Macaca’s fate in California hangs in balance

Macaca’s fate in California hangs in balance

The macaca is a rare multicoloured African bird (no , a monkey, or some kind of chimp?). It has been hunted to death & is almost extinct. (OK I made that up…). But the macaca has gotten a rare lease on life in the recent past.

The most recent effort was made by the conservationist (oops conservative) US republican senate candidate George Allen in his constituency of Southern Virginia. He is such an astute observer of flora & fauna (mostly fauna) that at one of his meetings, even while explaining to those hardy Virginians the intricacies of Washington Politics, he suddenly was overwhelmed by a vision.

He was in rapture! He pointed out to the assembled crowd of supporters, a macaca, right in their midst of the crowd, holding a video camera! The crowd strained for a look, wow! A moment in the history of Virginia, they thought!

Unfortunately (for him) the “macaca” turned out to be an ABD ( American Born Desi, or Indian American) Sidarth. Sidarth was “shadowing” him on behalf of his democratic opponent. (One species doing some “Anthropology” on another ?)

He’s (“conservationist” Allen has) now spent the past few weeks explaining to anyone who’d listen, that it was an “honest mistake”. That he thought the brown face among the sea of white faces was, using “deductive” logic, a “macaca” not a human being. (OK I made that one up too, but you get the point.).

So far no one’s buying. (he had repeated the “macaca” word twice in that speech, an “honest mistake” both times, perhaps, also hoping that the crowds would love such “honest mistakes”) His polled approval ratings have dropped from the 70s to the 30s, media & comedians are having a laugh at his expense, his competitor is making hay while the “macaca” sun shines.

So, ……Sunshine,….is that where the Sunshine State of California comes into this story ? Well, yes & No.

In California, the fate of some of Sidarth’s “bandhus” (brothers or fellow beings, dunno about their “macaca” status) hangs in balance.

Apparently they (their parents) got tired of being labeled as “macaca worshippers” (the exact words in the 6th grade California History textbooks being “monkey worshippers”,..you guessed it…due to many hindus “degenerate” bhakti to Sri Hanuman). So they decided to “take the law in their own hands”. No, not the classic American Western Way, with guns, but the new way, i.e. they got the contents of California’s History textbooks “washed” off some of this “filth” (as in above example, & more) so the kids could touch them again without getting their hands soiled. All this was done perfectly legally, textbook style, like a good “model minority” should, with painstaking attention to procedure, making presentations to the State Board of Education Review Panel, suggesting edits so all would be satisfied.

But one can wash filth out of books, but can one wash cobwebs out of “scholars” brains? Apparently not, as a bunch of “eminent scholars” (led by the Harvard “Sanskrit Don” Michael Witzel, & followed, amongst other desi “scholar/sepoys” by the likes of Univ of Mich’s Madhav Deshpande, etc..) jumped into the fray, uninvited, shouting “Aryan Invasion”, Conspiracy”, “Caste System”, “Womens Rights”, “We know best” “You know nothing” “We will get you”.

They bamboozled the SBE to allow them to insert themselves into the process, messed around with the texts some more, & “voila”, behind closed doors, the textbooks once revised, were re-revised so that these scholars could put back their favorite words (the above “swear” words).

The last act (so far) in the drama has been the HAF (Hindu American Foundation) getting in & suing the California SBE for violating due process & discriminating against the rights of Calif kids by doing backroom shennanigans, when they should have been out in the open Calif Sunshine.
HAF won the lawsuit, judges agreeing with their contentions. But the text books won’t change (beyond the 75% changes that still managed to withstand the “Aryan Invasion” by Witzel & his desi “Comrades”).

Meanwhile there is another lawsuit in US federal court by CAPEEM (not “kapim”) on similar lines, & this is bound to get some encouragement from this victory.

Moral of story, be a model minority, but within the rules, fight hard or you’ll get trampled.

Some Afterthoughts. In US we at least got this much, in the “other great democracy” of “Secular” India, the “Aryan Invasions” are still on (led by the Krishnaless Gitaless Arjun {Singh}), with “Eminent Historian” still riding on imaginary horses to save the imaginary “real” history of India from the clutches of “Hindu Fanatics”.

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REFERENCES
(If the story wasn’t fun enough, you can enjoy yourselves here! Wide choice of entertainment guaranteed, of course, your outrage is just “collateral damage”. As a shield, please wear your sense of humor, & don’t lose it please!)

1. Samples from Sixth Grade California Textbooks (at http://www.eshiusa.org/Documents/SamplesCATextbook2005.htm )
By far the most exciting stories about India! Stories you (or your desi Grandma) would have never dreamed of hearing, much less saying!

2. California Textbooks Controversy: Politicization of an Academic Issue by Hindu-Haters (at http://www.india-forum.com/articles/83/1/California-Textbooks-Controversy:-Politicization-of-an-Academic-Issue-by-Hindu-Haters )
He lays out the relevant details of the controversy. e.g. (Excerpt):

2. What are Hindu groups trying to achieve through their proposed edits?

Hindu groups want sixth grade children to get a fair and accurate portrayal
ancient Indian history and of Hinduism, that also conforms to CA State Law,
Education Code 60044(a) and Subsection (b)], and the “Standards for Evaluating
Instructional Materials for Social Content (2000 Edition) which clearly state
the following guidelines for textbooks:

“1. Adverse Reflection. No religious
belief or practice may be held up to ridicule and no religious group may be
portrayed as inferior.”

2. Indoctrination. Any explanation or description of
a religious belief or practice should be present in a manner that does not
encourage or discourage belief or indoctrinate the student in any particular
religious belief.”

It is very clear that these standards are violated very
often when Hinduism is discussed by most of the textbooks.

3. HATING HINDUS IN A ‘SCHOLARLY’ WAY (at http://www.india-forum.com/articles/86/1/HATING-HINDUS-IN-A-%91SCHOLARLY%92-WAY )
Title is self-explanatory .

4. Gunga Din Comes to Michigan (at http://www.india-forum.com/articles/88/1/Gunga-Din-Comes-to-Michigan )
If Ref#3 helped others hate hindus in a “scholarly way” this one teaches desis how to hate themselves. Learn from “guruji” of self-hatred Madhav Deshpande In today’s landscape of “self-help” books, these desi “scholar/sepoys” are “ahead of the curve”.

5. Is Madhav Deshpande an amnesiac? (at http://www.india-forum.com/articles/87/1/Is-Madhav-Deshpande-an-amnesiac%3F)
Title is self-explanatory .

6. Thus Spake Michael Witzel (at http://www.vigilonline.com/downloads/Dossier%20on%20Witzel.doc)
The previously mentioned “guruji” is this guy’s “chelaji”.

7. End Harvard Association of Hate Groups! (at http://www.petitiononline.com/stopIER/petition.html )

Desi attempts to do something about “guruji’s” shennanigans. Very informative.

8. Scientists Collide with Linguists to Assert Indigenous origin of Indian Civilization
(at http://www.umassd.edu/indic/press/origin_pr.cfm )
Desis take on Witzel in his own language, at U Mass.

9. Hindu organisation flays US court’s decision on textbooks (at http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/sep/05hindu.htm )
Victory in theory only…lots more to be done.