The Atheist Mama

“The Hot Issue” for February 15, 2006 at The Columbus Dispatch website: Should analysis of evolution be included in state school science standards?

Go weigh in. The comments are pretty interesting. It does require a quick, easy registration to comment and vote.

Edited to post the comment that I added here:

>Feb 15, 2006 09:56 am - No

>Besides the fact that creationism has no scientific ground, what needs to be remembered is that this is a clear violation of our Constitutional rights. Religion must not be mandated. The study of evolution does not lead to atheism (which is NOT a religion). The survey that Discovery Institue commissioned here in OH that claimed the majority supported ID in science classrooms, is a clear representation of the uneducated citizens of Ohio. The questions that were asked during that survey were misleading as well, claiming that there was scientific evidence behind ID.

>The Ohio Board of Education voted 11-4 to delete material encouraging students to seek evidence for and against certain elements of evolutionary science. [Link]

Nice!!! 11-4 - I wonder if Cochran was one of the 4….

Thanks to The Panda’s Thumb for the tip (I’ve been waiting all day).

~ Edited to add that the no’s were: Cochran, Owens-Fink, Grady, and Westendorf.

Thanks Russel, for posting the info in the comments! It’s too bad that Cochran’s term isn’t up until December 31, 2008.

So most of you read my post re: my son’s school and Valentine’s Day.
He came home with a little bag full of those little valentines. Very cute. I started looking through them and I was thrilled because now I have all of the names of the kids he sees everyday. I only knew a few names before.

Then I came across a Veggie Tales valentine. I kind of rolled my eyes because I know that the mission of Veggie Tales is to “promote biblical values and encourage spiritual growth.”

I turned it over to look at the other side, and I see:

>…God loves you.

>Deuteronomy 23:5 NIV

UGH. WTH? I’m sure that no one at school even noticed, but hello??? What was the parent thinking??
What if I had sent my little boy to school with valentines that said, “God is just pretend.”

I just can’t win.

So believe it or not, I actually showed up, in my jeans and t-shirt, with my 17 month old!!!
I didn’t stay for more than 30 seconds though because my son went straight for a phone.
My origninal plan was that he was going to fall asleep on the way there. It was just about his nap time. If he had fallen asleep, I could have stayed. He would have been in a comatose state. However, he didn’t fall asleep. LOL!!

The guy who signed me in was very nice and when I left, he followed me out and told me that I was welcome to come back in when I was ready and that I didn’t need to sign in again, just grab a pass.

They weren’t on the subject of ID anyway. I have no way of knowing when they are going to talk about it…

But hey! I tried… I got some funny looks and I’m sure I scared the hell out of some people (bringing my kid in) but that’s ok. I’m not disrespectful; I would have never let him disturb or inturrupt the meeting.

Should I be embarrassed that I showed up, dressed down and all??

Today, on DI’s index page, there is a link to an article about the overwhelming support in Ohio for Intelligent Design.

On that page, there are two links: one pointing to the “executive summary” (which is password protected) and another link pointing to the “complete report” (they provide a broken link, but please see the complete report here).

Discovery Institute commissioned Zogby International to conduct a phone survey for a period of 1 day (2/2/06 thru 2/3/06).

Robert Crowther, director of communications for Discovery Institute, said:
>“The public is solidly behind the approach to teaching evolution that the Ohio state board of education has already adopted. Those attacking the school board for supporting teaching both the evidence for and against evolution don’t represent the views of the majority of Ohioans.â€�

From the complete report:

>Which of the following two statements come closest to your own opinion?
>A) Biology teachers should teach only Darwin’s theory of evolution and the scientific evidence that supports it.

>B) Biology teachers should teach Darwin’s theory of evolution, but also the scientific evidence against it.

>C) Neither/Not Sure

>In 2006 in Ohio:

>A = 19%
>B = 68.8%
>C = 12%

>Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statement: “When Darwin’s theory of evolution is taught in school, students should also be able to learn about scientific evidence that points to an intelligent design of life.â€�

>1. Strongly agree 2. Somewhat agree 3. Somewhat disagree
>4. Strongly disagree 5. Not sure

>In 2006 in Ohio:

>1. Strongly agree 56.4%

>2. Somewhat agree 19.3% Agree 75.7%

>3. Somewhat disagree 5.0%

>4. Strongly disagree 13.0% Disagree 18%

>5. Not sure 5.9%

Notice that in each question they are claiming that there is scientific evidence for ID? I would support ID if there were scientific evidence pointing to it too. The problem? There is no scientific evidence.

By: Center for Science & Culture
Discovery Institute
February 14, 2006

Action Needed: Darwinist Censors Mount Effort to Repeal Ohio’s “Critical Analysis of Evolution” Model Lesson Plan

>In 2004 the Ohio State Board of Education led the nation by adopting a landmark model lesson plan on the “Critical Analysis of Evolution.” However, those who favor a Darwin-only approach to teaching evolution are now trying to strong-arm the Board into repealing this lesson plan. In January, the Board voted 9-8 to preserve the lesson plan, but the razor-thin margin of the vote guarantees that Darwinists will try to get the Board to repeal the lesson once again at the Feb. 14 meeting.

