Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

American Federation of Teachers: Statement on Bush & Intelligent Design
American Federation of Teachers via WebWire ^ | 05 August 2005 | Antonia Cortese

Posted on 08/05/2005 5:22:08 PM PDT by PatrickHenry

The following is a statement by Antonia Cortese, executive vice president, American Federation of Teachers, on President Bush’s Comments that ’Intelligent Design’ should be taught in the nation’s science classrooms:


President Bush’s misinformed comments on "intelligent design" signal a huge step backward for science education in the United States. The president’s endorsement of such a discredited, nonscientific view is akin to suggesting that students be taught the "alternative theory" that the earth is flat or that the sun revolves around the earth. Intelligent design does not belong in the science classroom because it is not science.

By backing concepts that lack scientific merit, President Bush is undermining his own pledge to "leave no child behind." If students are to reach higher standards, and if they are to compete effectively with their international peers, they must be exposed to high-quality curricula that are research based and that reflect the best available knowledge in any given field. In the science classroom, that necessitates the study of evolution, one of the most important, powerful, and well-substantiated concepts in science.

Intelligent design has been repudiated by every respected scientific organization in the nation, including the National Academies, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Science Teachers Association. Even President Bush’s top science adviser, John H. Marburger III, has acknowledged that "evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology" and that "intelligent design is not a scientific concept." To preserve the integrity of science education, President Bush should heed this advice.


The AFT represents 1.3 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; nurses and healthcare workers; and federal, state and local government employees.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: aft; anothercrevothread; bush; bushsfault; crevolist; enoughalready; intelligentdesign; lamecrevothread; morehatespewedbyevos; posttoasciencesite; scienceeducation; spewyourhatehere; teachersunions; thisisboring; unions; yetanotherthread; yetmorecrevocrap
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 161-178 next last
To: b_sharp
What is the theory of macro-evolution?

I know that this is a setup question, but it is Friday.

Here is a link for you:

Macroevolution.
61 posted on 08/05/2005 6:10:42 PM PDT by microgood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: PatrickHenry
Dang! It's been a rough few weeks for me. First I find myself agreeing with the ACLU, now the AFT.

Oh well, I'm not alone. Bradley Ralko joined the ACLU.

62 posted on 08/05/2005 6:11:04 PM PDT by elkfersupper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cinives
"And you can prove evolution ? Darwin himself noted major flaws in the theory, and nothing since has explained those flaws. "

No theory is proven. Evolution itself is an observed process. Darwin noted the flaws and then addressed them later in the same book.

"No, ID is not a scientific theory, but then evolution is only a theory, not a fact, and should be taught as such."

Yes, the theory of evolution is only a theory. A scientific theory the meaning of which, you show no knowledge.

63 posted on 08/05/2005 6:11:19 PM PDT by b_sharp (Science adjusts theories to fit evidence, creationism distorts evidence to fit the Bible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: PatrickHenry
Fundies using "intelligent design" instead of "creationism" is exactly like the lefties using "choice" instead of "abortion".

It's sleazy and deceptive.

If plastic-haired snakefondlers want to promote their 6-days-of-construction-4,000-years-ago oooga-booga, they can do it in church.

64 posted on 08/05/2005 6:11:21 PM PDT by Hank Rearden (Never allow anyone who could only get a government job attempt to tell you how to run your life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bobdsmith

that's totally different, i loved all my science classes, i learned a great deal. In fact, i was taught very little about the evolutionary theory at all, feel free to rip me a new one for that, i wont mind. It's just a theory. Why does everyone go ape when some people object to it? Isn't that the point of a theory?


65 posted on 08/05/2005 6:11:44 PM PDT by JennMack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: JennMack
Why does everyone go ape when some people object to it?

LOL.. Maybe because they think we are relatives.
66 posted on 08/05/2005 6:13:32 PM PDT by microgood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: elkfersupper
Forgot the link.

How Bill O'Reilly Persuaded Me to Join the ACLU

67 posted on 08/05/2005 6:15:04 PM PDT by elkfersupper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: Dimensio
Hard as it is for me to believe, but I didn't see microgood speaking of evolution. His question started with single-cell organisms.

LOL.. I assume you meant abiogenesis instead of evolution above.
68 posted on 08/05/2005 6:15:04 PM PDT by microgood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: PatrickHenry
Wonderful Patrick will we be hearing from the Communist Party on President Bus's dreaded creationism any time soon?

