Latest Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution

The Dems. seem to favour the old Soviet system and the Repubs, the traditional American system.

Do you agree wande?

Science is, of course, the only true religion Americans still have left. Beautiful women, literary people, social planners, editorial writers, presidents, politicians, and a sprinkling of illiterates do not know that science is most exact in those regions where it has progressed into the secrets of the universe about as far as the precision and exactitude of English spelling has advanced us into the secret lore of meaning. Which is to say: a distance. But not a great distance. Where science is exact, it is vastly insignificant; where it is significant, it is open-ended, not certain, prey to reasoning by analogy, torn be debate, sustained by darkest mystery, and when all is said about as scientific as literary criticism. Be it understood between us that science possesses no secure idea of what is electricity, time, space, and the structure of the atom. Yet science has come together with love-of-America to form the latest amalgum in the guaranteed most awful religion of them all: love-of-America plugged in to some intellectual super-machine.

Tories must share blame for parental rights 'hysteria'
(By Don Braid, Calgary Herald, May 26, 2009)

As he prepares to change his explosive human rights legislation, Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett himself sounds like he's about to blow.

"Everybody's looking for the right-wing bogeyman that doesn't exist," Blackett tells me, "but everybody who's talking like that, they are the intolerant ones. It's them, not us."

Those "intolerant ones," in Blackett's book, include the opposition and the media, too.

"The opposition never offered a solution. All they had was opposition based on hysteria, with support from the media."

Albertans will be deeply pained by the minister's discomfort, I'm sure. But another word for this "hysteria" is democracy.

The bill was publicly challenged and the government is now improving it. That's how the system is supposed to work.

Blackett and many other Tories have been enraged by claims that they're intolerant. They take it personally.

"How can people say I'm anti-gay?" Blackett asks. "I can't deal with the arts community every day by being anti-gay. They'd pick that up in a minute."

Although the Liberals and New Democrats have pounded the issue for weeks, Blackett insists they've had no impact on his changes.

"Not a chance. They had absolutely nothin - g to do with this."

The alterations, he insists, were propelled by Frank Bruseker, president of the Alberta Teachers' Association, and Allan Borovoy, general counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

Bruseker was once a Liberal MLA, but apparently that doesn't count. The Tories adamantly refuse to give the opposition any credit for a significant refining of this bill.

That's ridiculous. The opposition clearly played a role, at least in seeding the political thunderstorm that finally made the Tories take cover.

But the fears the opposition raised were often ludicrously overblown. They charged that the parents' rights section would shut down all classroom talk of sex, homosexuality, religion or even evolution.

That was unlikely ever to hap-pen. Some of the allegations--of teachers having to stop classes when sex was mentioned, for instance-- were wildly exaggerated.

One rule of good legislation, though, is that there should never be even a chance of unintended consequences. They can be fearsome (remember royalties?)

So Blackett will plug a few holes.

His changes say that for parents to be notified, the class must be "primarily and explicitly" about religion, human sexuality or sexual orientation.

The word "primarily" is new. It means (or so Blackett hopes) that no child can be taken out of any class just because one of those topics happens to come up.

"This is not meant to get Johnny out of math class because you're upset with the teacher, or get Johnny out of biology class because you don't want the teaching of evolution," the minister says.

The changes, he promises, make it clear that teachers are not prohibited from making "indirect references" to the hot-button subjects.

They will still be free, for instance, to talk about gay rights in a social studies class or religion in a conversation about science.

"We are going to make it clear that our intention is not to interfere with a teacher's ability to have discussions with students," says the minister. "They should not feel threatened or under duress."

Finally, as if to show how silly all this has become, the act will now refer to classes about "human sexuality" rather than just "sexuality."

There is a reason, believe it or not. Somewhere, some crackpot could actually have pulled his kids from classes explaining the reproductive habits of rabbits, bats or gnats.

Please, let's get this one over with.

AUSTIN " Senate Democrats say they have more than enough votes to remove Don McLeroy as chairman of the State Board of Education Tuesday when McLeroy’s confirmation reaches the Senate floor.

The Bryan dentist has presided over a contentious 15-member State Board of Education that fought over curriculum standards for science earlier this year and English language arts and reading last year. Critics faulted McLeroy for applying his strong religious beliefs in shaping new science standards. McLeroy believes in creationism and that the Earth is about 6,000 years old.

