Plan targets anti-Western lessons

[azndndude]

Source: Arizona Republic



Arizona public schools would be barred from any teachings considered counter to democracy or Western civilization under a proposal endorsed Wednesday by a legislative panel.

Additionally, the measure would prohibit students of the state's universities and community colleges from forming groups based in whole or part on the race of their members, such as the Black Business Students Association at Arizona State University or Native Americans United at Northern Arizona University. Those groups would be forbidden from operating on campus.

The brainchild of Rep. Russell Pearce, the measure appeared as an amendment to Senate Bill 1108, which originally would have made minor changes to the state's Homeland Security advisory councils. The House Appropriations Committee approved the new proposal on a 9-6 vote.

Pearce, a Mesa Republican, said his target isn't diversity instruction, but schools that use taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate students in what he characterized as anti-American or seditious thinking. The measure is at least partially a response to a controversy surrounding an ethnic-studies program in the Tucson Unified School District, which critics have said is unpatriotic and teaches rev

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/17/20080417unamerican0417.html

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Another fine example of AZ Republican doctrine.

[sakabatou]

1. Yeah, that's not racist at all

:eyes:

[Indenturedebtor]

2. Man

Why did I move to a republican state?

seriously I should have considered that :(

[StudentThinker]

3. more covert indoctrination

Apparently the bill fails to define what "anti-Western" means in any but the vaguest terms....so would teaching a comparative religion course that, say, favorably highlighted aspects of Buddhism or Hinduism or some such thing be considered "anti-Western?" Would a history course that includes factual study of US-backed human rights violations in non-Western countries be considered "anti-Western" or "anti-democratic?"

Really this crap never ends. Shut down open debate and free discourse, and it makes people a lot easier to manipulate.

[bossy22]

4. wow

this is just mildly unconstitutional- and just plain wrong

im surprised- i love it when politicans try to legislate patriotism

:sarcasm:

[uppityperson]

5. Is this really a "primary purpose of public education"/

Odd, I thought education was passing on some knowledge and teaching people how to learn. Silly me.

"A primary purpose of public education is to inculcate values of American citizenship. Public tax dollars used in public schools should not be used to denigrate American values and the teachings of Western civilization."

"Question authority" bam, you're fired and funds are cut off.

"Rep. John Kavanagh, a member of the Appropriations Committee, said he hopes the measure helps return cultural studies in the state's schools to a "melting pot" model.

"This bill basically says, 'You're here. Adopt American values,' " said Kavanagh, a Fountain Hills Republican. "If you want a different culture, then fine, go back to that culture."

On the other hand, "counter to...Western civilization" could mean it is wrong to speak out against torture, slavery, or even the melting pot (anti-immigrant stuff) since "Western civilization" includes all these things.

What a bunch of crap.

[Tempest]

6. What do you expect from a state

That refused to allow a holiday for MLK, Jr. until forced to by withholding federal funding?

[azndndude]

7. This bill if passed would not apply on Native Nations in AZ

Would telling the truth about "Western" atrocities against Indigenous peoples here in the Western Hemisphere qualify as anti-western?