By Odeisel

Existence is a peculiar item when it comes to history. We are, therefore we exist and our presence in the here and now is de facto testimony to that statement. But in our absence, history outlines our existence to those who could not bear witness, and that testimony is in the hands of others.  Therein lies a problem.

Last week, following a spirited, partisan-fueled serve-and-volley discussion, the Texas Board of Education approved change in the social studies curriculum which heavily favors a conservative view of American history, including a religion tinted opinion that undermines the Founding Fathers’ attempts at framing secular government. Consequently, there is an overt tilt towards Republican political ideals. The vote on the board went along party lines (in Texas, BOE members are elected). This curriculum change is important because Texas is the second largest buyer of books, which will affect, by sheer weight of volume, the purchasing choices of neighboring states. While technology has muted to a small degree that overarching influence, it still plays a major role.

This long running war of ideals has been going on in Texas for a few years, with creationism locking horns with Darwinist theory and officials attempting to reconcile the Founding Father’s Christian values with the aforementioned secular state. According to the Dr. Don McLeroy, a Texan dentist and creationist leading the Republican charge, the board is simply reversing a left-leaning view of history that has espoused an America disassociated with its initial Christian principles. McLeroy, in an interview with the New York Times noted, “We are adding balance. History has already been skewed. Academia is skewed too far to the left.”

On surface, it would seem to be fairly innocuous and typical of the two-party system tit-for-tat tug of war. But upon further inspection, something would appear to be stealthily sinister in execution. During the discussions, Hispanic board members vehemently attempted to get more Hispanic figures into the curriculum; an attempt that would certainly speak to the identity, self esteem, and determination of hundreds of thousands of students. That attempt was summarily blocked.

Also questioned was the relevance of including Justice Thurgood Marshall, who, even when you discount his inclusion on the basis of being the first Black appointee to the Supreme Court, argued Brown V. Board of Ed, which is essentially and ironically the start of the present educational system in the United States.  Regardless of where you stand on the condition of education, that pivotal moment on its own merits inclusion.

McLeroy, who leads the board, is not a historian. In fact, despite the sweeping alterations to existing curricula, no credible third party economists, historians, or sociologists were consulted at any point during discussions. At best this stands at haphazard, partisan chicanery. At its most ominous, it is the attempted white-washing of America by people who are unqualified and patently self interested in foisting their way of life on others, with our children’s understanding of our country and this world shamelessly disregarded.

In removing the opportunity for counter arguments to exist, you not only infringe on the rights of those who hold those beliefs but you also rob yourself of the opportunity to defend your principles. If you are right, and wish to sway the minds of the modest fence straddler, you should welcome the opportunity to clash with and defeat opposing ideas. The Christ these “gentlemen” proffer said to be fishers of men, but they are dredging the ocean and removing the water.

In their opposition to Darwinism and other elements of naturalist periphery, they are going to inevitably prove the tenets of their enemies: that might does indeed make right, that the Will of God is secondary on the field of man to hubris, and that effrontery is undeniably the real force that moves things on Planet Earth. These are the crusades, being fought not with sinew and steel but with pens and paper, with the minds of our children collectively in the balance. These people in their inglorious faux intellectualism are adopting the very principles they are trying to mute in order to serve their religious agenda. That is the very height of hypocrisy.

This isn’t a battle over the existence of God/Creator. This is about the tyranny of a representative democracy and the inactivity of Americans on local political levels. There is no defined majority. There is who gets off their ass and is counted and who doesn’t.  Vote. Participate in the goings on of your local municipality. Attend PTA meetings. As a citizen you have that responsibility, especially when you have children and you are raising future citizens. Stay abreast of how your taxes are spent. Form relationships with your local representatives. Attach responsibility to your support. Your vote should be for sale and the currency should be service and representation.

This situation in Texas is a manifestation of what happens when people want to be left alone and don’t bother voting and recuse themselves from their civic duties. Ultimately, we don’t find out who is right over the existence of God until we die.  But our own existence, in the hands of those who would wage war with words, is certainly worth defending. We exist. Our continued existence, while subject to the whims of our witnesses, should at least be objectively counted.

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