Repugs Deny Gravity, Demand Schools Teach Sun Revolves Around Earth

This isn't about education. This isn't even about freakazoids demanding their myths be taught instead of actual science.

 

This is about repugs not just in Kentucky but right up to the Willard/Eddie presidential ticket throwing temper tantrums and demanding the world bow to their insane infantile demands.

 

Linda Blackford at the Herald:

Kentucky's Senate Republicans pushed successfully in 2009 to tie the state's testing program to national education standards, but three years later, they're questioning the results.

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In an exchange with officials from ACT, the company that prepares Kentucky's new state testing program, those lawmakers discussed whether evolution was a fact and whether the biblical account of creationism also should be taught in Kentucky classrooms. "I would hope that creationism is presented as a theory in the classroom, in a science classroom, alongside evolution," Sen. David Givens, R-Greensburg, said Tuesday in an interview.

 

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"Republicans did want the end-of-course tests tied to national norms; now they're upset because when ACT surveyed biology professors across the nation, they said students have to have a thorough knowledge of evolution to do well in college biology courses," said Rep. Carl Rollins, D-Midway, chairman of the House Education Committee. 

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Another committee member, Rep. Ben Waide, R-Madisonville, said he had a problem with evolution being an important part of biology standards.

 

"The theory of evolution is a theory, and essentially the theory of evolution is not science — Darwin made it up," Waide said. "My objection is they should ensure whatever scientific material is being put forth as a standard should at least stand up to scientific method. Under the most rudimentary, basic scientific examination, the theory of evolution has never stood up to scientific scrutiny."

 

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State and federal courts have ruled that creationism is a belief, not science, and therefore should not be taught in science classrooms, but instead in comparative religion classes, Holliday said. "I think the key is we could debate the science of this forever, but we hope our kids understand the theories behind evolution," he said. "We think our kids need to be critical thinkers to be able to reason between the two." 

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Vincent Cassone, chairman of the University of Kentucky biology department, served on the committee that developed the standards."The theory of evolution is the fundamental backbone of all biological research," he said. "There is more evidence for evolution than there is for the theory of gravity, than the idea that things are made up of atoms, or Einstein's theory of relativity. It is the finest scientific theory ever devised."

 

David Helm, president of the Kentucky Science Teachers Association, declined to comment, other than the official statement of the national group, which says:

 

"The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) strongly supports the position that evolution is a major unifying concept in science and should be included in the K-12 science education frameworks and curricula ... NSTA also recognizes that evolution has not been emphasized in science curricula in a manner commensurate to its importance because of official policies, intimidation of science teachers, the general public's misunderstanding of evolutionary theory, and a century of controversy. In addition, teachers are being pressured to introduce creationism, 'creation science,' and other nonscientific views, which are intended to weaken or eliminate the teaching of evolution."

Helm, the coward, declined to comment because for years now Kentucky science teachers have been threatened with firing for even mentioning the word "evolution" in the classroom. Instead, they are forced to use the term "change over time," which is worse than meaningless.

I personally know of one former high-school biology teacher who took a demotion and re-assignment to a punitive classroom situation rather than compromise principle so egregiously.

Wonder why so many voters fall for obvious repug lies and vote against their self-interest? This is why: repugs are deliberately moronifying the public school system.