Forward into the past!

[neadods]

And not in a good way. Two votes, one past, one future, are marching states backwards a couple of centuries.

First Alabama refused to vote down segregation laws. Those who didn't want the racist amendment removed explained that it's not because of race, oh no, it's about education, and more specifically taxes. One of the most vocal opponents, Christian Coalition of Alabama President John Giles, meanwhile, predicted that Buskey will find it difficult to please all sides as long as he pushes any proposal to make public education a constitutionally guaranteed right.

What was that line from that Max Headroom episode? "Reading is a privilege and if you could afford to pay for an education you'd know that." Something to that effect?

Now there are rumblings that Florida will try to amend the state constitution in 2006 - to eliminate church/state separation.



Current Book: Going Postal by Pratchett

Comments

[lagilman]

Will be interesting to see what the B'nai Brith and other Jewish organizations will do in light of any potential actions in Florida -- we'll find out it seniors vote or not. Because separation of Church and State is pretty much a hot button for anyone who is not of the standardized Man-on-Cross sect...

[neadods.livejournal.com]

separation of Church and State is pretty much a hot button for anyone who is not of the standardized Man-on-Cross sect

On the other hand, it would be hilarious to see the pagans and satanists filing for gov't money.

[lagilman]

And then filing a wrongful discrimination suit when they're turned down...

I'd rather see it played out in a well-written satire than badly written headlines, though.

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

I'd rather see it played out in a well-written satire than badly written headlines, though.

Wordy McWord with a side of Word. *sigh*

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

Meyer cautioned potential supporters, though, that opening state money to religion meant opening it to all religions, including fringe groups.

"The religious right needs to be careful what they wish for," he said.

Y'know, not that I would actually want this to happen, but there's a not-insignificant part of me that kinda wants to see that...

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

I think that's the only way we'll ever get them to understand the whole "separation of church and state" thing. It's like trying to get the Good Ol' Boys in the office to replace the cheesecake pin-up calendar. You can explain why it constitutes sexual discrimination until you're blue in the face to no effect, but let one of the women put up a beefcake calendar (especially one from Blue Boy!) and boy howdy, the ruling that "skin calendars are unacceptable" comes down fast.

Some people are simply incapable of responding to a good example; they have to be hit over the head with the Clue Bat.

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, in this case I think we'd still get the "because we have the REAL God on our side and they're eeeeeeeeeeevil" response. But at least they'd have to be more blatant about it. :-P Sometimes I think the only way to get anywhere is to hang in there until they're forced to fall back on that, and watch everyone who's been smokescreened go "Hey, waitaminnit!"

[neadods.livejournal.com]

in this case I think we'd still get the "because we have the REAL God on our side and they're eeeeeeeeeeevil" response.

Probably. Because come to think of it, when the "faith based" funding thing came down, one of the first applicants was a wiccan charter school. Which was promptly denied as being not actually a religion.

Still, my jaw is on the floor at the incredible blatentcy of the bigotry these days. Not to mention dumbsquizzled at the idea of one of states with the lowest educational rate being *against* constitutionally mandated schooling.

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

Not to mention dumbsquizzled at the idea of one of states with the lowest educational rate being *against* constitutionally mandated schooling.

I dunno, that would seem like pretty consistent logic to me. :-P

Also, 'dumbsquizzled' is the best word I've encountered all day.

[faireraven.livejournal.com]

I think I'm going to cry now.

[kefiraahava.livejournal.com]

"One of the most vocal opponents, Christian Coalition of Alabama President John Giles, meanwhile, predicted that Buskey will find it difficult to please all sides as long as he pushes any proposal to make public education a constitutionally guaranteed right..."

This isn't just about race, I bet. I strongly suspect part of it is about education for the disabled. (Many of whom are minority, too....) When the word "taxes" came up, I started thinking that part of the so-called Christian Coalition doesn't want to pay for disabled children to be educated. Because of course *severe sarcasm on* their families should keep them at home in the closet where they belong and submit to God's Will on the subject.*/severe sarcasm*

Bitter, me, hell yeah. The school district I grew up in tried to throw my brother out of special education *long* before the statutory age at which they could. They tried to tell my mother they didn't HAVE to follow federal law. She had to threaten a federal lawsuit and media exposure before they backed down and said well, we suppose we'll "allow" him to go to special ed until he's sixteen, aren't we NICE and aren't you properly grateful? This is deja vu all over again.

And yes, I have certain problems with special education myself. But the brutal fact is, if you're not filthy rich and have a disabled family member, public school special ed is the ONLY way to get ANY help for that person through the growing-up years. And by its nature, it's not cheap. So the taxes go up. So people complain about the expense.

*sigh* Hate this stuff. Really hate this stuff.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

IMO, it's about religion. Because the Christian Coalition has been bashing public schools for decades, considering them hotbeds of anti-Christian stuff like multiculturalism and evolution. This is an attempt to pull tax funding from public schools in the hopes of wholly funding Christian charter schools with that money - and is, by the way, a different tentacle of the same monster currently in Florida, where the impetus for changing their constitution is to be able to use gov't funding for those charter schools.

[kefiraahava.livejournal.com]

Oh, I definitely agree with you that it's mostly about religion/public school bashing. But I suspect there's another tentacle there that has to do with this particular type of religious attitude toward disability as well. It's all part of the same damn hydra.

*shakes head* Changing the constitution...ye gods. I hope the expat New Yorkers, the native Floridians who don't like to be told what to do by ANYONE up to and including hurricane forecasters (until this year*very wry grin*), and everyone else with a free-thinking brain/spirit down there all unite to defeat it.

[maryannegruen.livejournal.com]

It's not just one group that they're looking to disqualify. It's anyone that they deem inferior or simply want to climb over. It's survival of the fittest. And in my opinion, it's anything *but* Christian.