Evolution? Not at the TEA
Karen Ayres Smith reports that the state of Texas will review the state's science curriculum standards in 2008, the first such revision in a decade. That means evolution will again be under attack by conservatives. The first shot in this battle was fired last month when the Texas Education Agency (TEA) fired science director Chris Comer for forwarding an email announcing a speech by a prominent scholar on evolution. Even though the current science curriculum standards mandate the teaching of evolution, the TEA science director is not supposed to talk about it. And you wonder why our kids lag the world in science?
Any revisions to the science curriculum must be approved by the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE). Last year, Governor Rick Parry appointed Don McLeroy chairman of the SBOE. McLeroy is quoted as saying:
"I'm a Christian, and I think about how this impacts everything. Religion is not just something you put on the side. It's everything. I see us all created in the image of God. I don't believe nature is all there is."This is the guy the governor put in charge of science standards for public schools in Texas. Again, you wonder why our kids lag the world in science?
Televangelist Taxes
The last item about creationism forcing its way into science classes makes a good segue into the next story. What is religion doing when it's not trying to get into science class? It's living lavishly, of course.
An editorial in The Dallas Morning News endorses a request by Iowa senator Charles Grassley for financial records of televangelist ministries. He wants to assure the televangelists are not abusing the law or their donors. Kenneth Copeland is one target of the request. Copeland was the subject of a Channel 8 story examining his use of a "fancy jet." Copeland's son wonders why Congress is looking into this if the IRS itself hasn't made any complaints. Would that the IRS would do its job. But the IRS is part of the executive branch of government, which is in the hands of George Bush, who gained power through the support of evangelicals. Don't expect any bite from the IRS watchdog as long as that situation holds. Thank Charles Grassley for showing that there's at least one Republican who holds the nation's laws above the self interest of his party's conservative base.
Pauken Conspiracy Theories
Tom Pauken is spreading conspiracy theories on Dallas Blog. Dallas Republicans gathered to collect signatures to get on next year's ballot and some Democratic judges had the gumption to watch! It's not as if the Republicans were meeting in secret. It's not as if running for office in secret is even possible. The Republicans already know the incumbents they will face. Likely, the Democrats want to know who they might be facing themselves. Pauken is trying to flame this into a scandal. Lame.
Most readers know Pauken is a life-long Republican. But he doesn't publicly admit that Dallas Blog as a Republican Party organ. Hint to Pauken: don't misspell the Democratic Party's name in your headlines unless you really want to telegraph the partisan bias in the article itself.
2 comments:
It's nort a misspelling. They do that on purpose. Childish.
Some Republicans do it on purpose. Some are just ignorant. I believe Pauken wants to be taken seriously as an opinion maker. Pauken doing it reduces him to just another partisan Republican hack.
As always, thanks for commenting.
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