[DeweyCA]

The ACLU and other Lib groups constantly steal money from us, the taxpayers. It makes me sick. And the MSM will never report on this. If this had been a conservative group, the MSM would be screaming about it.

[AntiGovernment]

I doubt that the new board members were involved in a conspiracy to help the ACLU claim large sums of attorney fees. That seems outlandish to me. But it is scandalous that so much public money is drained, just because of some stupid mistake the previous Dover board made.

[outofsalt]

Two Jobs make private school possible in my home.

[doc30]

Ping...It seems to me the new board did not rescind the ID policy of the old board specifically because they wanted to have a court decision that was obviously going to be against the policy. If there was no decision, a future board could bring it back. But now it seems like the IDer's are coming up with conspiracy theories that it was all about getting $$ to the ACLU via legals fees if there was a court decision instad of an out of court settlement.

[doc30]

Ping...It seems to me the new board did not rescind the ID policy of the old board specifically because they wanted to have a court decision that was obviously going to be against the policy. If there was no decision, a future board could bring it back. But now it seems like the IDer's are coming up with conspiracy theories that it was all about getting $$ to the ACLU via legals fees if there was a court decision instad of an out of court settlement.

[sure_fine]

Ping Ping

[little jeremiah]

FYI.

[BenLurkin]

The ACLU is going to be paid 'in full' one of these days....

[edsheppa]

This analysis is either stupid or, more probably, deceptive. The case had already been argued and all the costs incurred before the pro-ID board members were replaced.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Note that the Thomas More Institute (or whatever its name is) shopped around the idea of instituting an "intelligent design" curriculum to many school boards. Dover is the one that agreed to test things for Thomas Moore. Tommy and Dover went into the situation looking for a trial; they got one. Unfortunately, the Dover witnesses were less than truthful (among other failings); one did adumbrate the Kennedy defense (lying because of drug addiction), but that didn't work in this case. Tommy and Dover lost.

School districts should be wary of law firms shopping curriculia to them.

[mrsmith]

So that's why there was no appeal despite the wide knowledge that the judicial doctrines used in the ruling are thoroughly discredited and ripe for revision.

Very neat, and obvious now that's it's been pointed out. Thank you.

Advocating the use of the First Amendment to censor schools is the stupidest idea of the science establishment since the Inquisition.

[BW2221]

The ACLU - America's Gestapo

[groanup]

One thing that always seems to escape these conversations: If the ACLU can sue municipalities for vilations of the 1st amendment and then be re-imbursed by losing defendants, shouldn't the NRA be re-imbursed for successfully suing municipalities for 2nd amendment violations?

[coffee260]

I have my theory, but first lets find out the ACLU's SOP[standard operating procedure] on this matter.

FROM COURTTV ONLINE:

On March 21, 1925, the Tennessee state legislature passed the Butler Act. Authored by John Butler, the new law barred any public teacher in the state from teaching the theory of evolution. The penalty for breaking the law? Up to $500 in fines.

Few people either in or out of the state believed Butler's law would ever be enforced.

But the American Civil Liberties Union was quick to react to a statute it believed to be unconstitutional. They considered the Butler Act a perfect chance to strike out against the literal teachings of Christian Fundamentalists, and offered to defend any teacher who challenges the law.

They soon found a willing participant. George Rappleyea, a staunch evolutionist and local businessman in Rhea County, Tennessee, saw an article about the ACLU's offer. Rappleyea, a transplanted New Yorker, hatched a plan. Any court battle over the anti-evolution law would attract national attention, he reasoned, and with that attention would come investors and money to help restore the failing economy of his adopted hometown of Dayton...

Keep reading: http://www.courttv.com/archive/greatesttrials/scopes/making.html

[ml1954]

If the ACLU happens to sue your small hometown and then demands $1 million dollars for their lawyers, would you call them generous and charitable?

The fact is that the Discovery Institute and other ID advocates deliberately looked for a 'test' case they knew would end up in court, and the ignorant and incompetent Dover School board volunteered and obliged. They were so incompetent and clueless that the Discovery Institute abandoned them to their inevitable fate. The DI and creationists deliberately picked a courtroom fight that they lost.

So they got the fight they deliberately and with full knowledge aforethought sought, and they lost. Being stupid cost them $1M. And the school board that did this was voted out. And, BTW, the plaintiffs voluntarily reduced the damages they were entitled to from $2M to $1M.

[Ken H]

The Dover C.A.R.E.S. candidates defeated the incumbents who were up for election. The new Board has an 8-1 majority against the old board's evolution policy.

That took place in heavily Republican York county--

Santorum -Rep. (Incumb.) 88,557 65 %
Klink -Dem. 45,553 34 %

--http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/results/PA/S.county.2.html

_____________________________________

Dover is in York County, which supported George W. Bush in the last two presidential elections. According to unofficial vote totals for 2004, Bush received 114,621 votes and John Kerry received 63,628 votes."

--http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/politicalInfo.php?locIndex=275620

[metmom]

The groups’ ostensibly charitable demands for $1 million in costs and attorneys’ fees (rather than the original $2 million) needs to be explained in greater detail than has henceforth been granted.

How generous of them. Just to let every other little town know what they will face if they dare to take a stand for something. ACLU will make money and bankrupt small communities and by the threat of this happening hope to make other small communities capitulate without the bother of legal action. And even if other communities don't back down, just who wins financially?

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Both groups used the calamitous situation in the Dover Area School District to launch a comprehensive attack against scientists, philosophers, academics, and institutions throughout the nation that advocate the emerging scientific theory of intelligent design.

There is no emerging scientific theory of intelligent design. If there was, they could've shown some evidence at trial.