Texas SBoE's ENTIRE Social Studies "Streamlining" process is BAD NEWS and needs to DIE

"Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct."
Hebrews 13:7

On Tuesday, we discussed the latest Alamo controversy at the State Board of Education.  In discussing it with sources, however, we've realized that the problems run MUCH deeper than that.  The bureaucrats are trying to gut Texas' social studies standards.

In 2010, the State Board of Education adopted new, high quality, social studies standards.  It was wildly controversial.  The national left has, literally, made movies about this process.  The "streamlined" standards eviscerate that good work.

Texas Values has more:

Yesterday, Texas Values testified at the State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting in support of continuing to teach about our Judeo-Christian heritage, the First Amendment, the Declaration of Independence, and the heroic defenders at the Alamo. 

The rest of this week, the SBOE will continue discussing and begin voting today and Friday on accepting or rejecting the outrageous recommendations by an unelected work group to transform the education standards in social studies and history. These changes would impact millions of Texas students in public schools. 

We need you to immediately contact your SBOE member TODAY to reject these changes. 

The recommendations include removing the word “heroic” when describing the defenders of the Alamo, removing all references to our Judeo-Christian heritage including completely removing Moses, the role Christianity played in the American founding, religious motives for establishment of the 13 English Colonies, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, and many, many more key elements of history.

That being said, even Texas Values only scratches the surface of everything wrong with these "streamlined" standards.

Don't believe us?!?  Check them out yourself.

High school:

Social Studies TEKS Final Recommendations High School_August 2018 by Cahnman on Scribd

Middle School:

Social Studies TEKS Final Recommendations Middle School_August 2018 by Cahnman on Scribd

Elementary School:

Social Studies TEKS Final Recommendations Elementary_August 2018 by Cahnman on Scribd

Bottom Line:  Honestly, the Alamo controversy was a blessing in disguise.  It was so outrageous that it got people paying attention.  But the problems with these so-called "streamlined" standards goes FAR beyond the Alamo....

Thanksgiving Square, Dallas

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Psalm 100:4

Downtown Dallas -- This morning, we were walking around Downtown Dallas when we discovered Thanks-giving square:

Thanks-Giving Square is a beautiful three-acre park, chapel and museum in the heart of downtown Dallas with a setting to inspire gratitude. The park is an oasis for our city’s growing residential life, as well as a daily spot to hear rushing water and a respite for professionals who work in the nearby high-rise office buildings. Our chapel has a unique spiral exterior designed by world-famous architect Philip Johnson and an interior spiral of 73 stained-glass panels created by French artist Gabriel Loire. The museum is a rare compilation of historical documentation around Thanksgiving, as it takes place all over the world, but especially in the United States, dating back to the Continental Congress.

The plaza begins with a prayer wall, and continues with displays of previous thanksgiving displays throughout American History:

In 1964, four Dallas businessmen started to fill a void in the city. They thought back to the great centers of the Ancient World with its squares, hubs of community, gathering places devoted to spirit and worship, and to all that takes humans beyond themselves.

They modified this ancient idea into one that fit our society, one with much greater tolerance and diversity: thanksgiving, the act of giving thanks to the Creator for the gift of life while recognizing the gift of consciousness and care for others. They wanted this city to be known not for its grandeur or its economic prowess, which can change so quickly, but for its heart, which is much more constant. What started as a simple park turned into a center of value, thought, and spirituality that has had an impact not only in this community but in the country and the world.

Those who worked on what is now known as Thanks-Giving Square, emphasizing “giving and living thanks,” helped make Dallas one of the few cities to witness the unification of races without violence. At the same time, they discovered thanksgiving was a ‘human universal’ found in all cultures and faiths throughout the planet. As they learned and gathered knowledge, the park they had first envisioned grew to encompass this uplifting concept. When they found an architect, the famous Philip Johnson, to build the space, they were able to tell him the chapel he initially proposed, a square, did not quite convey the idea. Their words inspired Johnson to construct the distinctive spiral Chapel of Thanksgiving this city holds so dear.

Before the Square was completed, Anne Armstrong, who later became the first female ambassador to the Court of St. James, was enlisted to present a book of all the Presidential Thanksgiving and Prayer Proclamations to President Gerald Ford. As a result, Thanks-Giving Square started being asked to provide a draft for the annual Presidential Proclamation of Thanksgiving. In a letter from the White House, President Ford called the rising physical Thanks-Giving Square “a great national shrine.”

