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California Governor's Race: Stealth Agenda Trumps Academic Success in Schools Patrick MallonThis is the fourth article in a weekly series on the California governor's race. See previous articles:
California: Wanted! An Ethical Governor. Apply Within
A stealth agenda undermining academic success operates like a tapeworm in the California K-12 education system. All mainstream newspapers ignore the implications. Systematic and ingenious, there's little that can be done to change its course. Meanwhile, parents lament how to afford private schools for their children, the federal government has finally passed long-demanded school vouchers, and yet, on the bright side, many schools and students succeed. Dependencies include where students live, comparative income and family stability, and ethnic composition in the classroom. The series adopts a different approach this week. Rather than summarize and comment on events impacting the race, it instead addresses the broad subject of education with a discrete and clear focus on the cultural issues of language and the social engineering of gay and homosexual equivalency policies. The objective is to illustrate salient yet largely invisible reasons for the crisis simmering in underachieving schools in low-income districts. California, with 8.7 million students, ranks 47th out of 50 states in academic achievement. This dreadful statistic yields little more than eerie stupefaction from the two irresolute candidates running for governor. The facts are:
Parental Frustration and Activism, Political Arrogance California voters, deeply frustrated with government's unwillingness to address critical issues, resort to the initiative process to express their discontent. One such example was historic Proposition 13, passed in 1978, which reduced property taxes by 57 percent. The initiatives relative to the school crisis are: 1. Prop. 227 (1998), the English-Only Initiative, requiring that all public school instruction be conducted in English, passed by a 61 percent margin. Under the law, kids who don't know English have to learn it in the classroom. In 1998, 21 percent of Hispanic students ranked at the 50th percentile in reading. Following implementation of Prop. 227, those numbers jumped to 35 percent in 2001. A huge improvement! Nobody argues the merit of children knowing more than one language, but to ensure that students educated in American schools are prepared to advance to the next grade, the proven instrument for success is English, rather than native-language, instruction. Simon has avoided the question of enforcing Prop. 227. Davis and Eastin have worked diligently to prevent enforcement of the initiative. 2. Prop. 22 (2000), the Marriage Initiative, passed by an identical 61 percent margin. That's 4,160,706 votes in favor and 2,617,838 opposed. The initiative states that a legal marriage is between a man and a woman. During the March primary, Simon voiced his support for the measure. Davis, evincing contempt for the will of the voters, publicly labeled Prop. 22 "divisive," and came out against it. English-Only Began When Latino Parents Boycotted Bilingual Instruction In an irony of ironies, it was in fact a civil rights tactic that prompted the initial salvo in the English-only movement. On Feb. 13, 1996, dozens of Latino parents pledged to boycott a downtown Los Angeles elementary school to protest bilingual education. So angry were the parents that their children were being denied English instruction that they simply refused to send their kids to the Ninth Street Skid Row school. "We want our children to be taught in English ... that's why we came to the United States," said Jovita Ruiz, a Mexican immigrant. The two-week boycott piqued the interest of software entrepreneur Ron Unz, who decided to renew his fight against bilingual education. "Our initiative ensures that the parents get their wish," Unz said. Two years later, in 1998, after Prop. 227 became law, the usual suspects filed lawsuits against the measure: MALDEF, the National Council of La Raza, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the ACLU. You know, the same groups always on the lookout for the best interests of "the children." Davis and Eastin continue to oppose full implementation of Prop. 227. So what exactly is it they are doing? Maintaining control over a traditional constituency that can rely only on them for their success or failure? Insidiously denying access to a language that is the ticket to success for minority children? Not that the mainstream press would ever ask such a "divisive" question. The Star Chamber in Sacramento and the Gay School Agenda Entertaining thoughts that don't align with state-approved orthodoxy is now dangerous in California schools as the homosexual lobby intermixes sexual orientation with civil rights language to keep all opposition at bay. In his never-ending quest to undermine the institution of the family and