Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas During the epic battle that the Texas State Board of Education fought to write new Social Studies curriculum standards the Far Left working closely with their political hand maidens the print media consistently attacked conservatives on the SBOE.
As a conservative on the SBOE I fought hard and continue to do so currently. However I have one requirement the Far Left consistently ignores - truth.
Todays article contains factual truth and documented evidence of the apparent hatred of the Far Left for Israel and Jewish historical figures.
To develop the new Social Studies curriculum standards Academic experts were provided the old standards (TEKS) that entered Texas classrooms in 1997. These experts were asked to simply provide their suggested additions changes and deletions and create the new standards.
The anti-Jewish bias and leftist positions of some of these experts began to manifest itself when they wanted to delete Albert Einstein from the new history standards. Einstein was chosen Person of the Century in 1999 by Time magazine and his name has come to be synonymous with genius.
We conservatives managed to override these experts and restored Einstein to the new Social Studies TEKS.
Then without any explanation the leftist experts deleted Dr. Jonas Salk the American medical hero who in 1955 developed the polio vaccine. Again conservatives found the votes to override the experts.
I personally led a vote add Haym Salomon to the Social Studies standards. In 1976 the U. S. Post Office issued a stamp that noted Salomon as the Contributor to the Cause of the American Revolution. Due to his great selflessness Salomon died penniless. The Jewish World Review reminds us that Salomon is forever linked to the idealism and success of the American Revolution.
Conservatives found the eight votes to override the experts and Haym Salomon is now a part of the new Social Studies curriculum standards.
In World History where students were supposed to study the holidays of major religions the leftist experts added the Muslim and Hindu holidays 
but deleted Rosh Hashanah one of Judaisms holiest days. Again conservatives found the votes to override the experts and restore Rosh Hashanah to the TEKS.
Finally the leftist experts clamed they could not find a Middle Eastern female political leader or role model to put in the TEKS. I nominated Golda Meir the female Prime Minister of the nation of Israel. I believe three Democrats on the SBOE voted not to add Meir but my motion carried anyway.
Throughout the months of debate on the Social Studies TEKS conservatives made it clear that the Holocaust actually occurred just as recorded in history and that Israel is not an occupied territory but is the Nation of Israel.
Einstein Salk Salomon Rosh Hashanah and Meir are just a few examples of the attempts by the Far Left and certain leftist university experts to write Jews out of the new American and World History Social Studies curriculum standards.
Instead of the media doing a fair and balanced job of covering the numerous debates that occurred over the Social Studies TEKS the media chose to use the opportunity to vilify and criticize SBOE conservatives.
In closing please let me make it very clear to the public who will soon be casting their ballots in the 2012 SBOE election. Every SBOE seat will be open because of redistricting. Voters need to remember that it was the 
conservative SBOE members who lead the efforts to fight off the anti-Jewish bias of the leftist experts.
Our new Social Studies TEKS are the most patriotic academic and factual in the whole United States; and it is not a coincidence that The Far Left is scared to death of a place called Texas!
Ken Mercer (R Bexar) is a current Member of the State Board of Education and a former State Representative. Mercer represents 1.7 million constituents in 12 counties including Blanco Burnet Caldwell Comal Gillespie Guadalupe Hays Kendall Llano and parts of Bell Bexar and Travis.
