Darned if They Aren’t Trying to Indoctrinate Students

ironic, no?

I used to enjoy irony, but they've just ruined it for me.

To us libs, yes, ironic. It is impossible for a Republican to be Ironic, the best they can muster is cynicism

Not really any surprise. I've been trying to tell people for years to pay attention to their accusations because they are always exactly what they ARE doing themselves. Always.

Yeah, that is indoctrination at its absolute WORST. I don't want to see what kind of hatred any future grandchildren are going to be spoonfed.

WORST? There is no low with these people. I can't wait for the immigration bill. "There is a provision in the bill that will sell every white man to an illegal immigrant for $1 and 58 cents. It's on page 731."

Sad, but probably true, or something equally low and pitiful.

Only if the illegal immigrant has an anchor baby, Jared. It's in the fine print at the bottom of page 732.

Jared P., thanks for making me laugh. The sad thing is, we could probably play that game BETTER than they do - but we just can't bring ourselves to do it. (It's too EASY. You know, because I love writing fiction. I could just sit here in my jammies and do that all day. I'd never have to research anything! Maybe whoever said "Ignorance is bliss" was onto something. I just can't bring myself to find out.)

Jared if you posted that the gather conservatives would believe you.
I can't stop laughing!!!!!

Jared, you need to write that for Peter Wimsey's creative history group.

Holly: How do you think the Repubs do it?

Most of the ten Republicans are stealth candidates. They lie and conceal their true agenda until after being elected. You know how Republicans are!

Your last link is recommended, too. It's always interesting to see what they choose to delete from textbooks.

Thanks, Aniko. I think they're all worth checking out but I wanted to make sure people would see the first one. I think that last one might be linked in the first article.

Rush Limbaugh and learning in the same sentence?

I apologize to Vicky and to everyone else who suffers through this article. It was not nice for me to put those words so close together.

Really? How could you? My eyes are burning.

If you can forgive me, you have my permission to change those words when you copy and paste this article into your own post.

Gimme a few minutes on the forgiveness issue, okay?

Sure. Hope one okay with you because I might go to bed early tonight.

Ah, alright. We're good. Whew, came close there.

Sandy,
Horrific. then they will wonder why us libs are demanding national standards for text books, and scream states rights!

Remember - Texas is not Vegas. What happens there doesn't stay there.

I hope they rush on through with their secession

Choice of textbooks in Texas affects many states.

Nothing new to me here, my friend. But glad to see it's being said by...ANYONE! "Stay in School, kids." Damn Commie really MUST be the anti-Christ...and HELL, we all knew the GOP was against education. After all, they want to WIN elections! Can you imagine ANYONE with an education supporting Bush? Why do you think "No Child Left Behind" wasn't funded? Why do you think FAUX news is popular? No NEED to think, people...Rush will tell you what you need to know.

That's it in a nutshell, Doyle. They've dumbed down their base and want to keep them that way.

Sandy, their base started out dumbed down. The REICH WING is just exploiting the easily manipulated.

That is true, Karl.

A good comment from the article:

Appreciating that the Texas School Board wants to 'indoctrinate" Texas students, I think there is a much more sinster reason behind the right's apoplexy over Obama's speech. Of course the speech will not be an attempt to "indoctrinate" our youth to liberal, secular humanism or whatever the rights percieved concern du jour might be, but it will almost certainly seek to inspire students to learn as much as they can and stress the importance of education in our increasingly small and competitive world. Who knows, there may actually be some students who will be inspired and will understand that if they want futures they should learn as much as they can. That is what right wing fringe and Fox news really fear--a more educated populace. It is much harder to bamboozle well educated people on a whole host of issues near and dear to the right wing, from sales of worthless goods and services at inflated prices to rejection of reasonable social programs to voting GOP to denying anything with a scientific basis. Really, can you imagine what the GOP would do without greed and ignorance? I mean there is always racism and religious fundamentalists, but non hispanic whites will be the minority in the not too distant future and the fundamentalists are understandably recognizing that the morality of Republican politicians is highly suspect. If young people actually learn something in school, the right's positions will be judged on merit and the right does not believe it will do well with that analysis
Posted by: terry on September 4, 2009 at 2:31 PM | PERMALINK

"I didn't realize that educational textbooks are a captured industry that functions as a monopoly."