advance the gay agenda in schools, here are several examples of an avalanche of similar legislation signed into law by Gov. Davis: Assembly Bill 1785: Hate Crimes. Requires all schoolchildren to be taught acceptance of homosexual behavior beginning in the elementary grades. Senate Bill 225: Hate Crimes and Schools. Requires junior and senior high schools to adopt "non-discrimination" policies including "sexual orientation" (that's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexuals and transgender students) or be prevented from participating in sporting events. Assembly Bill 537: The California Student Safety and Violence Protection Act. Adds actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity to state nondiscrimination policy. In the spirit of "fostering appreciation" for diversity, superintendent Eastin took it upon herself to form an unauthorized 36-member advisory task force to translate AB 537 into state Education Codes. Here are several of the recommendations:
Why Little Can Be Done to Change the Course The 40-member state Senate consists of 26 Democrats and 14 Republicans. The 80-member state Assembly has 50 Democrats and 30 Republicans. There is literally no chance that conservative, family-oriented or "straight" legislation will be either respected, advocated or passed. Unless of course Simon wins the election – then perhaps some Republican candidates can win seats that have become, to date, Marxian fiefdoms. Davis Opposes Vouchers but 'Lays Claim to School Success' On Monday of this week, the Los Angeles Times published "Davis Lays Claim to School Success," describing the governor's speech to civil rights leaders at the National Urban League's annual conference in Los Angeles. Davis said in his speech that his education programs have helped provide opportunities for "every deserving child." Any idea as to which students are more deserving than others? Better yet, should any student deserve an opportunity not available to another? Later, league president Hugh Price delivered the keynote speech, launching a whopper: "Inner-city schools are trapped by lofty academic standards." Perhaps Mr. Price would prefer that struggling students be "set free" by low academic standards. Price then went on to criticize the Supreme Court's decision to allow public money to be spent on school vouchers. Davis clapped in support. How anyone could be against school choice, especially for parents with children in failing inner-city schools, is unconscionable. Padlock on Information Permits Totalitarian Left to March On State legislators and Gray Davis, people Californians employ, have witnessed the majority vote overwhelmingly in favor of traditional marriage. They have witnessed a remarkable vote in favor of English in schools (an astounding 63 percent of Latino voters in Los Angeles). And what have they said? "Screw you!" The Legislature has killed measures to protect children from intrusive surveys and from access to pornography on school computers. The Boy Scouts are not permitted on campus. Non-binding resolutions honoring Father's Day have been shot down as too "controversial." The list goes on and on. They have the minds of your impressionable kids in their hands five days a week, and this is what you get for your money. And what do the Republican Party and Bill Simon have to offer? Nothing. So afraid of being called racist, bigoted or homophobic, they knuckle under, refusing to articulate, to demand, to stand up and offer an alternative to the destructive policies of an out-of-control Legislature. It's no wonder voters and parents are demoralized. Totalitarians are dictators by definition. The totalitarians in our state Legislature are actually marginal people, possessing extensive power, who care very little for the America you once knew. In truth, they wish nothing more than to denigrate your tradition and values, daring you to confront them. Some Closing Questions Do you, the parent, have a moral right, based upon your beliefs, to decide when, where and how sexual orientation will be described to your children? Do you, the low-income parent with children in harm's way, have a right to get your child into a real school where your kid can learn English and have a better life? You sure do, even though Davis and the National Urban League say otherwise. Should "safe schools" be measured by the effectiveness of preventing guns, drugs or teen pregnancy from ruining young lives? Or should school safety be determined by reducing mental trauma caused to the still unknown numbers of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual students? Are we in fact being led by agenda-driven demagogues who exploit your children to increase their power? Is the truth any part of Gov. Davis' conceptual apparatus? Who knows. Ask the governor, and bring a check. See next article in series: Defying the Lies as Bombs Fly
You may e-mail Patrick Mallon at patrick@newsmax.com.
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