Arizona Republican Wants To Ban Ethnic Studies

Arizona Daily Star:

A Tucson lawmaker and the state's schools chief are moving to make ethnic studies in the Tucson Unified School District illegal.

If a bill set for a hearing in the state Legislature next week is approved, the city's largest school district would be have to get rid of the ethnic-based programs in four of its high schools or the schools would risk losing 10 percent of their state funding each month.

Read the whole story: Arizona Daily Star

Comments

[BumpyKnight]

11:56 AM on 06/14/2009

John McCain should describe to these lawmakers how ethnic studies might have saved him the embarrassment of "No, he's not an Arab...he's decent".

[dteg]

10:34 AM on 06/14/2009

.So this guy only wants White and European studies taught. What a selfish arrogrant man. He wants to waste the school boards resources defending this so that he can appeal to the David Duke's of the world. Were is the rest of the republican party Steele etc. denouncing this.

[dteg]

10:25 AM on 06/14/2009

Kids reach farther in life when they know their history and see the strength of people that started out similar to them. We need far more ethnic studies. We need exapanded reading list. Malclm X autoriography should be added to the reading list on schools. That book is a great growing up story and amazing how he evolved through life as a person. Also many more minorites are needed teaching in the classroom.

[BumpyKnight]

12:12 PM on 06/14/2009

Great comment dteg, especially the mention of Malcolm X, who's example we all need, now more than ever.

[Rog49Thomas]

07:41 AM on 06/14/2009

This just goes to show that there are "moderates" in the RP after all.

Most Republicans would just like to ban ethnics - full stop.

Here's a guy who just want to ban ethnic studies.

[Tim303]

09:25 PM on 06/13/2009

After the shootings today I can think of afew white Arizonans who need some ethnic studies...

[rbenjamin]

07:46 PM on 06/13/2009

This is actually a softening of GOP policy, which previously called for the banning of ethnics and ethnicity.

[SamKnause]

06:55 PM on 06/13/2009

I think some people would like all of us to believe that all Mexicans are part of the Mexican Cartel. They take every opportunity to publicize all the violence with the Drug Cartel and that is all most of us every hear about on the news or read about in the paper. I am no expert on this subject, this is just my personal opinion. It sounds as if they are treating the Mexicans like they did Native Americans. Don't jump all over me, this is just my own opinion.

[DSOTM]

05:13 PM on 06/13/2009

Does this mean they are going to ban studies on christianity too?

[SamKnause]

06:57 PM on 06/13/2009

I wish. I think religion is just about the most dangerous thing in the world. I have never seen anything that causes as much hate and death.

[tomasedison]

07:48 AM on 06/14/2009

ditto......

[frankg3400]

04:59 PM on 06/13/2009

I live in Tucson, a Democrat and hate the Neocons and Christian Fundamentalists. They are all traitors in my book and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of our laws. I am originly from the East Coast and moved to Tucson in 1983 because I loved the weather and the diversity of Tucson and the Mexican Culture. However, I want to say getting rid of these "Ethnic Studies" is a good thing. First off, the only ethic studies in the TUSD racist school district is for Hispanics or should I say Mexicans. There isn't any Italian, Irish, Russian, or any other ethnic group studies. The TUSD now wants to make La Raza studies mandatory for all freshman in the school district. In other words, want to teach freshman the Mexican agenda .People who do not live in a border state have no idea what is happening here. Look at your own towns or cites and tell me you haven't seen a change. Well, it is 1,000 times worse in the border states. Tucson is pretty much run by La Raza. Our board of Supervisors, our county attorney Isabelle Garcia are all Reconquistas for the reclamation of Aztlan which encompasses the South Western states.

[frankg3400]

05:03 PM on 06/13/2009

These La Raza Studies teaches these students not to buy into the white mans rhetoric, not to trust the police, the white mans history, to revere the teachings of Che. In other words they are teaching Anarchy. The state Superintendent of Schools was told to "Butt Out" and pretty much told him to get out of their way. Tucson is not what is used to be and Whites are pretty much sneered at, while Mexican Americans who don't speak Spanish are ridiculed by the illegal aliens.

America is supposed to be a melting pot, but how can we continue to be a melting pot when, and if we give illegal aliens which are 65% from one country Mexico amnesty and citizenship. Once we do that they will be able to bring Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents, Children, and every other family member.1/3 of our country would be comprised of people from ONE country, the one who wants to reclaim the SW and more. I could go on and on, but here is a letter from the Board of Education.

