LAT op-ed by the NJ high schooler who charged conservative bias in American Government textbook

[DeepModem Mom]

LAT: Give me the lesson without the spin
A high school student finds conservative bias in his American government textbook.
By Matthew LaClair
April 27, 2008

.... In one of my classes, we use the 10th edition of "American Government" by James Q. Wilson, a well-known conservative academic, and John J. DiIulio, a political scientist and former head of President Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The text contains a statement, repeated three times, that students may not pray in public schools. In this edition of the text, the authors drive the point home with a photograph of students holding hands and praying outside a school. The caption reads: "The Supreme Court will not let this happen inside a public school."

I knew this was false. In fact, students are allowed to pray in schools; courts have ruled many times that a student's right to pray may not be abridged. What's generally impermissible is state-sponsored prayer, in which school officials lead prayer or students are called on or required to pray. It seemed clear to me that the purpose of the discussion in the textbook was to indoctrinate, not to educate.

Continued reading revealed numerous other instances of bias, as well as erroneous and misleading statements. For example, the section on global warming begins with a few well-chosen words to set the tone: "It is a foolish politician who today opposes environmentalism. And that creates a problem because not all environmental issues are equally deserving of support. Take the case of global warming."...

I contacted a not-for-profit group called the Center for Inquiry. It enlisted support from scientists, including James Hansen, NASA's top climate scientist, and organizations, including Friends of the Earth and People for the American Way, to address concerns about the textbook.

What is most distressing is not that some public school teachers preach their religion, or that some authors put politics ahead of education. It is that it is so rare for anyone to call them on it. This text is widely used. Yet to my knowledge, no one has challenged these incorrect and misleading statements....

(Matthew LaClair is a high school student in Kearny, N.J.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-laclairapr27,0,247646.story?track=mostviewed-storylevel

[bronxiteforever]

1. The kid is a patriot and would be recognized by the Founders as such

K & R

:patriot:

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Well said! nt

[Democrats_win]

2. More info on how this book gets the greenhouse effect completely wrong

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=228x39553

[DeepModem Mom]

4. Much more additional info -- thanks, Democrats! nt

[LiberalEsto]

5. Bravo

I admire this young man for his willingness to think and challenge.

[izquierdista]

6. I think this boy deserves a good college education

Maybe Yale can shitcan the admission of some Republican senator's grandson, offer his slot to this boy, and save us a great deal of heartburn 40 years down the road.

On the other hand, I don't think it would be possible for Yale to make up for the sheepskin wrapped shit they have foisted on the American public. The place should be razed to the ground and made into a nature trail.

[LongTomH]

7. And you know what's going to happen...........

..this young man's very reasoned analysis will be 'answered' by a shitstorm of letters claiming the bias is really toward the left. Probably a number of them will give quotes from Ben Stein's Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed as an example.

I agree with the kudos; but, this lad is going to have a lot of trouble ahead in a world where the conservatives rule - and where they're trying to take over where they don't. He's got the intellect; I hope he's got the intellectual and moral courage to continue fighting.