Creationists Once Again Threaten to Make a Mockery of Texas Science Education

[mitty14u2]

Let me get this out of the way immediately: The Earth is more than 4 billion years old. Evolution is real and is the basis for all modern understanding of biology. Climate change is happening, and humans are causing it.

These fundamental scientific truths are agreed upon by the vast, overwhelming majority of scientists who study those particular fields, because of the vast, overwhelming evidence in those particular fields supporting them. It’s important that we teach this to young students, as well as how to understand what constitutes real evidence as opposed to ideological zealotry.

If you live in Texas, however, that necessity is under a real threat. It has been for a long time; in 2007 Gov. Rick Perry appointed Don McLeroy, a young-Earth creationist, to head the state Board of Education (BoE), setting up a situation where education in Texas suffered mightily. In 2009 the state science standards were weakened, with clearly Biblically based beliefs behind the effort. In 2010 the BoE approved revisionist history in the textbooks (including apologetics for Joseph McCarthy, in case you were wondering just how ridiculous this stuff gets). In 2011 Texas creationists tried to get religious supplemental materials inserted into classes but lost. It goes on and on, and all the while they’ve been picking away at science and reality.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/09/12/texas_creationists_textbook_reviewers_want_more_religion_in_their_science.html

The True meaning of taking are country back, also Texas profits from book printing by outsourcing to china in subsidiaries. Texas and California form what is written in Text Books because of population, Oh Boy!

[longship]

1. The Bad (Ass) Astronomer is great!

Phil Plait is one of the good guys.

R&K

[longship]

2. This is from September and has since been resolved in favor of evolution.

Just saying.

[blkmusclmachine]

3. That is technically true, but the Creationists NEVER back down or go to sleep, so I suggest we don't

either. And they have Prick Perry in their corner.

[longship]

4. You have a good point, of course.

But the OP presents this as something new, which it is not. Not the fault of the poster, but I thought it might be important to clarify the fact that there has been at least a temporary good resolution to the story.

Of particular importance is the fact that the creationists on the text book commitee had to cave in due to the crushing opposition by the Texas Freedom Network, academics at institutes of higher learning, and a whole lot of Net activism. What makes this very important is that this decision will determine what school textbooks across the nation teach in the future, because the TX market is so large that their decisions have a profound effect on textbooks everywhere.

Also, TX does not do these textbook reviews every year, just like textbook publishers do not update their products every year. So this decision is going to stick for some time, at least until the next textbook review comes around.

So, make no mistake. This is a huge victory for the good guys, which was not known when the linked article was posted.

Just don't want people to get the wrong idea from the OP.

And yes, we'll likely fight this battle again, and again. Creationism, like much pseudoscience, is like unsinkable rubber duckies. One thinks one has sunk the problem and it keeps popping back up.

Best regards.

[Rozlee]

5. These jackals are going to be with us for a long time.

I admit that Texas might go blue in national elections in the not too far future. We have the young guns and demographics on our side. But, national elections are one thing. They do tend to be in favor of large turn outs. But, electing members to the state legislature, other state offices and education boards doesn't really resonate with young or minority voters the way it does with ideologically conservative ones who will make it a point to vote in elections that aren't held during regular voting cycles. I see another couple of generations, if not more, before we can shake conservatives completely from state power. In the meantime, they'll have a stranglehold on the state with their damaging, regressive policies.