Posted on 04/07/2011 10:05:13 PM PDT by Ethan Clive Osgoode
In a 70-28 vote today, the Tennessee House of Representatives passed HB 368, a bill that encourages science teachers to explore controversial topics without fear of reprisal. Critics say the measure will enable K-12 teachers to present intelligent design and creationism as acceptable alternatives to evolution in the classroom.
The bill's text, if passed into state law, would protect teachers from discipline if they "help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught," namely, "biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning." The bill also says that its "shall not be construed to promote any religious or non-religious doctrine."
In a letter to the House education subcommittee, Alan I. Leshner, the chief executive officer of AAAS (which publishes ScienceInsider), said, "There is virtually no scientific controversy among the overwhelming majority of researchers on the core facts of global warming and evolution. Asserting that there are significant scientific controversies about the overall nature of these concepts when there are none will only confuse students, not enlighten them."
In addition to AAAS, the Tennessee Science Teachers Association, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, and the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) have expressed their opposition to the bill.
"There has been a widespread pattern of discrimination against educators who would challenge evolution in the classroom," Casey Luskin, a policy analyst for the pro-intelligent design Discovery Institute, in Seattle, Washington, told ScienceInsider. "Schools censor from students the evidence against evolution. This protects the rights of teachers to teach in an objective wa ." The Discovery Institute supports the bill and others like it in other states.
"We think it's very unfortunate that the House has chosen to push this forward," Steven Newton, policy director at NCSE, told ScienceInsider. "It would be especially unfortunate if this took the next step and became law, as it might give momentum to antievolution forces and forces that seek to deny the reality of climate change."
If the bill passes, Tennessee would join Louisiana as the second state to have specific "protection" for the teaching of evolution in the classroom. The effects of the Louisiana law, which passed in 2008, are still unclear. "Some teachers there are teaching creationism, were before, and now will be even more encouraged to bring out antievolution rhetoric," says Newton.
An identical Tennessee Senate bill, SB 893, is up for a vote by the Senate Education Committee at the end of the month. If it follows the party line vote seen in the House, Newton expects it to pass and Republican Governor Bill Haslam to sign it into law.
Do they still have those stupid Metro stickers up there? As Conservative as Nashville seemed to be in the late 50's and into 60's, I was surprised that the city absorbed the suburbs and then all residents of Davidson County had to pay the gubmint to drive.
As far as I recall, Williamson county never had any of that nonsense (of course they never to put up with that drunken Socialist fool Beverly Briley either).
“Careful what you wish for folks.”
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There’s a double edged sword in there. Ponder it a bit.
“There’s a double edged sword in there. Ponder it a bit.”
Okay, ???????????????????????????????????????????
Nashville is about like Austin sickening so left wing so homosexual so black caucus so meterosexual so hipster
Its awful
I’m so grateful to be in rural williamson now these past 2 years
I was in town today and whew its so odd now
That's sad to hear because I recall when it was nice (pre-Metro, pre-Commie). I also understand that formerly good, pleasant areas for families are now swarming with Messkins.
When I was there, the black area was just around Jefferson in North Nashville. Even East Nashville (Woodland Street/Gallatin Road) was still a good place.
Understanding the circulation of blood, discovery of antibiotics, heavier than air flight, magnetism and how it's related to electricity, atomic energy, metal refining, the periodic table of elements, the internal combustion engine, all the related fields of math, cellular structure of organisms,..... I could go on and on but it becomes clear how unimportant the notion of biological evolution really is unless someone is selling an Ardi or a Lucy.
“I could go on and on but it becomes clear how unimportant the notion of biological evolution really is unless someone is selling an Ardi or a Lucy.”
Right on. I’d really love to hear about some examples of predictions made based on biological evolution that led to useful scientific breakthroughs.
I’m talking true intra-species evolutionary theory here, not just natural selection or mutation tinkering with the set types of species observable in nature. Inducing birth defects in fruit flies doesn’t cut it.
How about the great scientific accomplishment of eugenics? That had everything to do with the idea of biological evolution.
Or as my old neighbor used to say, “Everyone wants to be the one who ladles out the dumplings”.
This may not be the first time one of the gods of knowledge acknowledged that from the TOE came global warming. But it is the first time I have read it. Now what the TOE did/does is to have the high minded decide who is fittest to survive. Since this bunch was given 'standing' by the Supremes we have about been fleeced out of existence.
IF TOE was about 'biology' then how did it morph into globulll warming? Bunch of scam artists.
I was lucky enough to be taught the anomalies that evolution couldn't explain so evolution was taught as a theory 40 years ago. Since then, a new "explanation"( you aren't allowed to refer to it as a theory anymore), is formed almost every year and some don't even last a year. We didn't waste that much time on fiction in my education. I remember my grade school "Social Studies" teacher saying that "Capitalism works and here is why and Socialism never works and here is why and some examples." Now days, children are taught that Socialism is superior, even though there is no functioning examples and Capitalism is evil. If you point to Cuba, they scream " The American Imperialists have made Cuba fall behind but Cuba is still superior than the US." They have free medical care. Don't dare say there medical care is aspirins and band aids. You can't get a good grade unless you go along to get along. Our robot children are taught that life is useless and you came from pond scum, abortion is OK, there is no God, and the job you eventually hope to have will destroy the Earth because they just want to make money. In order to mold you into this person, you must believe that there is no God and you were an accident. Then when you are 16 and your girlfriend leaves you you kill 10 of your classmates before you blow your own brains out. No problem, you and you victims are just accidental scum with no purpose and no future.
I always love to point out that if evolution is true then Blacks are inferior to whites and Hitler must have been right. They spit and spew and fight and deny history and finally run out of the room when they have no answers.
Isn't the new world order wonderful?
When do they pass the bill allowing teachers to challenge arithmetic? /s/
When their work shows a non-dog evolving into a dog, a non-human evolving into a human, well, that might bolster this evolution ‘theory’.
Until then, it is only a theory, unproven and IMHO, unprovable.
“This is a TERRIBLE thing for Tennessee to do.”
It is an EXCELLENT thing to do. Within a framework of free expression of ideas....minds grow!
;-))
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