Anti-evolution Bills Dismissed in New Hampshire

[Lionel Mandrake]

Biology classes in many US public high schools are so bad that biology majors in one university I know of are given remedial training in the rudiments of evolutionary theory. We all know why they didn't get this stuff in high school. For the last hundred years or so, the forces of ignorance and superstition have relentlessly tried to keep evolution out of high schools. When that failed, they tried to inject religion and unwarranted doubt into the curriculum. They have had considerable success, but in recent decades their unscrupulous tactics have been recognized as such by the courts, which have consistently ruled that creationism and "intelligent design" are religion in disguise and that efforts to introduce them into science classes violate the Constitutional separation of church and state.

Recent events in New Hampshire show that the campaign to dumb down the high schools is still raging:

STATE HOUSE
House committee dismisses bills on evolution

By Sarah Palermo / Monitor staff
February 16, 2012

The House Education Committee dismissed two bills this morning that would have dictated classroom lectures on evolution, saying the legislation stepped too far over the bounds of local control.

The first bill, sponsored by Rep. Gary Hopper of Weare, told teachers to present all scientific theories as works-in-progress that students should challenge. The second, introduced by Rep. Jerry Bergevin of Manchester, required teachers to present evolutionary scientists' political and religious affiliations along with their scientific theories.

Read more:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/blogentry/312042/house-committee-dismisses-bills-on-evolution?CSAuthResp=1329502176%3A02n4i7ilakshp261nv6g1olk71%3ACSUserId%7CCSGroupId%3Aapproved%3A0A3EBEA0E28602068987F5F5504D5663&CSUserId=94&CSGroupId=1

[saras]

1. The only "vote" you get on evolution is whether you will or not.

"Evolution" is a fact. You can watch animals evolve.

"Natural selection" is a theory. You can't observe it, it's an explanatory phenomenon.

"Aggression is a major component of fitness" is an opinion. "Major" is simply not subject to scientific definition.

"evolutionary scientists' political and religious affiliations" - why not ALL scientists' affiliations? I certainly want to know if I have to dismiss someone as a paid liar because they work for a corporation, or reject their electronic engineering because they go to a church of liars.

[Lionel Mandrake]

2. Why not ALL scientists' affiliations?

I was wondering about that. Why should we know more about evolutionary scientists than we do about other scientists?

Apparently other scientists are okay, but evolutionary scientists are not to be trusted.

I know about Charles Darwin's religious affiliation (C. of E.), but I haven't a clue about his political affiliation, if any. According to one of those New Hampshire bills, I shouldn't be allowed to discuss Darwin's magnum opus, On The Origin of Species (1859), in a high school biology class.

How fucked up is that?