More Texas Bullshit

The Texas State Board of Education has tried its damnedest to make sure no child is left behind when it comes to manipulating science curriculum standards to reflect anti-science creationist beliefs. It's been an ongoing battle that doesn't look like it'll end anytime soon. But idiocy isn't just limited to debates about biology standards. The forces of ignorance are trying to wedge themselves into history as well. The board is currently in the process of revising their social studies standards, and a few of the review committee appointees should make all fans of reason more than a little nervous. One of them is Rev. Peter Marshall (pictured), a Christian minister who preaches that "we're in an all-out moral and spiritual civil war for the soul of America" and who wants to tell children that America's secular founding fathers based the Constitution on biblical laws. Since there's nothing in the Constitution about banning the consumption of shellfish or casting out chicks on the rag, this seems like a dubious claim. Rev. Marshall also preaches that Watergate, the Vietnam War, and Hurricane Katrina were God's punishment against gays. Truly, a class act. Also on the review board is David Barton, founder of a Christian propaganda machine called WallBuilders. Maybe it's true that everything's bigger in Texas. Unfortunately, that also applies to the social status of their morons. More details here.