Kansas BOE Urged to Reject 'Shameful' Proposal to Delete Tuskegee Experiment from State Curriculum

[The Straight Story]

Kansas Board of Education Urged to Reject 'Shameful' Proposal to Delete Tuskegee Experiment and Other Science Abuses from State Curriculum


TOPEKA, Kan., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A national group is
urging the Kansas State Board of Education to reject on Tuesday a plan to
delete coverage of the historical misuses of science from state curriculum
standards, including a reference to the infamous Tuskegee syphilis
experiment targeting African-Americans.

"The board's plan to whitewash the history of science is shameful,"
said Dr. John West, Vice President for Public Policy and Legal Affairs at
Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. West sent a letter to
the board on Monday opposing the change.

"Especially disturbing is the board's proposal -- during Black History
month no less -- to eliminate any mention of the infamous Tuskegee syphilis
experiment from the state curriculum, as well as any reference to the
eugenics movement that targeted the disabled," added West.

The Tuskegee experiment, which took place from the 1930s to the early
1970s, left nearly 400 African-American men untreated during the late
stages of syphilis in order to collect medical data from their autopsies.
Conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service, the experiment is one of the
most infamous examples of the abuse of human research subjects. President
Clinton issued a formal apology for the experiment in 1997.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news/index.shtml

[don954]

1. those who deny history are doomed to repeat it

and these fsckers are setting us up for a massive repeat of the beginning of the 20th century....

[The Straight Story]

2. That state is going to hell in a handbasket....(nt)

[Danieljay]

3. You are right, I moved from there just 4 years ago, went back to visit...yikes

Its amazing I was there for as long as I was. I lived in Wichita. I was stunned at how 'shut down' it seemed. The entire city felt dead. We went out with friends to the old town district, which is quite nice for Wichita, left around 9:30 on a Saturday night and within two blocks there wasn't a car on the road, nor anyone even walking along the street. Its as if we were the only ones there. It was creepy. You can't walk into a restaurant without walking through the smoking section and despite all the work in the downtown and surrounding area, business were literally boarded up.

It was a delight spending time with some of my friends, but we couldn't get back on that plane quick enough. So now, when I hear someone say to me here in Portland Oregon "you're not in Kansas anymore, Toto" I say "THANK YOU GOD!!"

[The Straight Story]

4. A good part of the midwest seems to lack culture

Chicago is awesome, but outside of that things seems stagnant (well, not Branson, MO... heh).

I grew up here myself (Ohio) and while, yes, there is culture it seems very toned down and bland.

But then, perhaps I am just not looking hard enough (but then, I didn't have to look in NYC or Chicago when I was there...)