I Hate Texas

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

I stopped saying the Pledge when I was about 15 or so, I think. I see it as a loyalty pledge being given without any real recognition of what it is. Five year olds have no idea what "I pledge allegiance" really means and to bring them up to give that loyalty without a thought to a faceless entity much, much larger than they are is immoral.

However sad and worrisome it may be to have a creationist museum anywhere, if we believe in democracy and free speech, we should allow a space for those with different beliefs.

Part of the discussion we had at TOP at some point was the main argument of having public schools teaching my child something I don't want him to 'learn'. This cuts both ways, I personally find creationism abhorrent and would be very angry if my son had his science teacher mention the stuff* but for a creationist the opposite is equally or more abhorrent.

This goes to the rights of the majority vs the rights of the minority (whichever is which) and how to balance incompatible desires in public services. The solution for some is homeschooling, for others private schools, I would propose elective materials and/or warnings (as done with sex education in many places, ie: the parent gets a note asking if he doesn't want his/her child to attend and an alternative assignment is done in the period).

The truth is that there will always be someone unhappy about any particular subject (say, the justification for the use of atomic bombs in WWII), which lends to think that if the subject is controversial it should be thought from a neutral POV or not at all.

*or for what matters, that McCarthy was a hero, or that Stalin was a 'competent administrator', etc, etc. In fact I very much dislike the pledge of allegiance in schools, which I associate with brainwashing more than anything else.

History is somewhat subjective, yes. Which movements created America as we know it? (imo, unionization, civil rights, and the conservative revolution of the 1980s) and which ones were just under currents? That's not the issue, at least as I see it.

The issue is that A) because of the way things are, everyone else's curriculum is going to be affected and B) the changes that are being proposed very obviously have political motivations behind them. Abraham Lincoln and the Progressive movement changed this country in ways the NRA can only dream of and to decrease the attention paid to them in the name of politics is wrong. This is revisionist history and that's my beef with it.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Hey, I'm with you on this one, the problem is that for them any view different from their dogma is biased, or as Colbert (and/or his writers) beautifully put it: "Reality has a well known liberal bias". They have been able to hijack the public view with a completely absurd concept of 'center' that is well inside their world model, and we are forced to watch how they get away with it. The more radical they get the more the supposed 'center' moves to the right for their benefit. They aren't interested in fair solutions or compromises which explains both their proposals and -sadly- their success.

If there is no way to expose them for what they are then I fear we already lost.

[Sheila]

Texas sucks doody.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

My perception too, although to be fair I have never been there so I have to admit it as a prejudice. From the news that come out of that place, yes, it sucks badly.

[Swatopluk]

Old lame joke: Why doesn't Texas glide into the sea? Because Oklahoma really sucks.

[Lindorm]

Citizen, why do you worry about the historical records? Texas has never been to war with Eastasia! 

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

My perception too, although to be fair I have never been there so I have to admit it as a prejudice. From the news that come out of that place, yes, it sucks badly.

The Hill Country, where I used to live and where Chatty was from, aren't so bad. But the rest of it blows.

Citizen, why do you worry about the historical records? Texas has never been to war with Eastasia! 

Another one for Lies My History Teacher Told Me!

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Old lame joke: Why doesn't Texas glide into the sea? Because Oklahoma really sucks.

Nonsense-- it's Kansas' fault.

Only Kansas blows (tornadoes)....

..........

What separates Oklahoma from a state of Total Ignorance? 
...
...
...

The Red River....

[ivor]

They're both ignorant states.  I'm thinking a A River Runs Through It, Stupid...  Even the fish are stupid in the Red River... Oh wait I can almost see it from my porch.  Well that kinda makes sense I guess. 

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

They're both ignorant states.  I'm thinking a A River Runs Through It, Stupid...  Even the fish are stupid in the Red River... Oh wait I can almost see it from my porch.  Well that kinda makes sense I guess. 

To be totally fair?

If you use the Senate as a criteria to measure the 'stupid quotient' of a state?

Oklahoma wins that one, hands-down, for constantly electing the most blatantly stupid and self-serving, lying---[remaining adjectives redacted]--senators in a very long time.

Just my $0.02 opinion of the illustrious senators Oklahomer keeps sending to Washington.

Someone once pointed out, we have to keep sending those guys to Washington-- if we didn't, they might, possibly, take up residence in Oklahoma...

[ivor]

The thing I think that's the most stupid about both states is that they are Red and they have high taxes.  What does that say about the residents?

[Aggie]

What do you expect from a Liberal government?  The Blues finally made some federal inroads here, and cut the GST as promised, bless their Conservative hearts.   

_{you want even more taxes, go Orange or Green.}

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Ahh, but what do you get from your taxes? On that sense Colombia is possibly one of the worse, taxes are equivalent  but services are abysmal. I don't mind high taxes if I see the return in services, not corruption and/or corporate welfare.