Back in May, longtime Dallas Independent School District educator George Clayton was defeated in State Board of Education reelection bid, apparently ending his all-too-brief, redistricting-shortened two-year term.
The loss was partly because he was badly outspent by Tincy Miller in her attempt to regain the seat she occupied for several decades, but mostly it was because he is sane and gay, both very bad things to be in the Republican primary for the State Board of Education. Worse, the person who nudged him out of a runoff with Miller was Gail Spurlock, a Richardson Tea Partyer who sincerely believes that pilgrims, who predated Marx by a solid two centuries, were commies, and that the best way to teach teens about sex is to tell them not to have it.
Clayton's defeat was considerably less surprising than his victory two years before but was nonetheless a blow to those of us who hold on to the notion that public education should be based on actual facts, rather than Biblical claims. But all hope is not yet lost. As Tawnell Hobbs points out on the Morning News' education blog today, Clayton plans to rejoin the fray as a write-in candidate. And this time, judging from his email back-and-forth with Spurlock-esque SBOE blogger Donna Garner, he is pissed.
He calls Spurlock "a hard right wing agenda driven bigot" whose "zeal for her political/religious agenda is dangerous."
"Look Donna, I was trashed beyond belief in the primary campaign by Gail, Tincy and other narrow minded CINOS, Christians in Name Only," he wrote. "You are one of them. You and Gail carry a Bible in one hand and a bag of stones in the other."
This time, he promises, the gloves are coming off.
So, you, Gail and that tax dodging Miller crowd just get prepared. Official press releases are prepared and ready to go out soon. In the meantime, a great deal of organizing with teachers and parents is underway. So you see, it is not over until it is over. I hope you don't mind my frank talk. It is likely to become brutal.
The whole exchange is worth a read. I've called Clayton but, judging from last time, he's a hard man to get a hold of. But I'm impressed. Here's hoping that's enough to outweigh the crazies.
