Slashdot Mirror
Bill Allows Teachers to Contradict Evolution
Helical writes "In an attempt to defy the newly approved state science standards, Florida Senator Rhonda Storms has proposed a bill that would allow teachers to contradict the teaching of evolution. Her bill states that 'Every public school teacher in the state's K-12 school system shall have the affirmative right and freedom to objectively present scientific information relevant to the full range of scientific views regarding biological and chemical evolution in connection with teaching any prescribed curriculum regarding chemical or biological origins.' The bill's main focus is on protecting teachers who want to adopt alternative teaching plans from sanction, and to allow teachers the freedom to teach whatever they wish, even if it is in opposition to current standards."
It's curious how people can be so angry at this (which allows teachers to teach what every they want) because they can't be trusted. At the same time be angry with No Child Left Behind (which gave minimum standards for what teachers HAD to teach) because it doesn't give teachers flexibility. Sounds a bit hypocritical to me.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
I just can't see why, from the info in the summary, anyone thinks that this legalizes teaching ID or creationism.
Religion (and philosophy) and science ask different questions. The people pushing ID and creationism as "science" are not doing themselves any favors.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
to the ID mob I give you
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus
Go explain that one with ID.
--- This meme is memory intensive
Free speech doctrine actually allows all of this to begin with, no need for any affirmative right. The question is whether the employer (school district) is constrained in its choice of whether to retain the employee.
This law eliminates causes for termination, more than anything, because it does not actually grant any rights the teacher (or anyone else) already has.
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
I hate to burst you bubble, but the "bible-belt" reaches much farther north then you think.
I am a Semi-Truck driver, and I live in Ontario, Canada. I routinely drive through Michigan and goto Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Indiana. While driving through these 'Northern' States I often experience first-hand the gross ignorance that has a strangle-hold on these 'unwashed-masses'.
-try scanning your radio and listen to all the church stations that exist. They easily outnumber normal 'music' stations by 4:1.
-fear mongering and hate speak that they allow on these 'Praise The Lord' bible stations is outrageous some times, and brings to mind Nazi propaganda.
-speaking to 'The Average Joe' is scary too. From factory workers, office staff, to truck stop patrons (admittedly the lower rungs of the evolution ladder), I hear such ignorance to make my heart weep for humanity.
Sample conversations:
On politics; "Barack Obama, I can't vote for him, hes got a funny name."
On science; "I can't wait for Global Warming, it's too cold here in the winter."
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." ~Plato (427-347 BC)
That's funny. By that same definition evolution should not be taught either because it is not scientific. Being scientific means also that it can be reproduced.
Evolution has never been reproduced. Natural selection yes, Evolution, no.
Intelligent design gets proven every time we succeed in cross-breeding (Africanized bees), every time we genetically engineer (crops), and every time we do selective breeding (prize-winning horses, etc). Just look at how many fewer species we have now than 100 years ago due to extinction.
I know you said "most" but Kansas isn't considered "The South" and they're a key part of the gang of forward thinkers that preach "Intelligent Design" in public schools. Seriously though, they need to save the religious brainwashings for Sunday school. Religious education has it's place, but public school is not it. If people want their kids taught false science, send them to a private evangelical Christian school. Otherwise, why not also teach native Indian ideas of creationism in public school, such as how the spider Sussistinnako created the earth. Can't prove it, can't disprove it, so it's "scientifically" just as valid as "Intelligent Design".
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
Classic misunderstanding of the Catholic Church. We don't disagree with evolution. We say it is a theory, good science, and (most importantly) not contradictory to the faith.
Basically, the Catholic Church says: Evolution is how God created, Bible is why.
That said I think evolution is a much more beautiful thing than God just snapping His fingers and saying "BAM!"
No offense or anything, but you're not explaining this well at all.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a physicist. I'm only any good with kinematics, because I like intuition. I could easily get something wrong here, but here's my understanding.
The reason velocity is relative is because any inertial frame of reference "works". That is, no matter what you define the "actual" resting state is, the universe works the same way: all the forces are the same, all movement is the same, and nobody could tell the difference. That's why there's no center of the universe, because as far as we know, it makes no difference where it is.
Acceleration is not relative because you can't do the same with an accelerating frame of reference. Let's say Person A is in the "actual" resting state, and Person B is accelerating away. Thus, there must be some constant force acting on Person B causing the acceleration. Additionally, person B can feel this force. Now try to establish Person B as the resting frame. Now Person A is accelerating away, but there is no force acting on him. There is a force acting on Person B, but he's not accelerating. This makes no sense. In order for an accelerating frame of reference to work, all of the literal forces of the universe must change.
Try that scenario with just velocity and convince yourself that the swap would work in that case. Hence, velocity is relative, but acceleration is not.
Laymans terms:
:P
Someone puts you in a perfectly silent elevator and shuts the doors, you will feet the elevator speed up and slow down, but you won't feel anything special when its moving at a constant velocity besides normal gravity.
Don't believe me, do what all physicists in NY do in their spare time
Rid the Empire State Building's elevator while standing on a bathroom scale.
I have a number of friends who've done it.
I wouldn't consider the mad hatter mad. Just reality impaired. He sure can make a mean cup of tea.
If that's what public school teaches, fine. I'll pay for private school, and 10 years from now your kids will be serving mine -- lunch.
Liberty you never use is liberty you lose.