Posted on 11/12/2005 4:16:49 AM PST by 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."
It couldn't get much lower than those disconnected, flaccid sound bite pronouncamentos you were flashing.
Conversation over.
What conversation?
On a serious note, this is one of my favorites:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000007DK/qid=1131927644/sr=1-6/ref=sr_1_6/104-9013548-3133519?v=glance&s=classical
Well-stated.
On the teaching of creationism:
"Communities must decide which sound, scientific theories are appropriate for the classroom." -John Kerry
On whether non-peer reviewed research should be publicly funded:
"Competitive peer review is the cornerstone of the scientific establishment. It is a scientifically rigorous process employed by funding agencies to allocate federal support for innovative research." -George W. Bush
There is admittedly a definite tendency of conservatives to lean toward the creationist end, but there are no clear cut lines in the controversy - i.e. equating evolutionary education to liberalism is ridiculous. Personally, when all is said and done, I do believe science research will ultimately fare better under Republican stewardship.
I think we had a thread on that, but it was a couple of years ago. I agree that science will do better under republicans, because: (a) the economy will be better; and (b) corporations should be taxed less, so they can afford more research. Besides, the dems (like Gore) are mostly flat-out crazy.
Good reply, but I also noticed that Just mythoughts didn't reply, probably because the multi-sylable technical terms made your post incomprehensible to him.
When did perjury become a conservative/Christian virtue?
Come on - you ought to know by now that creationists don't consider lying to infidels a sin....
GodwinDidit placemark
My goodness help but comb through some of your post and I see you are angry with everyone that annoys you...
you must be a lonely sad person...
I hope somewhere you find happiness in this life!
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