OH Gov. Taft (R) launches attack on reason and science

[BurtWorm]

From Panda's Thumb:


http://www.pandasthumb.org/archives/2005/08/ohio_bombshell.html


Ohio Bombshell: Gov. Taft Fixing the SBOE Process?

Wesley R. Elsberry posted Entry 1354 on August 16, 2005 01:10 PM.
Trackback URL: http://degas.fdisk.net/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1352

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Governor Taft’s appointees on the State Board of Education who voted in anti-science changes to the science standards adopted in 2002 and a “critical lesson plan” in 2003 were contacted by his staff to make sure that they knew Taft strongly supported the “intelligent design” measures.

Quick program…

* Ohio Governor Bob Taft, now revealed as an active advocate of “intelligent design”.
* Brian K. Hicks, Taft’s chief of staff when the Ohio science standards were being considered.
* Elizabeth Ross, Taft’s education liaison at the time.
* Wick, Craig, Schloemer: board of education members supporting good science standards.
* Deborah Owens-Fink, Michael Cochran, and James L. Turner, board of education members and “intelligent design” advocates.

Catherine Candisky of the Columbus Dispatch wrote:

In November 2002, after the board unanimously approved its intent to adopt science standards and just weeks before its final vote, Hicks wrote Elizabeth Ross, then Taft’s education liaison:

“You should call (Carl) Wick, (Jim) Craig and (Sam) Schloemer and let them know that the Gov. strongly supports the science standards that passed with a 17-0 vote. He does not want to see changes to the proposal and hope that these members will not support any changes to the standards.

“Let me know if I need to call anyone … we don’t want this thing to unravel.”

A few hours earlier, Ross had informed Hicks that the board’s leading advocate for intelligent design had called and was livid about an attempt to return to evolution-only standards.

[OhioChick]

1. Anything concerning Taft

makes me cringe. That man has run Ohio into the ground, terribly. I can't wait until he's out in 2006. He makes me sick.

[FreedomAngel82]

2. Sometimes I wonder

if these people, such as Taft, really believe in all of this or just pandering to the rightwing fundie groups. :shrug: