Evolution Bill Passed in Tennessee
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(Oh this just pisses me off. Makes me want to leave this state and head back to New Jersey)
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/apr/10/tennessee-evolution-bill-becomes-law-without-gover/
Tennessee evolution bill becomes law without governor's signature
The evolution bill became law without Gov. Bill Haslam's signature Tuesday, making Tennessee one of two states in the nation where teachers are free to point out flaws in current scientific thought on evolution, global warming and other accepted theories.
The other is Louisiana.
The issue has created plenty of heat for Tennessee with news coverage around the U.S. and Canada and a host of editorials asking Haslam to veto.
In a short statement Tuesday afternoon, Haslam said that while he did not see that the bill would change the "scientific standards" taught in Tennessee schools, he also didn't see it accomplishing "anything that isn't already acceptable in our schools."
He noted that while the bill passed with a three-to-one margin in the House and Senate, "good legislation should bring clarity and not confusion."
"My concern is that this bill has not met this objective. For that reason, I will not sign the bill, but will allow it to become law without my signature."
This is the first bill in Haslam's nearly 15 months in office that he has allowed to become law without his signature.
Although the governor didn't say so, a veto would likely not have killed the bill. Under the Tennessee Constitution, the legislature can override a governor's veto by simple majority votes of the total membership of each chamber -- 17 votes in the 33-member Senate and 50 votes in the 99-member House.
The bill won House approval on a 70-23 vote last year, then Senate approval 25-8 last month.
David Hill, a former FedEx pilot who lives in Memphis, called the action "cowardly."
Hill was one of the 6,055 people, mostly Tennesseans, who signed an online petition by midafternoon Tuesday asking for a veto.
"Previous attempts over evolution have been soundly defeated over and over again," he said. "...They say bringing up these controversies will help your mind, as if these kids are in any position to judge the merits of this or anything else controversial."
The law protects teachers from discipline for teaching scientific subjects in an objective manner or helping students understand, analyze, critique and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories.
The National Center for Science Education quickly posted news that the bill has become law on its website under the headline: "Monkey bill enacted in Tennessee."
"Telling students that evolution and climate change are scientifically controversial is miseducating them," said executive director Eugenie C. Scott.
"Good science teachers know that. But the Tennessee legislature has now made it significantly harder to ensure that science is taught responsibly in the state's public schools."
Monkey bill is a reference to the 1925 Scopes "monkey" trial in which teacher John Scopes was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which made it unlawful to teach evolution in any state-funded school.
Jerry Winters, state lobbyist for the Tennessee Education Association, knows of no cases where teachers have been disciplined for criticizing global warming or evolution.
"At the very time the state is placing emphasis on making students more knowledgeable in science and mathematics, it is really moving in the wrong direction to start questioning longstanding scientific facts," Winters said in an e-mail.
"This is certainly not going to reflect well on Tennessee nationally as we seek to attract science-oriented industries into the state."
The House and Senate bills were authored by Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, and Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson.
"People who look on this with an open mind will see it calls for critical thinking and helping students develop critical thinking skills and using objective scientific facts.
"... A lot of people who have tried to turn it into something else have not even read the bill," he said.
The bills do not include creationism or intelligent design -- the idea that the world was created by an intelligent being -- because the state board of education curriculum does not include these topics, said David Fowler, executive director of the Family Action Council of Tennessee.
Fowler said he pushed for the bills after receiving complaints from Middle Tennessee parents that a teacher's presentation of evolution "was extremely unbalanced" and that a textbook called the Genesis story a "creation myth."
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
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(Here are some of the comments from the theist institutions that are pushing for this bill, they are all morons in my opinion)
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/apr/14/the-faith-in-memphis-panel-critiquing-evolution/
The Faith in Memphis Panel: Critiquing evolution
A new law will require Tennessee public schools to allow science teachers and students to discuss purported weaknesses of scientific theories such as evolution and global warming. Supporters say the law merely allows teachers and students to critique scientific theories "that can cause controversy." Opponents say the law's agenda is to encourage teachers to inject religious beliefs about Creationism and Intelligent Design into public education. We asked the Faith in Memphis panel to respond. Here are some excerpted responses. Read more responses at faithinmemphis.com.
