When culture war issues are inseminated on official Fox "opinion" programming, they ultimately are gestated on official Fox "news" shows. Such was the case, on Monday, when alleged Fox News anchor, Megyn Kelly, provided more support for the Texas mom who is outraged over a truly, treasonous Texas curriculum that OMG suggests that terrorism, on American soil, stems partly from reactions to American foreign policy. Well them's fighting words, in Texas and on Fox where America can do no wrong. As I reported, Fox & Friends spun the "outrage" into a whole cloth lie by asserting that the "controversial" curriculum blamed America for 9-11. The lie was given even more traction by Megyn Kelly whose show is officially "fair & balanced" Fox News.
Kelly immediately framed the issue as a "new controversy over what children are taught in Texas schools after a mother complains about a test that suggests the US is to blamed for the 9-11 terrorist attacks." Megyn then showed the test question: "Why might the US be a target for terrorism?) and the answers: "A -Other people just don't like America," "B- Decisions we made in the US have had negative effects on people elsewhere," C -"Terrorists hate everyone" and D- "none of the above." (Of course the right answer is that terrorists hate Jesus but whatever...) As you can see, blaming America for 9-11 is a bit of a stretch. Kelly dramatically intoned the words of the correct answer (B).
Kelly said that "this isn't the first time we've heard concerns about the Texas curriculum." (Right, Fox & Friends spent a whole week defending conservatives who wanted their Christian, revisionist, right wing, Teabagging view of history as part of the core curriculum.) She reported that the school district apologized and contacted the group that "put it together." (Kelly is now talking about a video, that accompanied the test, which Sands is also complaining about), and said that it wasn't their intent to say the US was to blame and (her voice rose dramatically) "they were trying to generate a patriotic message." Texas Christian mom, Tara Sands disagreed that the video is patriotic and claims it still blames the US for 9-11. (In neither the Fox & Friends segment nor this one, has any part of the video been played.) Kelly cleverly reinforced the propaganda when she said that Sands son's understanding, after he "clearly watched the video," understood that "the right answer was to say that we are partly to blame for 9-11." The chyron supported the agitprop: "9/11 Quiz Controversy, TX School Teaches Kids To Blame US."
Kelly brought on Texas State Senator Dan Patrick, a right wing radio host who is sponsoring legislation to eliminate Black and Mexican-American history course, and asked if "what we have to deal with" is a "set curriculum that is trying to teach our kids that we, America, are to blame for the bad things that happen to us." She pursed her lips in disgust as he spoke of how, when he was last on Fox (hmmm), he discussed the "dramatic changes" in education in that, rather than properly vetted textbooks, there is an "onslaught of on-line products." He complained about the current curriculum, primarily funded by the federal government, and suggested that other vendors weren't considered.
After Sands said that the school tried to intimidate her; but she believes in "speaking out," Kelly noted that the school's apology implies that, despite Sands being the only parent who complained, it's just not one person who has a problem with the lessons.
Without seeing the teaching part of the video we have only Kara's assertion, validated by Kelly, that students are being taught that America is to blame for terrorism when, judging by the correct answer, the instruction deals with unintended consequences of America not always using its power wisely. To say that the curriculum is "blaming" America appears to be a misconstrual by somebody with a right wing agenda that goes beyond just this test. The word "blame" is a value judgment being made by somebody who is blaming a curriculum for something it didn't do. So far, nobody from the school has been interviewed. This is all about conservative objections to a Texas curriculum. Nice to see that "Fair & Balanced" Fox "News" is taking sides.
Video here