Well now that ID has deservedly lost in Dover, the Discovery Institute and other purveyors of claptrap are trying to discredit the judge (of course) and push on with their sick agenda, often helped along by ignorant but well-meaning citizens…
Ohio
From the article Call for Action in Ohio (The Panda's Thumb):
…Things are heating up in Ohio post-Kitzmiller. The ID troops are spinning Kitzmiller as the aberration of an activist judge (a conservative Republican) who vastly over-stepped the acceptable boundaries of judicial behavior. Tim Sandefur eviscerated that argument here on the Thumb and on Positive Liberty.
Ohio Citizens for Science is issuing a call for action this weekend. We ask people — both in Ohio and elsewhere — to write/email/phone to urge the restoration of good science in Ohio’s schools. In particular, we urge contacting Jim Petro, current state Attorney General who is running for Governor. Let Petro know that it’s time for leadership, not political pandering. The main points to stress are below the fold in the recommended message. Both in-state and out of state people are encouraged to contact Petro. Please also contact members of the State Board of Education with your support for honest science education.
Ohio’s board of education will meet next Tuesday, Jan 10, in Columbus to decide whether to comply with the recent federal court ruling against intelligent-design creationism and its disingenuous “teach the controversy” ploy.
Please write or CALL TODAY to State Board members (as many as you can) and Attorney General Jim Petro…
I sent a letter to Jim Petro, but since I am not an Ohioan, I doubt it will do much good.
Texas
From the article Perry: Add intelligent design to teaching (statesman.com):
…[Texas gubernatorial candidate Rick] Perry “supports the teaching of the theory of intelligent design,” spokeswoman Kathy Walt said. “Texas schools teach the theory of evolution; intelligent design is a valid scientific theory, and he believes it should be taught as well.” …
How to prove you don't know what you are talking about in seven words: intelligent design is a valid scientific theory. Dumbass.
Florida
From the article Poll: Evolution's not enough (St. Petersburg Times Online):
…Many Pinellas County parents want public schools to teach “intelligent design,” the idea that life on Earth was produced by an unidentified intelligent agent, a St. Petersburg Times poll shows…
…Fifty-eight percent of the parents who said they have been following the national controversy over intelligent design told pollsters it should be taught “just like evolution.”
Only 21 percent said intelligent design should not be taught.
“Being Christian, I believe there is a higher power,” said Jackie Shields of St. Petersburg. “I agree (with) intelligent design more than evolution. It blows my mind to think we evolved over time. There's no such thing.”
“New ideas develop,” said Kathleen Helfand of Oldsmar, who also supports the teaching of intelligent design. “If there are other theories out there, kids should be able to entertain those theories along with whatever else is being taught.”…
The comments you are hearing from these people should alarm you. These people do not know what they are talking about. They don't get the fact that Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory. It shows how far good PR will go to convince the public of something they desperately want to believe anyway. We have our work cut out for us people.
California
From the article California high school class pits evolution against religion (SignOnSanDiego.com):
…A rural California high school jumped into the national debate over teaching an alternative to evolution this week, offering the religion-based theory of “intelligent design” in a philosophy course.
Less than a month after a federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled against teaching the theory as science, a divided school board said Frazier Mountain High School in Lebec could teach the four-week winter session class after making the curriculum more philosophical and less scientific…
…But some in the town of 1,285 perched in the Tehachapi mountains dividing the agricultural Central Valley from Los Angeles, about 75 miles south, wonder if the “Philosophy of Design” course is a sneaky way to introduce the theory that livings things are so complex they must have been designed by a higher being.
The class taught by a minister's wife shocked some school board members when they learned that three experts on intelligent design were scheduled to speak while two evolution experts listed as guest speakers were not coming…
It probably will not be balanced, but I'm not surprised evolution scientist wouldn't come. Evolution isn't philosophy! DUHHH! Trying to talk evolution in philosophy class makes as much sense as talking ID in science class! Which is to say, NONE AT ALL.
Kansas
From the article Intelligent-design case lawyers to attend KU forum (Kansas.com-The Wichita Eagle):
…Kansas' new standards, approved in November by the State Board of Education, say the theory that all life has a common origin has been challenged in recent years by fossil evidence and molecular biology. They also describe “macroevolution” — the theory that one species can evolve into a new species — as controversial.
Neither statement represents the views of mainstream science…
*sigh*
It saddens me to see such rampant, religiously-fueled ignorance, especially on the home front.
Gov. Perry's comments aren't that surprising in all honesty but that doesn't diminish their egregious nature. Burdening our state's educational system with pseudoscientific chicanery would be purely criminal — and I will do anything within my ability to fight the possibility at every turn. Locally, pro-science views are backed by strong numbers, thanks to the multitude of educational outlets here in the state capitol (University of Texas et al). Our voices will indeed carry, but I'm rather concerned about the rest of the state.
Perry's up for re-election this year, and as such I'm sure this issue will be revisited. Makes me wonder if he aims to employ the same tactics (with inclusion of this ID tidbit, of course) to pander to Texas' evangelical voters as the Bush campaigns successfully accomplished in the previous two runs. Hopefully Perry will once again suffer from the same foot-in-mouth syndrome which led to 2005's “Adios, mofo” incident.
Whoops. I included the wrong URL above. Click here for the video of our esteemed governor.
Wow! A conservative Replublican judge did the right thing? Will miracles never cease!
(Unless of course I'm reading this all wrong, and the judge made the wrong decision, I'm so confused)
Tom
There are plenty of conservative Republicans who respect science. It's not an aspect of conservatism that makes people anti-science. It's not any aspect of being a Republican that makes them anti-science.
What's happening is that the Republican party has decided to kowtow to religious conservatives so that they can ride their votes to political power. Unfortunately, when you sell your soul like that, it comes at the price of somehting. In this case, it's science.
Judges are sometimes less subject ot political corruption if they are not elected. (I said “sometimes.”) I'm not sure what judge you're talking about, but it may be the case with that judge.