Friend of Unfair Park The Big Guy just shot us an e-mail with the subject header "Mary Kay > Christopher Columbus." Also contained within his missive: a link to this Associated Press story about the brewing battle over State Board of Education's new social studies curriculum standards, for which the board began hearing public testimony today. Standards won't be finalized till March, but an early vote on amendments will be taken tomorrow.
So where does Mary Kay fit into this? Glad you asked:
"This is the first time the State Board of Education is going to get to vote on this, so you can't take anything for granted," said Jonathan Saenz, a lobbyist for the conservative Free Market Foundation. "I think it would be a tragedy if students talk about Martin Luther King Jr., while not being able to talk about the fact that he had a strong Christian faith. I'm hoping that's not the direction we're headed."
He'll also ask the board to reconsider mentioning makeup entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash of Addison, Texas, more often than Christopher Columbus in the curriculum standard. At present Ash is mentioned twice; Columbus once.