Cynicism

There has always been bias in the teaching and interpretation of history.  There is literally no way to prevent this, and corrections, such as they are, rarely involve new facts and are simply yet another reinterpretation of data that has been around for a long time.  History is not only written by the winners but is rewritten endlessly to fit the viewpoint of the modern age, and endless view starting from now and looking backwards without even a real sense of the biases that shape us.

Most of the time this process is done by people who are genuinely well meaning, who believe that their perspective really Is based on better facts and less clouded judgment than previous interpretations. 

I can't buy it this time.  The rearranging of history coming out the Board of Education in Texas reeks of cynical maneuvering.  I have been find genuine belief behind some of the most tragic acts in history, been able to imagine that if I believed as the people involved believed that I might have done the same thing, regardless of how easy it is for me as a modern person to look back and scold folks that are often long dead.  With a little work and a beer or two I can bring these skills into the modern world and apply to them to the people who's opinions I find to be most vile and to see that whatever else, they truly Believe in the things they are saying, even if from my view those actions and those beliefs are heinous and destructive.  I can in fact not hate the sinner and still revile the sin, as it were.

Not this time.  The mention of the McCarthy hearings makes the whole thing so sadly, sickly ironic to me. Joe McCarthy didn't check for communists under his bed at night.  He didn't attack communists because they were strong, he attacked them because they couldn't fight back. 

So, yes, Texas educators, teach sympathy for McCarthy.  Sin, the only sin I believe in, is the silencing of open dialogue.  The people who have pushed this change through in Texas are devils in their actions, as was old Joe.  The devil knows when he's lying.  The road to hell is paved with good intentions but the devils are always ready to pass out paving stones.

If government in this country had Any noble purpose, it is the defense of the weak from the strong.  It rarely ever works that way, but it's all we have.  Freedom from religion and religion's freedom from government control go hand in hand.  Capitalism is a progressive policy that can lead to more and more economic freedom for the individual unless those who have climbed their way to the top are given the 'freedom' to halt progress at the lower rungs.  Every freedom we have has to be tempered with the rights of those who that freedom will impinge upon.  Free trade without regulation becomes oligarchy.  Unchecked power in religion leads to theocracy.  Unchecked liberalism leads to totalitarianism. 


Bah.  I'm sounding preachy.  I won't erase what I wrote, but I'll let it rest.  The right to choose your religion, live your own life and not be owned, body and soul, by kings or corporations are what My interpretation of history says the founding of this nation gave us.  Protecting the rights of the individual Requires limiting the rights of all group entities: churches, companies, political parties, unions and most especially governments...



Then again, freedom is an every day choice.  Maybe they're just trying to remind us how complacent we are about it all.  If they take away the parts of American history that have to do with fighting for equality and personal freedom maybe a few people will remember that that fight never ends.