state of mind

The Republic of Texas and the Commonwealth of Virginia are stating very clearly that politics and partisanship are part and parcel of how to isolate, divide and destroy any consensus or cohesion. Both states are playing with history and in rewriting the facts are about to enter a zone which had only been inhabited by FOX News, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and followers of the “birthers”, “death panelists” “tea baggers” brigades.

Both states are demonstrating (for their conservative base) that disregard for true facts, quest for biased and bigoted information, explaining history as more of an interpretive art and not a factual event, are key elements in shaping the minds of its youth, and permitting those fostering hate to accept lies and fabrication.

Governor Robert F. McDonnell (R) is reviving a controversy that had been dormant for eight years, by declaring that April will be Confederate History Month in the Virginia Commonwealth. In his declaration McDonnell left out anti-slavery language saying that “…there were any number of aspects to that (the Civil War) between the states. Obviously it involved slavery, but it also involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia…” other aspects than discrimination, than slavery, than civil rights????

Seems the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Governor is more interested in culling the groups who support states rights and oppose federal intrusion than being inclusive and honest and isolating a segment of the population who demand truth and honesty.

A revisionist view of history is a first step to denying that any wrongs happened and a denial of any consequences for hate, bigotry, and violence.

In the Republic of Texas, the Texas State Board of Education has been considering changes to its social studies curriculum hearing from community members and debating alterations to the way the state will teach history. Might be nice to revisit the texts used in teaching history, but when those who are planning to revisit the text are using revisionist formulas in doing so, then one has to wonder about the real reasons for change.

It seems the revisions have been called for, not so much as the current text lacks fact, that “the current curriculum has been infected with a liberal bias”, according to the 10 Republicans on the Board. Their arbitrary view is that people like Hispanic rights activist Cesar Chavez, the African American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall don’t deserve space alongside the likes of Benjamin Franklin.

Last week the Board voted to make some changes so that the state standards will mandate that lessons include the causes and key organizations of the conservative resurgence of the 1980’s and 1990’s including anti-feminism advocate Phyllis Schlafly, the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association.

The bill for revision’s sponsor Mr. Don McLeroy states “… the current standards are unexceptable because these standards are rife with leftist political periods and events: the populists, the progressives, the New Deal and the Great Society…” Mr. McLeroy also has a fondness for Senator Joseph McCarthy, (the man who vilified anyone who was a free thinker, anyone who disagreed with his view of America, the man who made up false accusations and ruined thousands of lives identifying them as Communists), by portraying the Senator as a patriot, not run by power or paranoia, but as a savior who knew the truth.

And also at issue in the Republic of Texas is whether Christianity deserves more classroom time in the Lone Star State, and whether Abraham Lincoln deserves so much.

Anyone who strives for equal rights, civil rights, American rights needs less time and anyone who preaches, teaches, and spews hate, bigotry and violence deserves a bigger share of the history pie. Anyone who offers a compromise a consensus, a change is bad and anyone who demands we follow a rigid set of rules an exclusive set of rules, a ‘we vs.they’ opinion based only on opinion is the new historical star in the Lone Star State.

The beginning of the revolution has begun. It started with Rush Limbaugh swearing he would not acknowledge that Barack Hussein Obama was the real President, it continued with Glen Beck’s blackboard of magic showcasing how any evil aspersion in this country came to fruition because of Nancy Pelosi, and the majority of Democrats (legally elected into office by a majority) were really the antichrist, and continues as each Republican dominated state legislature begins to take their “toys’ back” when they don’t like the rules of the playground.

Adolph Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, Joseph Stalin were really great at rewriting history to prove their legitimacy. They threw out the old books, burned some and rewrote history in their image. Truth changed for convenience and fact was useless. Creation of “bad guys” was imperative so the real bad guys could look good. Selective information, certain facts, and subduing any opposition bode well for the bullies.

When you need to lie, when you refuse to face the facts, when honest and able are in the way of self importance and gluttony and greed, you create divisions and you successfully divide and conquer. You help the lemming revolt from fears he/she had never even imagined (but are sure someone else’s doing until) you succeed in making failures seem bigger and more menacing.

“History is written by the victors,” Winston Churchill said. In this country history may be rewritten by the losers if we are not careful.

The Commonwealth of Virginia, the Republic of Texas has just fired the first shots in a revolution which will hit the shores of the all of the states in this land of America. The facts no longer count and the truth is worthless. There is a tsunami coming, and riding upon the last of the waves are the armada of people who see the United States as a place where minorities don’t count, civil rights are unpatriotic, and equality evaporates. Rewriting history is scary and not stopping it scarier. ‘Be afraid, be very afraid.’