Attempt to Diminish Heroism of Alamo Defenders Is a Shameful War on History

The next generation of Texans may not care to “remember the Alamo” after a recent decision by the Texas State Board of Education.

The Battle of the Alamo, which occurred during the Texas Revolution of the 1830s, is one of the most famed military actions in Texas and American history.

Just a few hundred Alamo defenders, who hailed from numerous countries and all walks of life, held off a Mexican army, led by Gen. Santa Anna, of nearly 2,000 for hours before being overrun.

The brave actions of a few, patriotic men against incredible odds has been compared to the Battle of Thermopylae, in which a handful of Greek soldiers fought against a massive Persian army. In fact, a plaque saying as much sits on the wall of the fort today, which is located in the middle of downtown San Antonio.

But in June, an advisory group of educators concluded that calling the Alamo’s defenders “heroic” was a “value-charged word,” so the State Board of Education decided to remove this from the state’s seventh-grade curriculum.

The board recommended specifically removing classroom reference to a famous letter from Alamo commander William B. Travis, which galvanized Texans and Americans to the cause of Texas independence from Mexico.

On Twitter, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blasted the move as out-of-control “political correctness.”

Among the illustrious group of slain warriors were David Crockett—a frontier folk hero who had served in the Tennessee Legislature—and James Bowie, another famed frontiersman who popularized the “Bowie knife.”

Their deaths were a rallying cry for Texans and galvanized supporters of Texas independence. Shortly thereafter, Texans defeated that same Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto, effectively securing their independence.

Texas joined the United States a decade later, and the story of the Alamo became an American one. The story has risen to prominence over the years as an example of extreme courage in the face of overwhelming odds—a trait we should hope many future generations of Americans would emulate.

It’s no wonder the move to strip the heroics and patriotism of this famed battle was met with anger and a deluge of animosity, as it should be, especially in light of other attempts to banish old heroes in Texas.

After intense scrutiny, the Texas State Board of Education indicated after a hearing on Tuesday that it might back off removing Travis’ letter from the curriculum.

One of the committee members, Stephen Cure, said it was not the committee’s intent to diminish the heroism of those who fought at the Alamo, according to LMT Online.

Cure said that under a revised standard, Texas schools would recognize “the heroism of diverse defenders who gave their lives.”

The board will announce its final decision about the curriculum in November.

However, regardless of how the Alamo issue plays out, the board’s action should be a wake-up call to the people of Texas that there need to be more options for their families and children than the one-size-fits-all public school system currently available to parents.

Despite its reputation as a deep-red state, Texas has lagged badly in creating private school choice options for parents. This is not just a Texas problem; this is a problem for many red states, which should theoretically have school choice-friendly legislatures and governors. But many have dropped the ball in making it a priority issue.

For the sake of future generations, this needs to change.

Not only do school choice programs allow parents to put their children in higher performing schools, but they allow them to move them into schools that reflect their beliefs.

Education is not merely about test scores and gearing up to get into top colleges. It’s also about civics and teaching young Americans to be citizens.

If Texas public schools don’t care to teach young Texans to remember the Alamo, then perhaps parents need the option to send their children to schools that will.

In a climate in which we are witnessing a concerted war on our history, where great men and high ideas are being stripped from public places—from Hollywood, media, and certainly academia—it is essential that young Americans have access to an education that will continue to instill patriotism.

Without this, we risk losing the values that make us the land of the free and the home of the brave.

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Lawsuit over Louisiana school's hair policy is dismissed

Parents of two New Orleans-area school girls have dismissed their lawsuit against a Catholic school over its policy forbidding hair extensions.

In a notice of dismissal filed in federal court Monday, lawyers for the girls noted that Christ the King Parish School had ended the policy, a decision the school announced two weeks ago after a state judge blocked its enforcement.

The school and the Archdiocese of New Orleans drew widespread online outrage after video spread of sixth-grader Faith Fennidy tearfully leaving school after being told her hair style violated the policy.

Her mother and the mother of another student filed a state court lawsuit, which was moved later to federal court.

The archdiocese declined comment and lawyers for the families did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Both sides have been quiet about the case in recent weeks and neither has said whether either of the girls returned to Christ the King or enrolled elsewhere.

Faith's brother posted a Facebook video that showed the girl, her braids pulled back and hanging just below the neckline, dejectedly leaving school with family members in late August. It included an explanation that there were practical reasons for Faith's use of hair extensions.