And for the record, the first sentence is a lie, just like the first sentence in all the other left wing garbage you posted. Bush never said "that ’Intelligent Design’ should be taught in the nation’s science classrooms:".

But what the hell, if the teachers union says it, it must be true right Patrick?

69 posted on 08/05/2005 6:15:14 PM PDT by jwalsh07
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cinives

No, ID is not a scientific theory, but then evolution is only a theory, not a fact, and should be taught as such.

You mean kind of like the theory that human beings are intelligent?

70 posted on 08/05/2005 6:15:19 PM PDT by ml1954
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: JennMack
More MD's and less scientists please.

That's a brilliant position. If everyone had that attitude, you'd still go for a "bleeding" to cure a common cold.
71 posted on 08/05/2005 6:15:33 PM PDT by Dimensio (http://angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif <-- required reading before you use your next apostrophe!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: ml1954
Don't shoot the messenger

????? What was the message ????

I believe it was: "For the love of God, don't shoot me!"

Those messengers are a nervous bunch.

72 posted on 08/05/2005 6:15:33 PM PDT by bobhoskins
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: DirtyHarryY2K
In the context of evolutionary science.

You asked "for example" in response to my statement that everything in science is subject to change. Had you wanted me to specifically provide an explanation of how this applied to evolution, you should have stated as much. I've yet to find a Psychic-over-IP client for Linux.

In evolution, we may discover that birds diverged from reptiles at a completely different point than currently believed. In fact, there is a minority of biologists who already hold this position.
73 posted on 08/05/2005 6:17:21 PM PDT by Dimensio (http://angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif <-- required reading before you use your next apostrophe!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: Dimensio

" That's a brilliant position. If everyone had that attitude, you'd still go for a "bleeding" to cure a common cold."

There it goes again, we're all living in the past, a bunch of hayseed bible-thumpers and such. Some very important ACTUAL scientists were christians, james clerk maxwell for one, and his contributions have little to do with evolutionary theories. Regardless of where you think we come from, i really dont care it's your business not mine, it has little to do with where we're going. Just a theory is all


74 posted on 08/05/2005 6:18:22 PM PDT by JennMack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 71 | View Replies]

To: JennMack

I was taught very little too, think it consisted of one 2 hour lesson with darwin finches and anti-bacterial resistance. I can't recall any historical evolution being taught at all.

It's not so much that people object to it and come up with sensible criticisms, its that a lot of people attack it without really knowing what it is, use a very tired out set of flawed arguments, and make out that the entire field is nothing more than a guess.


75 posted on 08/05/2005 6:19:34 PM PDT by bobdsmith
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: bobhoskins

I believe it was: "For the love of God, don't shoot me!"

Or maybe it was, "For the love of God, don't shoot me, shoot THEM!".

76 posted on 08/05/2005 6:20:42 PM PDT by ml1954
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: ml1954
Or maybe it was, "For the love of God, don't shoot me, shoot THEM!".

Maybe. I couldn't here the last few words, I was too busy shooting.

77 posted on 08/05/2005 6:21:47 PM PDT by bobhoskins
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: b_sharp

Our Nuculer Vunrability!


78 posted on 08/05/2005 6:21:54 PM PDT by Doctor Stochastic (Vegetabilisch = chaotisch is der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: JennMack
There it goes again, we're all living in the past, a bunch of hayseed bible-thumpers and such.

You're the one who wants to reduce the number of scientists.

Some very important ACTUAL scientists were christians,

I never denied as much.

james clerk maxwell for one, and his contributions have little to do with evolutionary theories.

Actually, they have nothing to do with evolutionary theories because James Clerk Maxwell was a phycisist. Einstein's theories also have nothing to do with evolution. That doesn't mean that evolution is not important to the field of biology.

Claiming that evolution is meaningless simply because there are other fields of science that don't address evolution is stupid.

Just a theory is all

So is gravity.
79 posted on 08/05/2005 6:22:17 PM PDT by Dimensio (http://angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif <-- required reading before you use your next apostrophe!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: Jim_Curtis
akin to suggesting that students be taught the "alternative theory" that the earth is flat or that the sun revolves around the earth.

The sun does revolve around the earth. I watch it happen from my fixed position on earth every day.



The earth is also flat. You just need to use Riemann coordinates instead of Euclidean coordinates.
80 posted on 08/05/2005 6:25:12 PM PDT by cockroach_magoo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 161-178 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson