http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/Dems_protest_proposed_school_standards.html

The Texas Freedom Network, an Austin-based group that monitors the State Board of Education in support of religious and civil liberties, complained about "blatant politicization of social studies curriculum."

"When partisan politicians take a wrecking ball to the work of teachers and scholars, you get a document that looks more like a party platform than a social studies curriculum," said Kathy Miller, president of the group. "The video archive of this week's meeting would be a great primer for parents and lawmakers on how politics is undermining the education of Texas schoolchildren."

Miller's group, in particular, objected to the board:

• Approving an amendment suggesting that 1950s McCarthyism had been justified.

• Adopting a standard that specifically promotes the views of conservative icons, groups or concepts – included by name were Phyllis Schlafly, the Contract with America, the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association -- while ignoring liberal politics and political figures.

• Removing a specific requirement that students learn about the efforts of women and ethnic minorities to gain equal rights, replacing it with vague language about "various groups."