Not a monopoly, but an oligopoly. There are four textbook publishers (Pearson, McGraw Hill, Reed and Houghton Mifflin) that dominate the market.

Thanks, Lea.

And never forget... these are the guys who are screaming about the horrors of *gasp* PUBLIC *horrors* EDUCATION! And they have been since the concept was made a public goal.

That's because spelling is a requirement in public schools. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND is unfunded, because it doesn't apply to THEIR children.
In fact, it is slated to reduce funding to public schools most in need of extra funding...

w

They are doing everything they can to make public schools fail so they can get vouchers and send their quiverfuls to all white, or Christians only schools.

Remember who their Governor was a few years back?

Yup... same dolt.

Sigh.

In a remarkable recent article, Professor Adel Safety, UNESCO Chair of Leadership and President of the School of Government at Bahcesehir University, Istanbul , concludes that ideologues of the Bush regime propound fascist ideas without claiming to be fascist.

Here, I will summarize Professor Safety's thesis:

Bush, himself, is driven by an absolute sense of "faith" which overrides rationality and analysis. In doing so, the American President believes that he is ordained to carry out divine will. Referring to the Iraq invasion, Bush told Bob Woodward, "Going into this period, I was praying for strength to do the Lord's will." Absolute religious extremism, isn't it?

Safety's article quotes a summer 2004 issue of Daedalus, in which professor of constitutional law, Sanford Levinson, writes, "… Carl Schmitt , the leading Nazi German philosopher, is the real source of inspiration of the Bush regime." Schmitt held the view that in politics, "the ultimate distinction is between friend and foe. And this comes before … any notion of justice and morality."
Hence, this helps us understand Bush's categorical declaration and demand for absolute submission by other nations to the American foreign policy agenda, for example when he said that nations are either with "us" or with "them," meaning if a nation is not with the U.S., then it is America's enemy. This also illustrates Bush's doctrine of the pre-emptive and unilateral use of force against any actual or perceived adversary. By any measure, this is a truly fascist position to hold in a system of competing nation-states when, at our present stage of human development, the emphasis should be on dialogue and collaborative decision-making.

The analysis offered by Professor Safety explains how Leo Strauss , Professor at the University of Chicago in the 1970s, had a "powerful influence over the thinking of the Bush regime." Strauss, a protégé of Carl Schmitt, has been described as the "Fascist godfather of the neocons."

Strauss's doctrine advocated a truly "Machiavellian approach to politics and foreign policy," completely devoid of morality and ethics. Strauss believed that "a stable political order required an external threat and that if such a threat doesn't exist, one should be manufactured." Safety further states that "Strauss has directly influenced some of the leading ideologues in the Bush administration:

Fascist they are and now they try to pin that on our president.

Paul Wolfowitz, the architect of the Iraq War, and Abram Shulsky, the director of the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans, set up by Douglas Feith to produce its own evidence to bolster the case for war. Both Wolfowitz and Shulsky studied under Strauss at the University of Chicago in the 1970s." It is in this framework that a connection between the Bush Administration's thinking and its global foreign policy agenda can be made and explained.

It seems that pundits in Islamabad, the architects of Pakistan's foreign policy, pride themselves on conducting the country's foreign affairs on the basis of Realpolitik. But the issue inherent in Pakistan's contemporary domestic and foreign policy is that it is aligned with the fascist doctrine promoted by the U.S., which is hell-bent on carrying out an agenda aimed at global instability, war, and the promotion of conflict around the world. How can this be justified by Pakistan and its decision makers?

It is obvious that Pakistan is also out of sync in the way it conducts its domestic war against so-called terrorism, when the task is to achieve close human interaction and dialogue to resolve issues between several adversaries. How long will Pakistan continue in this wrong direction?

Indeed, the majority of people around the world, especially the Muslim world, harbir reasonable doubt as to the American version of how 9/11 happened. Similarly, Iraq was most definitely for the purpose of manufacturing enemies for the U.S.

"Strauss believed that "a stable political order required an external threat and that if such a threat doesn't exist, one should be manufactured."

And I believe the Bush Administration agreed and that's why we ended up with that trifecta - and the downward spiral that followed.


America Uses Superman to Promote its Fascist Agenda By Dr. Haider Mehdi

Paul Wolfowitz That name makes my skin crawl. There were so many evil people in that administration that I sometimes forget a few until I see the name again.

The scary part is too many people do not see it.

