Why be afraid of the word democratic? The Texas State Board of Education has recently temporarily accepted new standards in social studies, history and economics. Although the final vote will be in May few doubt they will formally be accepted. These standards, which many have called far-right, will be taught to millions of students for at least the next decade. Since this far-right faction within the board has long had an agenda, the standards are meant to serve their purpose, to teach for example the Judeo-Christian influence of the nation’s Founding Fathers, but not to go into the philosophical reasons for the separation of church and state. Another example states that the U.S. government will be described as a “constitutional republic” rather than as being “democratic.” One suspects that the small d word is too close to the party of that name. One assumes they must feel that if one pushes democratic values, a cornerstone of American politics and culture, that in turn students will join the Democratic party and end up liberals and thus continue to weaken the decline of our culture. But isn’t bending facts, censoring knowledge, brainwashing young minds, misstating intent, omitting knowledge, far more dangerous than whatever it is liberals do, or more accurately are said to be doing? The faction is using democratic principles to inject non-democratic practices. Perhaps that’s the real danger.