[Tim303]

05:07 PM on 06/13/2009

Calm down rightie, your time is up.

[poochytown]

05:15 PM on 06/13/2009

If you are not an ig nor ant xen o pho bic conservative clumsily masquerading as a liberal then I owe you an apology.

[tgd]

04:58 PM on 06/13/2009

Wow. Did you read the comments following the article? Arizona certainly has a lot of racists!

[Mitsy]

04:27 PM on 06/13/2009

It should not be banned. The regular history books does not have the truth about black history. Historians have conveniently left out a lot out of the history recordings, seeing as black history is not a tasteful period in the US history. Since America had decided that the hyphenated distinction of being an American is to seperate and divide (for example, African-American, HIspanic- American, Aisian-American etc.), then the education should follow suit. These ethnic groups should know their own history in this *great* country, as it is not told accurately in the history books they teach in school. It should be banned only under the conditions, that accurate history and events be taught in the classrooms, and that the everyone is seen in the educational sector as an 'American'-not an 'hyphenated American'.

This is just another push for the next generation to be as narrow minded as the Republican view of America and the world and its history...They should be banned...

[marijam]

04:13 PM on 06/13/2009

Whatever happened to reading, writing, and arithmetic, not to mention American government, and/or Civics, with a foreign language or two thrown in for good measure?

[Tim303]

05:08 PM on 06/13/2009

Still taught. Grow up.

[rad21]

03:29 PM on 06/13/2009

Why don't we teach kids the 4Rs and thorw the rest of the curriculum, including sports out of the window? The parents can teach the kids the rest of what they need to know.

As the kids grow up intelligent, skilled and affluent, they will learn the rest on their own.

Believe me the rest of the world does this; and produce better and brighter students.

[ladyvader]

03:34 PM on 06/13/2009

Too many parents don't spend enough time with their kids as it is, let alone teach them something.

[bolivare]

01:11 AM on 06/14/2009

How are they suppose to spend more time with their kids when both have to work just to make ends meet? And, I'm seeing more high schoolers working during high school now just to help out.
We want to blame the parents, but this isn't the 50's where the husband made plenty to take care of his family. Now everyone has to work.

[Wiseronenow]

05:06 PM on 06/13/2009

My parents taught me what I needed to survive when I grew up. They gave me attention and love too. Didn't have organized sports like we do now. Instead, my parents told me to go outside and play. At which point, with my friends, we organized our own games and teams, learned about sportsmanship through our friendships and not so called friendships, trial and error, and we all survived quite well. We also didn't have to put up with parents trying to relive their childhoods through us. The only time parents stepped in if there was an issue we couldn't resolve ourselves and that ususally meant some kid got too rough and was then banned from playing in the game that day. Didn't have parents screaming on the sidelines and/or fighting with a coach.

[Wiseronenow]

05:25 PM on 06/13/2009

Parents were parents and kids were kids. I didn't look to my Mom and Dad, "while I was growing up as my BFF" because I didn't want them to be. I had enough of those. I wanted them to just be my Mom and Dad. As I got older and they did too, our relationship evolved into more of a 'friendship', I could understand where they were coming from and not so surprisingly they had learned to accept where I was at.

[Westof405]

03:00 PM on 06/13/2009

This is typical GOP nonsense. For a state that has a huge Hispanic population, what is so terrible about these kids learning about their heritage? What is he trying to do, wipe out their ethnicity by pretending they really aren't Mexican or Salvadoran or from another Latin American country?

I lived in South America for a while when I was in high school. If more Americans understood how people in the rest of the world live, we might not be so eager to start wars with them or help dictators take over their countries so US companies could move in and take over their economies.

[marijam]

04:14 PM on 06/13/2009

Nothing wrong with it, in college, after they've gotten all of the basics out of the way. You know, those old-fashioned 3-R's? Plus civics and American government?

[BumpyKnight]

02:49 PM on 06/13/2009

Kinda goes with Newt's "I am not a citizen of the world", doesn't it?

[marijam]

04:16 PM on 06/13/2009

Can I ask a question and not get banned or flamed? Do you want the United States to be a sovereign nation, or not? If not, who do you think we should answer to, rather than to ourselves and our own government? There are a lot of people who are not multi-culturalists, that doesn't make them xenophobes.

[johndtuttle]

04:36 PM on 06/13/2009

No, I'm afraid it does.

[Tim303]

05:15 PM on 06/13/2009

You think that primary school courses affect sovereignty! hahahahahahaha