"Anti-creationism prof quits department chair"

[GreenPartyVoter]

TOPEKA, Kansas (AP) -- A University of Kansas professor who drew criticism for e-mails he wrote deriding Christian fundamentalists over creationism has resigned as chairman of the Department of Religious Studies.

Paul Mirecki stepped aside on the recommendation of his colleagues, according to Barbara Romzek, interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

"This allows the department to focus on what's most important -- teaching, research and service -- and to minimize the distractions of the last couple of weeks," Romzek said in a statement Wednesday after receiving Mirecki's resignation.

Contacted by The Associated Press, Mirecki declined to comment about his decision, only saying he was still a member of the university faculty and planned to continue teaching.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/12/08/creationism.professor.ap/index.html

[kenny blankenship]

1. Academic Freedom: Rest In Peace

[ourbluenation]

2. Weenie. eom

[SoCalDem]

8. That may be the case, BUT...

The pressure that middle aged people (like he probably is) feel these days is something that most can sympathize with. If he's in his 40's , or a bit older or younger, he probably has children, a mortgage, a car payment or two. To suddenly lose one's job and health insurance for the family, can be a tragic consequence, so sometimes the better choice is to "shut up".. Even in Kansas, people need money to live and jobs to provide that income.

People sometimes "stand up" for a principle, and in the end have to eat their words due to family needs. There are lots of people at the periphery who say "Go on, shout it from the rooftops, we're with you"...and then they see the flames, and back away from the person who is the voice of the group..

"Live to fight another day" is not always a bad motto.

We see the results of this financial pressure in media & politics too..not only teaching.

[MadHound]

3. This will only encourage the fundy Brownshirts to do further violence

In the name of their pacifist God.

[IChing]

4. He was beaten into submission

This is the same professor that was attacked.

[LoZoccolo]

5. It probably didn't have as much to do with his views on creationism...

...as much as it did with him using the word "fundies" and sending out an email that said that part of his course would be a "nice slap in their big fat face". A lot of people don't understand that when they use inflammatory rhetoric, their message becomes less and less relevant to what happens to them after that, especially people who like to complain about things to each other on the Internet.

[kevinbgoode]

19. He's entitled to free speech. . .

after all, I've seen a physics professor at a St. Louis university use his university web site to rage about "homosexuals" and the University has left him alone. Now how come a wingnut can do this but this professor doesn't have identical rights?

[Baconfoot]

28. Did the physics Prof say his CLASS had an anti-gay slant? NT

[kevinbgoode]

33. No. . .he just put his essays condemning them on his web site

for his classes to access.

[BurtWorm]

6. In related news, Kansas is at the bottom of the heap for science standards

Kansas ranks last in science

15 states receive failing grade in institute’s report

By John Hanna - Associated Press Writer

Thursday, December 8, 2005

Topeka — Kansas has the nation’s worst science standards for public schools, a national education group says, condemning the state for rewriting its definition of science and treating evolution as a flawed theory.

The “F” grade from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute came after the State Board of Education approved the new standards last month. The Washington-based institute said Kansas’ treatment of evolution was “radically compromised.”

“The effect transcends evolution, however,” the institute said in a report released Wednesday. “It now makes a mockery of the very definition of science.”

Supporters contend the new standards will expose students to valid criticisms of evolutionary theory and promote openness in the classroom. Helping the board draft the standards were advocates of intelligent design, a theory that says some features of the universe are best explained by an unspecified intelligent cause because they’re orderly and complex.

Board Chairman Steve Abrams called the institute’s assessment “fraudulent.”

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/dec/08/kansas_ranks_last_science/?print

[kevinbgoode]

21. The only thing that is fraudulent

are the faux religious beliefs of the Kansas brownshirts and their threats and coercion to teach nonsense as "fact." This Board refused to consider the Flying Spaghetti Monster - and criticism of "God" as being space aliens.

The state needs to be downgraded to the status of a Third World Country.

And what happened to that professor at UK is an embarassment that should anger every real human being left in that state.

[mongo]

7. This guy was beaten a couple of weeks ago

for his beliefs
-----
A professor whose planned course on creationism and intelligent design was canceled after he sent e-mails deriding Christian conservatives was hospitalized Monday after what appeared to be a roadside beating.

University of Kansas religious studies professor Paul Mirecki said that the two men who beat him made references to the class that was to be offered for the first time this spring.
http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1133923550.shtml

I can't say I blame him for trying to get out of the spotlight.

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Yeah, he's had a bad time of it

[Xenotime]

10. Get a spine, Paul

[seabeyond]

11. he had nothing to apologize for what i read in his emails

the word fundie is not calling fundies a name. they are fundamentalists. what they call themselves. shortening it to fundie isnt a to do. he was wrong resigning. and apologizing

[LoZoccolo]

12. I have never heard of people calling themselves "fundies". n/t

[seabeyond]

13. they call themselves fundamentalist. have you not

ever heard anyone call themselves fundamentalists. and if you haven't heard it, do you know any fundamentalist. it is not a cuss word, just like liberal is not a cuss word. they are called fundamentalist. so it is dropped to fundies for short. how derogatory is that.

