High School Holds anti-Americanism International affairs class

[WANWTF]

Some parents in Farmington, Mich., are crying " anti-Americanism" over a high school international affairs class.

The course is offered to juniors and seniors in the Farmington School District and focuses on America' s role in the Middle East (search).

But it' s not the topic that' s angered some students' parents. It' s the class readings, many of which come from left-wing Web sites like Alternet.org, Indymedia.org, Progressive.org and War-times.org, that vigorously attack the Bush administration (search).

" This belief that we have to show that every concept out of that society can be understood and excused is really a problem across the country," said Farmington father Don Cohen. " We are bending over backwards and by doing so, we' re misrepresenting and misinforming our children and our society."

Cohen and other parents banded together to press the school board to hold off on the new elective. But the school year has officially begun and the class is on the roster. The board approved it by a narrow four-to-three vote.

Farmington superintendent of schools, Robert Maxfield, defended the course, saying high school juniors and seniors should be critical thinkers and should be exposed to many points of view.

" You can never teach kids the facts about everything," Maxfield said. " What you can teach kids is how to recognize points of view, how to understand sources of conflict, how to understand that there are forces that have driven world affairs for hundreds of years."

And he believes kids should know about how some people feel about the U.S.

" They need to understand that people hate Americans," Maxfield said. " They need to understand that sometimes there are reasons for that."

Pro-Bush materials, such as government Web sites like WhiteHouse.gov, were added to the class' reading list "” only after parents complained that the course was an exercise in political correctness. The extra sources help balance the course' s curriculum and offer support to President Bush' s policies and America' s role in the Middle East.

" That' s on the media every day," said parent Susan Kahn, referring to the defense of Bush administration policies. " We hear that all the time and I think that' s perfectly OK for them to hear as long as we balance it."

Still, the school board stopped short of removing author Noam Chomsky' s controversial book " 9-11" "” in which he writes about why he thinks the U.S. is a terrorist state "” from the list of course materials.

" That' s the bias inbred into this curriculum," Cohen fumed.

[Charlie P]

Ok, If it ends up being a evenly balanced what' s wrong with that.

If you look at our Middle eastern policy over the years it' s a little screwed up wouldn' t you agree?

We supported Iraq and gave them Bio weapons. We support Saudia Arabia even though they plot against us.We basically set the ground work for the Taliban in Afghinstan,we funded them against the USSR.We supplied them with weapons and training and then had to go and buy back our own stinger missles. We support Isreal even though we have caught them spying on us.

I for one do not agree with everything GWB and his administration does am I anti American?

It' s scary that anyone that speaks out against this adminstration is labled as anti American by Bush, Ashcroft etc.

[Charlie P]

WANWTF, You put a frowning face and call this class anti-American in your title have you seen the curriculim or read any of the stuff from these " left wing" web sites?

If not, you are basing your opinion on one article off the internet.

I tell my son not to be afraid to question authority, is that a bad thing?

Should we just blindly believe everything our goverment tells us?

Look at some of the things they have tried to feed us over the years.

[Briman]

Great, so our public schools are taking another step to ensure that they are turning out a bunch of rabid little commies. We are at war, our country needs the support of our citizens if we want to have a future where we don' t have to worry about whether or not a suicide bomber is going to blow up the shopping mall or bus that we are going to be in. The stakes of losing our inititive in this war are too high to be teaching our kids that America and capitalism are evil or whatever other gibberish the teachers unions want to jam down the impressionable kid' s throats.[:@]

[Charlie P]

We are at war, our country needs the support of our citizens if we want to have a future where we don' t have to worry about whether or not a suicide bomber is going to blow up the shopping mall or bus that we are going to be in.

We need to support our troops,but we also need to question our goverment. If we dont things like the unpatriot act will ruin this country. Do you know where Hussein and his henchmen got their funding and training from? The USA that' s where! When they were fighting Iran we gave them arms and traing (school of the America' s)

[fng]

Ok, If it ends up being a evenly balanced what' s wrong with that.

Sure thing, and i' m santa claus

[1eyedfish]

Do you know where Hussein and his henchmen got their funding and training from? The USA that' s where! When they were fighting Iran we gave them arms and traing (school of the America' s)

So what?
You have never heard of killing 2 birds with one stone?

Having your enemy kill your enemys for you?
As for the crap they teach in school - its far far from a equal& balanced view.
Invade the chinese? To be fair? lol ya C p .. the world is like a big disneyland.Santa claus is comming to town & he knows better.

[RedAllison]

This is why my kids have NEVER and will NEVER darken the door of a public school. The govt has NO business in the education of our kids to begin with and the " equality for all sides" is a shining example of this.

On that note, " SURE you can trust the govt, just ask an Indian"
RA

[Charlie P]

Pro-Bush materials, such as government Web sites like WhiteHouse.gov, were added to the class' reading list "” only after parents complained that the course was an exercise in political correctness

Seems like the parents are making sure it becomes more balanced. This course isn' t requiered either. If a parent doesn' t want their child involved in the course they can have them removed. I got my sons schedule over 6 weeks ago to approve it. If the parents of these kids don' t want their kids in that class make them take another elective. If enough parents did this there wouldn' t be anyone in the class for the teacher to teach.

Your right 1eye, there is nothing wrong with our goverment teaching other goverments to toture people and then going to war with them because they toture.LOL.

I went to a couple of those web sites and read some of the articles and they are slanted toward they left, as long as they get both sides I don' t see a problem.

Invade the chinese? To be fair? lol ya C p

So I guess we should only worry about human rights in countries like Iraq? So if we aren' t going to fight for everyones human rights why fight for Iraq' s? Why choose to liberate the people of Iraq when there are so many other people being repressed around the world??

Because GWB had unfinished buisness over there, that' s why.

[Briman]

Do you know where Hussein and his henchmen got their funding and training from?

Yes, most recently from France, Russia, and the UN, all long after our country cut him off.

[:-]