As ridiculous as South Dakota?

Check out this article from today's NYTimes. Okay, probably not as ridiculous as claiming that astrological factors affect the climate. But obviously it's not enough for conservatives to deny evolution anymore. They're taking aim at every subject! The scariest example here is Christianist revision of US history. Students in TX will now be instructed that America's founders weren't committed to a secular government, but a Christian one. In case you didn't read to the end, the amendments to the curriculum "cut Thomas Jefferson from a list of figures whose writings inspired revolutions in the late 18th century and 19th century." Thomas fuckin' Jefferson!

This reminds me of Tim Pawlenty's speech recently at CPAC. Pawlenty, formerly a moderate Republican, had this to say about secularism and the Constitution:

"God’s in charge.' 'God is in charge.' There are some people who say, ‘Oh, you know, Pawlenty, don’t bring that up. You know, it’s politically incorrect.’ Hogwash.' These are enshrined in the founding documents and perspective of our country."

Luckily, if students actually read any primary sources at all, like, for instance, the US Constitution, they'll realize that their Board of Education, and Tim Pawlenty, are delusional. The US Constitution was actually the most radical attempt in the history of mankind to create a government that excluded God altogether. With any luck, they'll delve a little deeper and come to realize that the most influential members of the Constitutional Convention, like Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Hamilton, and Franklin, leaned towards Deism, even if they could accurately be described as Christian.