Well, now it's the State Board of Education's turn to step up to the plate and protect the good people of Texas from the evil tentacles of...um...erm...Science. We have obtained a video of the meeting at which the new state standards for science were agreed upon:
The State Board of Education passed science curriculum standards that members described as a compromise between those who are about as smart as a bag of fruit flies and those who feared attacks on evolution would lead to the teaching of creationism in Texas schools. "This is a banner day for students in Texas schools," State board Chairman Don McLeroy said. "From this day forward they will be protected from learning about things I don't like."
The new standards remove current requirements that students be taught the "strengths and weaknesses" of scientific theories. Instead, teachers will be required to have students scrutinize "all sides" of the theories. "And by 'all sides' we mean evidence collected by scientists from any number of disciplines over the last 150 years, and stuff we made up to confuse them," McLeroy said.
The new standards will determine what will be included in science textbooks in Texas. Because of its size, Texas could influence what publishers print in books used in other states. "Hey, if Texas is stupid, the rest of you should be stupid too," said John West, a senior fellow at the discovery institute.
Even though initial pushes to include teaching the "insufficiencies" of evolution were rejected, board Chairman Don McLeroy, R-College Station, said the new wording still gets the point across in that it requires students to analyze and evaluate evolution's explanation for both the complexity of cells and the sudden appearance and lack of change in species in the fossil record. "I think the standards that were adopted are better than what I proposed," McLeroy said. "'Course I also believe a white guy with a big beard made the whole universe in six days 6000 years ago, so what do I know?"
Bob Craig, R-Lubbock, one of the board members who was against McLeroy's "insufficiencies" proposal, agreed that the board ended up with a better document than it started with. "It removes some of the controversial language but still encourages students to think critically," Craig said."Well, think as critically you can about something people tell you you have to believe or you're going to hell that is."
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8 comments:
There's room for plenty of stupid in the Big Tent. I wonder who's going to determine what constitutes "scientific evidence" critical of evolutionary theory? Betcha it won't be a consensus of biologists.
There is a reason Texas churns out morons like Bush and half of his idiots. They grow them that way.
I think there should be a contest to see who is stupider, and the contestants should be Bush, Bush and Bush against Neo Nazis, high and low.
If it's a tie, bring in Steele. But I think backwards is backwards and to love being backwards puts you right up there with the Taliban.
No wonder Europe and the World turns a cold back on Cheney and Americans. We just have not properly evolved along with them and that is a big problem with trust, particularly after Wall Street.
So embarrasing. This is why we Austinites often have to pretend that Austin isn't in Texas.
Oops. Forgot about our blog friend James and skinny dogs Phoebe and Joey.
Nothing personal folks. Our condolences for living in a state where the Board of Education is apparently run by people who got their degrees from a broken thermometer.
I am not up there with names but Anne Richardson , the funniest gal, ever, with a ton of spunk and brains to go with it, really did TRY to enlighten those men and women..Some were true followers and supporters but others got hoed down by fools and a whole bunch of illiterates.
So many have left Texas with a bad taste in their mouths ,sincerely wanting to give it a try, being open-minded and from the North. Everyone I know left after even a decade. Different minds; different calculations; and a big problem with scientific and world populations , customs, and travel.
We all have to change and progress. Otherwise, we die dumb and in a dust-bowl.
It's planet Earth, not planet Texas. Anne understood that.
Y'all in Texas are takin' this stuff a little too personally. Sure Texas has their share of stupid people. Every state has their share of idiots. But I'll bet, sure as shootin', that the smart people in the Lone Star State will figure a way to not let this happen. Hopefully.
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