Micah Greenstein
Temple Israel
Contrary to the efforts of some to use the Bible to refute evolution, the two fields are complementary, not contradictory. The biblical creation story, for instance, was never intended to be a lesson in evolution. The purpose of Genesis is not to tell us how the world was created, but to help us understand Who created all the wonders we behold and enjoy, and for what purpose. Science only deepens the miracle and mystery of God's world.
Meade Walker
Castalia Baptist Church
I am against lawmakers telling teachers what or what not to teach. I believe in academic freedom. If the teacher is trustworthy enough to be employed, then that teacher should know what and how to teach. The purpose of education is not to indoctrinate. Students should be made aware of all sides of an issue. Critical thinking only occurs when the students have all the arguments and then exercise their own conclusion.
Maxie Dunnam
Christ United Methodist
How can a person really be "educated" in the United States without having some understanding of religion and the role religion plays in both our private and public lives? Such teaching can be as "objective" as teaching about evolution. How "scientific" is it for scientists to say that because the theory of evolution is the most "established" accepted theory of creation it should not be critiqued?
David Allen Hall
Bishop, Temple COGIC
There is room for both disciplines to be taught. Is this a scientific controversy? Yes. Is this a social/religious controversy? Yes. This is standard left vs. right politics. I believe that God created the Heaven and the Earth, but it takes scientific constructs to travel in space. As for evolution, the human race is so backwards we can't get over the difference in skin color.
econd Presbyterian
The fact is that most thoughtful people do have a high regard for natural history and do also seek to abide carefully by sound theological principles. This is quite possible, and needs to be encouraged in the classroom, which can only happen if teachers are free to explore all possibilities with their students. It's probably questionable as to whether this is an issue to be taken up by the state legislature.
Warner Davis
Collierville Presbyterian
A teaching approach that would allow students to critique evolution is commendable. I have no problem with evolution taught in public schools. There's much to be learned from science. But is it in the interest of intellectual honesty to impose the conclusion that evolution is the whole truth and nothing but the whole truth as to how human beings came to be?
Harry Danziger
Temple Israel
My public school training in understanding, analyzing, critiquing and reviewing issues tells me that this is a not-so-thinly-disguised attempt to have the biblical account of creation labeled as science, that this bill has nothing to do with a greater understanding of science. I am a person of faith. My faith is my personal truth. It cannot be proved or disproved in a laboratory or classroom. It is also not science.
Nicholas Vieron
Annunciation Greek Orthodox
There is nothing that science can present that will affect my faith in "One God, creator of heaven and Earth ... ." In fact, one complements and supports the other. To accept Scripture in a literal manner is dangerous; to accept scientific data blindly would also be ill advised. Each has its purpose in life: one to show how to get nearer to God and to each other, the other to discover helpful data for the betterment of mankind and for the sake of the truth.
Nicholas Vieron
Annunciation Greek Orthodox
There is nothing that science can present that will affect my faith in "One God, creator of heaven and Earth ... ." In fact, one complements and supports the other. To accept Scripture in a literal manner is dangerous; to accept scientific data blindly would also be ill advised. Each has its purpose in life: one to show how to get nearer to God and to each other, the other to discover helpful data for the betterment of mankind and for the sake of the truth.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
Maybe it's a good thing. If you can't make people smart enough to drop primitive beliefs, make them too stupid to survive and pollute the gene pool.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Here is a good example of politicians being hypocrites.
They don't want "big government" and keep telling Obama, we don't want you telling us what to do with our health. Yet, when it comes time to teaching science, they make exceptions because it fits their agenda.
This needs to be overturned.
I agree. I wonder how long it will be before more states start adopting this nonsense ?
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno