Texas Science Education Chief Forced Out
Frederick Clarkson printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 09:30:34 PM EST
Proponents of the intelligent design theory of the universe have apparently forced out the science curriculum director of the Texas Education Agency. What precipitated the resignation  the Austin-American Statesman reports, was that Chris Comer forwarded an email from her office computer promoting a public talk by Barbara Forrest, a prominent academic critic of ID. Comer is accused of being biased over the matter, which is still a matter of considerable contention in Texas education politics.

The 2006 federal court decision in Kitzmiller vs. Dover, which thorougly debunked ID as legitimate science, was based in considerable part on Forrest's testimony.

The controversy promises to ignite further national debate about the politics of intelligent design, and how the dressed-up religious doctrine of creationism is being fraudulently promoted as science to the public schools, and beyond.

Here are excerpts from the American-Statesman article:

Comer was put on 30 days paid administrative leave shortly after she forwarded an e-mail in late October announcing a presentation being given by Barbara Forrest, author of "Inside Creationism's Trojan Horse," a book that says creationist politics are behind the movement to get intelligent design theory taught in public schools. Forrest was also a key witness in the Kitzmiller v. Dover case concerning the introduction of intelligent design in a Pennsylvania school district. Comer sent the e-mail to several individuals and a few online communities, saying, "FYI."

Agency officials cited the e-mail in a memo recommending her termination...  "Ms. Comer's e-mail implies endorsement of the speaker and implies that TEA endorses the speaker's position on a subject on which the agency must remain neutral."

Comer's resignation comes just months before the State Board of Education is to begin reviewing the science portion of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, the statewide curriculum that will be used to determine what should be taught in Texas classrooms and what textbooks are bought.

The call to fire Comer came from Lizzette Reynolds, who previously worked in the U.S. Department of Education. She also served as deputy legislative director for Gov. George W. Bush. She joined the Texas Education Agency as the senior adviser on statewide initiatives in January.

Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, which sent the original e-mail to Comer announcing the event, said Comer's situation seems to be a warning to agency employees. "This just underscores the politicization of science education in Texas," Scott said. "In most states, the department of education takes a leadership role in fostering sound science education. Apparently TEA employees are supposed to be kept in the closet and only let out to do the bidding of the board."



Display:
To the best of my knowledge, the test that is referred to in the Statesman article is the one used by Texas to measure its standing within the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND requirements. The implication is that the ID school wants it included in the classroom AND in the tests that [supposedly] measure the knowledge and education of Texas schoolchildren. The question is whether the ruling in Dover here in PA will have any bearing on laws in other states or if the battle will have to be fought state by state.

This is a bit of an aside, but can I tell you how glad I am that I graduated from a Texas public high school 20 years ago? I got out with an excellent education before all the standardized testing hit and before the latest round of Creationism/ID began to creep its way inside the school. When I got to Boston University, I was appalled by the lack of basic knowledge, particularly in literature and history, displayed by my college classmates with their NY Regents and high-flying MA private school diplomas. Now I pity my cousins growing up in Texas schools.

by RevRuthUCC on Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 05:41:40 PM EST

That implies some sort of "equality" between Evolution and "ID".  I thought Dover put the nails in that coffin.

by ArchaeoBob on Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 10:15:34 PM EST

Intelligent Design isn't testable, so it doesn't fit the category of hypothesis, much less that of a theory.

(One of my pet peeves- the misuse of the world Theory!!!)


by ArchaeoBob on Fri Nov 30, 2007 at 07:13:50 PM EST



WWW Talk To Action


Refuting Nullification, Part One
The emerging influence of Thomas J. Woods and other neo-Confederate ideologues within the Catholic Right was the focus of the first post in this......
By Frank Cocozzelli (1 comment)
The Film the Christian Right Does Not Want You to See
The acclaimed documentary God Loves Uganda, which depicts the role of American conservative evangelicals in generating vicious antigay campaigns in Uganda will be screened......
By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Reflections One Month after the Boston Marathon Bombing
A month after the Boston Marathon Bombing, the unified response here in the Boston area is the slogan "Boston Strong," which I see on......
By Chip Berlet (0 comments)
The Partisan Preacher's Complaint: Franklin Graham Has No Grounds To Whine About IRS
The ongoing scandal over the Internal Revenue Service's heightened scrutiny of Tea Party groups took another twist yesterday when evangelist Franklin Graham complained that......
By Rob Boston (3 comments)
`Merry Christmas' In May?: Texas Legislators Reaffirm Right To Use Holiday Greeting
Texas legislators appear to have too much time on their hands. Members of the House of Representatives just passed legislation protecting everyone's right to......
By Rob Boston (5 comments)
Why Nullification Matters
In the first post in this series, I discussed the push for secession and nullification now being made by Catholic Right Neo-Confederates, notably Thomas......
By Frank Cocozzelli (5 comments)
Rios Montt, Hero to the Christian Right, Guilty of Genocide in Guatemala
Former Guatemalan dictator and darling of the American Christian Right, Rios Montt, was found guilty of genocide, making world news. ABC News has a......
By Bill Berkowitz (8 comments)
"It's Great to be a Government-Paid Missionary"
These are the exact words of Maj. Douglas W. Duerksen, a military chaplain, which you can hear for yourself in the embedded video below.......
By Rachel Tabachnick (2 comments)
Mark Sanford and His Free Pass from Religion
Mark Sanford, recently elected Congressman from South Carolina, has hit the airwaves with a startling comeback. The former governor of the state, hid in......
By wilkyjr (7 comments)
Christian Right Default: Blame the Jews
This past week we saw a remarkable example of the whipping-up of outrage over the alleged persecution of Christians. The story turned out to......
By Frederick Clarkson (2 comments)
Investigating the Indiana Family Institute
The Indiana Society of Professional Journalists gave Andy Kopsa its 2012 award for Best Investigative Reporting for a newspaper under 40,000 in circulation.  And......
By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Thomas E. Woods, Jr. and the Neo-Confederate Catholic Right
Thomas Woods is an increasingly influential  player on the Catholic Right. In this and a subsequent post, we will consider how his world view......
By Frank Cocozzelli (3 comments)
Memo To The Religious Right: You Don't Need The Government To Tell You When To Pray
Thursday is the National Day of Prayer, and if you want to pray, by all means have at it.I'll let you in on a......
By Rob Boston (3 comments)
Book in 2012 Predicted Boston Bombing Motive
A book published in 2012 predicted the motive for the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing. Terrorist's Creed, by professor Roger Griffin, explains how......
By Chip Berlet (0 comments)
The End of the Literature of Pooh Poohery about Dominionism?
It is no small thing that Sally Quinn, doyenne of religion at The Washington Post, seems to have turned around on the problem of......
By Frederick Clarkson (1 comment)

