Good News for a Change
The totally whacky lady who was convinced that Obama was a gay prostitute lost her bid for the State Board of Education with a 60/40 vote total. Yeah, even East Texas gets one right every now and then.
DALLAS — Mary Lou Bruner, who made national headlines for Facebook posts in which she called President Obama a male prostitute, lost a Republican runoff election Tuesday for a spot on the State Board of Education.
Bruner made the posts last summer and fall in which she wrote, among other things, that Obama worked a male prostitute in his 20s to pay for a drug habit and that Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan looked like a terrorist when he had a beard.
Yeah, even East Texas gets one right every now and then, but mostly for the wrong reasons.
It wasn’t the Obama statements that got her in trouble. What got her in trouble was this:
Earlier this month Bruner lost an endorsement from Grassroots America, We The People — a prominent tea party group — after she was criticized for citing incorrect information in a speech to school superintendents in East Texas.
According to video of Bruner’s speech to that group, she said, “We are approaching 50% of our student population in the special education programs.”
Yeah, you can say that Obama is a male prostitute but you can’t cast aspersions asparagus on our kids.
Thanks to everybody for the heads up.
The whooshing sound you hear is me exhaling in relief. I find it interesting her comment that 50 percent of Texas’ students are in need of special education. Considering the evident quality of Texas textbooks, just changing them might bring about a huge improvement.
1Considering the people that get elected in Texas, the special ed figure doesn’t surprise me. And yes, improving the textbooks and teachers would be a good step forward.
2Even if it weren’t a vile attack on Obama, it’s also laughable: male prostitutes are generally a lot better looking. (I love our Prez, but he is not the handsomest boy in the neighborhood. Smart, compassionate, wonderful guy, but…would not make much of a living that way.) And guys with a serious drug habit don’t keep making top grades.
None the less I’d like to stuff a fish in Bruner’s face, bones and all.
3She makes Gohmert look sane and well read.
4From the time I spent in Texas I think 50% needing special education is low. Just some book learning would be a start.
Too crazy for Texas? That’s a sure sign that Mary Lou’s family needs to have an intervention for Mommie Dearest. There’s a nice home in her future with soft restraints, medications and a door that locks from the outside. Protect Mary Lou and you protect Texas; win-win.
5Maybe this is where people start to realize: The Bible doesn’t cover Algebra*, so maybe we shouldn’t rely on it for everything.
* Or any other concept unavailable to Bronze Age Jews.
6She lost the Republican nomination, but one of them will probably still win the seat.
7There actually is a probable correlation – 40% voted FOR her. That would mean there probably is a 40% special ed need.
8“Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?”
-G.W. Bush
Mary Lou Bruner has stood up, asked, and I believe answered that question for everyone to see and hear.
9Oh. I figured it was her comment about Ryan that did her in. But yeah, telling the truth in TX. THAT is the original sin.
10I went 12 years to a parochial school dipped in poverty. Our textbooks were so old they did not mention the Second World War. By the time I was half way through high school I knewI had to take my education in my own hands. Spent a lot of imd walking 14 blocks to the central public library where I could read what I wanted. This is where I did the majority of the learning that got me into college. Must raise the question: are there any public libraries in Texas and who is in charge of them? A half way decent public library system can be the salvation of a kid from a school that won’t even teach health ed as there is something evil about it. Not sex ed, mind you. Health ed.
11@ Rhea:
Oh no, no, no! You misunderstand. Undermining education [until they can do away with it completely] is the Republican way. It’s far too valuable to be entrusted to anyone but the children of the very, very rich, don’tcha know.
Thus Rick Perry’s plan to get rid of the DOE — though that very “Oops!” moment [among numerous others during his campaigns] proved just how much good some education could have done him. And he proved, beyond any doubt, that buying horn-rimmed glasses is no substitute.
I’m certain, too, that THAT is why Texas holds such sway over the nation’s textbooks. The fact that the state is big is merely the cover story.
12What they want is government funded Christian schools.
13@Old Fart
Funny I thought al Gebra was an Islamic-centric terrorist group. Or at least I thought it was in 9th and 11th grades.
14And remember, the dumber the populace is, the easier it is to get them to vote for Republicans. Of course, it’s way too late for even special education to help the kids that Miz Bruner taught for 30 long years. I think that Indiana Pearl got it exactly right. And until they can get openly Christian schools for everyone, the State Board of Education will carefully choose the textbooks that are recommended too all schools.
15Indiana Pearl, that is why they want School Vouchers.
16I’m so amazed by this news that I can’t even gloat, as yet. I figured this old biddy had a seat on the Board absolutely assured. Given the insane history of the Board, and the drooling comments from ol’ Mary Lou, why would I think otherwise?
OK, I think I feel a gloat coming on……..
17This is the absolute best news out of TX in a while – I was beginning to wonder if there was any electoral lower bound on ignorance and malice. Admittedly, we still don’t know where the line for ignorance would be drawn between Ms. Bruner and Louie Gohmert, or for malice between Ms. Bruner and, say, the Lt. Gov, whatever name he’s going by today.
In a small bit of second-best news, a shirt-tail cousin of mine over in that part of TX posted his delight at her downfall. He’s running for TX SDEC Committtee in District 1, Drew Corbitt. If you happen to live there and want to find out more about a nice young (well, by my standards!) guy, look him up – he has a Facebook campaign page. I’d love to see his generation leading TX out of the Crimson-Cuckoo zone into a nice blue future!
18But what is being done for the lost 40%ers? No, sending straight razors is not a good answer.
19@Mary R: I found it amazing that she would work as a public school teacher, trash public schools, and then want to hold a very important position determining what would be taught in public schools. Despicable woman, biting the hand that helped her pay her bills for 30 years. Her anti-public education comments made me wonder whether she was a failure in the profession. I continue to be amazed at GOP/TPers who disparage the government while wanting to serve in public positions and those who vote them into office/positions. I’m just glad she won’t be able to spread her ignorance and stupidity more than she already has. This is a win for Texas students. If she had won, I could see her trying to impose her will on the state BOE while ignoring the needs of students.
20Oops,
Looks like the Babylonians started the roots of Algebra (presumably in the Bronze Age). So let’s go with Calculus instead…
Of course it took the Arabs to make it stick…
And if you try to use Algebra as another reason to hate the Arabs, remember they gave us sugar too (sukkar).
21Elizabeth Moon, very few men in their early fifty’s have male prostitute appeal, but young Barack was a handsome guy, and as far as I’m concerned, he’s still handsome.
22The fact that it even came down to a run-off is appalling. There is a brain-wasting, ethics-wasting, morality-wasting disease afflicting a lot of Americans today, and she is its poster child.
23Hem,
If this lady is all atwitter about men that do questionable acts for money, why is she a Republican?
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