"Whatever we do, they want to make it look like we are dumb morons. They're very effective, dadgummit."

Anything involving Texas State Board of Education Chair Don McLeroy is bound to to be controversial-slash-hilarious-slash-horrifying. His most recent interview does not disappoint. From the Globe and Mail's John Allenmang:

‘They want to make it look like we are dumb morons'

The Texas Board of Education is adjusting its curriculum to reflect conservative values. How do they deal with backlash from those ‘dadgummit' leftists?

The Globe’s John Allemang interviews Don McLeroy, a board member (and dentist).

You've been the leader in the campaign to introduce conservative values into the Texas school curriculum. What's your goal?

We're just trying to remove bias and get accurate history.

Where's the bias?

Here's an example: At the kindergarten level, the standards committee talked about the kids becoming global citizens instead of United States citizens. The bias is their idea that, ‘Oh, we're just part of the world,' instead of emphasizing the uniqueness of being an American. Some of us don't have a problem with seeing America as being a little unique. Here's another example: In eighth-grade U.S. history, the committee deleted, “Describe how religion contributed to the growth of representative government in the colonies.” Well, I was stunned. Our whole country was born out of Biblical ideals and principles.

Speaking of Biblical principles, didn't your committee delete reference to Thomas Jefferson, who actually talked about the separation of church and state?

That's not true. Look, down here there are these groups from the far left. Whatever we do, they want to make it look like we are dumb morons. They're very effective, dadgummit. Jefferson's name was taken out of a list of Enlightenment philosophers in world history because he didn't fit the period of the Enlightenment.

...

But didn't the increase in government come about because free enterprise failed during the Depression?

If I weren't a dentist, I think I'd enjoy being a teacher, because that's a great question to examine in history class. I'm not an expert, but basically a lot of people think we would have come out of the Depression sooner had it not been for the government interventions.

Continued here for your horror/entertainment.