Tea Party DEMANDS (and gets) publicly funded Muslim education ?

bleeding heart · July 8, 2012

So...they oppose "behaviour modification," but support the indoctrination of "patriotism" through a wooden recitation of an Allegiance Pledge.

:

Not Big Thinkers, I guess; direct, outright contradiction escapes their notice.

Edited July 8, 2012 by bleeding heart

kraychik · July 8, 2012

Well, spreaking of extreme religiosity....does this person "represent the Tea Party"?:

God hates them northern Democrats.

So saying a prayer and asking God for assistance in their political objectives is now evidence of "extreme religiosity" among the Tea Party? If that's "extreme", what adjectives do you use to describe Al-Qaeda? All you're doing with this post, and I thank you for this by the way, is exposing the contempt that the contemporary left feels towards Christianity.

kimmy · July 8, 2012

Imagine this poor woman's shock at discovering that "religion" isn't a synonym for "Christian." Nonetheless, this opens up an exciting new possibility for a TV sit-com. "Little Madrassa on the Bayou". I am going to write up a treatment and start pitching it to networks... this could finally be my big break!

Louisiana education was in the news just a couple of weeks ago when it was revealed that this very same voucher program is helping taxpayers pay for schools that teach students that the Loch Ness Monster is real in an effort to support biblical creationism.

A little Googling on the subject indicates that Louisiana has by most measures among the very worst education in the United States, exceeded only by South Carolina and West Virginia. Perhaps Bobby Jindal and his gang should fix public education instead of finding ways to funnel money to madrassas and creationists.

-k

Canuckistani · July 8, 2012

Imagine this poor woman's shock at discovering that "religion" isn't a synonym for "Christian."

Like that Texas woman who asked: "wha caint all people use English the way Jaysus daid?"

kraychik · July 8, 2012

No need to have a discussion with a teapartier, just take a look at what they propose for Texas public schools.

American Identity Patriotism and Loyalty – We believe the current teaching of a multicultural curriculum is divisive. We favor strengthening our common American identity and loyalty instead of political correctness that nurtures alienation among racial and ethnic groups. Students should pledge allegiance to the American and Texas flags daily to instill patriotism.

Controversial Theories – We support objective teaching and equal treatment of all sides of scientific theories. We believe theories such as life origins and environmental change should be taught as challengeable scientific theories subject to change as new data is produced. Teachers and students should be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these theories openly and without fear of retribution or discrimination of any kind.

Early Childhood Development – We believe that parents are best suited to train their children in their early development and oppose mandatory pre-school and Kindergarten. We urge Congress to repeal government-sponsored programs that deal with early childhood development.

Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.

Educational Entitlement – We encourage legislation that prohibits enrollment in free public schools of non-citizens unlawfully present in the United States.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/texasgop_pre/assets/original/2012Platform_Final.pdf

Although there is overlap between Christian conservatism and the Tea Party, they are not one in the same. I completely support movements to implement educational reform to put more emphasis on true patriotism and reject the absurdities of so-called "multiculturalism" in the context of public schools. Of course leftists hate this, because they view themselves as "post-nationalistic" and view patriotism with contempt.

The other component is more concerning, however, which is clearly an attempt to corrupt science education with unscientific narratives such as "intelligent design". Still, the laundry list of poison that the left continues to inject into the public education system (in both Canada and the USA) is so big that we should have another thread for it. Whether it is the corruption of economics with Keynesian ideas, historical revisionism intended to demonise America and the West while lionising inferior societies and cultures, or plain indoctrination with absurd values such as "multiculturalism", the contemporary left has a lot of dirt on its hands in this dimension which we can examine later.

Bitsy is bringing forward ideas that Christian conservatives have been advocating for decades and now misleadingly attaching the Tea Party brand to it. Again, there's overlap between the two groups, but they're not one on the same.

Edited July 8, 2012 by kraychik

Michael Hardner · July 8, 2012

So saying a prayer and asking God for assistance in their political objectives is now evidence of "extreme religiosity" among the Tea Party?

Oh yes, it is.

Why ? Because he's invoking prayer in an official communication of the Mississippi Tea Party:

http://msteaparty.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Invoking God in an official party communication isn't normally done, and therefore can easily be seen as evidence of extreme religiosity within that party.

If that's "extreme", what adjectives do you use to describe Al-Qaeda?

Um ? Extreme ?

I'm comfortable using the same adjective for both of them, as you seem to be.

All you're doing with this post, and I thank you for this by the way, is exposing the contempt that the contemporary left feels towards Christianity.

There is a fair amount of disdain for Christianity among the left, but the battlegrounds in Mississippi and Ontario are entirely different. In the former, you have religious political parties somewhat akin to the Muslim Brotherhood that openly demand and receive more power for the church in education, and less for the state. In the latter, you have religions being asked to curtail their beliefs in order to continue to receive public funding that is guaranteed in the constitution.

