[Kansas Gov. Kathleen] Sebelius criticizes State Board of Education's move [new science standards]

Kansas City Star via Kansas.com ^ | 12 November 2005 | DAVID KLEPPER

[PatrickHenry]

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Friday called the state's new science standards a "step in the wrong direction."

Her comments follow a week in which the Kansas Board of Education adopted new science standards Tuesday that portray evolution as being in doubt and change the definition of science to allow for supernatural explanations.

In her lengthiest public comments yet on the controversy, Sebelius said she worries the changes will undermine science education and send the message that Kansas doesn't welcome high-tech firms and research. She pointed to the state's efforts to recruit bioscience companies, while the board votes to move "away from well-known, proven facts in science class."

Her comments also came as more candidates have stepped forward to challenge Board of Education members who approved the standards earlier this week.

Though the standards make no mention of creationism or intelligent design, they were sought by members of the intelligent design movement, which believes scientific evidence shows that nature was designed by a creator.

Four of the six conservative board members who voted to approve the changes are up for election next November. Moderate Republicans and Democrats are aiming to unseat conservatives, take control of the board and remove the new science standards before they go into effect in 2007.

In a closely watched race in Pennsylvania, voters in the town of Dover on Tuesday did what opponents of the intelligent design standards hope will happen here.

Voters there ousted most of that city's school board, which had voted to put intelligent design in the curriculum.

The latest two people to announce campaigns for state school board are Don Weiss, an Olathe resident, and Kent Runyan, a Pittsburg State University education professor.

Weiss will run as a Democrat against board member John Bacon, an Olathe Republican. Runyan will run as a Democrat against Republican board member Iris Van Meter. Bacon and Van Meter supported the standards.

Olathe resident Harry McDonald has already announced his plans to challenge Bacon in the primary election. Other candidates have popped up in other districts as well.

Bacon, who hasn't announced his re-election plans, said he's not concerned about his challengers and doesn't believe any political lessons from Dover, Pa., are relevant to Kansas. He said the Kansas school standards do not mandate the teaching of intelligent design like the ones in Dover. And he said he believes most Kansans will support the board's decision.

"There are holes in evolution," he said. "Any good scientist will admit to that."

Sebelius said she was "baffled" by the Board of Education's yearlong debate about evolution, and that as a Catholic who attended religious schools, she sees no contradiction between faith and scientific explanations of nature.

"I was taught that God created the universe," she said. "I was also taught science in science class."

Bacon said Sebelius doesn't understand that the board changed the standards to allow students to make up their own minds about evolution. He said worries about the changes' effects on the economy, public education and the state's reputation amount to "scare tactics."

[Dane]

You do not add any discourse to the debate. All you add is the perception that darwinists are arrogant jerks, who kneejerkingly dismiss those that the world and universe were created by a higher power.

Now back to the original debate, what is so evil of stating in schools that evolution is a theory and that others believe that there is a higher power who created the universe, and why your almost fetish like need to dismiss such people.

[LS]

If recycling the truth works, terrific. Darwinists have recycled crap for 90 years.

[LS]

Your every post indicates how much you fear genuine scientific inquiry.

[LS]

Heheh. You reached your peak before you even began posting. Give it up.

[Just mythoughts]

"Hold on a sec here.

Are you saying the designer purposely engineered a broken gene in humans and apes?"


Interesting question, as when I said commonality of species does not demonstrate descent, only their similarity of design, I was careful not to assign a negative to the similarity.

However, it appears that you consider unable to produce ascorbic acid a "broken gene" or a negative.

The negative would be if there were no method or means to supply the required ascorbic acid for the healthy function of the body.

The chimps and great apes have no clue they cannot produce ascorbic acid, yet the human mind has the ability to determine this inability. I would say to you that difference between the chimps & great apes versus their suppose relatives out weights any similarities their physical flesh have in common.

[Just mythoughts]

"No surprise, of course. After six years, I already knew it's certainly not about the evidence."


So very true, when play acting supposed conservative bow the knee to the liberal methodology of staying in business does give evidence to the veracity of the theory. Full of holes.

