Perry Appoints New State Board of Education Chairman

[tomm2thumbs]

Source: NBC News Dallas/Ft Worth

Rick Perry has appointed a new State Board of Education chief, Gail Lowe. Lowe, a conservative.... has fervidly advocated for Creationism in the classroom enough to draw plenty of criticism. The former SBOE chairman, Don McLeroy, lost his position partially due to his polarizing views on the subject.

Lowe will launch into her new role next week when the board holds a four-day meeting. Her term will end on Feb. 1, 2011, unless the Senate chooses to renew it. If that doesn't happen and Perry is still governor, odds are looking pretty good that he will just appoint another conservative.



Read more: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Perry-Appoints-New-Chairman-of-the-State-Board-of-Education.html

---

Just have to say 'Good Luck' to all our Texan Democrats!

Interesting quote from her "I think parents have overwhelmingly shown that they want abstinence to be taught" and her website claims she is "Committed to excellence and conservative Republican principles," including "traditional values in education." She has also stated she will vote against textbooks that say humans contributed to global warming and 'we don’t believe evolution ought to be taught as a fact.”

[ananda]

1. Another sad day for Texas..

So sad.

[texanshatingbush]

2. I am apoplectic

She probably hasn't discovered yet that many of the Founding Fathers were Deists and not Christians.

And she probably doesn't know that the Pledge of Allegiance had "under God" added in the 1950s as a counterattack to the godless commies (are my facts right on this?).

I am constantly amazed and disappointed at how uneducated about American History so many of these fundy nutjobs are.

I fear for my country's future.

[Ken Burch]

6. You are right on the Pledge

The original words of the Pledge, before various right-wing politicians destroyed the scansion and forced it into a daily national loyalty oath, were a pledge to follow one's conscience, the only thing any American should EVER be expected to be loyal to:

"I pledge allegiance to MY flag,
And to the republic for which it stands,
One nation, indivisible, with EQUALITY and justice for all".

(emphasis added by yours truly).

That's what we should restore it to.

[aquart]

16. American history isn't in the Bible.

Of course, they also suck at the Bible which has oft been a source of entertainment for me.

[derby378]

3. Well, at least it wasn't Cynthia Dunbar

I think Dunbar agrees with Lowe on just about everything, but Dunbar also said that public education was unconstitutional. So why the hell would she want to be Secretary of Education?!?

:wtf:

[tomm2thumbs]

5. exactly - and her kids were all homeschooled, so that's some 'experience' to bring to the table

I can show you how to convert your backyard into a playground - but how to administer a district-wide achievement program? uh... no.

[RoyGBiv]

10. To destroy it ...

There has been a concerted effort, since at least the 80s, among people like this to infiltrate "the system" in order to destroy it or, at failing that, mutate it into something that fits with their world view.

Texas is central to this because of the impact its textbooks have on what is taught throughout the nation, and so they have put a lot of energy into reaching these positions.

[bertman]

4. Oh Darn!! I thought Governor Rick was gonna reach across the aisle and pick a liberal.

These assholes PLAY FOR KEEPS. They do not play by the rules. They are beyond any form of compromise.

Why the hell can't Democrats learn to do that??

[Downwinder]

7. According to Creationists:

We are all artificial life forms (organic computers with an integrated life support system, programed with a binary BIOS), created by an extraterrestrial alien in his/her/their image, that have not changed mentally or physically for 6,000 years.

Did I get that right?

[houston mark]

8. We need help down here!

We've been stock with pRick Perry since his friend Chuckles was elected in 2000. God willing we will win back at least one of the state houses in the next election cycle. Pray for us!!!

[tomm2thumbs]

9. Sending best wishes and much support

:hi:

Hope things start to move in a better direction for ya soon.

[Faygo Kid]

11. Welcome to DU, and all the best. You will need it. He has appointed a nut.

A fascist, too.

Might be time to look to move elsewhere. This is beyond the pale.

[eagertolearn]

15. We have pretty much abstenince only taught at our high school

and out of 600 students this year we had 20 pregnant teens. When a school nurse tried to give information about preventing pregnancy to a girl who was obviously sexually active the nurse got in trouble. The kids are supposed to go over to public health where I hear that the morning after pill is being used for "birth control" chronically. From what i hear from my girls by the time girls are in 11th and 12th grade most of them are sexually active (small town). And I live in Oregon! Shouldn't the schools have to follow what research has shown is effective? Research has shown a good program that teaches the students about themselves and about sex will actually help teens to postpone sex From what i hear from my kids the "promise ring" is to make the parents not worry. How can we let these people take us into the dark ages?

