washingtonmonthly.com — How a group of Texas conservatives is rewriting your kids? textbooks." Evolution is hooey. . . .There are people out there who want to replace truth with political correctness. Instead of the American way they want multiculturalism. We plan to fight back?...we have the power to do it. Sometimes it boggles my mind the kind of power we have."
Jan 4, 2010 View in Crawl 4
mathJan 5, 2010
Why is there such an anti-science push in the conservative side of politics in the US?Conservative governments in other countries, seem to be able to embrace science. For example the conservative Danish government recently held the climate talks in Copenhagen.Instead in the conservative states of the US, you have politicians pushing text books that exclaim that evolution, global warming, acid rain, the Big Bang are not true. These are old scientific theories that have even been embraced by the very conservative Vatican, so it can't be due to religious reasons.
beckybellJan 6, 2010
Rather than eliminate the State Board of Education, people should vote for the best people running. I have taught at Texas State University for 28 years, and I am running for District 5 against Ken Mercer, the right-wing extremist put in office by Leininger in 2006. If there were no state board, then local groups with even less expertise would control all text and curriculum decisions. What would happen to the $22 billion Permanent School Fund, which provides text books for students, many of whom cannot afford to buy books themselves? Would we want someone like Governor Rick Perry making these kinds of appointments? At least voters can change things, if we pay attention and get involved. I encourage you to check out my qualifications and views at voterebecca.com.Rebecca Bell-Metereau
lexalexanderJan 6, 2010
OK, I've changed my mind. It's OK with me now if Texas secedes. The national IQ will probably increase 30 points when it does.
pjdietzJan 6, 2010
It's not just coming from conservatives. Liberals are just as anti-science. They just come at it from alternative medicine instead of creationism.
pjdietzJan 7, 2010
Any belief system that puts political or other dogma before empirical evidence and the scientific method are anti-science. Pseudoscience is one way of expressing anti-science beliefs, specifically by using scientific-sounding language. In this way, intelligent design, UFOology, cryptozoology, and alternative medicine are all forms of anti-science and pseudoscience. (And any pseudoscience that actually embraced the scientific method would no longer be "pseudo".)I'm in no way trying to defend conservatives; I'm just trying to make the same point that beliefs not grounded in reality and not subject to reconsideration in light of new evidence are prevalent across all political groups.
phoneguyJan 8, 2010
The solution is quite simple.En mass, all of the businesses, colleges and universities should refuse to acknowledge the accreditation of anyone educated in Texas until these mentally deficient people are ousted and proper standards are implemented.I think that a public, internationally refusual just might do the trick. So, please ... if you work in HR, or in Admissions at a school, do not accept a high school diploma from Texas. It is hard to fund a Neo Con revolution when you are uneducated and unemployed.
sleepystarlingJan 9, 2010
It's false equivalency to assert that there are anywhere NEAR as many anti-science liberals as conservatives. www.gallup.com/poll/27847/majority-republicans-doubt-theory-evolution.aspxThere are crazy people in every political group, but it is those who advocate no separation of church and state who are currently the most active in trying to change school curricula to fit their poltical agenda.
adamgorleyJan 18, 2010
The whole process started out as a grassroots campaign by the ultra-conservatives.It might not be easy, but you could do the same.