Tennessee governor allows bill targeting science education to become law

[DainBramaged]

(How much more backwards can these assholes make the State?)


After the US Supreme Court's 1987 decision forbidding the teaching of creationism in science classes, those who objected to the teaching of evolution modified their ideas slightly. They relabeled these ideas "Intelligent Design." In the wake of that tactic's defeat in the courts, the opponents of science education retooled again.


This time, they targeted a number of state legislatures with two categories of bills that shared nearly identical wording. This tactic saw success in Louisiana, although a number of similar bills were considered in other states. They've now achieved their second success—the passage of a law in Tennessee.

One approach to diluting science education was a series of bills that allowed schools to use supplementary materials in science classes; conveniently, the anti-evolution Discovery Institute published a supplementary text at about the same time.

An alternate approach has appeared in a number of bills (again, all with nearly identical language) that would protect teachers who present the "strengths and weaknesses" of scientific theories, although the bills single out evolution, climate change, and a couple of topics that aren't even theories. Again, the goal seems to be to use neutral language that will allow teachers to reiterate many of the spurious arguments against the widely accepted scientific understandings. Tennessee's House and Senate had passed a bill that took precisely this approach.

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/04/tennessee-g...

[No Elephants]

1. Any chance we can get some states to secede?

They are going to drag everyone back into the Dark Ages.

I am tired of trying to fight them.

[tnlefty]

2. Don't ask just how far back the assholes can take the state as

they've already drug us back to the 1800's.

Last week the governor was whining about the papers covering the craziest of bills going through the General Assembly instead of what he wanted the press to cover. Yo, Bill, it's the goddamned crazies in your party who are putting these bills before the what is now a joke general assembly, so quit whining about the press covering what the residents of this state have every right to be informed of, and focus on your goddamned crazy party members. They're an embarrassment to every resident of this state who has two functioning brain cells.

Oh, and Bill, this was just such a chickenshit move. I suppose I shall refer to you as a chickenshit whiner for a while...until something else comes up.

[No Elephants]

3. Come to Massachusetts. I'll feed you. I always cook way too much anyway.

[tnlefty]

4. "Please come to Boston for the springtime...:

http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/dave_loggins/please_c...

Now I have an earworm...aaarrrggghhh.

Thanks for the offer.