a new america

A new America! A new America defined by a group of people who rely on fear, loathing, self serving and finding the lowest common denominator. We have begun the path that Joe McCarthy started in the late 40’s and early 50’s, and Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin are continuing with the start of the 21^st century. No truth needs to be told, a reliance on foible, fable and fabrication are the only necessary weapons necessary to wage a jihad in this self proclaimed Christian nation.

The Republic of Texas has shot the next volley in this war on democratic values and has enlisted the so called social conservative members of the Texas state board of education. The 15 person panel is deciding on how history and social studies should be taught to the students of the Lone Star State. This board of education wants to present a picture of a new America by changing the facts of the old America. Some of the scrumptious goodies waiting to be cooked include the following recommendations:

Adding language saying the country's Founding Fathers were guided by Christian principles and including positive references to the Moral Majority, the National Rifle Association and the GOP’s Contract with America.

Other amendments to the state's curriculum standards for kindergarten through 12th grade would minimize Thomas Jefferson's role in world and U.S. history because he advocated the separation of church and state; require that students learn about "the unintended consequences" of affirmative action; assert that "the right to keep and bear arms" is an important element of a democratic society; and rename the slave trade to the "Atlantic triangular trade.”

And adding language saying the country's Founding Fathers were guided by Christian principles and including positive references to the Moral Majority, the National Rifle Association and the GOP’s Contract with America. (msnbc)

A whole lot of fiction added to the non fiction side of the American library, I would say.

In the book 1984, written by George Orwell in 1949 there is a quote that goes, “He who controls the past controls the future.” It is a slogan used by the Party a group run by Big Brother to keep the population in control in a totalitarianism society. In Communist China, in Cuba, in North Korea history was rewritten in order for the future generations to learn absolutely nothing from the past, so they could be guided into the philosophy of those wanting to control their future.

Hey Jews, hey Muslims, hey agnostics, atheists, hey Catholics you ‘ain’t Christian’ enough to claim this land as your land. Better convert or leave the land your anti Consevative Christian ancestors had raped.

In the book Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury written in 1953, the government in trying to control the masses of America, the burning of books became a national pastime. Reasons given that this was necessary included ‘it was necessary to equalize the population and promote sameness’, in other words no one should read any book which might offer a differing of opinion. There was a struggle, felt the powers that be, ‘which if they (the government) could eliminate the tension between knowledge and ignorance there would be an easier way to have the people thinking what they are told to think’. The characters in favor of burning the books said “We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but every one equal.

In Nazi Germany they burned books, any book that asked questions, begged comment, spoke of difference of truth. Who knows once the new text books are published in the Republic of Texas, maybe a bonfire or two of the existing anti conservative Christian text books would be necessary to eradicate the foolishness, fairness of the past.

When groups try to end discourse, discussion or dialogue to resolve differences, when they attempt to eliminate any commonality and insist on creating chaos, when consensus is considered crap, as they say at NASA, “Houston we have a problem”.

Thomas Jefferson a lesser character, our founding fathers founding a Christian nation, NRA the heroes with guns, Newtie Gingrich’s contract with America an inclusive program, the slave trade just a blip something called the Atlantic triangular trade, what will our future Americans turn into?

Once the dominoes fall, in the land of make believe education, wonder what other facts will fall into tall tales? Wonder which individuals who fought for the rights of women. Minorities, equality for all will be erased from the annals of history and be replaced with Neo Cons, Evangelicals, John Birchers and Tea Baggers?

A new America sounds awfully much like a place where brown shirts roam the streets, Christian Crusaders hunt down the devil, and anyone different is dangerous.

This is not MY America is it yours?