02-18-2006, 10:37 PM
Hi! This came in the email cc-ed from someone. I thought u guys mite b interested since it mentions ur forum a lot.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Did you miss the elephant in the room dear SJMN? </b>
Dear Ms. Krieger and fellow journalists of the Mercury News:
This is about your article
"Scholars, faithful debate textbooks' portrayal of Hinduism"
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...on/13904600.htm
Mothers all over India, speaking dozens of different languages, have the same way of chiding kids who don't pay attention: "You heard the whole Ramayana, and then ask what Mr. Sit was to Ms. Rama?" (FYI, since you may have studied from California textbooks: The Indian epic Ramayana is about Prince Ram and princess Sita ).
With all due respect, Ms. Krieger, you missed the story entirely. Here are two basic questions:
1. Isn't Secretary of Education Alan Bersin, a Trustee and Overseer of Havard University, abusing his power and your tax dollars, by thrusting a Harvard flunkie and his buddies as "Super-CRP" at the last minute to override the year-long efforts and recommendations of the lawfully constituted Content Review Panel? Is this not far worse than PA Senator Arlen Specter's supposedly unethical "directed funding" to clients of a lobbyist married to his aide? That made front page headlines in USA Today (Feb 16) - where are California's ace journalists when Bersin's highly suspicious actions are right in front of their eyes? Why have you not asked the State Board to comment on that, Ms. Krieger?
2. The predictable result of that abuse is the patently illegal arrogance of the State Board of Education in denying EQUAL treatment to Hindu-Americans, and conducting closed-door meetings to override citizen decisions in order to favor the indefensible bigotry of the East Coast Hired Gun.
Why must the State seek "non-Hindu" input to dicate the sections on Hinduism, Ms. Krieger? Is the section on Judaism dictated by Nazis? Or the section on Christianity by the Taliban or their apologists the FOSA? Or by the California Communists such as the FOIL?
Do you believe that only someone with a name like "Witzel" or "Krieger" can be a "prominent academic" or "objective scholar", not Prof. Bajpai, and not the 100+ professors, among 2500+ citizens, who have signed a petition on the internet declaring Witzel's conduct to be a disgrace to Harvard university to and all who believe in decency?
The hatred and political arrogance are all coming from those who want our kids to be taught to hate us - and to not even recognize that fact, as one of the people you interviewed proves so well. And that's exactly what Hindu Americans are fighting to overcome.
For your information, even I, sitting 2000 miles from Sacramento, know what California Law and Common Sense say:
"The same yardstick should be applied to all religions, and there should not be any discrimination against any religion."
Textbooks should conform, in letter and spirit, to the CA State Law [Education Code 60044, subsections [a] and [b]], of the "Standards for Evaluating Instructional Materials for Social Content [2000 Edition]," according to which: "No religious belief or practice may be held up to ridicule and no religious group may be portrayed as inferior."
And the California State Board of Education Guidelines say
"Textbooks should instill a sense of pride in every child in his or her heritage"
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/documents...ontent.pdf
How tough is that to figure out, Ms. Krieger?
On December 1, the State Board of Education formulated an excellent compromise after giving Mr. Witzel and his flunkies every opportunity to present their case, such as it was. But the SBE never published that compromise document, instead "leaking" it to the Taliban/Communist organization called "FOSA" and to Witzel's gang.
Instead, on January 5, they held a CLOSED-DOOR, unannounced meeting, allowing Witzel to fly in NON-HINDUS funded by some New Jersey Conversionist Scam (again associated with Harvard funding), and giving Witzel VETO POWER over every edit - and now claim that this is their final decision!
Is this Open Democracy and Open Government in today's Terminator California? Where are the Guardians of Democracy, your journalists, to question this abuse?
Every time peaceful citizens have been forced to fight to "win" constitutionally-mandated rights, there have always been sniveling idiots in the middle, parroting the powerful hate-mongers to help put down those citizens, calling them "fundamentalists", and kissing up to the hate-mongers as "scholars" etc. Don't be on the wrong side of history, Ms. Krieger.
Please also read:
Critical Observations on the Michael Witzel Petition By Vishal Agarwal
http://www.india-forum.com/articles/91/1/C...Witzel-Petition
Forgetting the Child - the Heart of the Matter By Niraj Mohanka
http://www.india-forum.com/articles/90/1/F...t-of-the-Matter
Scholarship of Equine Posteriors â Har(vard)appa Style
http://www.indiacause.com/columns/OL_051204.htm
And please follow the real story in this: why is a Harvard Trustee abusing taxpayer dollars to pay a Harvard professor known mostly for his bullying and his record of creating conflict? Why have these hired guns been brought in to pollute the Californian air where parents and teachers were working together in peace and cooperation to decide what their kids should learn?
