10 November 6 - 12, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents were arrested and accused of conspiring to oppose the presidential transfer of power by force.” When Rhodes was found guilty of sedi- tious conspiracy in 2022 and later sentenced to 18 years in prison, the second-longest sen- tence handed down to anyone connected to the Jan. 6 riots, Department of Justice inves- tigators called the Oath Keepers “a large but loosely organized collection of individuals, some of whom are associated with miltias” and asserted that Rhodes and others plotted to “oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power.” Rhodes was not con- victed of any violent offense during the in- surrection, but was viewed by the DOJ as a key organizer of a plan that included a large cache of weapons at a Virginia hotel that would supply a “quick reaction force” if needed. On Jan. 21 of this year, the day after his in- auguration for his second term, Trump com- muted Rhodes’ sentence, and he was released from federal prison. Almost every- one in prison for crimes related to the Jan. 6 riot at that time was released in quick order, with some receiving full pardons. After serv- ing nearly two years of his sentence, Rhodes was not one of the pardoned, and that fact is brought up in the suit. “President Trump commuted the sen- tences of about 12 January 6 Defendents in- stead of giving them full pardons,” the filing states. “Because of the Defendants’ false- hoods about the Plaintiff Rhodes, Rhodes received only a commuted sentence to “time served” not a pardon. As a result, Rhodes has been financially damaged in job prospects, reputation, and the ability to obtain recover- ies from supporter donations.” According to a speech Rhodes gave in July during an event for the conservative group True Texas Project, he is now work- ing with a conservative advocacy group called Condemned USA. According to a Facebook post for the event, Condemned USA is “dedicated to defending constitu- tional rights and ensuring fair treatment for those facing political persecution.” ▼ EDUCATION 383% MORE JESUS NEW TEXAS SCHOOL CURRICULUM TRIPLES DOWN ON CHRISTIANITY. BY EMMA RUBY N early 1 in 4 Texas school districts opted to introduce a new, state- sponsored curriculum to kindergar- ten through fifth-grade classrooms this fall, despite critics saying the lesson plans overly focus on the teachings of Christianity while reducing the importance of other world reli- gions. Around 30 of those districts are in North Texas, with Fort Worth ISD’s adoption of the curriculum marking the second-largest Texas district to opt in. The Bluebonnet cur- riculum was designed by state leaders who used a reading program made by the educa- tion company Amplify as a starting point. The development took place at the same time that Republican leaders mounted an aggressive campaign for more religion in schools. The result, which includes lessons on the Old Testament and the life of Jesus, certainly aligned with that goal. Champions and critics of Bluebonnet both point out that the lesson plans center on Christianity in a way previous Texas curricula have avoided. The New York Times managed to parse through thou- sands of pages of teaching materials and students’ activity books, and found that, in the history lessons alone, the original Am- plify curriculum mentioned Jesus 19 times. Texas’ rewrites included 87 references, a 383% increase. In the second- grade reading les- son plans, Christianity, the Bible and Jesus are referenced about 110 times, the Times found, while Islam, Muslims, the Quran and the Prophet Muham- mad are men- tioned just 31 times across all K-5 lessons. Da- vid R. Brockman, a Christian theologian and religious studies scholar at Rice University, told reporters that he believes the curriculum sends stu- dents the message “that Christianity is the only important religion.” “[It’s] state-sanctioned indoctrination,” said Fort Worth School Board Trustee Quinton Phillips said in September, before the board voted 6-3 to adopt the materials. Texas officials, though, say the Biblical inclusions are less about religious instruc- tion and more based on references that have historical or literary merit. “These references create a strong back- ground of knowledge for students with rich texts to further their understanding of our society, including our history, economy and culture,” Jake Kobersky, a spokesman for the Texas Education Agency, told The New York Times. What’s actually in the lesson plans? P ublic school districts are not re- quired to adopt the Bluebonnet cur- riculum (although there is a significant financial incentive to do so); those that do switch to the lesson plans can remove specific lessons from the materials. That is to say, some Texas school districts may not be covering all the material in- cluded in the lessons. We reviewed the first-grade reading lesson plans, which include 10 units on topics like fairy tales, astronomy and the American Revolution. Not every unit in- cludes references to God, Jesus, the Bible and Christianity, but several do. One unit, titled “Sharing Stories,” references the parable of “The Prodigal Son” from the book of Luke alongside stories like “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.” “The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a pop- ular story in the Christian Bible. Prodigal describes spending money in a wasteful way. Parables are short stories told by different Unfair Park from p9 CHAMPIONS AND CRITICS OF BLUEBONNET BOTH POINT OUT THAT THE LESSON PLANS CENTER ON CHRISTIANITY IN A WAY PREVIOUS TEXAS CURRICULA HAVE AVOIDED.
