Arizona takes another step in reclaiming America for Americans

Thank heavens Gov. Jan Brewer and the State of Arizona are doing something about the disease of "progressive" education and racial-identity politics:

Arizona bill targeting ethnic studies signed into law
By Nicole Santa Cruz, Los Angeles Times - May 12, 2010
(excerpts below---with some pertinent links added)

"HB 2281 bans schools from teaching classes that are designed for students of a particular ethnic group, promote resentment or advocate ethnic solidarity over treating pupils as individuals. The bill also bans classes that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government."

"Tucson Unified School District officials say the Chicano studies classes benefit students and promote critical thinking. "We don't teach all those ugly things they think we're teaching," said Judy Burns, the president of the district's governing board."

"She has no intention of ending the program, which offers courses from elementary school through high school in topics such as literature, history and social justice, with an emphasis on Latino authors and history. About 3% of the district's 55,000 students are enrolled in such classes."

"[Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction] Tom Horne has been trying to end the program for years, saying it divides students by race and promotes resentment. He singled out one history book used in some classes, "Occupied America: A History of Chicanos," by Rodolfo Acuna, a professor and founder of the Chicano studies program at Cal State Northridge."

"To begin with, the title of the book implies to the kids that they live in occupied America, or occupied Mexico," Horne said last week in a telephone interview.

Also last week, Augustine Romero, director of student equity in the Tucson school district, said it now had become politically acceptable to attack Latinos in Arizona."

I don't quite see how this law constitutes an "attack" on "Latinos", Gus. It's an "attack" on certain taxpayer-funded public school programs that promote ethnic divisiveness and unpatriotic sentiment.

Arizona Bans Ethnic Studies in Public Schools
Dana Chivvis Contributor
(excerpts below---with a pertinent link added)

"The law, which takes effect Dec. 31, bans classes that are designed for [any] particular ethnic group, promote overthrow of the U.S. government, foster resentment toward a particular race or class, or "advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals." "

"Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said the bill was written to target a Mexican-American studies program in the Tucson school system, according to the Los Angeles Times. The 14-year-old program offers courses in standard topics like literature and history, but with an emphasis on Latino authors or history. It also has specialized courses with African-American and Native American emphasis."

"Approximately 2 percent of the Tucson Unified School District's 55,000 students are enrolled in the program."

Arizona gov. signs bill targeting ethnic studies
By JONATHAN J. COOPER (AP)
(excerpts below---with some pertinent links added)

"State schools chief Tom Horne, who has pushed the bill for years, said he believes the Tucson school district's Mexican-American studies program teaches Latino students that they are oppressed by white people."

"Public schools should not be encouraging students to resent a particular race, he said."

" "It's just like the old South, and it's long past time that we prohibited it," Horne said."

"The measure signed Tuesday prohibits classes that advocate ethnic solidarity, that are designed primarily for students of a particular race or that promote resentment toward a certain ethnic group."

"Horne, a Republican running for attorney general, said the [Mexican-American Studies] program promotes "ethnic chauvinism" and racial resentment toward whites while segregating students by race. He's been trying to restrict it ever since he learned that Hispanic civil rights activist Dolores Huerta told students in 2006 that "Republicans hate Latinos." "

"Six UN human rights experts released a statement earlier Tuesday saying all people have the right to learn about their own cultural and linguistic heritage, they said."

"Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman didn't directly address the UN criticism, but said Brewer supports the bill's goal.

"The governor believes ... public school students should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent or hate other races or classes of people," Senseman said."

Despite the UN's "human rights" experts weighing-in on American public school policy, this law does not prevent or restrict ANYONE from "learning" about any ethnic culture or linguistic history that they want to; that's what public libraries and the internet are for. However, taxpayers should not have to fund educational programs that promote the divisiveness of "ethnic solidarity", or race-based resentment against other American citizens. Imagine the outcry if there were a tax-funded "White Supremacy Studies" program being taught in public schools.