So, the religious types are winning one of the wars and losing the other IMO.

kraychik · July 8, 2012

Oh yes, it is.

Why ? Because he's invoking prayer in an official communication of the Mississippi Tea Party:

http://msteaparty.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Invoking God in an official party communication isn't normally done, and therefore can easily be seen as evidence of extreme religiosity within that party.

Um ? Extreme ?

I'm comfortable using the same adjective for both of them, as you seem to be.

There is a fair amount of disdain for Christianity among the left, but the battlegrounds in Mississippi and Ontario are entirely different. In the former, you have religious political parties somewhat akin to the Muslim Brotherhood that openly demand and receive more power for the church in education, and less for the state. In the latter, you have religions being asked to curtail their beliefs in order to continue to receive public funding that is guaranteed in the constitution.

So, the religious types are winning one of the wars and losing the other IMO.

Thank you for exposing the ignorance of the left with your ludicrous parallel drawn between contemporary Christian conservatism in the United States with Islamist organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood. Thank you also for putting on display the left's sincere belief that American Christian conservatives are "extreme", as is Al-Qaeda. I suppose holding rallies and town hall meetings is along the same lines of flying hijacked airliners filled with passengers into high-rise buildings filled with thousands of people on a workday morning.

Michael Hardner · July 8, 2012

Thank you for exposing the ignorance of the left with your ludicrous parallel drawn between contemporary Christian conservatism in the United States with Islamist organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

I think it's apt. Religious chauvinism occurs in all flavours of religion.

Thank you also for putting on display the left's sincere belief that American Christian conservatives are "extreme", as is Al-Qaeda.

Not all of them are, but certainly the example I showed is.

Where does one draw the line to 'extreme' ? Where do you ?

I would say imposing on others' rights is a good place. Maybe you wouldn't say that.

I suppose holding rallies and town hall meetings is along the same lines of flying hijacked airliners filled with passengers into high-rise buildings filled with thousands of people on a workday morning.

No it's not the same thing. There is an adjective that describes both actions, but that doesn't mean they're the same thing. Please don't be "offended" with the realities of the English language, as I'm not so politically correct to change it to not offend you.

Thanks.

Bitsy · July 8, 2012

Bitsy is bringing forward ideas that Christian conservatives have been advocating for decades and now misleadingly attaching the Tea Party brand to it. Again, there's overlap between the two groups, but they're not one on the same.

They are hardly indistinguishable, kraychik.

Fully three-quarters (75%) of those who identify with the Tea Party movement describe themselves as “a Christian conservative.”

http://publicreligion.org/2011/10/new-factsheet-on-the-alignment-of-evangelical-and-tea-party-values/

The tea party is very much in control in Texas. There are no longer any moderate Republicans in my state, they have all been co-opted by the teabaggers. I am well aware of how the christians have influenced our schools but this is the first time that they have ever advocated removing critical thinking from our classrooms.

State Education Rankings: Texas SAT Scores

Critical Reading SAT Score: 486 (Ranking 46)

Math SAT Score: 506 (Ranking 38)

Writing SAT Score: 475 (Ranking 47)

Total SAT Score: 1467 (Ranking 45)

http://voices.yahoo.com/state-education-rankings-sat-scores-6382040.html

bleeding heart · July 8, 2012

So saying a prayer and asking God for assistance in their political objectives is now evidence of "extreme religiosity" among the Tea Party? If that's "extreme", what adjectives do you use to describe Al-Qaeda?

Extreme.

All you're doing with this post, and I thank you for this by the way, is exposing the contempt that the contemporary left feels towards Christianity.

It's interesting to discover that I'm the symbol and spokesperson, so that the left can be "exposed" through what I write.

kraychik · July 8, 2012

They are hardly indistinguishable, kraychik.

Fully three-quarters (75%) of those who identify with the Tea Party movement describe themselves as “a Christian conservative.”

http://publicreligion.org/2011/10/new-factsheet-on-the-alignment-of-evangelical-and-tea-party-values/

The tea party is very much in control in Texas. There are no longer any moderate Republicans in my state, they have all been co-opted by the teabaggers. I am well aware of how the christians have influenced our schools but this is the first time that they have ever advocated removing critical thinking from our classrooms.

State Education Rankings: Texas SAT Scores

Critical Reading SAT Score: 486 (Ranking 46)

Math SAT Score: 506 (Ranking 38)

Writing SAT Score: 475 (Ranking 47)

Total SAT Score: 1467 (Ranking 45)

http://voices.yahoo.com/state-education-rankings-sat-scores-6382040.html

Although your 75% is suspect, let's leave that for now. My point is simple, and it is that the Tea Party and Christian Conservatism have a lot of overlap, but are not one in the same. They are distinct groups, You're asserting that they are the same thing and you're using the terms interchangeably. That's wrong.

kraychik · July 8, 2012

I think it's apt. Religious chauvinism occurs in all flavours of religion.

