It is said that everything’s bigger in Texas, and that would seem to go double for irony.
On Tuesday, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that “we will ban” the teaching of critical race theory in public universities in the state.
Last year, Patrick launched the Liberty Institute, which is described as being “dedicated to the study and teaching of individual liberty, limited government, private enterprise and free markets.”
Huh.
“I will not stand by and let looney Marxist UT professors poison the minds of young students with Critical Race Theory,” he puffed. “We banned it in publicly funded K-12 and we will ban it in publicly funded higher ed. That’s why we created the Liberty Institute at UT.”
Patrick was reacting to a resolution passed by UT faculty on Monday declaring that educators – not politicians – should make decisions about course curricula. The resolution passed 41 to 5.
“This resolution affirms the fundamental rights of faculty to academic freedom in its broadest sense, inclusive of research and teaching of race and gender theory,
In his tweet, lieutenant governor referenced a state law enacted by the Republican-controlled government in Texas last year outlining how teachers are allowed to discuss current events and racism in class.
Patrick has been instrumental in the creation of a University of Texas at Austin “think tank” called the Liberty Institute, which ostensibly exists to educate students about the perils of government restrictions.
As the Texas Tribune reported in August,
Legislators already approved initial funding for the Liberty Institute, slipping $6 million into the 2022-23 state budget without giving details of the project’s aim. University officials have also committed $6 million. All involved have been vague or silent about their plans so far when asked by faculty and student groups. And they have repeatedly denied interview requests from The Texas Tribune about the project’s intent, its budget and who is involved.
However, the Tribune obtained documents showing that “well known UT-Austin alumni and conservative donors, oil tycoon Bud Brigham and billionaire businessman Bob Rowling, also have been involved in the project.”
Last summer, Patrick told gatherers at CPAC in Dallas that if his state turned blue, the results would be catastrophic.
“In Texas, we are the last man standing,” he said. “There are a lot of conservative and red states around the country, but if we fall, America falls. ”
Stifling certain discussions in the classroom seem to be part Dan Patrick’