How Miranda Lambert's Hometown Outsmarted Wisconsin Atheists

"But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."

Genesis 50:20

Last night, a friend told us about this story out of Lindale, TX; re-printed (with permission) in full from Seven Spheres news:

School District Defies Lawsuit Threats to Perform “In God We Trust” the Musical 

By Patrick Butler, Seven Spheres News 

710 Words 

LINDALE, Texas – In defiance of lawsuit threats from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an estimated 2,200 people turned out Wednesday night in Lindale, Texas, to view the Lindale Independent School District’s 5th Grade musical "In God We Trust." 

The Lindale High School's performing arts center was filled to its capacity of about 1,300 people said event organizers, and overflow rooms were set up in the school gymnasium and cafeteria. 

U.S. Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) attended the event to “show his support” as did civic representatives and staffers including Jason Wright of Senator Ted Cruz's office and Texas State Rep. Bryan Hughes (R-Dist. 5). The mayor of Lindale, and other local elected officials, joined a standing-room-only capacity crowd to see the musical. 

“We also have an overflow room of 200 filled to capacity,” said the Rev. Tom Buck, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lindale, to the cheering audience, “and another overflow room of 700 also filled to capacity. Those who can't fit in the rooms are out on the lawn, listening to an audio-only,” feed from the auditorium. 

Buck said he was “overwhelmed” by the community support for “In God We Trust,” as did the play's co-authors, Chris and Dian Machen of Plano, Texas, located on the outskirts of Dallas, about 90 miles west of Lindale. The couple came to Lindale when they heard the Freedom From Religion Foundation had threatened to sue the Lindale School District if the play was performed as a school function. 

“The number of people here tonight is far beyond what a play like this would normally attract,” said Machen. “Because of what they [Freedom From Religion Foundation] have done, more people than ever are seeing this play.” 

While the words of the songs originated with the Machens, the spoken elements of the play were, for the most part, direct quotes from America's Founding Fathers affirming the role of God in the formation of the country. 

The recitations by the Founding Fathers were re-enacted by fifth grade class members, often in period costume. Direct quotes affirming the role of religion in America from the writings of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and William Bradford (governor of Plymouth Plantation in the 1600's), were recited without elaboration or interpretation, allowing the writers to speak for themselves. 

Fifth-grader Francisco Mata delivered Bradford's observation that, “A vessel, called the Mayflower, delivered us in pursuit of a new country. To declare our faith, we travelled under a sail inscribed with the words, 'In God We Trust.’” 

The “separation of church and state” controversy was met with Thomas Jefferson's own words taken from the letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut, recited by fifth-grader Colton Beeler to heavy applause: “I believe with you,” wrote Jefferson, “that religion is a matter that lies only between man and God. The people have voted that no law controls the decisions of churches in America. It is not that the state should be separate from religion, but that religion should be separate from the state.” 

A consortium of churches in Lindale, including First Baptist Church of Lindale that spearheaded the event, rented the high school’s performing arts center for the evening and staffed the venue. That enabled the fifth grade class at E.J. Moss Elementary school to present their play, which had been stopped when the Freedom From Religion Foundation out of Wisconsin threatened a lawsuit just two days before the scheduled event. 

Gohmert spoke afterwards congratulating the children, parents and community supporters.
"Don't you just love Lindale, Texas?" Gohmert said, to a cheering crowd. 

To the class he said, “I've been in the presence of presidents of our country. I've been in the presence of prime ministers and queens. There is nowhere I'd rather be tonight than right here in Lindale with you.” 

Gohmert quoted Benjamin Franklin, too. 

“Franklin also said, 'God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground, is it possible an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings that unless God builds the house, they labor in vain that build it.'” 

Turning to the class on stage he said, “You have shown this, exemplified this, to us tonight in such a wonderful way.”

 Kudos also to Congressman Louie Gohmert and Texas State Rep Bryan Hughes, two perennial favorites of Cahnman's Musings!!!