Sandy, thank you for mentioning Leo Strauss, the guiding spirit of the Neo Conservatives. His students include William Kristol and are supported by Rupert Murdoch. The World will not long tolerate a USA with the kind of hubris and adventurism represented by the Bush Family and their political cronies.

Yes the mention of LEO STRAUSS is a massively important development in our history. Ironically, Strauss probably wouldn't recognize some of how his principles have been interpreted (so don't blame him entirely), but yes PERPETUAL WAR was one of the ways he identified as critical to keep a cohesive public "well governed" and guess what? Many of the top level Bush people were Straussians. And guess what? The cold war is over and we were left without an enemy so now we have "the war on terror," a perpetual war. How utterly convenient.

His students include William Kristol

Silly me. There was a time (well, about a week or two) when I thought Bill Kristol might actually wake up and be the whistle blower. I saw him interviewed with Daniel Ellsberg and was positive I saw admiration in Kristol's eyes. If that was true, unfortunately Kristol isn't the man Ellsberg is.

Robert, I'm not blaming Strauss for what the Bush Administration did. They get all the credit for their own actions. ;-)

I wonder if this extrapolation is accurate, but I am seeing the sign now that they accuse the other party to be just what they are as you said, it seems a modus operandi.

It is, Lea. I've studied it for years. I address it lightly in my turdblossom post but I'm serious in this belief.

I have noticed all along in the election, the book written and just watch what they say. It is cunning and simple. The only way to fight it is accuse them of the same thing.

Exactly, Lea. Cunning and simple. By saying it first, it's old news when we catch them and try to point out that they are doing it. We have got to stop letting them get away with it.

So it's not just my paranoia, this theory I proposed as a comment to a different post:

I've been wondering if the underlying philosophy of those against healthcare reform is that old social Darwin/Malthusian population control by killing off those "without means." That whole "death panel" hyperbole is just like their general paint the oppositon with our own evil intentions tactic.

You got it, Libramoon. And you are not paranoid.

Actually, the insurance companies have been the death panel for years by denying coverage.

Truth is the ETHICAL weapon against lies, and repeated when the lie rises it is effective. Silence in the face of evil gives evil the field. Fight back, tell the truth.

So true, Karl. But we're fighting people who are not ethical which makes this a tiresome job. I'm weary from repeating having to repeat the truth fifty times a day.

time for bed soon...

I'm about ready myself. This has been a long, busy day for me. Thanks again for that article, Lea - and for all you do.

Have you already seen:

http://www.theocracywatch.org/rr_economics.htm
Economics from the Religious Right

Yes, I have, thanks to you. (I think it was you who posted a link earlier.)

Those dominionists are absolutely the scariest people on earth. I studied them when I first heard about Sarah Palin. I also found some Bush links to their wacky ways at the time. Don't know if I still have those links, though.

Here's what I've got to say about indoctrination. (new window)

Oh, and I'm sick of the word now.

You are so smart, EmJay. I love the way you think because you always make me laugh while I think.

As long as you're laughing with me.

Always. Thank you.

Internet protect mode must be set to "intelligent discourse" as I can't access your primo link you refer to in the 1st para.
All I get is a blank blue screen.....

Wilka

Oh no! Here's another try. It looks like they added a video since I was there last so maybe they were updating when you tried? If that doesn't work, I'll copy it for you.

I am still up, cannot believe the reaction to a speech. 2 more years and if things do not change, I sell everything and go to France. Find me a little town on the riviera.

Clearly, that what "they" want: send all us liberal, socialist nutcakes to France!

we can start our own village called Liberte'

Take me with you!

Sometimes all you can do is shake your head and walk away. But with this sort of nonsense, walking away would truly be dangerous.

Too many people did that for the last eight years. That's why we're in the shape we're in now. I'm angry with the people who thought it was "nice" to sit back and stay out of the fire.

This is worse than the dark ages.

Kind of similar what the church did to enslave the masses and scare them about the impending hell.

I'll be back later... way later, to get into this. Just wanted to let you know I've read the article you (and EM JAY) have written. I'm too tired to get involved right now.

Both articles are excellent thought processes.

Fix this sentence in the second paragraph, I don’t know about the rest of you but I want the be the only one purchasing bibles for my children

All I know at this point is that I can't believe the ridiculous controversy surrounding Obama addressing kids in school. (what a bunch of paranoid pansies!)

'nite

Thanks! I'll fix that.