Thanks<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Did you miss the elephant in the room dear SJMN? </b>
Dear Ms. Krieger and fellow journalists of the Mercury News:
This is about your article
"Scholars, faithful debate textbooks' portrayal of Hinduism"
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...on/13904600.htm
Mothers all over India, speaking dozens of different languages, have the same way of chiding kids who don't pay attention: "You heard the whole Ramayana, and then ask what Mr. Sit was to Ms. Rama?" (FYI, since you may have studied from California textbooks: The Indian epic Ramayana is about Prince Ram and princess Sita ).
With all due respect, Ms. Krieger, you missed the story entirely. Here are two basic questions:
1. Isn't Secretary of Education Alan Bersin, a Trustee and Overseer of Havard University, abusing his power and your tax dollars, by thrusting a Harvard flunkie and his buddies as "Super-CRP" at the last minute to override the year-long efforts and recommendations of the lawfully constituted Content Review Panel? Is this not far worse than PA Senator Arlen Specter's supposedly unethical "directed funding" to clients of a lobbyist married to his aide? That made front page headlines in USA Today (Feb 16) - where are California's ace journalists when Bersin's highly suspicious actions are right in front of their eyes? Why have you not asked the State Board to comment on that, Ms. Krieger?
2. The predictable result of that abuse is the patently illegal arrogance of the State Board of Education in denying EQUAL treatment to Hindu-Americans, and conducting closed-door meetings to override citizen decisions in order to favor the indefensible bigotry of the East Coast Hired Gun.
Why must the State seek "non-Hindu" input to dicate the sections on Hinduism, Ms. Krieger? Is the section on Judaism dictated by Nazis? Or the section on Christianity by the Taliban or their apologists the FOSA? Or by the California Communists such as the FOIL?
Do you believe that only someone with a name like "Witzel" or "Krieger" can be a "prominent academic" or "objective scholar", not Prof. Bajpai, and not the 100+ professors, among 2500+ citizens, who have signed a petition on the internet declaring Witzel's conduct to be a disgrace to Harvard university to and all who believe in decency?
The hatred and political arrogance are all coming from those who want our kids to be taught to hate us - and to not even recognize that fact, as one of the people you interviewed proves so well. And that's exactly what Hindu Americans are fighting to overcome.
For your information, even I, sitting 2000 miles from Sacramento, know what California Law and Common Sense say:
"The same yardstick should be applied to all religions, and there should not be any discrimination against any religion."
Textbooks should conform, in letter and spirit, to the CA State Law [Education Code 60044, subsections [a] and [b]], of the "Standards for Evaluating Instructional Materials for Social Content [2000 Edition]," according to which: "No religious belief or practice may be held up to ridicule and no religious group may be portrayed as inferior."
And the California State Board of Education Guidelines say
"Textbooks should instill a sense of pride in every child in his or her heritage"
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/documents...ontent.pdf
How tough is that to figure out, Ms. Krieger?
On December 1, the State Board of Education formulated an excellent compromise after giving Mr. Witzel and his flunkies every opportunity to present their case, such as it was. But the SBE never published that compromise document, instead "leaking" it to the Taliban/Communist organization called "FOSA" and to Witzel's gang.
Instead, on January 5, they held a CLOSED-DOOR, unannounced meeting, allowing Witzel to fly in NON-HINDUS funded by some New Jersey Conversionist Scam (again associated with Harvard funding), and giving Witzel VETO POWER over every edit - and now claim that this is their final decision!
Is this Open Democracy and Open Government in today's Terminator California? Where are the Guardians of Democracy, your journalists, to question this abuse?
Every time peaceful citizens have been forced to fight to "win" constitutionally-mandated rights, there have always been sniveling idiots in the middle, parroting the powerful hate-mongers to help put down those citizens, calling them "fundamentalists", and kissing up to the hate-mongers as "scholars" etc. Don't be on the wrong side of history, Ms. Krieger.
Please also read:
Critical Observations on the Michael Witzel Petition By Vishal Agarwal
http://www.india-forum.com/articles/91/1/C...Witzel-Petition
Forgetting the Child - the Heart of the Matter By Niraj Mohanka
http://www.india-forum.com/articles/90/1/F...t-of-the-Matter
Scholarship of Equine Posteriors â Har(vard)appa Style
http://www.indiacause.com/columns/OL_051204.htm
And please follow the real story in this: why is a Harvard Trustee abusing taxpayer dollars to pay a Harvard professor known mostly for his bullying and his record of creating conflict? Why have these hired guns been brought in to pollute the Californian air where parents and teachers were working together in peace and cooperation to decide what their kids should learn?
Thanks<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->