Mickey Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 Unfortunately, this is a complete lie. The teacher was FORCING his students to listen to and read "Christian Nation" propaganda. The school asked him to stop. The teacher is suing the school with the help of a right-wing "Christian Law" organization, the Alliance Defense Fund. (http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/) Also see this : http://www.alliancealert.org/ The school did NOT "ban the Declaration of Independence" -- that is just a lie. This story is like when you hear that a man was "arrested for praying" and you find out he was kneeling in the middle of a busy intersection at rush hour and refused to move. This was a BIG STORY today, on Rush, and Drudge, and the rest of the Usual Suspects. And it is a carefully planned and carefully timed lie. The story was timed for this afternoon so that it cannot be refuted until Monday. It is timed to cause fights and hatred at family Thanksgiving dinners across the country. It is part of a strategy to reinforce a "conventional wisdom" notion that "liberals" are "going too far" with their demands of separation of church and state. People For the American Way has a web page about the Alliance Defense Fund if you are so inclined : http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=4457 ADF's Founders: Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ Larry Burkett, founder of Christian Financial Concepts Rev. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family Rev. D. James Kennedy, founder of Coral Ridge Ministries Marlin Maddoux, President of International Christian Media Don Wildmon, founder of American Family Association (And 25+ other ministries) President and General Counsel: Alan Sears Date of founding: 1994 Finances: $15,411,093 (2001 budget) And note this: 'ADF defines itself by its ability to strategize and coordinate with lawyers all over the United States.' And this : 'ADF also defends the right of Christians to 'share the gospel' in workplaces and public schools, claiming that any efforts to curb proselytizing at work and school are anti-Christian.' "Strategize and coordinate." Sounds like what's happening with this story, planted on Rush and Drudge, in time for the holiday. I suspect many of you are going to miss how wrong and important this is -- how big of an effect this is going to have on things we care about. This story is designed as ammunition for family conversations tomorrow. In fact, O'Reilly was on the air on FOX saying "Another ruling by an activist judge that puts us all in danger." That's an exact quote. It isn't about this story, but it reinforces it: Yet more "liberals' who are "going too far." See the forest. See how this stuff works! To be clear about this story, the school said the teacher could not use handouts that INCLUDED quotes from the Declaration and other documents. A San Mateo Times story says, "She then prevented Williams from giving students several handouts including: - Excerpts from the Declaration of Independence with references to "God," "Creator," and "Supreme Judge." And from the Alliance's press release, 'Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed suit yesterday against the Cupertino Union School District for prohibiting a teacher from providing SUPPLEMENTAL handouts to students about American history because the historical documents contain some references to God and religion.' Supplemental handouts, huh? I wonder where he got those from? That's all this is. The rest is strategic disinformation -- agitprop. And for the Right's spin on the story -- how's suing for saying "Merry Christmas?" Update II - Digby's on it too. And the blogosphere is picking it up: Atrios, Daou Report. Now Blue Lemur, Liberal Oasis, Information Clearing House, First Draft, APJ, archy. We might just get the major media involved and beat this lie down before it does too much damage! 2 years from now, the right-wingers will still be talking about that story like it was true. 133223[/snapback] You haven't been on this board for long. If you had, you would be able to wall paper Ralph Wilson Stadium with prints of posts like this. "Look at the crazy liberals now..." theme is a favorite here. The vast majority of these all turn out to be some ridiculous overstatement, outright lie or based on the actions of a handful of lunatics. You see, I voted for Kerry and I recently learned that I must therefore, ergo, be a "friend of PETA". Some wack files a lawsuit somewhere and all of a sudden every democrat on the planet is assumed to be a named plantiff in the case. It doesn't seem to work the other way when one of these Lamb of God nuts shoots a Doctor in the head. Then we are supposed to recognize the difference between and extremist psycho on the right and everyone else on the right. No such suttle distinctions are made when they are talking about the left. In any event, thanks for vetting the story but you will have a second full time job if you try to keep up with this stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Tate Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 You haven't been on this board for long.135212[/snapback] Sounding awfully alone there. That only happens to those on the left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 Sounding awfully alone there. That only happens to those on the left? 135312[/snapback] I think we did a survey not too long ago and the right-left around here is about 6 or 7 to one. Roughly similar to Air America vs. Hannity, Limbaugh, Coulter, Ingram, Schlesinger, Savage, O'Reilly, Liddy and North to name a few. We are only just catching up in the "idiots with a microphone" arms race. Beyond that, I have been around here long enough and posted enough to get a sense of this and the "look at these crazy liberals" posts far outnumber similar stuff from the other side, especially when it comes to completely twisted, soon debunked stuff. Apart from this one, just the other day someone was posting pics of glass tubes that said "Sarin" on them taken in Iraq, claiming that they proved that there were WMD's when we invaded. A number of "Aha, take that libs" comments were posted before someone with experience with those tubes identified them as part of a detection device where you insert a tube that says "Sarin" and then sample the air, if the tube changes color, there is Sarin gas presence. In other words, what was photographed was our own chem detection equipment. From the day we invaded up to that thread, I would guestimate that we average about 2-3 threads a week of posts claiming to have found WMD's in Iraq. All were shot down within days and the perps of those threads learned nothing. The same culprits post the same stuff and make the same mistakes over and over. There is never an apology, a mea culpa or any acknowldgement that their record on the issue is around 0 and 337 or so. Of course, they do break up their posts with an occasional lecture on how Michael Moore has no credibility. Another example just came to mind. Some lunatic recently set himself on fire outside the Whitehouse. Somebody immediately posted it and claimed that it was a distraught democrat. Of course, that was not the case as soon became evident but not before we were all treated with another round of "look at those crazy libs". With that type of attitude being held by so many, and yes it is not all one sided, it has become next to impossible to have anything close to an intelligent discussion with the vast majority of posters here. Really, how do I have a converstation with someone who seriously thinks I am just a baby killing, terrorist loving sodomite? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_BiB_ Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 Really, how do I have a converstation with someone who seriously thinks I am just a baby killing, terrorist loving sodomite? You mean you're not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 Really, how do I have a converstation with someone who seriously thinks I am just a baby killing, terrorist loving sodomite? 135457[/snapback] And a pleather-wearing tree-hugging PETA supporter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_BiB_ Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 And a pleather-wearing tree-hugging PETA supporter... 135625[/snapback] And to top it ALL off. A lawyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wham Rocks Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 Some lunatic recently set himself on fire outside the Whitehouse. Somebody immediately posted it and claimed that it was a distraught democrat. Of course, that was not the case as soon became evident but not before we were all treated with another round of "look at those crazy libs". With that type of attitude being held by so many, and yes it is not all one sided, it has become next to impossible to have anything close to an intelligent discussion with the vast majority of posters here. Really, how do I have a converstation with someone who seriously thinks I am just a baby killing, terrorist loving sodomite? 135457[/snapback] LOL! Newsflash, homeboy: Public discourse isn't exactly at an all-time high. The trick is to drop to the lowest possible level and hope you appeal to and/or create a base. Intellectually vacuous rhetoric like "Liberals hate America" (Ann Coulter) and "Liberals hate morals" (Michael Savage) are amazingly effective because they activate and incite large groups of political indifferents. Republicans are winning the battle because they have more infectious rhetoric, both in quantity and quality. Democrats are total amatuers and need to appeal to the new age of soundbytes and base emotions if they want to be a force politically. Sure it lowers the bar of public dialog, but at least it's entertaining. A guy like me who's not thrilled with either side gets a front row view of the mudslinging; and even gets to throw a little mud occassionally. I use the same tactics, they're fun if nothing else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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