George Washington's Bible

This afternoon, we saw George Washington's inaugural Bible.  It was awe inspiring to come face to face with this priceless artifact.  Washington's inauguration was unique in American history.  Many parallels exist between early American history and Old Testament Israel.  Some Bible Facts:

• This Bible was printed in 1767, at London, England by Mark Baskett, printer to the King.

• It contains 103 steel engravings of maps on Old Testament scenes by the English artist John Stuart.

• It is a King James version, complete with Apocrypha and elaborately supplemented with the historical, astronomical, and legal data of that period.

• The Bible was procured for St. John's Lodge by Jonathan Hampton who presented it to the lodge on becoming its Master in 1770.  St John's Lodge was founded in 1757, but it's property was destroyed in the great fire of lower Manhattan on March 8, 1770.

• The only people allowed to take an oath/declaration on the Bible are: The President of the United States, the Governor of the State of New York, the Grand Master of Masons in New York State, and the master-elect of St. John's Lodge.

• The Bible must be accompanied by three members of St. John's whenever the Bible travels.

• The Inaugural Bible weighs over 9 pounds and is over ten inches tall, over nine inches across and three inches deep.

Super neat.

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More information here:



And here:

George Washington's Inaugural Bible Coming to Austin!!!

Oh baby:

The George Washington Inaugural Bible will be on display at the LBJ Presidential Library on Monday, opened to the same pages — Genesis chapters 49 and 50 —  Washington placed his hand on as he took the oath of office.

At the time of his inauguration, Washington borrowed the Bible from St. John’s Lodge No. 1,  of the Ancient York Masons, which has owned the Bible since 1770. Since then, it has been used at the presidential inaugurations of Warren G. Harding, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush. When it is not on tour or in use by St. John’s Lodge No. 1, the Bible is normally displayed at Federal Hall National Memorial on Wall Street in New York City, the site of Washington’s inauguration ceremony.

The Bible, an ornate King James Version printed in London in 1767, will be in Waco for the installation of a new Masonic Grand Master of Texas. After the ceremony, it will be displayed at the State Capitol and lastly at the LBJ Library. At all times, three Masonic brethren will accompany the Bible to protect it.

We can't wait!!!

TheBlazeTV does CSCOPE

 Glenn Beck devoted his entire television program to an expose on CSCOPE today.

First up, David Barton explains the origins of CSCOPE in the Texas Textbook wars of 3-4 years ago:



HIGHLIGHTS:

• Since SBOE monitors curriculum, they call CSCOPE 'instructional material.'

• Teaching globalism, not American Exceptionalism.

• Taking out: Nathan Hale, Liberty Bell, Christopher Columbus' faith.

• Replacing with: Respect and fairness, Dolores Huerta.

• Replacing George Washington with Kay Bailey Hutchinson (yeah, wrap your mind around that one!)

• Emphasis on Contemporary over History.

• Refused to teach abundance alongside scarcity: "The other members considered all resources scarce."

Next, two teachers talk about CSCOPE from the Inside:



HIGHLIGHTS:

• CSCOPE sets up a system where educrats control everything.

• Shocked by the mediocrity of the content.

• Teachers are constantly monitored by educrats.

• Teachers have been fired for speaking out to school boards.

• "There's tremendous coercion."

Finally, Texas Senator Dan Patrick, chair of the Senate Education committee updates the state of play in his committee's ongoing investigation of CSCOPE:



HIGHLIGHTS:

• Talks about the runaround he's gotten: CSCOPE formed the shell company to hide everything.

• "We don't have the votes" to shut down CSCOPE.

• Apple will probably put CSCOPE out of business.

You can read the Blaze's write-up of this episode here.

Finally, if you don't yet get theBlazeTV, you can get it here.

Reflections Upon Trenton

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today;" Exodus 14:13

"These are the times that try men's souls.  The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from service to their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of both man and woman.  Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." Thomas Paine, the Crisis, December 1776.

"Victory or Death." George Washington, handwritten note, discovered by Dr. Benjamin Rush immediately before the Battle of Trenton.

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Trenton.  I've been thinking about the Battle of Trenton a lot this Christmas season.  One conclusion stands out: in a time of despair, with no guarantee of success, George Washington decided to go out swinging.

It wasn't easy.  It was cold.  The river was icy.  They got a late start.  Two other generals failed to provide reinforcements.  They had to push heavy artillery uphill on muddy roads.  The men didn't have shoes; their bloody feet literally dyed the snow red.

