Posted on 09/23/2005 5:18:19 PM PDT by PatrickHenry
The trial in Kitzmiller v. Dover, the first legal challenge to the constitutionality of teaching "intelligent design" in the public schools, is scheduled to begin in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on September 26, 2005, and the media are already focusing attention on the case. As the York Dispatch (September 23, 2005) reports, journalists from The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and National Public Radio have already reserved space in the courtroom; Court TV sought but was denied permission to televise the trial. Paula Knudsen of the ACLU remarked, "It's the first time ["intelligent design"] has ever been in a curriculum, so whatever happens will be of interest ... It's a debate ... about religion's place in society and that more than anything I think gets people fired up."
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal (September 22, 2005), NCSE executive director Eugenie C. Scott commented, "The results of the Dover trial will be extremely significant for American public school education ... If the judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, then this will truly throw sand in the gears of efforts to get intelligent design taught at the high school level." But, she warned, "If the judge rules ... for the district, I think this will give a green light to school districts that would like to introduce some form of creationism in the classroom." Bryan Rehm, a plaintiff in the case, also offered his assessment: "If the school board gets it in its favor, we've got one more place in the country where kids aren't getting an acceptable science education ... And if we win, the school board gets stuck footing the bill."
New Scientist's story (September 23, 2005) noted that the plaintiffs will argue that "intelligent design" is simply "a religious belief that masquerades as science to sidestep a 1987 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed the teaching of creationism in schools." Comparing the "intelligent design" textbook Of Pandas and People, first published in 1989, with pre-1987 drafts of the book, Witold Walczak of the ACLU explained, "It's identical except for where it says creationism it now says intelligent design." (Of Pandas and People is central to the case, because the oral disclaimer required by the Dover Area School Board specifically recommends the book "for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what Intelligent Design actually involves"; copies of the book were anonymously donated in bulk to the school district.)
Information about the Kitzmiller trial is available from NCSE, the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the court itself.
Please note that at the bottom of the article is a link (copied again here) to the offical website of the court where Kitzmiller, et al v. Dover School District, et al. is being tried. If you click on Docket, you get a list of all significant pleadings filed in the case -- the complaint, the answer, etc. They're PDF files, but almost everyone has the Adobe reader. So you can check that website and be fully up to date on what's going on in that litigation.
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pass the popcorn, this is gonna be fun....
If the schoolboard wins, there should be a lawsuit to introduce teaching about the FSM and His Noodly Appendage.
Behe's "irreducible complexity" argument is fatally flawed. Ichneumon's post 35.
Inferior Design. Revealing info on ID and the Discovery Institute.
Neither intelligent nor designed. No evidence of wise, omniscient design.
Irreducible Complexity Demystified. Major debunking of ID.
The Flagellum Unspun: The Collapse of "Irreducible Complexity," Kenneth R. Miller. Critique of Behe.
AAAS Board Resolution on Intelligent Design Theory. ID isn't science.
Remember, science students need to hear all viewpoints!
This is a newsworthy thread about an important trial that's starting in three days. I believe it should be restored to the news/activism forum.
I don't believe any one is debating whether religion should have a place in society. It should. The debate is whether religion should be taught in science class. It most definitely should not.
I've noticed that posts about Michael Jackson's and Robert Blake's trials are in news/activism.
Actually, it's about religion's place in science classes. Ought to be a slam dunk.
Next week should be interesting.
And to point out that evidence favors the Old Greek religion.
that's nifty, thanks for mentioning it.
Thanks for the ping!
Nice work, PH.
Thanks for the links PH. I just spent some time reading through the available pleadings, and IMHO, the Dover Board is screwed.
Although they deny the statements in their Answer, the Board reps have gone on record in public meetings with various statements indicating that the policy they adopted is for a religious purpose. Prior case law pretty much mandates the outcome of this case in that circumstance. That is, the plaintiffs in this case are going to win.
I'm not at all shocked that Dembski and the Discovery Institute have fled the scene. Although some creative wording in the court's written opinion could avoid making a decisive statement, it seems clear that this case will result in a ruling that finds "intelligent design theory" (at least in this case) to be religious in nature.
So much careful work by DI down the drain due to the intemperate remarks of one school board member in Dover, PA!
I also think that it is particularly telling that the Dover Board hired attorneys whose speciality is prosecuting and defending Christian interests. It looks at though the Board shot itself in one foot, then the other, and continued shooting until it cut itself off at the knees.
Kinda like the "anti-war" kooks I'm watching on C-SPAN right now. There's always gonna be some who show up waving the hammer and sickle or the Che Guevara banner and giving the game away.
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