If you've been following this blog for a while, you already know about the Texas edumacation problem. That makes the NYT's editorial of today (?!) more than a little "where were you when we needed you"-inducing.
Nonetheless, they say it pretty well, and I'm glad that they're finally paying attention. This is, in fact, a case of better late than never. They have a big platform, address a lot of people who otherwise pay no attention to matters like this, and besides, this is a long war.
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P.S. If you really want to stay up to date on the wingnuts' attempts to rewrite science and history, I can still recommend no better a source than the blog of the Texas Freedom Network. Here's their latest post, on Don McLeroy and his embrace by the Republican Party, and here's how it starts:
Embracing Extremism in the Texas GOP
Don McLeroy lost his chairmanship of the State Board of Education last year because he was more interested in promoting his own narrow ideological views than facts and sound scholarship in Texas classrooms. The College Station dentist insisted that “somebody’s gotta stand up to experts” when he promoted creationist arguments in new science standards last year. He argued that science should be redefined to include the supernatural and endorsed a book that calls parents “monsters” if they teach their children about evolution. Then during the debate over social studies curriculum standards, McLeroy suggested women and minorities owe thanks to men and the “majority” for granting them their rights, argued that Joseph McCarthy has been “vindicated” and defended the appointment of absurdly unqualified political activists as social studies “experts” to help guide the revision of curriculum standards.
One might think that Republicans would be wary of embracing someone with such extreme views. But apparently not Texas Republicans.
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