Maybe not. I've tried twice to edit. I got a "loading editor" message and a spinning circle. After five minutes of the spinning circle, I was afraid of losing this post and the comments so I backed out. I would rather leave the error than risk losing these great comments so please know that I appreciate your catch.

This business with rewriting history in Texas reminds me of an old socialist practice. (tee hee)

The Soviets liked to play games with history. There was one photo in particular that was troubling, one that showed the old Bolshevik leadership, including Leon Trotsky--who was more progressive than your average Bolshevik had claims to the succession after Lenin's death. The right-wing of the Party, including Stalin, drove the inconvenient Trotsky abroad and eventually assassinated him in Mexico.

The memory of Trotsky was always a problem for Soviet rulers, so they just removed his image from the standard photo of early Party leaders that appeared in schoolbooks. Indeed, the whole thing turned into a rather humorous cycle. During more progressive periods, Trotsky's image would return. Then the reaction would come, and it disappeared again.

It all feels so dang familiar.

Yep. And this is why they've indoctrinated their sheeple with the idea that liberals "rewrite history".

God forbid our president should speak to students! You'd think he won an election and/or holds national office. You'd think he's a major force in the world today. You'd think he was an important historical figure. You'd think people in other countries flock to hear him speak....

Sheesh! The nerve of that guy!

I'm too tired to do your links tonight, Sandy, but I shall return. Just wanted to weigh in on the HUGE CONTROVERSY of our president talking.

I flew through Texas this week -and picked up the Dallas and the Austin papers.

Tiny, inconsequential school districts are holding press conferences to denounce this imposition on 'local control of schools".

Not a peep from these fools when Dear Leader Bush II federalized the nation's schools or addressed high school students across the country.

But, even the densest and dullest child would know better than to take educational advice from a stammering, blinking idiot like GWB.

With Obama, it is possible that a kid could conclude that "there is something to this school stuff".

Thanks, Sara and Peter.

The ignorance and duplicity are amazing, huh?

I just returned from a trip to the Heart of Darkness, I mean, Dixie. (Honest, that's the Alabama state motto). My relatives populate half the state. One-on-one they're hospitable, friendly people, but they believe this crap to the bottom of their hearts. They were even quoting Glen Beck, and in an ADMIRING way!!

Hang in there, Gary. Most of us have relatives we aren't proud of all the time.

"One-on-one they're hospitable, friendly people, but they believe this crap to the bottom of their hearts."

Nicely stated, Gary. I have some Alabama anecdotes to share sometime.

Sounds just like Kentucky to me...

One-on-one they're hospitable, friendly people

Which explains why I taught my children there is a HUGE difference between nice and good. I have a little experience with these people myowndangself.

:::::sigh:::::: I have the same problem with my Dixie-bound relatives. On the whole, they are good folk who would give you the shirt off their collective back. But get them started on "liberals" (bah, spit, gulp), and they turn into a herd of Bible-banging, lifelong NRA members who are sincerely convinced that Obama's Washington is the reincarnation of Sodom and Gomorrah.

I finally realized that the love of those people who adored me because I shared their blood didn't mean much if they weren't able to love the rest of the world. I could just as easily have been born to another family and they wouldn't have loved me. What good is that kind of love?

Oh, Sandy, I have tried to avoid reaching that conclusion for all my adult life. I have felt guilty for "abandoning" my family. My wife's family are farmers, some are conservative, some even Republicans. But they're civil, educated, and I love them even though we disagree about many things.

Gary, I didn't abandon or stop loving everyone in my family. I just realized their version of love was diluted and stopped revering it as much as I once had. The cool thing about being on my end of this is that I don't require a blood connection so I'm able to love anyone, including my family. They don't have to wonder if I'd still love them if we weren't related.

Aha! That's why we all have a family by birth and a family of choice. They are both important to our well-being. It's difficult to attach a more or less to this affection, at least it is for me. It is, in the end, what it is.

One more reason why home schooling is best. It not only gets the formal education done in half the time and half the stress, it avoids having someone else attempt to brainwash your children.

I disagree, Larry. I think the 'informal' part of public education is just as important as formal education. Learning to learn from different teachers, to get along with every type of student, to understand differences, and to detect when others are trying to brainwash are important life-lessons.

