Martha MacCallum Supports Hate Group's Position On CA Diversity Education?
Reported by Priscilla - May 26, 2011 -
It should go without saying that the Christian right has their nice heterosexual and monogamous panties in a bunch because of a two day program, in one California elementary school, on gender diversity. It should go without saying that, in addition to the Fox News website, Fox "News" is covering this latest attack on the core values of America's bigots (whooops advocates of family values). Today, on "America's Newsroom," Martha MacCallum hosted a discussion about this program with Edward Dragen, an education management consultant and Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council which has been designated by the SPLC as a hate group because of its virulently homophobic positions which Perkins has articulated, without rebuttal, on Fox & Friends and which he articulated, without rebuttal, today. Martha MacCallum's opposition to the program was demonstrated in her lengthy lecture about the inadequacies of the American educational system. So it should go without saying that Fox's "fair & balanced" "news" shows are anything but!
MacCallum began her report. She said "kids are learning their ABC's, their 1,2,3's and now there's a California elementary school that's a bit under fire after children age 5 through 9 are now getting two days of lessons on gender diversity." She described how the children were being taught age appropriate material about gender stereotypes and diversified roles in the animal kingdom. But after Dragen spoke of how the program was part of an anti-bullying campaign, Perkins, whose website refers to this program as "transgender lessons," said that kids should be safe from bulling and - are ya ready for it - "indoctrination into homosexuality." He asked if schools were trying to encourage the promiscuity found in the animal kingdom! MacCallum, who knew what the curriculum was about, said that "as a parent" she agrees that bullying is bad; but then she started the lecture with this question to the school department:
"Have you taught these children the things that it's your job to teach and why are we spending two days" (her eyes widened in apparent outrage) "having this discussion in school? Have you completed all your other missions? You're so freed up that you have time to discuss clown fish and geckos? Are all the bases covered?"
Perkins smiled as she spoke. Dragen said that school wasn't forcing anyone to believe anything; but rather, it was opening the discussion. Rather than address the issue of teaching diversity schoolmarm Martha continued her rambling lecture
"But why are we doing this in school? That is what I'm saying. We have a desperate education situation in this country in many of the districts across this country and there's so much time now in school and I see this with my younger kids in public school. There's perhaps too much time spent on this stuff and not and not enough time spent on what they're supposed to be spending time on."
She had her patented boy-am-I-so pissed look when she asked Perkins to weigh in. He told her that she was "absolutely right." He brayed that "they should be teaching reading writing and arithmetic" (Creationism and bible study too, right Tony?) "not comparing their sexuality to fishes." He said that "transsexual clownfish have nothing to do with helping our children and equipping them to be successful." He must have been referring to that sneaky "gay agenda" when he claimed that "this is part of a bigger problem in America and this is the problem that America is waking up to; as this idea of same sex marriage and all of this is working its way through. This is part of the process it's indoctrinating children at very young ages at the expense of teaching them what they need to be successful." MacCallum reinforced the agitprop with more editorial commentary:
"Both very important issues that we raised here. We want to raise our children to be sensitive of course and understanding, not bullies. We also want to make sure that they know how to read and write by the time they finish 8th grade."
Comment: Mr. Dragen was able to make only several short points as the rest of the time was taken up by MacCallum and Perkins who were just so outraged about 2 days, in one California district (not the district where MacCallum sends her kids), spent on what, despite the objections of the homophobes (Whoops, family values crowd), is an important subject. Instead of addressing why this is important, the message was that this is a an unnecessary program that promotes immorality. Pretty slick. Fox "News" - "fair & balanced" as always!
