http://www.pressherald.com/news/state/031204teachersues.shtml
What on earth are we coming to when we allow a small group of fanatics decide what our children will learn? What will those students do when they get to secondary school and college?
Not an excuse, but aa half an explanation:
Presque Isle, Maine is in extreme northern Maine – Aroostook County. I grew up about 60 miles away (even further north, if you can believe that). That area is notoriously narrow minded and mostly cut off from the rest of the world. It is predominantly French-Canadian and almost exclusively Catholic.
When I was in public school in the 70’s, catechism was still in the curriculum – I repeat, when I was in public school. I was one of two Protestants (at least my parents identified as such) who got to sit out in the hall and be mocked by the teachers for being different.
I’m only shocked that this teacher hasn’t been ridden out of town on a rail by now, with a sign reading “HEATHEN” hung around his neck.
Ummm… quite frankly? You’re just opening the door to yet another version of “Philosophical Runaway Zealoutry” to be honest. In some countries, it’s a political philosophy which goes into runaway mode - like National Socialism in Germany in the 1930’s or Communism in Russia in the 1920’s.
In other countries, it might a religious philosophy which goes nuts - like Iran in the late 1970’s.
Whatever, they all share something in common - an idea, a philosophy which engenders a form of tribalism.
None of it’s particularly attractive.
Certainly, the US Constitutional assertion of separation of Church and State is a very wise one. Sadly, if the Church folk concentrate on brainwashing the kiddies, they manage to achieve their goals by generational stealth nonetheless.
Ummm… quite frankly? You’re seeing the first odious hints of “Philosophical Runaway Zealoutry” to be honest. In some countries, it’s a political philosophy which goes into runaway mode - like National Socialism in Germany in the 1930’s or Communism in Russia in the 1920’s. In other countries, it might be a religious philosophy which goes nuts - like Iran in the late 1970’s.
Whatever, they all share something in common - an idea, a philosophy which engenders a form of tribalism. None of it is particularly attractive. And almost always, common sense is the first victim.
Certainly, the US policy of separation of Church and State is a very wise one. Sadly however, if the Church folk concentrate on manipulating the educations of kiddies, they manage to achieve their goals by generational stealth nonetheless.
Well, I guess the good news is that the curriculum is so patently illegal that i don’t see how the school can even begin to mount a defense. The plaintiff has a slam dunk case here and the fucking retarded fantatics in this community are just going to have to suck it up and learn about ancient Greece.
I really can’t see even a pretense of a defense here.
Don’t underestimate the “God’s on our side” defese. He will smite the philistines, with their “religious tolerance” and “evolution.” Smite them, I tell you!
Wait-if this place is a predominantly Catholic area, like Jack Batty said, that is even more disgusting, because no matter how you feel about the Catholics, you can’t deny they have a well-deserved reputation as being serious about education.
So this…baffles me.
What on earth are we coming to when we allow a small group of fanatics decide what our children will learn?
Let’s see: small group of fanatics running the schools. We end up with condoms, classes on masturbation, forced courses on Islam, complete with praying to Allah or being punished, etc.
All school systems are run by a small group of fanatics. The one mentioned in the OP just happens to be run by a different one than the norm.
Forced courses on Islam: http://www.snopes.com/religion/islam.htm
Fight ignorance, Snoop. Don’t spread it!
Hey Snoopy, howzabout a cite for “classes on mastuirbation” as well.
And as long as you’re here, why don’t you tell us what you think of thec clowns in th OP instead of just making uninformed slams against…I don’t know…who are these “fanatics” you speak of?
Yeah, I hear there is even one school where they consider the word “gay” to be so bad you have to write “I won’t use the word gay in school” a hundred times.
Down here in Memphis, TN the problem is that they don’t teach the kids anything. The school board meetings are the equivalent of sit-coms.
The kids can’t pass basic proficiency exams. Probably teaching a required course on Paganism would be ok if they also taught reading and writing with a little math.
Perfect Democracy is a creepy thing, man.
There are places in the United States where being black could result in desultory revocation of some or all of your human rights.
There are places in the United States where being female doesn’t quite entitle you to the same rights and priveliges as males.
There are places in the US where the murder of a Jew would be considered a misdemeanor, and the murder of a Negro would be considered a civil case.
All “democracy” means is that a group of people got together and ramrodded something through based on “the will of the people.” It’s always been someone else’s responsibility to interpret that will… or make sure that the will of the people demands the right thing. Regularly.
Hence… REPRESENTATIVE democracy.
It ain’t perfect, but it works.
Most of the time, anyway.
Snoopy, come on now. That is SUCH a strawman. (Personally, I wish schools giving out condoms WAS the norm, but that’s just my own opinion, and I respect those who disagree.) Classes on world religion are a wonderful thing, and in my public school, we had a wonderful course taught by an excellent teacher (who encouraged the participation of the class’s Muslim students in educating the rest of us.) I can’t imagine a public school teacher EVER leading children in prayers to Allah (although I have heard (false) claims to that effect before.) Cite, please, or you’re just making your cause look worse.
And classes on masturbation? I myself am living proof that no such thing is necessary. ::resumes plucking hairs from his palms::
Ah, it’s a 1920s style Philosophical Runaway Zealoutry School District.
Not without a constitution it don’t. That is one of the problems in Iraq, they got some of them Muslims that want that “one man, one vote” without a constitution - guess how that will turn out.
That’s a funny thought, and true, Excalibre. J
Johnny NEVER would have discovered playing with his thing felt good if it weren’t for that Sex Ed class. :roll:
I imagine that what Snoop was referring to when he said “classes on masturbation” is that in many places it’s part of the sex-ed/health curriculum to dispel some of the common myths about masturbation that students may hear from their peers. Heavens to betsy, Snoop, I do believe I’m getting a case of the vapors! To think that this nation’s educators would acknowledge the vile act of onanism before a room filled with adolescents…
Snoop - Your little reactionary social conservative drive-by was decidedly ignorant. Have people not figured out that wandering in to threads and posting the same kind of outrageous crap that would fly on other boards doesn’t work here?
You’ve never met SnoopyFan before, haven’t you?
Oh, no, not that! Anything but preventing pregnancy and STIs!
Horrors! The children are learning about world cultures and religions! You know, Snoop, I hear they have forced classes on math. What is that shit? The kids are being indoctrifuckinated with this “calculus” and “algebra”.
It’s ridiculous.
Dream on.