Christian Hate For Hire
The Chairwoman of Republican Liberty Caucus of Washington (the Ron Paul formation), is Sandi Brendale, wife of Philip Brendale–a featured speaker at the regional Anti-Indian Conference held in Bellingham on April 6. Sandi Brendale,......
Jay Taber (3 comments)
Mississippi high school forces students to attend Christian lectures: lawsuit
Reposted from Raw Story: A high school in central Mississippi allegedly forced students to watch a Christian video and listen to church officials preach about Jesus Christ. The American Humanist Association's legal center filed......
COinMS (0 comments)
PA Candidate Max Myers Advocates Theocratic Church Governance
I'm working on a story to go with this video, but for now here's just the video. For context, see Rachel Tabachnick's story, NAR Leader Running for Governor in Pennsylvania - As a Democrat......
Bruce Wilson (1 comment)
Former Maranatha Pastor Stars as Thomas Jefferson in Fox and Friends Segment
I wasn't planning on playing Seven Degrees of Maranatha Campus Ministries this evening, but was instead perusing my usual array of news and opinion websites when I found this gem on Talking Points Memo:......
ulyankee (5 comments)
American Family Association launching drive to influence 2014 elections
CBN's David Brody has learned that the American Family Association is greasing the wheels for an effort to influence the 2014 elections.  The American Renewal Project, an AFA-affiliated group that helped push Prop 8......
Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Kevin Swanson encourages Christian educators to break law and push religion on kids
cross-posted at dKos Kevin Swanson of Generations Radio was in rare form on his podcast yesterday.  He decried the numerous Supreme Court decisions that have resulted in government-mandated prayer being barred from the public......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Far-right religious group behind 'Path to 9/11' film continues to infiltrate mainstream media
‘Path to 9/11’ director David Cunningham, who was outed a few years ago as a member of the far-right group Youth with a Mission, has been toiling away on a number of media projects......
unholyalliances (1 comment)
S. 3526: Military Religious Freedom Act of 2012
My senator, Roger Wicker, has introduced the Military Religious Freedom Act of 2012. A couple of things here: 1.) It's very interesting that it bears the exact same name as the Military Religious Freedom......
COinMS (2 comments)
West Point cadet drops out to protest influence of fundamentalist Christianity
Blake Page was a senior at the United States Military Academy, slated to graduate in May.  He was due to be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army, and once he left the......
Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Brownback endorses major fundie/dominionist prayer rally on Saturday
Those of you in the Kansas City/Topeka area, be on alert--there's going to be a major invasion of fundie lunacy in Topeka on Saturday.  And it has the endorsement of none other than Kansas'......
Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Why is the religious right defending an unrepentant con man who preyed on minority communities?
All indications are that the religious right is rallying to the defense of Jews Offering Alternatives for Healing (JONAH), the "pray away the gay" outfit that is facing a lawsuit from four former clients......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Mike Bickle's Sexually Charged "Bridal Mysticism" IHOP Teachings
I've been picking through Mike Bickle's teachings on Bridal Mysticism and the Song of Solomon - which Bickle seems to view as allegorical for the end-time relationship of the church (the Bride of Christ)......
Bruce Wilson (19 comments)
Rick Joyner and Bob Jones delude themselves into thinking Obama will help them
Two days ago, I mentioned that Rick Joyner hosted a post-election "webinar" with another NAR leader, Bob Jones.  In it, Joyner and Jones actually laughed about the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy because......
Christian Dem in NC (3 comments)
NAR leaders LAUGH about destruction wrought by Hurricane Sandy
If you want to get a picture of how fundamentally sick and twisted the New Apostolic Reformation is at bottom, I offer as an example a video recently released by Rick Joyner. Yesterday, Joyner......
Christian Dem in NC (16 comments)
Rick Joyner, who wants to set up a dictatorship, accuses Obama of wanting to set up tyranny
Last Sunday, Rick Joyner told his flock at MorningStar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina (only 20 minutes south of me--gag) that if Obama is reelected, he plans to set up "the worst,......
Christian Dem in NC (5 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC.