I swear I don’t know what kind of a world we are living in some times. I’m just flabbergasted. (h/t – Atlas Shrugs)
Dishonoring Our Veterans – Cal Thomas, NY Sun
New Jersey legislators have unanimously passed a measure that includes a provision to remove the state mandate to teach about Veterans Day in the public schools. And not only Veterans Day: The bill would also remove requirements to teach about Columbus on Columbus Day, the Pilgrims around Thanksgiving Day, and even Commodore Barry Day which commemorates the Revolutionary War hero for whom a bridge is named, which spans the Delaware River to connect Bridgeprt, N.J., to Chester, PA.
The ban on teaching about such holidays is included in a larger bill that passed the legislature last month. It is designed to help control New Jersey’s spiraling property taxes. Governor Corzine has not indicated whether he’ll sign it.
Since 1967, New Jersey schools have been told to observe Veterans Day and related holidays to promote “the development of a higher spirit of patriotism.” Under the “law” of political correctness, apparently anything that promotes love of country, or God, or the military is now to be avoided.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. If I recall, New Jersey was a Tory-loving place in the 1770s and I also believe NJ voted against Lincoln in 1864. (And if I’m wrong, I’m sure someone will correct me.) So there is a track record in the Garden State of disdain of country, after all.
*shaking head*
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Eh, Lincoln was a brutal dictator that destroyed the Republic. The fact that NJ voted against the domestic enemy of the Constitution somewhat mitigates the crap they’re pulling now.
Not sure what to make of this bill. It apparently was approved by the whole legislature. Despite New Jersey being a very democratic state, there are still a few members of the legislature that make Cal Thomas look like a moderate, which, of course, is an extremely difficult task. So I’m surprised there weren’t at least a few that voted against the bill. I’m not sure why this provision would be included in a bill designed to lower property taxes. This is a good example where a line item veto would be appropriate.
Yes, New Jersey went for McClellan in the 1864 election. But I tend to believe that the 11 states that seceded from the country probably had more disdain of the country. For most of the 20th century, New Jersey was a Republican leaning state. In fact, Woodrow Wilson, a politician from New Jersey, won reelection in 1916 despite New Jersey voting for Charles Evan Hughes. And New Jersey voted for Ford over Carter in 1976. Things have changed since then, as New Jersey has become a blue state. In fact, New Jersey hasn’t elected a Republican U.S. senator for over 30 years.
The reality is that most school districts in New Jersey don’t “teach” the holiday anyway, but do recognize it. The article you quote is a bit biased, though, is it not? This is not a “ban” on teaching it as the column states – it’s removal of a mandate (which the column also states). In other words, giving more local control, something I thought conservatives were in favor of. 🙂 Not that I expected Cal Thomas to be any more intellectually honest when he has a chance to accuse a blue state of something.
That all being said, even as a native New Jerseyian, I think this smacks of complete idiocy. Don’t we already have enough trouble with our students not knowing our history? And is this really going to help my already outrageous property taxes? I wish one of these legislators would please explain how, exactly, this is going to lower my taxes.
The Tory comparison is interesting. If I recall, we were all British citizens prior to the Declaration of Independence. Accusing an entire state of disdain of country, Bruce, really? Isn’t that a bit beneath you? Which country were people disdaining? The one that didn’t exist yet, or the one that believed the leaders on this side of the Atlantic were traitors? 😉 Nevertheless, the hyperbole makes it point.
(I suppose I should be insulted too, as a New Jerseyian, but I’m not, since I know from family history that my ancestors were firmly on the American side during the Revolution. LOL)
It was probably mandated to make sure that such history is taught in the first place. The schools would love to wipe anyout any American history unless of course the country comes of in an extremely bad light. This is totally ridiculous.
“The ban on teaching about such holidays is included in a larger bill that passed the legislature last month. It is designed to help control New Jersey’s spiraling property taxes.”
Not teaching history during or near National holidays that honor or celebrate our history saves money? Guess I’d have to reserve comment until I knew what else was in the bill because I don’t believe, or can’t believe, this is just a bunch of anti-history politicos trying to dumb down their constituent’s children.
To suggest that New Jersey is less “American” or less-patriotic is a slap that I’m offended by, my friends. Three Congressional Medal of Honor recipients attended my small southern New Jersey High school alone…and many of the battles of the War of Independence were fought-on NJ soil. The town I live now in was one of the small handful in all of America specifically burned to the ground by the British out of retaliation for Revoluntionary activity; and home to two signers of the Declaration of Independence, and to the author Thomas Paine.
