Cliff LyonDo Utah Schools Teach Holocaust Denial? Bonus: Hastert Caught in Lie
Utah State Democratic Party Communications Director Jeff Bell recently discovered that his 13-year-old son knows neither what holocaust means nor the word genocide. Do Utah public schools exclude the holocaust in the their curriculum? We’ll find out. I’ll be following this story. I hope it’s not true, but if it is, we are in a world of hurt.
By the way, tomorrow is a rally for Darfur at the City County Building starting at 3pm. If you need a real clear picture of the genocide happening in Sudan as I write this, go here.
I am ashamed for my country that we are allowing this to happen and I weep.
BONUS: Apparently, Tom “The Hammer” Delay’s successor to house majority leader, got caught pretending to be concerned about his gasoline consumption.
Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert, moments after a press conference about high gas prices and alternative fuel vehicles, drives around the corner in a hydrogen powered (photo-op) car, climbs out and gets into his giant SUV (12mpg city; 16mpg highway).
When will the hypocrisy ever end?
Oh, and thanks Markos (www.DailyKos.com) for the mention. Yeee Hoo!
April 30th, 2006 at 11:24 am
Hastert lied through omission - a common theme for the Repugs - when he suggested to the public that he drives the hybrid which, of course, he does not.
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:16 pm
I saw an article in the Desert News or the other Newspaper, in a report about Darfur, that most students do not not understand nor are being taught about genocide or the Holocaust in their classes. The State Board of education was asked about this little omission, and answered that Utah does not include this topic “per se” in their curriculum.
It is supposedly left up to each teacher to teach the information in any context they wish; English, Social Studies, Shop Classes. Since I imagine that the teachers we have were mostly educated in Utah, then the circle of ignorance continues…
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:31 pm
It’s a serious issue. The power structure in Utah wants character education, but academics take precedence. Some day I hope we will finally understand that academic motivation is a larger factor in academic success than more reading and writing.
Academic motivation is a function of self-esteem. Self-esteem comes out of validation among other things. Kids understand right and wrong also known as human rights (by grownups). If we validate kids, they will begin to seek it and they will succeed.
May 14th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
Dana Milbank wrote an interesting piece in the Washington Post about members of Congress and their automobile usage. It gives a more evenhanded review of the matter than your comment on Hastert’s silly maneuver.