Bills I’m Watching: SB 10 – 10 Commandments in Public School Classrooms
(“Bills I’m watching…” is a series of blog posts where I summarize in plain language what I think a bill is saying. — ABT) SB 10 – relating to the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. Authors: King, Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, Hancock, Hinojosa, Adam, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Middleton,…
Read MoreBills I’m Watching: SB 11 – Prayer/Bible Reading in School
(“Bills I’m watching…” is a series of blog posts where I summarize in plain language what I think a bill is saying. — ABT) SB 11: relating to a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text in public schools. Authors: Middleton, Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, Hancock, Hinojosa,…
Read More“Peace” and “Quiet” are not the same. For true peace we need to start talking!
By Ashley Bean Thornton Do you remember when political conversations, even political disagreements, were more fun than they are now? I do. I miss that. After the frenzy and folderol of the recent election you may be thinking: “Political conversations – no thanks! That’s the last thing I want! I am ready for some peace…
Read MoreReligion in Schools…Where do you pitch your tent?
By Ashley Bean Thornton I have been thinking quite a bit about the different ways people approach the issue of religion in public schools. Here are a few of those different ways that occur to me… Camp 1: We are a Christian Nation. – The founders intended the United States to be a Christian Nation,…
Read MoreWhat next? For me at least…
By Ashley Bean Thornton The following is a presentation I made at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Waco on November 17, 2024. I think I’m a better writer than a speaker, but if you prefer listening to reading…The video is posted at the end. – ABT Good morning! First of all – let me say…
Read MoreWould School Vouchers work for Waco?
By Ashley Bean Thornton School Vouchers (aka Education Savings Accounts, School Choice, Parent Choice…) are often touted as a way to help low-income students “escape failing public schools.” We know from existing voucher programs in other states that it is not working out that way. A recent study by the Brookings Institute, for example, found…
Read MoreIt’s been a year – Plus a little …
Hello Dillos – It’s been a little over a year since my political “re-birth” that led to the re-birth of the Dead Armadillo blog. I’ve done a lot of things I have never done before. I served as an election clerk. I went to a convention for a political party. I watched legislative hearings and…
Read MoreJust a quick comparison…
I cannot imagine that there is much that I could add that hasn’t already been said about the Trump trial and conviction. I’ll have to think about that a bit. Both campaigns are using the Guilty verdict for fundraising purposes. I am struck by the difference in tone between these two fundraising emails that I…
Read MoreFor what it’s worth…Here’s How I plan to vote in the May 4 election and why
By Ashley Bean Thornton All the races in the May 4 Join General Election in McLennan County are non-partisan. Ahhhh! How relaxing! It’s so nice to take a break from partisan shenanigans and just try to consider folks on their merits and ideas. Early voting info May 4 Voting Places (Only 30 this time, so…
Read MoreStandardized testing in a Non-standard world
By Ashley Bean Thornton I am going to brag on myself a little bit, but I have a more noble purpose in mind. So, please bear with me. You know what I am really good at? Standardized tests. Standardized tests have been very, very good to me. I “earned” more than a semester of college…
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