If you want to point fingers…point them at the New York media-influnced liberals and urbanist “special interests” in the northern-portion of the state that dominante the State House. It’s the corrosive influence of those with out-of-state interests like Corzine…the NYC Wall Street-player…that betrays America. Our home-grown politicians just want to quietly collect their share of the graft, sell their offices in the steakhouses and Italian eateries of Chambersburg, and stay out of the Papers.
So Bruce, if New Jersey no longer forces schools to recognize Arbor Day, among other holidays, that is “moving to erase US History”? Unless the state forces schools to celebrate Thanksgiving, Veteran’s Day celebrations won’t happen? Talk about being in search of outrage.
First off, as a commenter above noticed, I thought conservatives were in favor of increased local control. Second, just because the schools aren’t forced to teach about it doesn’t mean they can’t. Third, the original law was, according to a commission by the state, being ignored in many cases anyway and was a bit toothless. It also covered a lot more holidays than just Veteran’s Day.
So, in essence, the NJ State legislature returned local control to the schools over an issue and removed a law from the books that didn’t seem to mean anything concrete and wasn’t being followed much anyway. How horrible. (eyeroll) The reporters seized on the Veteran’s Day issue and went looking for some veterans to get riled up. Since when did conservatives fall for the liberal media’s traps?
If any schools stop celebrating Veteran’s Day, it’s the school’s fault.
Meanwhile, Hillary Smears Barack Obama as Too Muslim for America.
Bruce — thanks for the welcome awhile back.
As a rightie who despises the practice of referring to a reduction in the increase of government spending and/or taxation a ‘cut’, Thomas cannot honestly call this a ban, as has been pointed out. We all have our biases, but such an aversion to even-handedness is best left to literal and not intellectual masturbation.
If the 1967 mandate was being ignored anyway, why the need to lift it, specifically why the need to make the statement (for apparently that is all this is) that holidays such as Veteran’s Day need not be celebrated/taught? How does the lack of such a mandate relieve New Jersey taxpayers of admittedly hideous property taxes? Was this section of the larger and very popular legislation (it passed unanimously) tacked on by legislators beholden to the N.J. education union(s)? Furthermore, is its popularity a reflection of the anti-tax mood of voters rather than a referendum on the patriotic content of curricula? I’m all for local control, but I also recognize the importance of making sure the students in our public schools gain some knowledge of why we honor those specified by our national holidays. And, as this is a state issue, I see no problem mandating general curricula at the state level, particularly when concerning assimilation and common citizenship.
I remember back in elementry and jr. high, we always had to go to assembly on Martin Luther King Jr. day and listen to long, boring speeches, lectures, poems, songs etc. We all had to sing We Shall Overcome and what not. And of course we all had to write reports on Black History Month and all that.
I wonder if New Jersey would do away with that, or would they not have the testicular fortitude?
BTW, wasn’t it NJ that removed portraits of Washington, Jefferson etc. from classrooms because they were racist, sexist, biggot homophobes?
TGC, tsk tsk. You gotta get with the new revisionist historographers running about the liberal hallways of the ivory towers… Washington and Lincoln were gay. Jefferson wanted to be exclusively gay but when fetching slaves and opportunity coincided, he had to indulge in bisexuality; but he wanted to be gay. And so was Jesus… and Abel –Cain killed him for it even. First gay hate crime, that one; and we still don’t have a federal hate crime statute.
It’s all there… you just gotta get with the new cheek.
Speaking of which – today is the bicentennial anniversary of General Robert E. Lee, born on this date (January 19) in 1807.
Of course, there will be the usual moronic jibes from the Perenially Indignant Groups (otherwise known hereafter as “PIGs”) calling him a racist and a slave owner, which is not even the truth…but which never stopped a PIG from commenting anyway.
I remind everyone of this because of what Lee accomplished before and after the War Between the States and how he cooperated in (shall we say) “the spirit of bipartisanship” that seems to be woefully lacking on the other side of the aisle.
Any questions? Feel free to go to http://www.knowsouthernhistory.net to get your answers.
Regards and Rebel Yells,
Peter H. (Proud third-generation Texan)
Peter, isn’t “the War Between the States” actually called the War of Northern Aggression?
Thanks for the reminder about Gen Lee… the last great Virginian to serve his country well.
#14 – Yeah, M-Matt, but only south of the Mason-Dixon line. I use the more appropriate term “War Between the States” because there were some Yank – oops, I mean Northern – sympathizers who supported the Confederacy who were still part of the Union.
The term “Civil War” is a misnomer. A true Civil War is a war in which one group tries to topple and seize power from an opposing group. This was not so in the War Between the States.
Regards,
Peter H.