…but I sure wanted to after reading about Barbara Cargill’s confirmation hearing to chair the Texas State Board of Education.
When Cargill (a brief primer) appears to be flummoxed by the utter inanity of the questions brought before her, things are very very wrong with the body doing the questioning.
If Texas is a model for the rest of the nation, then America is screwed. Fortunately, China’s not doing so great on the edumacation front either.
Don’t worry, Bobby Jindal promised us the GOP would stop being the stupid party.Report
There’s no point in trying to humiliate these folks. Just sit back and let them to that themselves. They never disappoint.
It’s amazing that the issue before the board is no longer whether or not to teach creationism in public school. Instead, it’s about how evolution ought to be taught. That’s a pretty impressive victory for conservatives.Report
Is it just me?
I’m not sure what to criticize about Campbell’s questions, because I had not fishing idea what the hell she was trying to say. Seriously, I reread it twice and had no idea.
I *think* she’s anti-eveolution? Maybe?Report
Yeah…it’s a bit surreal.Report
Well, what really kicks into the twilight zone is that everyone else is being veryvery careful to reassure folks that anti-evolutionism is not a part of the school boards agenda. Then the backwater fundamentalist rips apart the whole pretense because she doesn’t understand how politics works.
It’s hilarious, in a sad sorta way.Report
a ‘backwater’ that contains all the suburbs between San Antonio and Austin.Report
Heh. I knew when I wrote that word it wasn’t the right one. English is tough for me.
I was trying to find a word that meant “unsophisticated in the art of politics” and that’s the best I could do.Report
Having driven through them…”backwater” might be generous.Report
Fast-growing consumerist nightmares is probably a better way of describing them.Report
Hey baby/I think you might be anti-evolution/So call me, maybeReport
Tod, here’s a quote that ought to clear things right up for you:
to me obviously, if I was creating anything and had a good model like DNA, I’d use it. And just tweak it a bit, and have a monkey here and a fish here, whatever.
Did that help?
(Isn’t that a wonderful sentence?)Report
She’ anti-evolution.
She thinks creationism is taught in TX schools and that the debate was over to include evolution.
Campbell’s statement:
“We don’t want to eliminate those things that you still do have to go on faith that are out there.”
Obviously, I’m a Christian. I do believe in God as the creator of life … ”
…where that falls in line to make sure we’re not just teaching that evolution is our only [and here she catches herself] —because we can measure—to me obviously, if I was creating anything and had a good model like DNA, I’d use it. And just tweak it a bit, and have a monkey here and a fish here, whatever.”
This is the whole “intelligent design” dodge. Ruled unconstitutional, but they just keep coming back with it.
The best ruling on the matter is probably the ruling in Kitzmiller v. Dover, which makes it plain why this sort of creationism with a bit of stage makeup slapped on is still creationism and still unconstitutional.Report
Fortunately, China’s not doing so great on the edumacation front either.
That’s a good thing?Report