanist as if it's a dirty word, right alongside the word liberal.

"The government schools want to shape a child's mind in ways that reflect a mostly liberal, humanistic worldview."

For those of you who may not be sure (although I doubt Mr Thomas is actually reading this, but who knows, the group he is promoting might be) "humanist" means

1. a person having a strong interest in or concern for human welfare, values, and dignity.
2. a person devoted to or versed in the humanities.
3. a student of human nature or affairs.
4. a classical scholar.

Yes, this is something we should outright ban in schools! The blasphemy of teaching such horrifically immoral ethics! Oh, wait, isn't that what Jesus taught? Perhaps this brand of Christian missed that lesson.

And all of this, in part, to the amendment to Senate bill 777, the anti-discrimination bill that states people, adults, children, students, or employees can not be discriminated against because of race, gender, creed, disability etc.. It was amended to add "sexual orientation". What an abomination! Who wants to see all of this equality and tolerance crap in our schools anyway? Lets abolish this bill altogether and get back to the business of education, complete with discrimination against multiple groups of people, and while we're at it, lets bring back corporal punishment.

In all seriousness though, the bill Cal Thomas and friends are crowing about simply states this:

SB 777, as amended, Kuehl. Discrimination.
(1) Existing law states that it is the policy of the state to
afford equal rights and opportunities to all persons in the public or
private elementary and secondary schools and postsecondary
educational institutions of the state regardless of their sex, ethnic
group identification, race, national origin, religion, or mental or
physical disability and prohibits a person from being subjected to
discrimination on those bases and contains various provisions to
implement that policy.
Existing law prohibits a teacher from giving instruction, and a
school district from sponsoring any activity, that reflects adversely
upon persons because of their race, sex, color, creed, handicap,
national origin, or ancestry.
Existing law prohibits the State Board of Education and the
governing board of a school district from adopting for use in the
public schools any instructional materials that reflect adversely
upon persons because of their race, sex, color, creed, handicap,
national origin, or ancestry.
This bill would revise the list of prohibited bases of
discrimination and the kinds of prohibited instruction, activities,
and instructional materials and instead, would refer to disability,
gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation,
or any other characteristic contained in the definition of hate
crimes that is contained in the Penal Code. The bill would define
disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, and
sexual orientation for this purpose.

Oh, well since the government put it that way, perhaps we should all leave the public school systems, we can't have our children learn properly when these gosh darned homos aren't being discriminated against!

The real problem with this whole issue is that, I partially agree with this group Exodus Mandate Project with regards to the quality of our public school systems. Of course, my problem has nothing to do with "humanist world views" but rather a lack of solid foundations, poor teachers, and revisionist history being fed to our children. Oh, but they take issue with what is being taught as well:

The government schools want to shape a child's mind in ways that reflect a mostly liberal, humanistic worldview. This has implications for a child's understanding of economics, foreign policy, American history and the size and purpose of government, in addition to what once were known as “traditional values.” It is about reflecting the worldview of the teachers unions, who are in the pocket of the Demo-cratic Party. In other words, the Left uses public schools to produce the next generation of Democrats.

Ah yes, there it is, that's the rub. If our school systems begin to teach about homosexuality that will lead to lessons about economy, globalization, foreign policy, perhaps we will see the overthrow of revisionist history, the purpose and track record of a poorly functioning government...no, we can't have our children learn our dirty little secrets, no sir. That would make them Democrats, and to be a humanist Democrat in a democracy is certainly treason!

Of course, we all know this is pure ridiculousness. The slippery slope argument using homosexuals, and/or the devaluing of "traditional values" as a way of indoctrinating our youth into the constraints of the conservative Big Business "do as I say or my God will smite thee" American caste system.

It is pure propaganda, and yet it still annoyed me to no end. It also, for the record, reinforced my opinion that neo-cons and the Conservative Christian Reich Right has absolutely no plans for peace, no plans for improvement, and positively no intention of making this world one of equality, and tolerance.

Their words and actions have betrayed them once again. What is sad to me, however, is that it is the upcoming group of children who will pay for their ignorant indignations of what is and isn't properly righteous, not us.