Alabama State Rep. Jeremy Gray introduced a bill that would allow yoga to be practiced voluntarily at public schools. But the state legislature upheld the ban against yoga, which has been strictly prohibited since 1993. If you are wondering why, the answer is “Alabama.” It is, of course, the only state in the country that bans yoga.
The text of the ban says “school personnel shall be prohibited from using any techniques that involve the induction of hypnotic states, guided imagery, meditation or yoga” and additionally banned the use of the word “namaste.”
At issue is whether the practice of yoga promotes Hinduism - a claim several conservative Christian groups say is a problem.
Because yoga is rooted in Hinduism, Eric Johnston, a legal adviser for the Alabama Citizens Action Program, told The New York Times, “it does not need to be taught to small children in public schools.”
“If this bill passes, then instructors will be able to come into classrooms as young as kindergarten and bring these children through guided imagery, which is a spiritual exercise, and it’s outside their parents’ view. And we just believe that this is not appropriate,” Betsy Garrison of the Eagle Forum of Alabama, argued in session.
For some reason, Alabamans who like to complain about the government taking away muhfreedoms are curiously silent on this example of egregious government control.
hello, I haven’t seen anything posted about HB 1570 passing in Arkansas on here today which is disappointing considering the severity of the situation
“To renounce liberty is to renounce being a man, to surrender the rights of humanity and even its duties.” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract
On this day, 1 April 1982, oil company Exxon produced a private, internal report on carbon dioxide (CO2) and the greenhouse effect. A summary of the report circulated to senior management stated that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was concentrated at 340 ppm, and that burning fossil fuels and clearing forests was causing this figure to increase.
It does state that there was “currently no unambiguous scientific evidence that the Earth is warming” but goes on to state that global warming could be detected by 1995. It warns that this warming might be irreversible, and says that mitigating against negative effects of global warming would require a reduction in fossil fuel combustion. Exxon scientists projected that surface temperatures would warm 3-6°C above preindustrial levels by the year 2100.
The report proves that as early as the 1970s Exxon, like many fossil fuel companies, knew that their products were going to cause devastating climate change to the planet, even though it was not yet detectable. However, Exxon took no corrective action, and instead funnelled $31 million to fund misinformation campaigns to try to manufacture doubt about climate change.
Pictured: their projection of average global temperature, which have proved to be broadly accurate since. https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1685095161675627/?type=3
