"This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered."It's factually incorrect since (1) evolution is both a theory and a fact, and (2) it has nothing to do with the origin of life. That aside, the purpose of the sticker was to accomodate parents that held that God created everything (6000 or so years ago). The court applied Chief Justice Warren Burger's "Lemon test" that says:
To be constitutional, a statute must have "a secular legislative purpose," it must have principal effects which neither advance nor inhibit religion, and it must not foster "an excessive government entanglement with religion."... and found that the sticker failed the 'Effect' part, as a "reasonable observer" "would perceive the School Board to be aligning itself with proponents of religious theories of origin."
Ok, tell me how it is a "fact".
This statement is very confusing. How can a theory be fact? If something is factual then it leaves the realm of theory doesn't it?
In a way, we're playing into their hands. Had this never made the media outside of the local paper, they would have spent more in legal bills than new donations would bring.
This is the same way that the left works. The Greens fight seemingly impossible fights, like to prevent drilling ANWR. That oil has been there millions of years, and any thinking person would know that someday, real soon, it will be drilled. Even a couple hundred years from now is soon in geologic terms. That oil is going nowhere.
But they keep fighting it, because it is a rallying point, and an emotional issue they can keep their faithful stirred up and sending them money.
I feel confident that the Discovery Institute working this ID crap is operating the same way. The political right is an untapped market for such NGO groups, since most now operate on the left.
The sad part is that decent Christians will be taken in by this, and I'm still convinced that in the end it will harm religious life in the US. But the DI doesn't care. They're merely working a market of customers that want their product, even if that product is sheer ignorance itself.
The Constitution of the US grants absolutely zero power to the fedgov as regards public education. None, nada zilch.
The remedy for a school board that posted such a sticker is to recall them, vote them out or pack your bags and move to a place more to your scientific suiting.