1. No thinking allowed: Last year, the Texas GOP condemned the teaching of "critical thinking skills" in their party platform. "We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills, critical thinking skills and similar programs". They cited the possibility that these skills could end up "challenging...student's fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority." They also opposed early childhood education, sex education and multi-cultural education. They did support a curriculum based on Judeo-Christian principles.
Texas GOP Communications Director Chris Elam responded to questions about the education platform by saying that "critical thinking skills" wasn't supposed to be included but since it was voted on, it could not be removed.
Thank you, Texas, for halting the proliferation of thinking. We sure don't need any of that in this country!
But really, somebody brought the subject up, the committee voted on it and decided to include it in the platform, then somebody typed it and I assume somebody else proof read it. Then it was presented to the full GOP body, who must have read it at least once, (of course, this is Texas, so maybe not), then they talked about it and finally voted to approve it--and they want us to believe that its inclusion is an oversight? Maybe Mr. Elam really meant we weren't supposed to notice that it was included.
Stephen Colbert had a hilarious take on this. In part: "I blame Galileo... For centuries we had a perfectly good explanation for the order of the universe. Bible says the sun goes around the Earth, making us the center of the universe. And you know what? Everyone was happy. And then numnuts over here gets a telescope for Christmas, uses his precious critical thinking skills and suddenly the Earth goes around the sun, blah blah blah and now we have lesbians."
2. What happens when the Virginia GOP starts to think then stops: The Virginia legislature has finally acknowledged that their state has a coastal flooding problem. They have passed a bill written by Democratic Senator Ralph Northam to fund a $50,000 study on the economic impact of coastal flooding and how Virginia can adapt to the "sea level rise". The problem is, the GOP in Virginia thinks that "sea level rise" is a left wing term used by liberals who believe in global warming--which any good Republican knows is nothing more than left wing propaganda. The bill passed, but only after the GOP banned the use of the words "sea level rise".
I assume that calling it "boy it sure is a lot wetter here than it used to be", is okay.
3. What happens when Lindsay Graham thinks too much: Lindsay Graham now says he will do anything he has to in order to block the confirmation votes on President Obama's nominees for head of the CIA and Secretary of Defense unless he is given more information on Benghazi. He wants a full description of what was going on at the White House at the time of the attack. "What did he do that night?"
Geez, Linds, isn't it about time to lay that bone down? Just because you want a conspiracy doesn't mean you're going to find a conspiracy. As Hillary Clinton said about the Benghazi conspiracy theorists, "They just will not live in an evidence based world".
Mr. Graham certainly has the right to cast his vote against the confirmation of Mr. Brennan or Mr. Hagel. What he doesn't have is the right to deny another Senator the opportunity to vote at all.
Think about it.
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