The video won her quick recognition and support from, among others, social activist Shaun King on Twitter and rapper T.I. on Instagram. The P&G brand flew her to New York to attend the Black Girls Rock award show on BET.

Meanwhile, the superintendent of schools for the archdiocese said she would work with school officials to "create a uniform policy that is sensitive to all races, religions, and cultures."

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Australia: Race-conscious schoolkid refuses to stand for national anthem

She has obviously absorbed the Leftist political attitudes of her academic parents.  Seeing us all just as Australians is beyond her. Why?  Because seeing us all just as Australians is exactly the opposite of what Leftists do. As part of their program of destroying our "unjust" society, they do their best to divide people against one-another.

It's undoubted that there are many ways in which Aborigines are not "equal" to other Australians but what do you do about that? The kid probably hasn't heard that all Australian governments, Left and Right, State and Federal, have done just about everything conceivable to help them but nothing works.  Only the missionaries did any good for them but the Leftist hate of rival religions precludes any repetition of that.

This event is of no broad importance but it took my attention because I too in my High School years made a similar refusal. No anthem was sung at Cairns State high in 1961. Kids were told to salute the flag. I refused. I was very religious at the time and considered that my only loyalty was to the Kingdom of Heaven.  I was not penalized in any way but got to have a good chat with Principal Crosswell.  The kid below was also eventually allowed to go her own way. We are lucky in Australia that we do have such freedoms even for kids, even if the freedoms are used in pursuit of dubious causes


Teachers at a Brisbane primary school have disciplined a nine-year-old girl for refusing to stand for the national anthem during assembly. Primary school student Harper Nielsen was given a lunch time detention on Friday for peacefully protesting against the song she said is "wrong".

"When it says 'we are young' it completely disregards the Indigenous Australians who were here before us for over 50,000 years," she said. "When it was originally written, Advance Australia Fair meant advance the white people of Australia."

Harper told ABC Brisbane she felt annoyed the school was punishing her for expressing her beliefs. "I felt like they were trying to take my power away and that made me feel a bit upset because everything that I fight for is for equality and for equal power for everyone," Harper said.

The Year 4 student said the decision to take a stand was made "mostly" by herself but the subject had been discussed with her parents.

Her father Mark Nielsen, who is an Associate Professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland, said he completely supported his daughter and her views.

"She's shown incredible bravery in wanting to stick to what she believes in and make a stance for something she believes right and I couldn't be more proud of her for wanting to do this," he said.

Associate Professor Nielsen said despite meeting with the school to discuss the issues, they claimed the school rules would not allow his daughter to continue to protest. "They have said that she has to stand or she has to leave the assembly area," he said.

Associate Professor Nielsen said forcing his daughter to go against her stance "doesn't fit" what she was trying to achieve.

"One of the things she was really hoping to do with this is to raise awareness and get people thinking about institutionalised racism and how that looks and how that might feel to people who these kinds of things affect," he said.

In response to criticism of his daughter's actions, Associate Professor Nielsen said it was important to give everyone the opportunity to stand up for things they believed in. "This is not just someone wanting to do whatever the heck they want — this is just a very specific isolated incident for which there are sound, thoughtful reasons behind that, that have to do with human rights," he said. "This is not someone just saying they don't want to go to math class."

Harper's mother, Yvette Miller, is an Associate Professor in Public Health at Queensland University of Technology.

Brisbane Aboriginal community elder Sam Watson said Harper's parents should be congratulated.

"They've obviously raised a very bright and vivacious young woman and this one is going to grow up and do big things in her life," Mr Watson said.

Talkback callers on ABC Radio Brisbane had mixed opinions, with some calling it "flat-out disrespect", while others said freedom of expression should be encouraged in children.

However, in a video posted on Facebook, Senator Pauline Hanson rejected the nine-year-old's views, saying "here we have a kid being brainwashed".

"I tell you what — I'd give her a kick up the backside," Senator Hanson said. "We're talking about a child who has no idea about history — what we should do and what we need to do to pull everyone together, regardless of their cultural background — we are all Australians. "This is divisive and I don't know what the other kids around her are thinking, but where is it coming from?

"This kid is headed down the wrong path, and I blame the parents for it for encouraging this — no, take her out of the school."

In a statement, a spokesperson for Queensland's Department of Education said it had met with the student and family involved to discuss the issue.  "The school has been respectful of the student's wishes and has provided other alternatives to singing the national anthem," the spokesperson said.

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