But Sandy, that informal part is done much better out of school than in school. I believe you will find that home schooled children are much better "socialized" (that is better at getting along successfully with a wide variety of people and being comfortable in social settings) than school educated youth. The situation in a school is most unnatural. Being confined with a score of other people of your age with one or two adults is just not the setting to which humanity evolved. It was developed in the last couple hundred years to make good factory workers. It is contrary to education.

(It's also one of my "hot buttons." :-)

That has not been my experience, Larry. I have not met one home schooled child who was better socialized than a public school child. Not one. Ever.

Also one of my hot buttons. ;-)

I am a youth sports coach so I see more youth in the 8-13 age range than most adults and get to observe them in social situations. Those who are home schooled are never the ones who tease others and so forth.

Of course my sample size is limited.

How about we agree that good socialization is very desirable however it is attained. :-)

I can agree with that, Larry. And I will also admit that my sample size is limited, since most people I know send their children to school.

I've adopted out to several families who home school their children. The ages of the kids ranged from kindergarten to middle school age. ALL the children were bright, polite, out-going, and interested. The moms stood back and let the kids ask the questions and even negotiate to purchase things. I'm not saying all home-schooled kids are like this, but the ones I've seen were calm and happy. The public school kids I've seen (of which I've seen a heck of a lot), the calm, happy, polite and interested were a sad minority. Many of these kids won't look me in the eye. I think it might depend on which public school system it is.

I'm not thrilled with our local system.

I'm not in the mood to write an article about home schooling so I'll change my mind and pursue this here. Perceptions can be deceiving at times. It's possible the home schooled children are more involved because they aren't around as many people and that they make better eye contact because they aren't used to distractions. It's possible they "negotiate" because their parents allow them to step outside boundaries - like the little girl who tried to preach to the counselor in that recent divorce case and was offended that someone dared tell her she should stay on topic and not preach her religion to others.

Larry's examples could also be looked at from the opposite point of view. Being confined with a score of other people is something most of us have to do later in life - in the workforce, in public areas, etc. Learning to deal with that instead of believing the world is going to be tailored to our specifications is important. His criticism of being in that situation with one or two adults for a semester makes little sense when compared to being confined to a couple of adults for life.

My children were polite, they conversed well with adults and children, and they didn't make fun of others. They both received humanitarian awards in school. But they were also able to deal with impolite peers, and knew how to defend themselves and others from the ones who made fun of others. They knew what it was like to be in a room with people who learned on different levels, and how to learn from some and help the others - mostly, how to be patient with people who weren't just like them.

I'm not totally satisfied with the school system but I think the solution is to get involved and make it better - not to pull children out of it. I think the worst thing we can do is try to shield children from the real world.

Sandy, I think we can all agree that the public school system could stand to be greatly improved. (I have ideas for that as well. :-)

Larry, I'm glad to see this. I can live happily with your preference for home schooling as long as you want to help the public schools survive and prosper. Not every parent can or should home school so we need to make sure their children receive a good education.

Sandy, you are right again. Some parents (probably over half) are not really suited to home school their children. Public (and private) schools can and should be delightful places where children have a great time and are rarely bored. But they are currently organized in such a way as to be inherently stressful and boring. This makes things hard on everyone, teachers, students, and staff.

The "historical revision" occurs on Gather, too.

You can see the Fox-fuddled idiots promoting the new book by Jonah Goldberg - which claims that Wilson abetted fascism.

The hicks that could not identify anything about President Wilson a year ago, now "know" that he attempted to nationalize industries, to oppose big business, to misuse federal; powers, etc, etc.

All outrageous claims, no context, no analysis.

But Goldberg is the damaged off-spring of the horse-faced wacko who was obsessed by the Clintons and "befriended" Monica Tripp and encouraged her to illegally tape her phone calls.

The fraudulent, mean-spirited, spinning of lies runs in the Goldberg family.

Befriended indeed. We paid for that friendly act with a Congress that couldn't function, a media feeding frenzy, a paralyzed president - we became the laughingstock of the world.

Well, I'll be damned, I didn't know those 2 Goldbergs were related.

Fast forward to the year 2095. Kids in their stainless steel classrooms look at the framed reproductions of five framed paintings on the wall behind the teacher. There's George Washington looking stately with the clouds behind him, there's Abe Lincoln looking honest with clouds behind him, and there's Phyllis Schlafly, Rush Limbaugh, and Jerry Falwell with the same clouds behind them. Fortunately I'll be long dead by then.

