ABCD

I just noticed another search to get to my site, “Cynthia Dunbar.” Also, I was searching, please don’t ask, I search for anything and everything, and came across, an article by LISA FALKENBERG, just love her! on our infamous friend about her book. I wish, and one of the main reasons I blog about Texas Education, more and more and more people would see the leaders (and I use that term loosely) that they have elected to run our “government schools”:

“Public education is tyrannical, unconstitutional and the Satan-following Left’s “subtly deceptive tool of perversion.” And parents who surrender their children to government-run schools are “throwing them into the enemy’s flames even as the children of Israel threw their children to Moloch.”

These aren’t the beliefs of just any right-wing Christian zealot — no offense to the right wing or to Christians in general — but one who was elected by Texas voters to help shape the curriculum for all of Texas’ 4.5 million public schoolchildren.

Oh kay! Isn’t this a conflict of interest? Wouldn’t the reason she is on the board is to undermine public schools? Isn’t there anything we can do to get her off since the people don’t know what the heck they are doing? This is appalling, decitful, and downright unethical. I think when she runs next time I’m going to run the ABCD campaign…Anything But Cynthia Dunbar! Kinda catchy, eh?  Worse yet;

In a piece for Christianworldviewnetwork.com, Dunbar wrote that Obama, the terrorist sympathizer, would bring tyranny to America by declaring martial law after his accomplices attack our soil.

The commentary, condemned by conservatives and progressives alike, was quickly removed from the Web site.

But her book is available at Amazon.com for anyone to read, even a tool-of-Satan, mainstream media columnist like me.
[…]

Obama as Hitler?

The Founding Fathers created “an emphatically Christian government” and, thus, every person who wants to govern in this country should have “sincere knowledge and appreciation for the Word of God.”

Dunbar argues that America’s declining, immoral society is in need of Christian soldiers who will rise up to save it. At one point, she proclaims that the similarities between our society and that of “pre-Holocaust” Nazi Germany are “striking.”

She lists the similarities, and then comes to the leadership component.

“Well, I guess that is the one missing ingredient,” she writes. “After all, we certainly lack a charismatic, driven leader with a hidden agenda, a leader who comes out of nowhere who seems to command the awe and allegiance of many. Or are we?”

This elected state official seems to be suggesting our newly elected president could be the next Adolf Hitler.

Lisa sums it up rather nicely: “Whether it’s about reading, evolution or a far-right version of Bible curriculum she and other board members are pushing, Cynthia Dunbar is touching every public schoolchild in Texas.”

Oh but there’s more on Dunbar (I can’t with all conscious put a Ms. in front of her name) Steve Blow at the Dallas News wants to nominate Little Miss Sunshine 2008 Texan of the Year. I’m pretty sure he is using sarcasm, you think? She can stir up hornets nests like no other.

Taking down America is one thing, but our Official State Cassandra sees conspiracies lurking right here in Texas classrooms, too.

As a member of the State Board of Education, she pledges “to fight for parental control over hidden socialistic, humanistic agendas.”

In fact, she calls public education itself a “subtly deceptive tool of perversion.” (Her kids have been home-schooled and attended private school.)

I lalso found someone who blogs about our own Little Miss Sunshine 2008 Texan of the Year (hey, that just might stick.)  Justorb has a few choice words here and here to say about her. But, then with someone as crazy as CD, you could throw a rock and probably hit someone who would have a few choice words to say about her.  So, how the heck do these people keep getting elected when they can even pi$$ off some of their own kind because they are so far off the planet?

And it’s certainly people like her that make me ashamed to put Texas behind my name. She is an honest to goodness…wow, I can’t even think of a word that truly describes this loon.

Teachers shout – “Save our jobs”

Well, I managed to work today, but got home early, still much going on nationally, state wide, and locally. The Dallas News has something a bit disturbing. Was really hoping we would not see this type of atmosphere, but it’s a comin’:

Dallas teachers won’t go without a fight

About 300 teachers wearing red shirts marched outside Dallas ISD headquarters Thursday, chanting “Save our jobs” and “Where did the money go?”

Teachers said they are paying for the mistakes of an administration that created the budget shortfall.

“Why should we lose our jobs when it’s their fault?” asked Jesus Serrato, a third-year kindergarten teacher.

When Mr. Serrato goes to work each morning at Northeast Learning Community, the possibility of losing his job lingers in the back of his mind. At home, he and his wife, who is also a teacher in the district, spend their dinner conversations consumed with fears of losing their jobs.

“It doesn’t matter how much I love my kids, because I don’t know if I’ll be employed next week,” Mr. Serrato said.

Yikes, this does not look good at all. Here for the full story.

Abstinence-only sex education in the national spotlight & Texas

The Dallas News speaks out on the abstinence-only sex education issue, since it’s been brought out front and center by the presumptive Republican V.P. choice. Columnist Steve Blow has some very interesting points to make. I feel he has a very common sense approach to this important issue:

I agree completely that the pregnancy of Sarah Palin’s daughter shouldn’t be politicized.

But politics is one thing, and policy is another.

It seems to me we’d be foolish not to use this moment of incredible public attention to examine our policies on sex education.

Especially in Texas.

One of the first factoids I heard about Gov. Palin is that she’s a strong supporter of abstinence-only sex education.

And that made me think of a jarring news story a month or so ago about sex ed in Texas.

Abstinence-only is the only approach permitted in Texas schools. Contraception is taught only in terms of failure rates and lack of protection against disease.

The gist of the July news story was simply this:

Texas spends more on abstinence-only sex education than any other state – and has more teen sex than any other state.

I’d say that’s a situation worth discussing.

Texas spent $17 million last year on its just-say-no approach. Meanwhile, federal studies reported that 52.9 percent of Texas high school students have had sex, compared with 47.8 percent nationally.

Now, at my house, any high-schooler is going to hear an abstinence message.

But as for public policy, I’m a big believer in doing what works best. And that seems to be sex education that emphasizes abstinence but includes some basic, reliable information on contraception.

This is known as comprehensive sex education, and it’s what most experts support.

A congressional committee held hearings on the debate in April. Both the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed comprehensive sex ed.

“Abstinence-only programs are not only ineffective but may cause harm by providing inadequate and inaccurate information,” Dr. Margaret Blythe testified on behalf of the nation’s pediatricians.

Marilyn Morris heads Dallas-based Aim for Success, the nation’s largest provider of abstinence-only education. Her speakers give more than 2,000 school presentations a year.

She believes students interpret contraception instruction as a go-ahead for sex.

“We don’t think it’s OK for teenagers to be having sex, and we don’t want to give them that nod of approval,” she said.

For the record, I sure don’t favor schools passing out condoms or lining the halls with safe-sex posters. That does become tacit approval.

But if the research shows that the comprehensive approach works best, I think Texans should be paying attention.

Let’s also turn, however, to Bill Albert for a dose of reality. He’s with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

He laughs at the debate over abstinence-only vs. comprehensive sex ed. “It’s like we’re arguing over which road to take, and the kids aren’t even in the car,” he said.

He supports sex education in schools but says none of it changes kids’ behavior much. They have way too many other influences in their lives.

But among those, he said, the one thing affecting sexual decisions most is parents.

The research is clear. Teens do best when parents talk to them openly about sex and make their expectations clear.

A lot of parents would probably prefer to just wave the flag for abstinence-only classes.

But Mr. Albert doesn’t let us off the hook that easy.

“Be a parent,” he said. “Have a point of view and don’t be shy about sharing it with your kids.”