[LoZoccolo]

14. "Nigger" is short for "negro", and "negro" means "black".

African-Americans call themselves "black" all the time. Is it alright to use the word "nigger"?*

_*No.

[seabeyond]

15. you tell me how fundie is offensive

i am a pretty sensitive person. i hang out with fundies. i use the word fundies. not a single fundie cares. how... is fundie negative

now on this board it is because of our view of them. but along that thought so is fundamentalist, right wing, christian coalition. none of those words offends those people.

nigger is a whole different story.

i dont see how anyone can say fundie, from fundamentalist is a negative. it is like when i told my brother i am a liberal. he gasps, and says you said it not me. i told him, not a dirty word. he says, right there with kkk. no... right there with conservative and you dont think that is a dirty word

fundie is not a dirty word

[LoZoccolo]

16. People use it intentionally to offend people.

Listen, you have two choices: needlessly introduce an element of unnecessary offensiveness into the debate about scientific curriculum, or don't. Fundamentalists rarely if ever use that word to describe themselves. It is almost always used by people making fun of them. That in and of itself makes it offensive. You don't have to convince me why or why not you think it is offensive when it already is, and is already used to offend people. That's all there is to know. Take it or leave it.

[seabeyond]

17. well lozoccolo i guess it is in the intent. i am not out to trash people

nor am i out to hurt people. so when i talk about fundies or when i talk to my fundie friends i do it in love. they can tell i am not there to hurt them bash them ridicule them. mostly talking to them i ask questions to better understand them. and the feel of me, they certainly know i love them, regardless of whether i agree with their views, their religions. i spent 6 years in a private fundie school with my kids and i was a big part of that school, and i wouldnt follow their rules, but always, when we talked about it, it resolved in love

so.....

take that for what you will.

[seabeyond]

20. it is like liberal to lib. democrat to dem. republican to rep

no more than that

[kevinbgoode]

23. When a person's entire foundation for a religious belief

is to openly attack others, they don't have much business claiming the victim role. No one closes their churches, prevents their worst elements from picketing soldiers' funerals, demands that they not be allowed access to stores or restaurants. Instead, they demand that others their religion dislikes be barred from such things.

[kevinbgoode]

22. So what? They use the word homosexual with abandon

knowing that most gays find that offensive. That doesn't change their usage in the least. Maybe we should just beat up fundies until they live in the same fear they like to create for others.

[seabeyond]

25. i didnt know gays thought homosexual was offensive.

i know a lot of people that dont know that, so i hope if you hear someone say homosexual you dont assume we know this. cause i didnt. and i have two gay brother in laws. they never told me. but then, sssshhhhh we dont talk about them being gay. but then i use gay cause it is a much easier word to type compared to homosexual as fundie is easier than fundamentalist.

interesting. thanks kevin

[kevinbgoode]

29. Fundies love to use the word homosexual

because it is a method to destroy our humanity. We are nothing but sexual animals, while they are virtuous people who understand the value of love. They never refer to themselves as breeders or heterosexuals, but every right wing fundie group uses the term homosexuals as a sign of intentional disrespect and a means of treating us like a non-person.

[LoZoccolo]

26. That plays a role in Republican strategy.

I've gone over this a bunch of times with statistics showing that tactics like that threaten to grow the religious right by two-thirds due to us pushing evangelical and fundamentalist voters to the Republican side (contrary to popular DU belief, they're not all there yet)...but I'm about to go to bed. Basically the first thing you should realize is that the Republicans have benefited by defining themselves as friendly to religion...pursuing a "beat up" strategy is allowing them to fight according to that plan, which they picked out of all possible strategies as one that would allow them to prosper.

[kevinbgoode]

30. It will eventually also lead to their downfall

superstition requiring a human sacrifice to be tossed into a volcano rarely works to deflect reality for too long.

[Bill McBlueState]

18. just remember

People rarely *want* the job of department chair. This guy's probably glad he found a reason to go back to teaching and research.

[Scout1071]

24. I think we'll be hearing much more about the Professor very soon.

And that's all I'm going to say for now.

[seabeyond]

27. hm curiouser and curiouser. off to bed

will wait and see

[kevinbgoode]

32. I hope so, Scout. . .and I mean in a very good way.

And I want those two who beat him captured and prosecuted for assault with intent to kill AND a hate crime. I want the name of their little fundie church published so that the preacher can be scrutinized.

[kevinbgoode]

31. Yep...just as I thought. . .

In the religiously correct society, you can't say anything about someone's chosen, cafeteria interpretations of religion, especially if that doctrine dictates that you have to vilify others. Only the religiously correct are allowed to condemn, badger, judge and persecute others their chosen beliefs have dictated are necessary to do.

Seems to me his free speech rights were violated. When universities are being sued all over the country to allow "christian" groups whose only membership restrictions are "no gays" and the courts rule this is protected because they have freedom of speech and association, why shouldn't this professor be allowed to state his own sincerely held beliefs? Must he tolerate religious fundamentalists simply because they believe they are the only ones allowed to hate?