I mean come now if there ever was a doubt to what is at core of darwinism promoting "fast" Eddie Rendell and K. Sebelius as saviours for an ideology, heap of evidence. Could not have planned it better myself.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[BMCDA]

No, evolution is a natural progression but without knowing how it started it is useless.

No, not at all. When describing the dynamics of a system it's absolutely irrelevant how that system originated. What's important is only that it exists.
I hope you do realize that an imperfect self-replicator is still an imperfect self-replicator no matter how it originated.

According to your criteria most scientific theories are useless but one reason for the rapid advancement of modern science was its willingness to separate the dynamics of a system from its initial conditions.

[muir_redwoods]

"No, evolution is a natural progression but without knowing how it started it is useless."

Does a good carpenter or cabinet maker need to know how an acorn becomes and oak?

[ml1954]

You do not add any discourse to the debate. All you add is the perception that darwinists (IOW, Darwin worship, TK:C3R6) are arrogant jerks (TK:C1R7), who kneejerkingly dismiss those that the world and universe were created by a higher power (IOW, Christian-bashing; TK:C2R5).

Now back to the original debate, what is so evil of stating in schools that evolution is a theory and that others believe that there is a higher power who created the universe (IOW, what are you afraid of?; TK:C4R3), and why your almost fetish like need to dismiss such people (IOW, again, Christian-bashing; TK:C2R5)

Wow, the Troll Kit really works. This is going to come in handy.

[RunningWolf]

Beware: doctors only want to indoctrinate you into an anti-religious communistic mindset!

Another shameless distortion.

Here is the complete paragraph in context, no doctors mentioned, but marxist atheism sure is. And they want to stop the growth of religion and spirituality among the Chinese, and replace that with "the norms and dogmas of “scientific thought”.

The paper stresses the importance of good health and healthy bodies which must be promoted by helping people “acquire the habit of good behaviour, and scientifically and reasonably conduct of physical exercises, health care, living, sightseeing, recreation and entertainment.”  Health care, sports and leisure must find inspiration in Marxist atheism and follow the practical directives of party members.

Wolf

[RunningWolf]

If I put up the Evo troll toolkit I would get banned.

[VadeRetro]

You do not add any discourse to the debate.

It's worse than that. He doesn't add any debate to the discourse, either.

[Dane]

Go ahead and knock yourself out, living by your tusty old troll kit.

You just perpetuate who the real trolls are.

[furball4paws]

How about this one?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00075XB0O/qid%3D1131898634/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/104-9013548-3133519#product-details

[TheForceOfOne]

All I ask is that people should keep an open mind about the origins of life and not exclude possible reasons.

Evolutionists denounce divine intervention and vice versa leaving each with a narrow acceptance of probability.

We do not know how life was created and we can only assume how it will continue based on observance of what we consider reality.

Who can say with absolute certainty and proof that the universe will not collapse upon itself tomorrow leaving one giant black hole void of any life at all.

We spend way too much time in our own personal lives and the entire human race caught up in politics, wars, etc. and not nearly enough time understanding life and death. I believe death is the result of our ignorance of science, it is unnecessary.

I believe religion keeps the world from total anarchy because with a reason to believe their is a difference between good and bad behavior we have a standard to follow. Without religion governments would become God leaving us in a police state with politicians playing the role of apostles.

We are a fragile and self destructive life form that believes we are the highest form of life short of God himself. All scientific conclusions should come with an asterisk.

[furball4paws]

Expect no response if you're a troll, lunatic, retard, or incurable ignoramus

Is this why most of your posts are to no one?

[donh]

Still waiting for someone to tell me how something can be created from nothing.

Still waiting for someone to tell me how something that can create something from nothing was created.

[shuckmaster]

The chimps and great apes have no clue they cannot produce ascorbic acid, yet the human mind has the ability to determine this inability.

Human minds didn't determine this inability until after one post Darwin biological scientist determined and published it. To come in later and suggest that all humans have the ability to determine the fact is no different than saying that the human mind (and most chimps and great apes for that matter) have the ability to flip a light switch AFTER one scientist finally invents the light bulb.

[TheForceOfOne]

An even better stated question, thank you.