[pbrower2a]

17. For the Right , Politics trumps science

The Hard Right, given the choice between reason that debunks them and callow superstition that supports their worldview invariably choose superstition. A favorite is that if people don't hear about something from public channels of communication they won't find out. So it is with sex.

"Abstinence only" is a farce. Schools are the only places that can give objective information on sexuality -- consequences as well as biological reality. In the absence of objective sex education, what defaults as a source of 'information' on sexuality? Pornography!

At the least competent sex education does the following:

1. It associates sex with potential for undesirable consequences: inconvenient pregnancies, STDs, getting stranded in bad relationships, and economic distress.

2. It teaches the biology of sexuality -- the reproductive systems and the formation of a baby.

3. Although it advocates abstinence as an ideal, it suggests "safe sex" as a viable alternative.

4. It discusses ethical issues of sex and pregnancy.

5. It establishes norms for the treatment of a baby.

6. It recognizes homosexuality as a reality compatible with human decency.

7. It promotes respect between parents of a child (no spousal abuse).

8. It suggests marriage as the proper environment for raising a child.

[mbperrin]

20. You won't have to worry about abstinence education any more. Perry's

30-something lawyer appointment as the head of Texas Education Agency just discontinued health education completely as a graduation requirement. This just a few days ago.

BTW, they're also getting ready to eliminate Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall from the US history texts they buy - they're overemphasized, and Ben Franklin not enough, they say.

So no chance of any health information being leaked to students now at all.

This is what you get with a governor who "won" with less than 40% of the vote.

[WatchWhatISay]

18. God must not be willing then, cause it isn't going to happen

We've had several excellent Democratic candidates for statewide office in the past 10 years, as well as some who were so conservative (Blue Dog),that it would be near impossible to tell them from a Republican (some of them really were Republicans who just couldn't win thier primaries, and were hoping the primary winner might get caught up in a scandal). Doesnt matter in Texas, wether they are good looking, have an excellent history of public service, thier opponent is an actual idiot/criminal/puppet of industry - if they don't have an R after their name, they aren't getting elected.

I would say God has nothing to do with it, except that I know that churches in Texas make sure God does have an awful lot to do with electing Republicans.

[PSzymeczek]

12. The Lowe wench thinks

public education is unconstitutional, FCOL!

[AverageJoe5]

14. Creationism vs Theory of Evolution

This may be a minority viewpoint on this forum, but, in my humble opinion, Creationism and the Theory of Evolution are not mutually exclusive.

But, personally, I will remain skeptical of the Theory of Evolution until those who espouse that theory explain the ultimate origin of the "simple life form" from which all succeeding life forms, including humans, evolved.

It seems obvious to me that there has to be an eternal, self-dependent, transcendent Being (God? Allah? Yahweh?)as the Ultimate Cause of the created order. You don't even have to be religiously inclined to believe that; it's a matter of logic.

[snake in the grass]

19. Evolution does not deal with the origin of life...

...(that would be abiogenesis), and the theory merely attempts to describe how the species develop. Evolution is an observable fact, just like gravity, and yet I hear no one questioning gravity because it's "just a theory". Just as the blueprint is not the house, so is the theory of evolution not evolution.

[callous taoboy]

25. Good reply. Thanks.

[mbperrin]

21. Nothing logical about it. Where did your eternal being come from?

Because if that eternal being always existed, there's no reason I can't argue that the life forms always existed and never had a start, either.

The whole God business just pushes back origins one step; in no way solves it.

[sakabatou]

13. If Lowe does try to bring Creationism into public schools

He WILL be breaking the law.

[Joe Bacon]

22. Ah, Ricky is putting the "ASS' in TexASS again.

Nice to see that stupid lives and expands in the TexASS Republican Party.

[Trocadero]

23. THANK GOD I don't live in Texas

[No Elephants]

24. Don't pick on Texas! Bible classes, most often biased toward--SURPRISE!-

Christianity, are being taught in public schools all over. Sometimes, churches provide the teacher, the course materials, etc.

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

How many of those courses do you think are also biased toward Republicans?

Wake up, America.