More bad news than good news from the Texas State School Board: Yes, the board failed to reintroduce the creationist sponsored “strengths and weaknesses” language in high school science standards; but under the misleadership of Board Chair Don McLeroy, there is yet <i>another</i> series of amendments intended to mock science, including one challenging Big Bang, one challenging natural selection as a known mechanism of evolution, and, incredibly, one challenging the even the idea of common descent. It’s a kick in the teeth to Texas teachers and scientists who wrote the standards the creationists don’t like.
Texas Freedom Network’s blog headline tells the story: “Science Under Siege in Texas.”
Do you live in Texas? Do you teach, or are you involved in the sciences in Texas? Then please send an e-mail to the State Board of Education this morning, urging them to stick to the science standards their education and science experts recommended. Most of the recent amendments aim to kill the standards the scientists and educators wrote.
TFN tells how to write:
You can still weigh in by sending e-mails to board members at sboeteks@tea.state.tx.us. Texas Education Agency staff will distribute e-mails to board members.
You don’t think it’s serious? Here’s Don McLeroy explaining the purpose of one of his amendments:
Live blogging of SBOE activities today by Steve Schafersman of Texas Citizens for Science, here, and by the Texas Freedom Network, here.
What do you expect from people who voted for GW twice..wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right…what do you expect from people who voted for him four times?
That’s better.
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Ah, yes, Pastor Ray’s words will live in ridicule for a long time. When something called Bobby Jindal signed legislation to encourage teaching Creationism, at least one convention scheduled for New Orleans was canceled. I think more such cancellations are needed.
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“I disagree with all these experts. Somebody has to stand up to these experts. I don’t know why they’re doing it.”
McLeroy really said that today. Ouch.
It’s almost as good as if he’d complained that they were under attack “by smart and intelligent people.”
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