“This particular State Board of Education under the leadership of Dr. McLeroy has been divisive. It’s been dysfunctional, and it has been embarrassing to the point of having commentary on this in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal,” said Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

McLeroy’s leadership, she said, had made Texas “the laughing stock of the nation.”

It takes 11 votes to block a gubernatorial nomination. Van de Putte said all 12 Senate Democrats plan to vote against McLeroy

McLeroy declined to comment Monday. He would continue to sit on the State Board of Education if the Senate blocks his nomination as chairman.

At a confirmation hearing last month, McLeroy said he had no regrets about his leadership and emphasized he has not pushed his religious viewpoints into public education policies.

McLeroy recently fought for new science curriculum standards that require students to analyze and evaluate various scientific theories.

“There’s nothing religious about those standards,” he told senators. “Our children will critically examine the scientific explanations for cells or the origin of life. I think that by being honest with our kids, we will get really good scientists.”

Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, has been a strong critic of McLeroy.

“He has used his position to push extreme beliefs on 4.7 million school children. He has rejected solid science in favor of ideology,” Shapleigh said. “He has ignored input from experts on what works best for reading.”

The Senate rarely blocks a governor’s appointment.

There is speculation in the Capitol and within the Texas Education Agency that Gov. Rick Perry might elevate Cynthia Dunbar, R-Richmond, to lead the board. Like McLeroy, Dunbar also holds strong Christian beliefs and recently authored a book that advocates more religion in the public square.

“We believe that Texans deserve better than divisive, destructive, extreme leadership,” Shapleigh said. “If the governor chooses to appoint someone more extreme and more divisive, we’ll have to deal with that at the appropriate time.”

Loaded Words Before McLeroy Debate?
(Lee Nichols, News Desk Blog, The Austin Chronicle, May 28, 2009)

The debate over whether to confirm the re-appointment of College Station dentist Don McLeroy as chairman of the State Board of Education is scheduled to happen in the Senate today. Considering McLeroy has stirred up a lot of controversy and opposition because of his fervent belief in (and promotion of) creationism, the words of the pastor of the day (sorry, didn't catch his name) carried some interesting connotations. In the invocation, he declared humans were "made from love, not logic," and we were "created for a purpose, not by mistake or accident."

The overwhelming majority of the governor's appointments are just rubberstamped by the Senate, but it is uncertain whether McLeroy has the two-thirds support of the body needed for confirmation. Democratic Senators Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso and Kirk Watson of Austin have led the charge against him.

Senate removes controversial education leader
(By Gary Scharrer, San Antonio Express-News, May 28, 2009)

AUSTIN " The Texas Senate ousted Don McLeroy as chairman of the State Board of Education on Thursday. Supporters of the Bryan dentist claimed McLeroy was punished for his strong religious beliefs.

McLeroy is a devout Christian who believes in creationism and the notion that the Earth is about 6,000 years old.

His opponents portrayed McLeroy as “a decent human being” lacking leadership skills to chair the board divided between social conservatives and others.

“He has enthusiastically embraced his role in the endless cultural wars,” Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, said.

But opponents emphasized that it was not McLeroy’s religious beliefs that made him unworthy to lead the 15-member State Board of Education.

“It’s not about evolution versus creationism, and it’s not about Democrats versus Republicans,” Watson told his colleagues. “This is not about partisanship. Please forget all the shouting and protests about this nomination from day one. This is about his leadership as chairman.”

McLeroy’s hometown senator, Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, defended the controversial chairman.

“His service has not been incompetent, illegal or out of bounds,” Ogden said.

“I think Texas is watching here because I think, whether intentional or not, there will be a perception that we are applying a religious test for serving in this state,” Ogden said.

“If this isn’t about evolution, if this isn’t about what the Bible teaches, what is it all about?” Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, asked.

Democrats argued that McLeroy’s leadership polarized the board, and that he disregarded experts in the shaping of science curriculum standards and English, language arts and reading standards for 4.7 million Texas public school children.

“The state board has become increasingly divided and deeply dysfunctional and almost paralyzed to action at certain times,” Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, said.

Senate confirmation of gubernatorial appointments requires a two-thirds vote. McLeroy won the support of all 19 Senate Republicans, but 11 Democrats voted against him. It takes 11 votes to block an appointment. Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, was present but did not vote.

The Senate seldom rejects gubernatorial appointments. The Senate’s blocking of McLeroy will force Gov. Rick Perry to appoint a new board leader. McLeroy will keep his spot as a board member.