In my mind now 4 things are converging nicely but I will do my best to be rational.
The NRA gun toting fringe group that could create a militia in little time.
A church that is still fighting to become the church of England in America. Will the protestant have a chance?
A republican party who incite and works in many cunning way to demonize the left and its agenda by accusing them of their own unpatriotic behavior and whom have progressed its Dominionist agenda in Machiavellian moves.
The masses who by ignorance, prejudice and religious fervor side with this party who has lied and faulted on all their stated ideology while pursuing their ultimate fascistic goal.
Those people who cite the constitution apparently have little knowledge of how little there is left of the founders ideals in this country. Starting with Big Corporations who now try to stop the government from doing its job for the benefit of the people.

I am foreseeing that if you are on the wrong side of the street, you will not be able to get a job, progress in your business or live in peace.
Judging from the Town Hall civility and discourse has been replaced by scare tactics and insults.Actually scared people from opening their mouth even if they could above their yelling.
Do you think a majority of the people who have guns support Obama or are democrats?
Good question to reflect on.
Seems to me the move Bush made to pass an amendment where he could use the troops on American soil and across state line in case of protest has not received enough
attention. Please research that law, later repealed.Warner now retired was a supporter of it. That is the advent of fascism.

Goodbye America and hello Iran..sounds familiar?

But somehow few people who chose not to listen to the president receive much more attention, why is that?

I think democrats are not feisty enough to call the shots in this meetings or call off the lies when they hear them. Hard to argue with a gun toting authoritarian figure, maybe?

I think it may be time to call the church back to their duty and remove support from the warmongers.
Washington keeps coming to mind in his last address, unity is the only thing that can preserve this American experiment, once the people are divided, incited and armed you have totalitarian government and that is fascism or something like Iran with the church having a big part in it... and calling the shots.

Let's pray!!!

Excellent observations, Lea. I wish you would post this as an article so it will get the attention it deserves. I agree - and these are the most dangerous people around: "The masses who by ignorance, prejudice and religious fervor side with this party who has lied and faulted on all their stated ideology while pursuing their ultimate fascistic goal."

Take a look at Chuck 's post...near the end a post accusing Pres, of a law that is so far-fetched but actually reminds me of the law I just mentioned that Bush was pushing..

it should be criminal to teach hate

I agree. This is one of the worst forms of child abuse. Why is it people only care about physical abuse?

In Texas, as probably practiced in other states, "stealth" candidates do not reveal their true agendas until after elected. They lie!

I think it is time to hold politicians responsible for their lies. I keep going back to Anne Northup, who ran some of the dirtiest campaigns ever. After one such campaign, she admitted that she had misrepresented her opponent, giggled, and said, "All's fair in love, war, and politics." I think she should have been impeached immediately and run out of town. Unfortunately, President Obama just pulled her into his fold. I'm very sad about that.

Well now he knows what she is doing.Is it a strategy or an accident?

I don't know. Maybe sloppy vetting? Kissing up for bi-partisan support? Whatever, it's disappointing.

Sandy, I've been running between the bathroom and medicine cabinet, clutching my heaving tummy and fast beating chest after reading this... It could be something I ate but then again, it came too soon after going to your links.

Sigh.

I need to go lie down.

Sorry, Duckie. Don't think it was the food.

This is appalling. I've heard of book-burning and special interest groups trying to edit history for a long time now. Heck, it's mainstream editing that tells kids about General Custer without mentioning a few less than ethical methods used to kill off Indians. Spin has always been there, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't fight against it.

I was horrified to learn of Bush's editing of facts on certain government websites (they sort of spun them a different way, ignored them, etc.). It doesn't surprise me that his effect continues on suppression of the truth. It's frightening but it doesn't surprise me.

The more we talk about this in public, the better.

Not only that - a whole bunch of anti-bush sites were scrubbed one day. I wrote for one of them.

I like the comment left by one person about Texas--"forget secession--can we kick them out?"

it may take too long judging by the partisan cooperation we are getting this days. If they do I would like the money the government gave them back.

Wouldn't it be fun to hand them walking papers the next time they threaten to leave?

As a Texan, I'm not surprised by this. Now I know why they are shutting out the President on Sept. 8.
They are afraid his "indoctrinating" will somehow cancel out theirs.

Texas hasn't changed much since the 1930's. The myriad school systems refusing to show the President's chat is another prime example.