[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."

[narby]

Corporate recruiters are going to start hearing about this from potential employees.

Oklahoma has been handicapped for generations because of the bad PR of the "dustbowl" as communicated in the book and movie "The Grapes of Wrath". I think this will damage Kansas in a similar way for quite some time to come. Who wants to move their high tech company to such a backwards place?

I may personally be faced with this soon. Our company is contemplating moving us to Kansas, and I'll have to make some decisions. For a fact, the most key member of our team is also one of the most virulent atheists I've ever seen, and has made negative comments about Kansas related to evolution. So I doubt the team will stay together through any move, and that might kill any plans to do it.

The Kansas school board has done the state more long term damage than they can even imagine. Even if the science standards are reversed before they're implemented, the damage is done.

[Dane]

Abiogeneis is the theory that is exploring the origins of life. It may never reach a satisfactory conclusion, but at least it is trying to use the methods of science. There is no way to provide evidence for or against the creation of life by God, just as there is no way to prove or disprove God using science. Creationists want it both ways.

JMO, you are doing classic liberal/clintonian projecting, darwinists want it both ways, and use their allies in the MSM to portray such.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"But that is the problem - until the new organ exists as a whole, it has strong reporductive disadvantage - and yet, it is supposed to survive for millions of years until the change is complete."

I guess you didn't read what I said. Organs don't evolve into finished products. There is no finished *eye* our eyes were evolving into. At each step along the way, the modification gave our ancestors a reproductive advantage, or else it would have been culled in short order. Our eyes are far from perfect, and the idea they were designed ex nihilo by a designer leaves one to question the capabilities or the morality of this alleged designer.

"Think of the switch between carburators and fuel injection. Seeing the complete fuel injection, we can see selective advantage. However, the moment you tamper with the carburator, the car ceases to function. A simplistic approach, but I'm running out of time for posting - my significant other wants to go shopping."

A car is not an imperfectly self-replicating organism. There is no useful analogy between the evolution of cars and the evolution of life.

And for Pete's sake, don't leave your wife waiting! This isn't as important. :)

[narby]

Another special interest squealing about their source of funding.

Guitarman has a point. When am I going to get MY share of the bucks?

Face it, creationism is a minority faith, even within Christianity. You might have a majority if you include the Muslims though.

[Dane]

I may personally be faced with this soon. Our company is contemplating moving us to Kansas, and I'll have to make some decisions. For a fact, the most key member of our team is also one of the most virulent atheists I've ever seen, and has made negative comments about Kansas related to evolution. So I doubt the team will stay together through any move, and that might kill any plans to do it.

Well gee, no opinoion on your part about the evolution/creation debate, all you provide is your cowering in fear of a virulent atheist.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"JMO, you are doing classic liberal/clintonian projecting, darwinists want it both ways, and use their allies in the MSM to portray such."

Glad it's just your opinion, because it's nonsense.

[Dane]

Glad it's just your opinion, because it's nonsense.

No prob, neo-hillary.

[shuckmaster]

How did Sebelius get elected in a conservative state like Kansas ?

She supports science over superstition in science class.

[PatrickHenry]

Kathleen Sebelius is John Gilligan's daughter.

I know nothing about Gov. Sebelius, except that she's correct about the silliness of ID, and the damage it's doing to Kansas.

There is nothing liberal, or socialist, or Marxist about Darwin's theory of evolution. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" is about as anti-Darwinian as a political theory can get. Indeed, even the Institute for Creation Research, the granddaddy of all creationist websites, posts this article: Darwin's Influence on Ruthless Laissez Faire Capitalism. Yes, ICR links Darwin to good ol' capitalism.

[Dane]

She supports science over superstition in science class

Wow, FR's, the only reason I vote democrat is because my daddy and granddaddy voted democrat, chimes in.

[Dimensio]

'Course I didn't get to bed till 2 a.m. (just got back from a TSO concert).

Some of us consider that to be abnormally early.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Handling snakes ?

[Dimensio]

If the hysterical shrieking on this board is any indication, Dawinism is weaker than even I thought.

Okay, so creationists evaluate the theory of evolution with the Bible, with whether or not they like the implications, with whether or not people they don't like allegedly accept it, with how it contradicts a misunderstanding of other scientific principles (such as thermodynamics) and now with their perception of "shrieking" by those who accept it.

Why don't creationists ever evaluate the theory of evolution based upon the 150+ years of research that has gone into supporting it?

[Dane]

BTW, shucky are you now saying that southern held values such as that the world was not created from random chaos are untrue, with your endorsement of democrat Gov. of Kansas and hillary clone, Sebelius.

BTW, say hi for me to hillary when she visits you worker bees in the DNC basement.

Make sure, you shucky, don't hog the royal jelly she passes out.

[Dimensio]

Come to think of it, they were just cheering the election of Democrats in Dover Pa a few days ago.

No, we were cheering the removal of anti-science idiots. It's unfortunate that those idiots happen to be Republicans, resulting in Democrats taking the seats, but it's not our fault that the Republican side of the ticket decided to side with anti-science zealots.

As usual, a creationist grossly misrepresents the issue because facts aren't on his or her side.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

" No prob, neo-hillary."

You are the one who came on here lying about what evolution states, then, when you are corrected (and you admitted finally that evolutionists don't pretend to explain the origins of life) you call ME the liar. Amazing. I don't think that either Bill or even Hillary would be foolish enough to fib so transparently.

[shuckmaster]

I believe this world and universe were not created by random chaos, and that is the heart of darwin's theory.

You really ought to make some effort to know what Darwin's Theory is before you go on making such a fool of yourself in public.

[Dane]

No, we were cheering the removal of anti-science idiots. It's unfortunate that those idiots happen to be Republicans, resulting in Democrats taking the seats, but it's not our fault that the Republican side of the ticket decided to side with anti-science zealot

Huh what is so "zealot" about ID.

JMO, the "zealotry" is on the drawinist side. All debate about Intelligent Design must be shutdown, is the vibe I'm getting from your ilk, dimensio. The same vibe I get from the democrats about abortion.

[shuckmaster]

Then why did darwin call his book "Origin of Species" in 1859.

Do you know the difference between a universe and a species? Can you even imagine that there is a difference?

[narby]

all you provide is your cowering in fear of a virulent atheist.

Merely facing the fact that if he doesn't want to go to Kansas, then the whole team won't be going.

Are you accusing me of "cowering in fear" in order to stir up the emotion in this conversation? If so, it didn't work.