Not all of them are, but certainly the example I showed is.

Where does one draw the line to 'extreme' ? Where do you ?

I would say imposing on others' rights is a good place. Maybe you wouldn't say that.

No it's not the same thing. There is an adjective that describes both actions, but that doesn't mean they're the same thing. Please don't be "offended" with the realities of the English language, as I'm not so politically correct to change it to not offend you.

Thanks.

I'm not offended, at all. This is entertaining for me. I'm glad that leftists like yourself are candid in sharing their absurd viewpoints. Such aslikening the Taliban to the Tea Party, Christian conservatives to Al-Qaeda, and so forth. You make this easy. Thank you also for giving me another quote for my signature.

Michael Hardner · July 8, 2012

I'm not offended, at all. This is entertaining for me. I'm glad that leftists like yourself are candid in sharing their absurd viewpoints. Such aslikening the Taliban to the Tea Party, Christian conservatives to Al-Qaeda, and so forth. You make this easy. Thank you also for giving me another quote for my signature.

They have extremity in Common, yes.

bush_cheney2004 · July 8, 2012

They have extremity in Common, yes.

Agreed....just like the NDP.

Michael Hardner · July 8, 2012

Agreed....just like the NDP.

What's extreme about them? Their right wing take on socialism? Maybe ...

kraychik · July 8, 2012

Agreed....just like the NDP.

You exposed him beautifully His response was classic. In his mind, the NDP are centrist, perhaps a smidgen to the left.

kraychik · July 8, 2012

What's extreme about them? Their right wing take on socialism? Maybe ...

You just got made to look like a fool. Again. Too funny

Michael Hardner · July 8, 2012

You just got made to look like a fool. Again. Too funny

Glad to lighten up your day... This thread is all about laughter...

bleeding heart · July 8, 2012

Glad to lighten up your day... This thread is all about laughter...

cybercoma · July 8, 2012

They have extremity in Common, yes.

Which extremity would that be?

Michael Hardner · July 8, 2012

The wings... Right, Left, etc

cybercoma · July 8, 2012

You exposed him beautifully His response was classic. In his mind, the NDP are centrist, perhaps a smidgen to the left.

Your ignorance of the labour movement in Canada and the history of the NDP is pretty apparent here. The NDP throughout its entire history has fought against being co-opted by the far left in Canadian politics. The inception of the CCF was about fending off Communists and creating a party that was about democratic socialism. Today the NDP is moving away from democratic socialism towards social democracy. You, as well as others, seem to be falling for the out-group homogeneity bias where one believes that their own group is more varied than other groups. That is why you were called out on your ridiculous "left v right" broad sweeping generalisations, which you claimed you're smart enough to know are not accurate. Meanwhile, you continue to show a number of biases when you post. Edited July 8, 2012 by cybercoma

cybercoma · July 8, 2012

The wings... Right, Left, etc

double entendre.

kraychik · July 8, 2012

Your ignorance of the labour movement in Canada and the history of the NDP is pretty apparent here. The NDP throughout its entire history has fought against being co-opted by the far left in Canadian politics. The inception of the CCF was about fending off Communists and creating a party that was about democratic socialism. Today the NDP is moving away from democratic socialism towards social democracy. You, as well as others, seem to be falling for the out-group homogeneity bias where one believes that their own group is more varied than other groups. That is why you were called out on your ridiculous "left v right" broad sweeping generalisations, which you claimed you're smart enough to know are not accurate. Meanwhile, you continue to show a number of biases when you post.

None of this matters, the worldview of today's NDP is the same as the foundation of socialism and communism. It's all about collectivisation through erosion of individual sovereignty in the name of the (imagined) greater good. It wraps itself in anti-business class warfare rhetoric, racist politics (for example, support for so-called "affirmative actions" policies), and dishonest populism. It appeals the very worst components of human nature: racism, envy, and resentment.

July 8, 2012

Any thoughts on this issue as I have unearthed it here ?

I have a thought regarding your source - a blog. <_<

The blog says: GOP legislators in Louisiana have realized to their horror that their bill to provide vouchers for private religious schools can actually be used by Muslims. It then goes on to quote one legislator. His link says: A member of the Louisiana House of Representatives who eagerly supported Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan to fund private schools has had an epiphany: Muslim schools might start getting taxpayer money!

So "a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives" becomes "GOP legislators in Louisiana," and I'm still trying to find confirmation that "the tea party demand[ed]" this bill.