But George Washington, lacking our knowledge of the outcome, decided to go out swinging.

And it worked.  George Washington secured an unexpected victory.  Victory at Trenton and Princeton bought the Patriot army time.

What does this mean today?!?

For contemporary Patriots, the situation in December 2012 bears an eerie resemblance to December 1776.  In both cases, the heady enthusiasm of July was followed by an unexpected setback and a December of despair.  In both cases, the so-called 'Wizards of Smart' encouraged the insurgent Patriots to give up and resign themselves to tyranny.  By deciding to go out swinging, George Washington created the conditions that enabled victory several years down the road.  It won't be easy, and might have our own Valley Forge moment in the near future, but contemporary Patriots should do likewise.

Victory or Death.

Mission #1: A Message to Demoralized Conservatives

"In His great mercy He has given us new birth into A LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."  1 Peter 1:3, NIV

Last night sucked; I'm not going to sugarcoat it, last night really sucked.

There is hope, but only in Christ.

A year ago, during Occupy Wall St., I was exactly where you are today.  Republicans were (are) ineffective, people were (are) hooked on Big Government, and idiot college kids were (are) only interested in having their alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity subsidized.  I felt despair, and it really, really, sucked.

Then I started reading the Bible.

The specifics of why I started reading scripture aren't important, but it started with a David Barton video; what's important is that I started with Genesis 1:1 and continued, five chapters per day, until I reached Revelation 22:21.

If you are politically conservative, understand this: God wants a relationship with you, and you already agree with 90-95% of what He thinks.  We are in a spiritual war and taking it on by ourselves is insane.  God is willing to be our clean-up hitter, but we first have to ask Him.

Buy a Bible, start reading it, and find a local Church this Sunday; trust me.

Reagan: A Time for Choosing

Ronald Reagan gave this speech in 1964 on behalf of Barry Goldwater; I'm struck by the parallels with today:


Highlights:

• "This is the issue of this election, whether we believe in our capacity for self-government, whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far off capitol can plan our lives better than we can plan them ourselves."

• "I for one resent it when a representative of the people refers to you an me, the free men and women of this country, as the masses; this is a term we haven't applied to ourselves in America."

• "The full power of centralized government, this was the very thing the founding fathers sought to minimize."

• "It's not that our liberal friends are ignorant, it's that they know so much that isn't so."

• "The more the plans fail, the more the planners plan."

• "A government bureau is the closest thing to eternal life we'll ever see in this world."

• "Those who would trade our freedom for the soup kitchen of the welfare state have told us they have a utopian solution for peace without victory; they call their policy accommodation."

• "There's only one way you're guaranteed peace, surrender."

David Barton: The Foundations of American Exceptionalism

Way, way cool:


Highlights:

• The United States has the longest surviving form of government in the world.

• Political Stability is not a natural state for a nation.

• "The comparisons of our Government and those of Europe are like a comparison of Heaven and Hell." Thomas Jefferson

• We've been blessed in America because we followed certain Godly principles.

• The political leaders we think of as America's Founding Fathers didn't think of themselves that way; they thought the Pastors were Founding Fathers.

• Taxation without Representation is grievance #17 out of 27 in the Declaration of Independence; in other words, economic complaints against the King didn't even make the first half of the list.

• Every right presented in the Declaration of Independence was preached from the American pulpit prior to 1763.

• Massachusetts 1647; First Public School Law in America
• "Satan's #1 purpose is to keep us from reading scripture."
• Grounding kids in Scripture was the whole point.
• Jefferson and Franklin were the two least religious Founders, but they're the only ones we ever talk about when discussing the Faith of the Founders.

• Dr. Benjamin Rush
• "If we can get Americans to read the Bible two things will happen: 1) They'll become Christians and figure out how to have a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ [Personal Note: Amen to THAT], and 2) if Americans will obey what they read it will solve all our social problems."
   
• Mulitiple Founders would read the Bible cover-to-cover once a year. 

• John Adams' writings on Christ are waaay cool!!!

• Abigail Adams said shed rather see John Quincy die than renounce his faith!

• In a free market of spiritual ideas, Christianity wins every time; it's the best product.

• Origin of the Free Market system -- 1 Timothy 5:8, 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

• For Christians, voting is a form of stewardship.

