Florida House Speaker may consider bill to protect teachers who criticize evolution.

[madfloridian]

Rubio is Jeb's buddy, and he is the one behind the continued pressure to get the Bush Family stuff through the Florida House. He made these statements to the Florida Baptist Witness newsletter.

I guess I am not surprised they would keep pushing this issue, especially since they compromised and voted to water down the bill. They added the word "theory" as a sop to the religious right here.

Florida "placates" the religious right by adding the word "theory" on the final evolution vote.

The most vocal board members before the vote were Roberto Martinez, a Coral Gables attorney, and Donna Callaway, a retired Tallahassee principal. Both voted "No" -- but for very different reasons. Martinez wanted the standards adopted as written by the experts asked to devise them. He noted the National Academy of Sciences gave its approval to the original version. He said the last-minute option was diluted one created to "placate those people who had concerns about the evolution standards.

When you compromise with extremists they just keep wanting more from you. It never pays.


Marco Rubio

From the Florida Baptist Witness:

Rubio: Florida House open to legislative fix on evolution

TALLAHASSEE (FBW) – An evolution compromise approved on Feb. 19 by the State Board of Education was the best that could be achieved in that body but legislative action to protect academic freedom of teachers offering criticisms of Darwinian evolution is possible, House Speaker Marco Rubio told Florida Baptist Witness in a Feb. 20 interview.

Rubio said the Board of Education’s addition of “scientific theory of” before each reference to “evolution” in new science standards for Florida’s public schools was “the best fix available” with “the way those votes were lining up.”

Although he and other House leaders supported the theory compromise in a Feb. 19 letter to members of the Board of Education, Rubio said critics who believe explicit language protecting academic freedom is necessary “may be right.”

Picture courtesy of Ybor City Stogie

The institute that compares states on their education quality criticized Florida's Board of Education's recent vote on science standards.

Institute criticizes Florida's 'evolving' standards

A prominent institute that compares states on their education quality criticized Florida's Board of Education's recent vote on revamped science standards.

In a statement released today, a University of Virginia professor and the lead author of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute's "The State of Science Standards 2005" called it a political move.

After several months of debate over the evolution portion of Florida's new standards - which set the tone for science curriculums in public schools - the board in a 4-3 vote this week added the phrase "scientific theory of" before evolution.

"The Board of Education's attempt at a compromise on the teaching of evolution is a political sop to a large and concerned population of Florida voters who believe that on the core issues of science, some other way of knowing (religion, perhaps) is equal or superior to science itself," said Paul Gross, a life science professor. "This may well be good politics. But it is not serious; and, so far as excellent science education is concerned, it is dishonest."

This is just plain embarrassing to me. I can not believe they caved in like this. I find it unbelievable that the Florida House will even think about getting a bill passed to protect teachers who don't want to follow state rules.

The religious right simply has too much power and influence here.

[msongs]

1. cool! then other teachers can criticize the fairy tales in the bible as well, RIGHT??? nt

[democrat in Tallahassee]

2. It is SO embarrassing to live in Florida. Our universities are

not funded nor are our public schools; and we have to worry about shit like this. We're a friggin third-world country.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. Funded? What do you mean? And yes, it is embarrassing to live in Florida nt

[jae1227]

17. College Fundding

All the Universities are having to cut back on admissions because of funding. I know last week Florida State University stopped accepting freshman applications. I don't know why this is happening but I don't think it would be happing if Jim Davis was governor. He would have gotten rid of the FCAT and save this state millions on that testing garbage. Teachers are forced to teach a test to the students. Education has gone down the drain. Now the real question is weather Creationism will now be the Science FCAT.

[madfloridian]

20. 90 million cut in state funding...at least. I found this article in google cache

This article is approving of the tuition hikes. I have a different feeling. I see cuts in funding of education everywhere in Florida, and it is scary. And while doing this they are still pushing for private school vouchers.

College tuition hikes painful but necessary

"College tuition increases are unpopular, especially at a time of economic anxiety across Florida. But the state's university system makes a good case for an 8 percent increase in the next academic year.

Florida's public universities suffered a stinging $90 million cut in funding from Tallahassee in September. They are braced for another huge cut to complete the academic year, and expect another reduction for 2008-2009.

..."The 8 percent hike will mean a $93-per-semester increase on a 15-credit load. That will surely cause some hardship, but Floridians must acknowledge that tuition rates are bargain basement.

