This is what O'Donnell really wants and it's a scary scary scary concept

[LynneSin]

She's saying that the school boards should have the right to say what our children teach which means you get a bunch of dumbass schoolboard members you're totally screwn! And if you're a parent and your children are going to school in some rural part of the state, who knows what quality of education your children would get. Our country is around 25th in the world when it comes to things such as Science and Math and her solution - make our kids dumber. Let the schoolboard decide what hookey things they want to teach our children and keep them as dumb as can be. I just watched that section of the debate and it frightens the bejesus out of me. Not because she said it but because there are hundreds more out there that are willing to stupidize our children!

I appreciate in this world that some people want their children to have a religious indoctrination with their children and there are many ways that can be done. The public schools is NOT one of them. Parents should be the ones that teach their children religion if they choose to do so. There are churches, catholic schools and private schools that will help with that. But no school board should ever EVER be forcing religious teaching on other peoples children.

I still remember when Dover School board tried that about 5 years ago, next election they were all booted.

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. There's a place for religious indoctrination -

church.

Leave the fucking schools alone.

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. Agreed

[TheWraith]

2. Yep. They want to be able to insert Christian Dominionist theocracy at the school board level.

And don't think you're safe because you're in a blue state, or town. A committed minority can exert leverage far in excess of their number when you're talking about small elections like that. A few dozen far-right activists to get out the vote, and you could easily be looking at a right-wing majority on school boards even in "liberal" cities and towns.

[AnArmyVeteran]

8. I ran for school board and I kept getting asked about prayer in school.

Every forum I attended I was asked if I thought prayer should be allowed in school. I never received one question on what I would do to help make education more effective so children could learn more.

My answer to their questions was this: "I have prayed more in schools than anywhere else (as in hoping I would pass a test, etc...)". They would initially laugh, but then want to know what I would do to force children to pray. I told them I was against it because any religion who held a majority in any community would then be able to force everyone in the minority to recite a prayer of a faith they didn't believe in. It was sad how people never think about the consequences of such irresponsible actions. I didn't tell them but I thought in a lot of countries, which were theocracies, children were all forced to recite prayers. This is dangerous. And besides, when people mindlessly recite the same memorized prayers they mean nothing. Individual prayers from the heart spoken for the moment at least are sincere. Forcing children to be robots is dangerous. I've seen religions in the US which have standardized prayers and when members of that religion recite them they sound empty with absolutely no sincerity and they definitely have nothing to do with spirituality.

The level of ignorance in fundamentalists who want to shove their demented beliefs on others is amazing. They will never realize or admit that their behaviors are no better than religious radicals in any other religions, even Al Qaeda or the Taliban.

[Hekate]

12. During the Bush administration we had at least one "stealth" candidate for the school board...

She flat-out lied and denied her affiliations, but didn't change her answering machine message fast enough: "Hello, you've reached so-and-so from the Eagle Forum." So much has happened since then that I can't remember if she got elected after being exposed -- but we've had some very good liberal members of the board elected since then anyway, so we're fortunate.

The thing with Dominionists and other theocrats is they believe that a lie in the service of their god is no lie, and they have a very long-range set of goals. You are absolutely right that they can attain power in local governance this way. Some time ago I read that mainstream church congregations are under threat because just a few Dominionist members can engineer a takeover while everyone else is being moderate and reasonable.
www.theocracywatch.org/
http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v20n1/clarkson_battle.html
The Battle for the Mainline Churches
http://www.amazon.com/Steeplejacking-Christian-Hijacking-Mainstream-Religion/product-reviews/097719728X
Steeplejacking: How the Christian Right is Hijacking Mainstream Religion

Back when DU was a really good source for information is when I first learned about this movement. I did my own research and found that Theocracy Watch was a reliable clearinghouse for links to primary sources. After awhile though, I also felt like I had looked into the Abyss, and it scared the bejayzus out of me.

Hekate

[MrScorpio]

3. Abso-freaking-lutely

You nailed it. Lynne

[Wounded Bear]

4. This has been their goal for decades...

They have run local campaigns to take over school boards around the country.

But they kind of shot themselves in the foot when their hero, Dubya, signed NCLB. While it is pretty much of an abomination, it nationalizes things, which means that they can't do their local fundy crap as easily. Even most RW judges tend to hiccup when you start presenting Bible verses as your reference.

We really need to raise standards nation-wide, while getting away from this crapola teaching to the test that good teachers have been forced into. Real science teaching would be nice, too.

[SteveG]

5. Indian River is still fighting

to keep sectarian prayer at it's board meetings.

[dawg]

6. Oh hell, we're screwn regardless.

The very fact that one of our only two viable political parties is even nominating these morons is proof that our experiment in representative democracy is almost over . Our rightwing bretheren are too stupid for words.

[K8-EEE]

7. The Local Community might like some Sharia law....

Or they might like some Westboro Baptist Fag Hatin' in there.....

HOW ABOUT A SECULAR GOVERNMENT YOU WINGNUTS? WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? I love how it's OK to send our military overseas to fight for the establishment of a secular government (they failed btw & ended up with Islamic Republic) yet the same people who are for that, do everything in their power to take our secular government away from us.

[kestrel91316]

9. I don't know what you're so upset about. The only book anybody needs to

know how to read is the bible.

[patrice]

10. Her potential job is to help deliver this . . .

http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/HR3799ConstitutionRestorationAct.html

[MadMaddie]

11. If they want their kids to have a religious school education

there are plenty of religious schools for them to send them to. Of course they will have to pay for it. You see what this is really about is they want you and I to pay for their kids religous education.

My partner is right, they will never be satisfied with what they have because they will always want more.

[felix_numinous]

13. Public schools are secular schools.

It is inappropriate to hold general prayer of any kind in public school, we had a moment of silence, honoring everyone and not leaving anyone out, you could pray to jesus or pick your nose.

Religious groups will have to be satisfied with having extracurricular religious clubs, bible study with their church and in their homes, all the preachers on TV, going door to door, preaching in the public parks, church services, jesus camps, and generally interjecting religion into every conversation--outside the classroom. But in secular public school, religion is seen as a behavior of choice more appropriate during personal time.