Posted on 01/03/2006 12:12:37 PM PST by PatrickHenry
Also today, Dover's board might revoke the controversial intelligent design decision.
Now that the issue of teaching "intelligent design" in Dover schools appears to be played out, the doings of the Dover Area School Board might hold little interest for the rest of the world.
But the people who happen to live in that district find them to be of great consequence. Or so board member James Cashman is finding in his final days of campaigning before Tuesday's special election, during which he will try to retain his seat on the board.
Even though the issue that put the Dover Area School District in the international spotlight is off the table, Cashman found that most of the people who are eligible to vote in the election still intend to vote. And it pleases him to see that they're interested enough in their community to do so, he said.
"People want some finality to this," Cashman said.
Cashman will be running against challenger Bryan Rehm, who originally appeared to have won on Nov. 8. But a judge subsequently ruled that a malfunctioning election machine in one location obliges the school district to do the election over in that particular voting precinct.
Only people who voted at the Friendship Community Church in Dover Township in November are eligible to vote there today.
Rehm didn't return phone calls for comment.
But Bernadette Reinking, the new school board president, said she did some campaigning with Rehm recently. The people who voted originally told her that they intend to do so again, she said. And they don't seem to be interested in talking about issues, she said. Reinking said it's because they already voted once, already know where the candidates stand and already have their minds made up.
Like Cashman, she said she was pleased to see how serious they are about civic participation.
Another event significant to the district is likely to take place today, Reinking said. Although she hadn't yet seen a copy of the school board meeting's agenda, she said that she and her fellow members might officially vote to remove the mention of intelligent design from the school district's science curriculum.
Intelligent design is the idea that life is too complex for random evolution and must have a creator. Supporters of the idea, such as the Discovery Institute in Seattle, insist that it's a legitimate scientific theory.
Opponents argue that it's a pseudo-science designed solely to get around a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that biblical creationism can't be taught in public schools.
In October 2004, the Dover Area School District became the first in the country to include intelligent design in science class. Board members voted to require ninth-grade biology students to hear a four-paragraph statement about intelligent design.
That decision led 11 district parents to file a lawsuit trying to get the mention of intelligent design removed from the science classroom. U.S. Middle District Court Judge John E. Jones III issued a ruling earlier this month siding with the plaintiffs. [Kitzmiller et al. v Dover Area School District et al..]
While the district was awaiting Jones' decision, the school board election took place at the beginning of November, pitting eight incumbents against a group of eight candidates opposed to the mention of intelligent design in science class.
At first, every challenger appeared to have won. But Cashman filed a complaint about a voting machine that tallied between 96 to 121 votes for all of the other candidates but registered only one vote for him.
If he does end up winning, Cashman said, he's looking forward to doing what he had in mind when he originally ran for school board - looking out for students. And though they might be of no interest to news consumers in other states and countries, Cashman said, the district has plenty of other issues to face besides intelligent design. Among them are scholastic scores and improving the curriculum for younger grades.
And though he would share the duties with former opponents, he said, he is certain they would be able to work together.
"I believe deep down inside, we all have the interest and goal to benefit the kids," he said.
Regardless of the turnout of today's election, Reinking said, new board members have their work cut out for them. It's unusual for a board to have so many new members starting at the same time, she said.
"We can get to all those things that school boards usually do," she said.
I wouldn't think conservatives would want their kids taught useless bunk in science class. That's what homes are for.
"Problem is. . . the good folks of Dover aren't Hindus. Turns out they may not be Christians either -- but either way they should have a greater say in what their kids are taught."
Parent have the ultimate responsibility of teaching religious beliefs to their offspring. Science is not religion, and most parents are not competent to teach science to their kids. Religion, on the other hand, should never be taught by government. It is a personal matter, and nothing the government should meddle in.
He died.
"Did the leeches work?"
Nope. They did little good, and often much harm. The "bleeding" cure is only useful in Polycythemia Vera, a disease where the body creates too many red blood cells. It's rare, and it's unlikely that Washington had it.
Also, note: ID is not science. ID's biggest proponents even said so on the stand in Dover. Why, pray-tell, would you find it necessary to bring up something not science and place it on an equal footing with science in a science class?
Everyone dies.
Sounds good. I wasn't arguing with you, just adding information.
"Everyone dies."
Oh, dear. Yes, you're right, but not everyone dies from being bled to death by leeches. There was no science used to justify the leech treatments on Washington. It was just what doctors did at the time for things like strokes, heart problems, and almost everything else. They did it because doctors had been doing it, on faith, for a long, long time.
Then science stepped in and explained some of the intricacies of the human body. Leeching stopped for the reason that it did no good and often a lot of harm.
Science. You may have heard of it.
Besides, I thought you were planning to live forever.
Death, where is thy sting? Grave, where thy victory?
All that stuff.
None of those other subjects rests on a THEORY!
You're judging what constitutes a deeply held belief system? The flying spaghetti monster is one of the fastest growing belief systems. Just check out its homepage.
You will also note that our beliefs include the 'theory' that global warming exists and is caused by a decrease in the number of pirates (see chart below). This will need to be taught in the classrooms as well. Like ID, take it on faith.
Thanks!
If I wasn't a lady, I would tell you what I think of your opinion. I'll let you use your wonderful imagination.
"Conservatives want the local community to decide what is or isn't useless bunk.("
Science does not operate on a democratic basis, though. We don't vote on scientific theories, nor should we. Religion is another matter.
When an entire community is made up of biological scientists, then such an election might make sense. I know of no such community.
Beyond Bloodletting:
FDA Gives Leeches a Medical Makeover
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/504_leech.html
"If I wasn't a lady, I would tell you what I think of your opinion. I'll let you use your wonderful imagination."
Aww. Go ahead and let me have it. Tell me what was wrong in that message. Show me where I made a factual error in any part of it.
It wasn't an opinion. It was just the truth.
Or...maybe you don't plan on everlasting life. I could have gotten that wrong, I suppose.
It is still a theory but keep believing.
My eternal plans are none of your business. You may think yourself amusing making fun of people's beliefs. Too bad you don't have any.
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