Sunday, April 15, 2007

Texas’ kids to be instructed by “Christian vegetables”

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OH MY. Those red states sure do get wacky.


From this morning’s LA Times: Texas may require schools to carry elective on Bible:
The Lone Star State could become the first in the nation to require all public high schools to offer an elective course on the Bible.

Hearings continued in the Legislature last week on a bill that calls for school districts in Texas to offer a class on "the history and literature of the Old and New Testaments eras" ….

The bill was written by state Rep. Warren Chisum, a West Texas Republican who teaches Sunday school at a Baptist church. He said the course would not treat the Bible as a "worship document" but would promote religious and cultural literacy by "educating our students academically and not devotionally."

…"The fear is that teachers with limited training and no guidance will be called upon to teach a course for which their experience draws largely from Sunday school," [Texas Freedom Network’s Kathy] Miller said….

A study conducted for her group by Mark Chancey, a religious studies professor at Southern Methodist University, found that of Texas' 25 public school districts with a Bible course, 22 districts' offerings had a Christian slant.

…[Chancey] said one teacher showed students a PowerPoint presentation titled "God's Road Map for Your Life." Included was a slide called "Jesus Christ Is the One and Only Way." Another teacher taught students that NASA had found a missing day and time that corresponded to a biblical story of the sun standing still. One school showed "VeggieTales" videos, which feature computer-animated Christian vegetables that talk….

…"It just makes sense to use the Bible if that's the course that you're talking about," [Rep. Chisum] said. "It's the most available book in the world."

…Chisum is chairman of the state House Appropriations Committee, the second most powerful position in the chamber. … In February, Chisum circulated an anti-evolution-education memo from a Georgia legislator that contained links to a website that alleged international Jewish conspiracies. Chisum later apologized….
International Jewish conspiracies? Didn’t we have a trustee once here in the district who was seriously up-to-speed on that stuff? Think so!

Silverado Canyon pics

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In the OC Register, photographer BRUCE CHAMBERS explores lovely Silverado Canyon. Check it out.


As you know, the Dissent Commune is located in the Santa Ana Mountains, which comprise Modjeska, Black Star, Trabuco, and Silverado Canyons, among others.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...