Many Kansans upset over the State Board of Education’s vote on science standards see next year’s election as the remedy — a chance for four of the six board conservatives to be ousted at the ballot box. A similar 1999 board evolution vote prompted a re-election shake-up and a rewriting of standards. But board chairman Steve Abrams (in photo) predicts the latest decision will be a "winning campaign issue" for the conservative incumbents: "It’s not only good science, it’s good for the election. National polls tell us this is what the public wants."
National polls? What the public wants? Those hardly seem like appropriate foundations on which to base Kansas’ science curriculum.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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17 Comments
They sure didn’t campaing on it either. I don’t remember reading that Steve Abrams was advocating for ID at all. Bait and switch really!
Facts are facts regardless of their popularity. Be nice if only the things we wanted to be true were; if that were the case, every nuclear weapon in the world would suddenly turn into Pla-Doh!Unfortunately, they’re all still functional.Evolution is as close to fact as anything in science, so learn to live with it. It won’t go away just because you want it to!
The latest argument for the BOE seems to be that it is a duly elected body, that the memebers’ constituencies were fully aware of what their board member embraced and approved of it, so therefore all Kansans need to accept the BOE evolution decision as legal and binding and move on.
The BOE vote may indeed be legal and binding but that doesn’t make it legitimate. For example, state laws are struck down by state and federal courts all the time for being unconstitutional. In fact, even if a law IS constitutional, that in and of itself doesn’t make it legitimate. Laws limiting the franchise were common and commonly upheld early in the twentieth century, but the laws and the court decisions upholding them were illegitimate.
The rule of law may be a bulwark of liberty, but that does not mean that it is the essence of liberty. That only resides within people…
In other words legislating on evolution doesn’t make it any less the best explanation of the observable evidence. Next, we’ll be repealing the law of gravity.
It was a sad day, I had no idea who was the state BOE member for my area. So I looked it up, to my shock it was Steve Abrams! Back at the time of the election, he was nothing more than a name on the ballot. I had never heard of him, I had no idea where he stood or believed.
I do not recall seeing any signs saying “Vote for me and God!”. I never heard him speak, there were not meetings anounced to get to know him. He really was just a name on the ballot.
Mr. Abrams, I will remember you the next time at election time. I know what you stand for, you are no longer a name to me. I am not sure who gave you your mandate. But it was not the people!
Just shows how far out of touch the “Wack Jobs” on the State BOE really are! This shouldn’t suprise anyone.
Kids, here’s my suggestion to you:
Get connected to the internet, visit the library, read and learn as much as you can. Make your own conclusions.
The hallmark of somebody that’s full of BS is when they start telling you how or what to think!
Lemme see if I have this straight: It’s fine for the Eagle and other conservative school board opponents to discuss the dire political consequences for the board’s actions, but it’s not appropriate for the school board members themselves to discuss potential political consequences.George Orwell must be smiling.
Pat Robertson of CBN commented on how Dover, PA voters voted out 8 school board members who were pro ID and voted in 8 democrat board members.http://www.wgal.com/news/5297399/detail.htmlRobertson stated that Dover rejected God. This statement reinforces the fact that ID is a tool to bring Christian dogma into our classrooms. Everyone who has stated that ID is only a criticism of science and is NOT a conflict of church and state, need to rethink their argument.What is at play here is power; power over people through a strict belief system. Isn’t that Fascism? Oh, but if God is involved, it has a higher meaning? This game has been played for thousands of years. What’s the next target in our teaching curriculum after science? No more world history? Will they want what is taught in history classes to go through strict review board also? You know what they say…those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.ID is just one cog in the giant machine of master control. If they can change science standards, or have control over what is taught and how it is taught, then they have access to the minds of US citizens.
Brian,Repeal the law of gravity? No thanks, but if they could just weaken it a bit, especially in the area of my doctor’s scale, I’d be grateful!
So, Steve Abrams seems to think that ID is what the public wants? Well, it is up to us to prove to him what it is we want…and that does not include his version of religious dogma.
Hopefully many of us have learned a lesson. If we don’t pay attention, we have no choice but to live with the consequences of our apathy. Ouch!!Is is possible to recall school board members? Or are they wrtten in stone until the next election?
I agree Damoon, the greatest of all evils is apathy.
Abrams ran unopposed in 2004. That is why you didn’t see any signs or hear much in the way of a campaign.
The one’s being baited here ar us… by Rhonda and the media elite who choose to make this an issue. If they would choose to let this issue die, it would, and classes would be taught exactly the way they are today!! How many of you know a biology teacher that is going to drop evolution and begin teaching creation? Yeah.. I don’t know any either! People, don’t be deceived… READ the Standards, ask questions, understand! NOWHERE in the new standards does it require the teaching of ID… and the actual TESTING will change very little.I know Brian has read them… has anyone else?
Gee, and I thought that evolution is right there written on the first chapter of Genesis. For what counts as a moment to Eternal God may as well be millions of years for humankind.
I just noticed the photo of Abrams at the top of the column. He better watch out! Quantum mechanics is only a theory, but if it ever gets disproved, that laptop will quit working, and he’ll lose all his information on creationism!
reading about this ID stuff up in Kansas makes me happy I moved to Houston. Teach science in the schools, teach religion at home and in the church.