Evolution Opponent Is in Line to Head National Educational Policy Board

[BurtWorm]

Falwell lives.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/19/education/19board.html?ex=1337227200&en=f7ca3e219ae561e2&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss


By CORNELIA DEAN
Published: May 19, 2007

The National Association of State Boards of Education will elect officers in July, and for one office, president-elect, there is only one candidate: a member of the Kansas school board who supported its efforts against the teaching of evolution.

Scientists who have been active in the nation’s evolution debate say they want to thwart his candidacy, but it is not clear that they can.

The candidate is Kenneth R. Willard, a Kansas Republican who voted with the conservative majority in 2005 when the school board changed the state’s science standards to allow inclusion of intelligent design, an ideological cousin of creationism. Voters later replaced that majority, but Mr. Willard, an insurance executive from Hutchinson, retained his seat. If he becomes president-elect of the national group, he will take office in January 2009.

The group, based in Washington, is a nonprofit organization of state school boards whose Web site (www.nasbe.org) says it “works to strengthen state leadership in educational policymaking.”

Brenda L. Welburn, its executive director, said Mr. Willard’s only opponent in the race withdrew for personal reasons after the period for nominations had closed. Each state has one vote in the election.

[DemBones DemBones]

1. No, Falwell's still dead. This is a different guy.

I wonder what, if any, power this group has? It may be a do-nothing, have a yearly conference someplace nice, organization. Let's hope so.

[BurtWorm]

2. If they are successful at all in accomplishing their stated mission

(to strengthen the states' role in educational policymaking) this is not good news.

[Lobster Martini]

3. Time to revive the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster--parody of intelligent design

From Wikipedia:

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is the deity of a parody religion called the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The religion was founded in 2005 by Oregon State University physics graduate Bobby Henderson to protest against the decision by the Kansas State Board of Education to require the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to biological evolution. In an open letter sent to the education board, Henderson professes belief in a supernatural Creator called the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which resembles spaghetti and meatballs. He furthermore calls for the "Pastafarian" (a portmanteau of pasta and Rastafarian) theory of creation to be taught in science classrooms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monsterism

Open Letter to Kansas School Board: http://www.venganza.org/about/open-letter/

[genie_weenie]

4. I'm a thief. I'm a liar.

There's my church I sing in the choir.
I'm the first mammal to wear pants. Yeah.
I am at peace with my lust.
I can kill cause in god I trust. Yeah.


It's evolution baby. Yeah.

Do the Evolution- Pearl Jam