Today, Florida has the cheapest tuition rates in the nation. Our $3,361 average yearly tuition is nearly 50 percent lower than the national average of $6,185.

Put bluntly, you get what you pay for, and the Legislature and governor historically haven't been willing to pay or authorize much in funding for public university education. People angry over the tuition hike should point blame at the executive and legislative branches, not the Board of Governors that oversees the public colleges and universities."

[mattfromnossa]

14. How did you read

my mind??? :wow:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. Bible bangers confuse the word, "hypothesis" with the word "theory" and think they're right

What a bunch of ignoramuses, and politicians are taking them SERIOUSLY! Sheesh

[madfloridian]

12. Florida leaders treat them as though they were right.

They cater to them.

[phrigndumass]

13. Bible bangers

I agree! I prefer the term godbully.

Some will "god" you to try to enlighten you into agreeing with them, and if that doesn't work, then they'll godbully you to take your freedom of choice away.

That's their sick, twisted version of "evangelism". Florida seems to have become a godbully state, with a godbully legislature.

Madfloridian, your journals are very informative, thanks!

- Phrig

[Sarah Ibarruri]

22. I like the word godbully too, and I agree that madfloridian rocks! nt

[Catshrink]

5. The US lags behind the industrialized nations in science proficiency

because we must spend our resources fighting shit like this. Another result of repug pandering to the religious right -- I doubt repukes give a damn one way or the other. They go where the votes are.

[kevinbgoode]

7. Yes...why do conservatives hate America?

They seem to do everything possible to destroy this nation.

[kevinbgoode]

6. The Republicans really do want to implode, don't they?

I get the feeling that the overwhelming majority of the American people are getting increasingly sick and tired of the Religious "Right" and their constant whining and demands. This could be the ticket to toss a lot of con-artist conservative Republicans right out of the state legislature.

[0rganism]

8. The problem is, if people knew what "scientific theory" meant, it would be fine

For a scientific idea to rise to the standard of "theory" is high praise indeed. It indicates an extremely high degree of results confidence, tempered by years of experiments and peer review.

Many people don't seem to get that. They think it's denegration. Rep. Rubio is playing on their ignorance while delivering what's actually a compliment, even if he doesn't know it himself.

And, in an ironic twist of fate, we end up with well-intentioned and presumably knowledgeable folks like Paul Gross defending the Theory of Evolution from being accurately referred to as a "scientific theory"!

[madfloridian]

9. That's the sad (and funny) part of it.

They caved in with a member who was against evolution casting the vote to accept it.

[AlCzervik]

10. So what time on sunday do the science teachers get to take the pulpit at churches in Florida?

when the non evolved some to y house and try and sell me ID i do 2 things, 1) i ask them to wait a moment, take the lit google up the fool who wrote it, print out the articles illumination what a charlatan he/she is and than i give to the non evolved religion salesperson, 2) "No when can i come by your church to teach evolution, are Sundays good, cause Sundays are really good for me.

[madfloridian]

11. I think right wing radio here eggs the religious right on.

I only listen to XM AAR and the music stattions. I do hear that Baptist churches and talk hosts keep pumping it up.

When people go to these hearings and say things like this..they are deliberately misunderstanding and exaggerating. They simply can not believe their own words.

"In my lifetime, I've never seen an ape turned into a human."

Or when they say things like this...video clip that is unbelievable.

Man holds up oranges, says they could be related to his pet dog or cat

And some interesting letters in the Miami Herald.

http://www.miamiherald.com/456/story/429265.html

[BobTheSubgenius]

15. Is there an acceptable amount?

Of the Religious Wrong's power and influence, I mean.

[madfloridian]

16. There should not be any actual power over public decisions like that.

Now that you mention it...any influence over government decisions, and any pandering to Southern Baptists on matters of education...it is too much.

Tried to word things right...Guess I didn't.

[Pappy]

18. Well at least our Religious Nutz are not blowing themselves up

Guess its a small price to pay to keep religious nuts happy less they start killing people.

[malaise]

19. Pity

THey serve no fugging purpose.

[azureblue]

21. Pleeeeeease pass this bill!

Then the pastafarians can demand that their version of creation be taught. Or Hindi. Or Norse. Or American Indian. Or any other religious group who thinks that their version of creation is the "correct" one.