Wow, Michelle was right. If wiki is right (that's as far as I checked) the FBI relied on census data to identify Japanese Americans to round up in WWII.
I was curious due to the obvious fact that she is such a nut. I am also beyond sick of Michael Jackson coverage, (but not Sanford news because his wife should keep on talking, he seems to deserve public humiliation) Most importantly I remember from working at the Minnesota Historical Society that census records are not available for 72 years.
They are then used every single day for fantastic education and inspiration.
Forget Michelle and her paranoia about census records being used by the big bad government. Never mind the fact that she would be the first one wanting them used to identify Arabs....
I was not able to determine from the government website (or wiki) what year a law was passed that blocked public access for 72 years but the reason is very clear:privacy.
A few years ago I was a Museum Educator at the Minnesota History Center. I loved, loved, loved my job and have nothing but happy memories. My main duty was to teach one hour lessons on various MN history subjects. They were inquiry based using lots of artifacts.
I didn't write these lessons, nor would I have ever changed a thing about them. They were fantastic. The subjects included logging, African Americans in Minnesota, Dakota Childhood, the Fur Trade, City Living "100 yrs ago" and Country living "100 yrs ago". The most popular lesson was
When I Was A Kid
As my students filed into the classroom they were handed a card with census information on a kid who lived in 1910.(Real first names, no last names but then again, it was someone who was a kid 72 yrs ago.) They became that kid for the next hour. The students were typically on a day long field trip, this lesson was one part, most of the day was in the museum, all grades from schools all over the state.
So Kayla from Minneapolis became "Jenny" who lived in 1910. Her dad was a farmer or cobbler or butcher etc etc, the census records enabled us to tell her her brother and sister's names.There was a teeny bit of poetic license based on fact. We would tell them some games she liked or something benign like that; but historically accurate.
We then looked at slides of kids in 1910 at school, at home, at play.Kids were called up to the front at various times to guess what an artifact was. The soap saver, chicken catcher, ink well, washboard and others were big hits. We had an absolutely great time every single hour I taught that class comparing and contrasting their lives to life in 1910.I'm not trying to brag because I didn't write these lessons. They were great for years before I got there. I do take pride in how good I was;good at asking lots of questions, not doing too much telling and making a good connection with kids.
The evaluations from the classroom teachers were always positive and the parent chaperones had a great time too. I mention this only because I love the Historical Society and these lessons could not have been taught without census records. They are one of the most important primary source documents for education and historical research.
Michelle Bachmann's kids probably came on at least one field trip to the History Center.
She is such an idiot.
To anyone working at museums or historical societies in these tough times: Please keep up the good work! Sorry you always have to scramble for funding.