Shalrirorchia
22-11-2004, 17:34
To my fellow American progressives:
I know that the defeat of John Kerry in the elections is a hard pill to swallow. America chose a liar and a deserter over a decorated military veteran with a mind of his own. But this battle isn't over...it's just getting started. We have to keep the spotlight on the misdeeds of George W. Bush. We need to lay the groundwork NOW for our victory in 2006. And we need, most of all, to analyze what went wrong here in 2004, so that when 2008 rolls around we can take back the White House.
Part of the problem, I believe, is that the social conservatives have gotten good at controlling grassroots campaigns. In fact, here's excerpts from a Yahoo! (LATIMES) article regarding the influence the Christian Right has on school books:
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Texas is the second-largest buyer of textbooks in the nation, after California. Books purchased here wind up in classrooms across the nation, because publishers are loath to create new editions for smaller states.
As a result, five social conservatives on the 15-member Texas board, frequently joined by five more moderate Republicans, have enormous clout — and often control the content used to teach millions of children.
Publishers have no choice but to heed many of the group's wishes, said Don McLeroy, a dentist, Sunday school teacher and Texas Board of Education member.
"They've got to sell books," he said. "It's business."
Conservatives' efforts over the years to edit textbooks are legendary here. In a nod to those who believe God created the Earth 6,000 years ago, a sentence saying the ice age took place "millions of years ago" was changed to "in the distant past." Descriptions of environmentalism have been attacked as antithetical to free-enterprise ideals; a passage describing the cruelty of slavery was derided as "overkill."
The pace of such efforts to alter curriculum is expected to increase because Christian conservatives are "emboldened" by the Republican gains on election day, Leo said.
The board's stance on the health texts, some observers said, speaks to a critical factor in the GOP's recent success: a recognition by evangelical conservatives that all politics is local.
The political ascendance of Christian conservatives in the 1980s and 1990s was fueled by their coordinated effort to win seats on school boards, city councils and other local bodies. A leader of the Christian Coalition said at the time that he would be willing to train an evangelical to run for dogcatcher.
Conservative forces began targeting the Texas Board of Education in the 1990s. Some, including Leo, ran for election unopposed.
Success at the local level has been used as a springboard to national power, said Robert Simonds, president of California-based Citizens for Excellence in Education; the group, which helped train the first wave of Christian conservative candidates, recently has lobbied for the withdrawal of Christians from the "secularist" public school system.
"It does not help our kids to use them as pawns for divisive social agendas," he said. "It might be astute in the short term, but not in any meaningful sense for our kids or our country."
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I think one reason that the neocons are so successful is that they are willing to engage on all fronts, and with great force. If this sounds like I am describing a military engagement, perhaps I am....we are in a war with these conservative nutcases like Ann Coulter and George W. Bush. We cannot win playing a nice, diplomatic little game. We have to be just as vicious and calculating as the Republicans.
Take some plays out of the GOP handbook. Block critical legislation, then blame the Republicans when it all goes to Hell. Resort to name-calling, dirty tricks, etc. It's a sad fact of life, but while people complain constantly about these tactics they nevertheless fall for them time and time again. That's why negative campaign advertisements are so successful. That's why the Swift Boat ads did so much damage to John Kerry, even though his military records refuted the claims. Speak a lie often enough, and people will believe it regardless of fact.
Get involved at the local level. Watch what is going on. It only takes half an hour a day to read a newspaper, or watch the television news. Be INFORMED. Then act on that information. Volunteer for campaigns. Write letters to the editor. Protest when Republicans rewrite textbooks to espouse their hatred of modern America.
You may think that a few people working to make a difference isn't enough. You may think that the contribution of the individual is worthless. Nothing could be further from the truth. History has shown us that individuals working together can change the course of history. THAT IS WHAT WE NEED NOW.
No more retreats. No more compromise. It's time to draw a line in the sand and fight back. HARD.
I know that the defeat of John Kerry in the elections is a hard pill to swallow. America chose a liar and a deserter over a decorated military veteran with a mind of his own. But this battle isn't over...it's just getting started. We have to keep the spotlight on the misdeeds of George W. Bush. We need to lay the groundwork NOW for our victory in 2006. And we need, most of all, to analyze what went wrong here in 2004, so that when 2008 rolls around we can take back the White House.
Part of the problem, I believe, is that the social conservatives have gotten good at controlling grassroots campaigns. In fact, here's excerpts from a Yahoo! (LATIMES) article regarding the influence the Christian Right has on school books:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Texas is the second-largest buyer of textbooks in the nation, after California. Books purchased here wind up in classrooms across the nation, because publishers are loath to create new editions for smaller states.
As a result, five social conservatives on the 15-member Texas board, frequently joined by five more moderate Republicans, have enormous clout — and often control the content used to teach millions of children.
Publishers have no choice but to heed many of the group's wishes, said Don McLeroy, a dentist, Sunday school teacher and Texas Board of Education member.
"They've got to sell books," he said. "It's business."
Conservatives' efforts over the years to edit textbooks are legendary here. In a nod to those who believe God created the Earth 6,000 years ago, a sentence saying the ice age took place "millions of years ago" was changed to "in the distant past." Descriptions of environmentalism have been attacked as antithetical to free-enterprise ideals; a passage describing the cruelty of slavery was derided as "overkill."
The pace of such efforts to alter curriculum is expected to increase because Christian conservatives are "emboldened" by the Republican gains on election day, Leo said.
The board's stance on the health texts, some observers said, speaks to a critical factor in the GOP's recent success: a recognition by evangelical conservatives that all politics is local.
The political ascendance of Christian conservatives in the 1980s and 1990s was fueled by their coordinated effort to win seats on school boards, city councils and other local bodies. A leader of the Christian Coalition said at the time that he would be willing to train an evangelical to run for dogcatcher.
Conservative forces began targeting the Texas Board of Education in the 1990s. Some, including Leo, ran for election unopposed.
Success at the local level has been used as a springboard to national power, said Robert Simonds, president of California-based Citizens for Excellence in Education; the group, which helped train the first wave of Christian conservative candidates, recently has lobbied for the withdrawal of Christians from the "secularist" public school system.
"It does not help our kids to use them as pawns for divisive social agendas," he said. "It might be astute in the short term, but not in any meaningful sense for our kids or our country."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think one reason that the neocons are so successful is that they are willing to engage on all fronts, and with great force. If this sounds like I am describing a military engagement, perhaps I am....we are in a war with these conservative nutcases like Ann Coulter and George W. Bush. We cannot win playing a nice, diplomatic little game. We have to be just as vicious and calculating as the Republicans.
Take some plays out of the GOP handbook. Block critical legislation, then blame the Republicans when it all goes to Hell. Resort to name-calling, dirty tricks, etc. It's a sad fact of life, but while people complain constantly about these tactics they nevertheless fall for them time and time again. That's why negative campaign advertisements are so successful. That's why the Swift Boat ads did so much damage to John Kerry, even though his military records refuted the claims. Speak a lie often enough, and people will believe it regardless of fact.
Get involved at the local level. Watch what is going on. It only takes half an hour a day to read a newspaper, or watch the television news. Be INFORMED. Then act on that information. Volunteer for campaigns. Write letters to the editor. Protest when Republicans rewrite textbooks to espouse their hatred of modern America.
You may think that a few people working to make a difference isn't enough. You may think that the contribution of the individual is worthless. Nothing could be further from the truth. History has shown us that individuals working together can change the course of history. THAT IS WHAT WE NEED NOW.
No more retreats. No more compromise. It's time to draw a line in the sand and fight back. HARD.