Creationist bill passed by Louisiana House of Representatives
http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/news/2008/LA/95_creationist_bill_passed_by_lou_6_12_2008.asp
On June 11, 2008, with less than two weeks left in the legislative
calendar, the Louisiana House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 733, a
bill which opens the door to creationism in public school science cl*****.
The bill, sponsored in the House by Rep. Frank Hoffman and in the Senate
by
Sen. Ben Nevers, pur****ts to "promote[] critical thinking skills, logical
analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories being
studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life,
global warming, and human cloning."
The Associated Press (June 12, 2008) re****ts that "The Senate already has
agreed to the bill, but it heads back to that chamber for approval of a
provision that would allow the state Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education to prohibit supplemental materials it deems inappropriate.
Nevers
said he will ask the Senate to approve the amendment. He stressed that the
amendment does not require BESE to review all the materials. The state
board would only step in if someone raised a question about whether the
material was appropriate." Meanwhile, the Alexandria Town Talk (June 8,
2008) observes that "State lawmakers are looking at a hectic two weeks as
the 2008 legislative session draws to a close with many major issues yet
to
be settled." Outstanding legislation includes next year's budget,
infrastructure construction bills, a voucher proposal for New Orleans
public schools, and other controversial legislation.
As The Baton Rouge Advocate (June 12, 2008) explains "Ignoring threats of
a
lawsuit, the Louisiana House voted for legislation Wednesday that could
change the way evolution is taught in public schools. The measure, Senate
Bill 733, failed to generate a single question, passed 94-3 and appears
poised for final approval. … "If this new law is used to promote religion
in Louisiana public schools, I can guarantee there will be legal action,"
said Barry Lynn, executive director of [Americans United for Separation of
Church and State]. In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana
law that required equal time on creationism when evolution is taught in
public schools." In a press release on June 11, 2008, Lynn added:
"Louisiana students deserve better, and Louisiana taxpayers should not
have
their money squandered on this losing effort."
In an interview with The Christian Post (June 12, 2008), John West, a vice
president at the Discovery Institute, responded that "The proposed
Louisiana law expressly states in Section 1C that it 'shall not be
construed to promote any religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or
against a particular set of religious beliefs, or promote discrimination
for or against religion or nonreligion.'" In an interview with the
Wa****ngton Times (June 12, 2008), Jason Stern, vice president of the
Louisiana Family Forum, insisted "It's not about a certain viewpoint. It's
allowing [teachers] to teach the controversy."
Louisiana Coalition for Science, a grassroots group recently founded to
advocate for accurate science education, decried the vote in their own
press release (June 11, 2008). Barbara Forrest, a founding member of the
group and a member of the NCSE board of directors, said "The Louisiana
legislature tried to force creationism into public schools in 1981, and
they lost in the U. S. Supreme Court. The Discovery Institute, a national
creationist organization, and the Louisiana Family Forum are using the
same
old tricks, but with new labels. In Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School
District in 2005, I showed that intelligent design was cooked up as a new
name for the same old creationist arguments, and the strategy behind this
bill is no different. Despite their denials, even the bill's backers know
that SB 733 is a creationist bill written in creationist code language."
She concluded by thanking Patricia Haynes Smith, Jean-Paul Morrell, and
Karen Carter Peterson, the three representatives who opposed the bill, and
saying "Now that the House has passed the bill, the Senate has one more
chance to do the right thing. The entire country is watching. They should
reject this bill and let teachers do their jobs. This bill is being pushed
by creationist groups and does nothing to help Louisiana, our teachers, or
our children. It’s heartbreaking to see so few people willing to stand up
for Louisiana."
In the Louisiana Citizens for Science release, Patsye Peebles drew on her
years of experience as a biology teacher to oppose the bill. "I was a
biology teacher for 22 years, and I never needed the legislature to tell
me
how to present anything. This bill doesn't solve any of the problems
classroom teachers face, and it will make it harder for us to keep the
focus on accurate science in science classrooms. Evolution isn’t
scientifically controversial, and we don’t need the legislature
substituting its judgment for the scientists and science teachers who
actually know the subject."
If the bill p***** the Senate, it is uncertain how Governor Jindal will
respond. The Wa****ngton Times re****ts "A spokeswoman for Republican Gov.
Bobby Jindal would not say whether he will sign the bill, saying only that
he will review it when it gets to his desk."
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You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Historical Reality SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
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.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why
"a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v.
Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
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USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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