Florida legislators tell Judge Jones to go to hell
Fortunately, several Florida senators on the judicial committee had the balls to defy Judge "Jackass" Jones' vaunted "Dover Trap" by passing an "Evolution Academic Freedom" bill.[1]2]3]. The vote was a fairly lopsided 6-3 (maybe even 7-3 according to a disputed vote count).
Other "academic freedom" bills have been introduced in Louisiana and Missouri (the "Show Me State" and namesake of this blog). These academic freedom bills are needed to counter intimidation by Kitzmiller v. Dover, Selman v. Cobb County, etc.. The threat of exorbitant attorney fee award rip-offs in establishment clause cases ($1 million in Dover, negotiated down from an original bill of over $2 million approved by Judge Jones) discourages government officials from doing things that the courts might find to be constitutional. Because of tightwad taxpayers, public officials are fearful of risking a single dime of tax money for payment of legal expenses.
The "Dover Trap" is looking more and more like the paper tiger that it is.
However, some of the Missouri bills go too far, IMO. The NCSE says,
I am surprised that a bill as unreasonable as HB 1266 passed a legislative committee, even by a small margin.
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ADOLF HITLER'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Alternative statement: evolution is the fundamental concept underlying all of Nazism (taken from wording in the new Florida state science standards).
I never made a big deal before about the Darwin-to-Hitler connection because that connection of course has nothing to do with the scientific merits of Darwinism. My new emphasis on that connection is a retaliation for Darwinists' harping on their false claim that all criticisms of Darwinism are based on religion.
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Other "academic freedom" bills have been introduced in Louisiana and Missouri (the "Show Me State" and namesake of this blog). These academic freedom bills are needed to counter intimidation by Kitzmiller v. Dover, Selman v. Cobb County, etc.. The threat of exorbitant attorney fee award rip-offs in establishment clause cases ($1 million in Dover, negotiated down from an original bill of over $2 million approved by Judge Jones) discourages government officials from doing things that the courts might find to be constitutional. Because of tightwad taxpayers, public officials are fearful of risking a single dime of tax money for payment of legal expenses.
The "Dover Trap" is looking more and more like the paper tiger that it is.
However, some of the Missouri bills go too far, IMO. The NCSE says,
In 2004, the sponsor of HB 2554, Representative Robert Wayne Cooper (R-District 155), introduced two bills, HB 911 and HB 1722, that called for equal time for "intelligent design" in Missouri's schools. HB 911 moreover would have provided that "Willful neglect of any elementary or secondary school superintendent, principal, or teacher to observe and carry out the requirements of this section shall be cause for termination of his or her contract," a draconian provision that was absent from HB 1722. Both bills failed. In 2006, Cooper introduced a third bill, HB 1266, which would have provided that "If a theory or hypothesis of biological origins is taught, a critical analysis of such theory or hypothesis shall be taught in a substantive amount." Like HB 911 and HB 1722, HB 1266 ultimately failed, although it passed by a 7-6 vote by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.
I am surprised that a bill as unreasonable as HB 1266 passed a legislative committee, even by a small margin.
==================================
ADOLF HITLER'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Alternative statement: evolution is the fundamental concept underlying all of Nazism (taken from wording in the new Florida state science standards).
I never made a big deal before about the Darwin-to-Hitler connection because that connection of course has nothing to do with the scientific merits of Darwinism. My new emphasis on that connection is a retaliation for Darwinists' harping on their false claim that all criticisms of Darwinism are based on religion.
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Labels: Evolution education (new #1)
posted by Larry Fafarman | 4/09/2008 02:34:00 AM
9 Comments:
I was just about to comment how more than any other we can count on Larry to present the most tendentious interpretation of events in the most specious way, but then I remembered the Discovery Institute's blog.
"Just-so stories are not accepted here."
Who but a proponent of "Intelligent Design" would fail to see the irony? What other kind of "story" is that?
What do you see as unreasonable about HB 1266, Larry?
Jim,
HB 1266 says, "If a theory or hypothesis of biological origins is taught, a critical analysis of such theory or hypothesis shall be taught in a substantive amount." For example, evolution theory contains several different concepts, e.g., common descent, random mutation, natural selection, genetic drift, macroevolution, microevolution, and punctuated equilibrium. What if there is no scientific challenge to a particular concept? For example, there is no challenge to microevolution -- microevolution is accepted even by creationists. Requiring a substantive amount of time for a challenge to each concept is unreasonable.
According to the scientific community, there is no scientific challenge to evolution, period.
Do you know something they don't Larry?
Larry "knows" lots of things. Occasionally one will be correct, but that is not to be wagered on.
Yes, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
On the basis of what did you conclude that the Florida legislators told Judge Jones "go to hell"? From what you say and what I've read, they said nothing to him nor did they direct anything to him. I'll go even further and say that they demonstrated no knowledge of the Dover case (which might explain their actions). Show you what? The insanity? You claim to want the facts but you have done nothing more than engage in cheap yellow journalism and sensationalist rhetoric that has nothing to do with the facts but has everything to do with your obsessions. Which number is Jones again? You would have saved all five of your readers 30 seconds by using the code proposed a while ago.
>>>>>> On the basis of what did you conclude that the Florida legislators told Judge Jones "go to hell"? <<<<<
I was obviously speaking figuratively -- duh. As I said, what I meant was that the legislators had the balls to stand up to Judge Jones' vaunted "Dover Trap."
>>>>> I'll go even further and say that they demonstrated no knowledge of the Dover case (which might explain their actions). <<<<<
I disagree -- I think they probably know that the Dover decision is a crock of shit.
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