Morality in Texas

Posted by: Phil Barry on 08 December 2004

I recently saw an article in the New York Times, once the journal of record on this side of the oceans, to the effect that Texas has approved new textbooks which define 'marriage' as being between 'a man and a woman forever', or something like that.

I just wonder how the approvers square that definition with the fact that Texas has one of the highest divorce rates in the US.

Will divorce be outlawed in Texas? Or will they simply increase the level of hypocrisy in Texas' public life?

And are these very sick times in general, or is Texas simply sicker than most of the rest of the world?

Or was the report - or my reading of it - faulty?

Disgustedly,

Phil
Posted on: 08 December 2004 by Deane F
Phil

Your reading wasn't faulty. I heard a fragment of an interview a few days ago on a radio programme in NZ about how the textbook approval process in the US was affecting free speech by proxy. A bit worrying that a narrow and very biased agenda is affecting education.

Deane
Posted on: 09 December 2004 by Paul Ranson
I don't think concern about the US school book process is new. Check out one of the Richard Feynman memoirs for school books on science in California.

BTW why is marriage being defined in a book? And what is the definition of marriage? The 'man and a woman forever' is actually correct, if not quite the whole story.

Paul
Posted on: 09 December 2004 by 7V
quote:
Originally posted by Phil Barry:
...And are these very sick times in general, or is Texas simply sicker than most of the rest of the world?

The 'rest of the world' contains The Sudan, The Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe, Palestine, Iran, Syria, China and dozens of other war zones, dictatorships and repressive regimes.

Since education is being discussed, I have to say that we're lucky in the UK that, by and large, most of our children get a rounded and reasonably 'scientific' education, although unfortunately not up to Feynman's standards. However, given the choice between having your children educated in Texas or the other places mentioned above, which would forum members choose?

Steve M