Obviously this is a reactionary move, as the revolutionaries in America and Europe were funtamentally opposed to the old thinking that connected the religion of the governing body to the laws that it passed. Bringing in those guys that lived in entirely different times is a classic attempt at rewriting history.

What's even more alarming, however, is the substitution of "democratic" by "constitutional republic". Every kind of state in the absence of a monarch could be construed to be a republic (as in fact it is done in Europe), while democracy (although often abused by totalitarian regimes) literally means "rule of the people". Why would "democratic" be removed? The obvious answer is that they're expressing a preference for the Republican party as opposed to the Democrats, but there also seems to be a trend in the far-right movement to flat out deny that the US is (or should be) a democracy. Glenn Beck recently beat that same drum.

This is what's actually dangerous; the development that people get disenchanted with democracy. It doesn't seem to make a big difference anymore if you vote for a D or R politician, as behind all of them stands the power of huge corporations. At the same time, the government is trying to erase democracy out of children's minds entirely. Perhaps, beside the religious aspect, they sense the danger that some of Jefferson's ideas may pose for them some day: That violence may not only be directed against a so-called "liberal" government, but ultimately against all brazenly self-enriching, undemocratic forces of society.

by OldGerman on 03/13/2010 12:02:28 PM EST

Texas is re-writing history? I'm pretty sure I've read this book. From what I recall, things didn't end very well for Mr Winston Smith.

by JPOrchanian on 03/13/2010 12:12:08 PM EST

Im from Texas and these right wingers are an embarrassment.

There needs to be a nationwide campaign to contain these new textbooks which among other things glorify confederate traitors and downplay important American history while hyping up trivial right wing nonsense.

Cutting important civil rights history to talk about the "Contract with America"? Are you fucking kidding me?

You need to go out and make sure your local schools are not using these revisionist books.

by Young Turk 87 on 03/13/2010 12:36:21 PM EST

When one considers that the largest volume of text books are purchased by the Texas public education systems, it is rather disconcerting that these changes you've noted, along with a couple of other minor nuances that have not as yet been clarified, are taking place.  Additionally, it seems rather self-defeating for a board whose members have traditionally pushed for conservative values, such as bringing the alterations and changes of moving into the future to a halt in most social aspects of daily life, would now decide to change something as fundamental as historical material.

The oppression of the Church of England was a major factor in the colonists' breaking away from their motherland, and the removal/replacement of Thomas Jefferson from the texts is simply unacceptable. 

No board of education should be allowed the ability to push its own religious or political agenda on the hapless minds of the student body in this fashion.  I am reminded of a little television series I rather enjoyed watching once called 'Jericho'.  In the second season, a new union of states banded together to form the Allied States of America as efforts to recover from the nuclear war started making greater headway.  A set of textbooks were brought to the town of Jericho, to show that the newborn country was going to get right back into the practice of educating the youth.  But the information in the texts was viewed as being heavyhanded with revision, and we do our future generations a great disservice by emulating such practices.

And if anybody truly wishes to see the result of establishing a theocratic state, look no further than to the very Middle-Eastern nations for whom so many conservatives hold disdain.  Is that the sort of country you want?

by DrTrentHayes on 03/14/2010 12:42:34 PM EST