• Luke 19:13 -- "Occupy till I come" -- Whether or not we're living in the End Times is irrelevant.

• A Christian Nation doesn't mean you decree Christianity by law, it means Christianity has a major influence on the development of the culture.

• George Washington asked for Chaplains for the military seven separate times during the Revolution.

• Hebrews 11

Why I'll Never Vote for an Atheist

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female He created them." Genesis 1:27

"We hold these truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."  United States Declaration of Independence

"Of all the dispensations and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." President George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796

"My objective in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism."  Karl Marx, 1848

"The basis of those ideals is a commitment to freedom and personal liberty that, itself, is realized only where the blessings of God are avidly sought and humbly accepted." President Ronald Reagan, Evil Empire Speech, 1983

Yesterday, on MSNBC, S.E. Cupp made the following statement:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

S.E. Cupp nailed it. I couldn't agree more.  Man was created in the image of God; once you reject that you open yourself up to the temptations of utopianism.  When political leaders start thinking they don't report to a higher power, really bad things happen.  That is why Godless people need to be kept as far from political power as possible.

History is quite clear on this topic.  From the French Jacobins, to the Soviet Communists, to the Nazi's, to countless other examples (*cough* Fidel Castro *cough), governments built on a foundation of Godlessness always lead to Mass Murder, Major Wars, and Economic Collapse.  The reason for this is that, once a government rejects the belief that it's individual citizens are created in the image of God, the earthly temptation to use government to 'perfect' citizens and create heaven on Earth will eventually overwhelm those in charge.

This is not to argue that governments built on a biblical Judeo-Christian foundation have a perfect track record; they certainly don't.  One need look no further that our own government under (Democrat) Andrew Jackson to understand that.  The difference is that governments built on a biblical Judeo-Christian foundation will self-correct and (at least) contain the horrors.  In the United States, as horrific as (Democrat) Andrew Jackson was, he led directly to (Republican) Abraham Lincoln a generation later.  In Russia, by contrast, Vladmir Lenin and Joseph Stalin has led to ... Vladmir Putin.  There's a reason Martin Luther King succeeded where Dietrich Bonhoeffer failed.

Man was created in the image of God.  Political leaders who understand this are far less likely to succumb to the tyrannical temptations of power.  This is not to say they are perfect.  Any honest comparison, however, between the shortcomings of biblical Judeo-Christian governments and the deliberate horrors unleashed by Atheistic, Godless governments speaks for itself.  And that's why I will never vote for an atheist.

Update: Morgan Brook Hancock addresses some similar stuff today.

Right Online: Independence Day Posts

The RightOnline e-mail group has been trading Independence Day posts this afternoon, these are ALL Awesome:

Sybil West -- Ramparts360
- Dear Government: I Declare My Independence

Warner Todd Huston -- Publius Forum
- 236 Independence Days and Counting: What does it all mean?!?

Rick Sincere -- Rick Sincere Thoughts (Author's Note: He also has video from RightOnline Speakers)
- Marking Independence Day with Ronald Reagan and John Quincy Adams
- Congressman disses my call for Investigating John Roberts for Impeachment (Author's Note: I'm not going away on this one, and I'm perfectly willing to see you in 2014/15)

Steve MacDonald -- GraniteGrok
- It's one thing to declare Independence, it's another to entirely have it
- Resolve to be Free From Tyranny

They're all awesome; I highly recommend all!

How Our Founders Suffered Personally

Today, a friend who I've known through local Tea Parties posted this on Facebook:

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence ?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,

and tortured before they died.   Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;

another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or

hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,

and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants,

nine were farmers and large plantation owners;

men of means, well educated,

but they signed the Declaration of Independence

knowing full well that the penalty would be death if

they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and

trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the

British Navy. He sold his home and properties to

pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British

that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.

He served in the Congress without pay, and his family

was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,

and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,

Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that

the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson

home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General

George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,

and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.

The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.

Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill

were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests

and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his

children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and

silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many

people as you can, please. It's time we get the word out that patriotism

is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer,

picnics, and baseball games....

That is a GREAT point.  Our founders made real sacrifices.  Is it really too much to ask the rest of us to give up a half hour a couple times a week and suffer modest ridicule to restore their work?!?