QOTD -- Revisionism

At the Republican National Convention on Monday, Trump was hailed as a bold and lifesaving leader who “was right” on the novel coronavirus while Democrats, doctors and pundits were wrong from the beginning. One campaign-style video that aired during the convention hailed Trump as the “one leader” who stood up to the virus while quoting Democratic figures who played down the severity of the virus in its early stages.

It’s a revisionist version of recent history belied by hours of videotape in which the president minimized the threat of the virus for months, falsely predicted that it would “disappear” with warmer weather, promoted several unproven miracle cures, pushed states to reopen before meeting federal government benchmarks, equivocated on mask-wearing, defied social distancing guidelines and repeatedly told Americans that everything was under control. -- Toluse Olorunnipa, on the front page of the Washington Post today (for the most part, the Post, unlike other media, is doing a decent job of accurately reporting the lies and depredations of the Trump regime).

Today's History Lesson

You may recall the recent "history lesson" offered by Julie Williams, the right-winger on Colorado's State Board of Education  Edumacation, who thought the College Board's Advanced Placement curriculum on history should have taken a more critical view of "civil disobedience."

Well, turns out Julie isn't the lone cretin on the Colorado Board.  Introducing Pam Mazanac and her unique take on slavery:

As an example, I note our slavery history. Yes, we practiced slavery. But we also ended it voluntarily, at great sacrifice, while the practice continues in many countries still today! Shouldn't our students be provided that viewpoint? This is part of the argument that America is exceptional. Does our APUSH Framework support or denigrate that position?  (our emphasis)

Pam, you barnyard idiot:  The.  Civil.  War.   Over 600,000 involuntarily dead.  A president involuntarily assassinated.  The only thing "exceptional" here is your ignorance and your parroting of Republican right-wing "American exceptionalism" talking points.

WTF is going on in this country?

Today's History Lesson

Here's a question for you.  Which of these two people would you rather have setting education standards in your school district?  Julie Williams, right-wing Colorado edumacator:

Protests in Jefferson County, the state's second-largest school district, began a week ago Friday. By this Thursday, there were nearly 1,000 students marching in protest of the county school board's call for an Advanced Placement curriculum on U.S. history that promotes "respect for authority" and discourages "civil disorder, social strife or disregard for the law." [snip]

Julie Williams, one of three conservative members who control the county school board and who helped design the proposal, said on Friday that she's "not saying let's not teach history accurately," but what she is saying is "let's not encourage our children to disobey the law." When Denver's KUSA-TV asked Williams for examples of moments in history that might be misrepresented in the AP course and could lead to the negative outcomes she fears, Williams couldn't cite a single example. 

"I'm not familiar enough with everything that is in AP history to make that judgment," she said.  (our emphasis)

Or Maggie Ramseur... High.  School.  Senior (!):

"The point of civil disobedience is to break an unjust law with the intention of bringing attention to it so that it may be rectified and made just," Ramseur said. "Teaching students about that does not encourage them to become anarchists. It encourages them to speak up about policy and make the government serve the people, which is what our democratic republic was designed for." 

"And that is something that I learned in Advanced Placement United States History," she added. "The uncensored version."

Meanwhile, George Santayana is rotating briskly in his grave.

(h/t Silver Spring Bureau Chief Brian)