Oh how I wish I could attend tomorrow… How innapropriate would it be to bring my children? ;-)

In the Columbus Dispatch, Catherine Candisky give her report of the happenings yesterday.
She quotes Rothschild:
>Why is there this need for critical analysis of evolution? Why is there no call for critical analysis of plate tectonics?

Read the article here.

She does say that the issue is expected to come up tomorrow at the meeting.

Tomorrow the Ohio BoE will be meeting at the Ohio School for the Deaf. Here’s what’s on the schedule. ID is not on the agenda but I read somewhere (can’t recall where right now) that they would more than likely be discussing the topic some.

I won’t be able to make it. I did try to get a sitter but it didn’t work out. Maybe next month.

I was able to make it to this event after all!!
See the flyer.

As I said in my last post, this was held at Tifereth Israel in downtown Columbus, and it was a really nice place. Yamikas were provided at the door for the men.

This event was sponsored by Ohio Citizens for Science and the National Council for Jewish Women. I learned that “NCJW believes that religious liberty and the separation of religion and state are constitutional principles that must be protected and preserved in order to maintain a democratic society.”

Kicking things off was Dr. Hillel J. Chiel of Case Western Reserve University. He was speaking on Religion vs Evolution: An Unnecessary Struggle for Survival. He talked about how evolution is the conceptual framework for biology. He covered a little bit about Evolutionary Algorithms, which I will quickly admit is way over my head. He spoke about how science is responsible for the “how” questions and religion is responsible for the “why.”

Dr. Chiel talked about the common thought that evolution leaves no room for God. Of course, his thoughts were that evolution does leave room for God and that it absolutely does not lead to atheism. He discussed the idea that evolution implies “Social Darwinism.” He suggested that yes, there are those that have the ideas that Social Darwinism would be a good thing, but no, evolution does not imply Social Darwinism, nor does it endorse it.

He talked about the question, “Why not teach ID?” His answer for that was “because ID does not provide material explanation for natural phenomena and it does not generate testable hypotheses.”
He then covered the “why not teach the controversy” question. He brought up a good analogy: There are those who deny that the Holocaust occured. Should there be a critical analysis lesson plan designed on that topic? Should that controversy be taught to our children? I would think not…

Dr. Chiel said that America values and encourages creativity, tolerance, skepticism, ingenuity and the rights of individuals to think independantly.

He then took a few questions and the first question asked was, “Doesn’t teaching only evolution promote atheism?” I heard a gasp, but I think it was me. He looked at her and said, “No…” in a tone that said, “have you been listening to me at all?” He again told her no, it does not lead to atheism and then a man from Ohio Citizens for Science took the mike and told her that thinking that evolution leads to atheism would be the same as plumbing leading to atheism. He said that it wouldn’t matter to him what religion his plumber was, as long as he could work with the pipes. Religion shouldn’t be a factor in this. This is about science.

So then they got set up for Eric Rothschild. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it because he got stuck in the snow, as did Tammy Kitzmiller. Luckily, they had his presentation there and we had him on speaker phone!!

He completely explained how the lawsuit came about. I’m not going to get too into that, but it was very interesting hearing it first hand from Mr. Rothschild. Here’s a link to some really good info on the case if you’re interested.

He talked about the book Of Pandas and People brought to us by the Foundation for Thoughts and Ethics, and how it clearly went from a Creationism book back in 1986 to an Intelligent Design book in 1993. All they did was change a few words (creationism to intelligent design).

So that’s a good summary of what was discussed. He answered a few questions, one from a woman who began, “With all due respect, have you even read our lesson plan on the ‘Critical Analysis of Evolution?’” She also pointed out that it was not teaching ID, it was just suggesting that the students “critically analyze” the theory of evolution. The people in the room began to stir… He said that he had read it, and pretty much said that it was the same thing (I can’t quote him word for word here). I honestly thought for a second there that a debate was going to break out. She was armed with paperwork and tried to tell him he was mistaken. I wasn’t very close to the action, but I believe she was told that she had already asked her question and to take her seat - can’t be sure about this though because I couldn’t really hear what was being said.

After all of the other questions were asked, I learned that a few Ohio State Board of Education members were there to address the group. First was Sam Schloemer who represents Hamilton and Warren counties. He was appointed in 2002 but was elected in 2003 to a 4 year term. This is a good man. His bottom line was that this whole situation was an agenda by fundamentalists and that it needed to be stopped. He got a great applause.

The other board member that was present was Rob Hovis from Millersburg.
Unfortunately, that’s when I had to go. So if anyone knows what he had to say, I’d love to hear it!!

Sorry about all of the links. I was trying to be thorough and I hope they’re useful! I wish that the pictures had come a bit clearer, but that’s alright. I was mainly there to listen and learn. I consider the pictures a bonus.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks to the actions of the HCCO, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman has issued a proclamation declaring tomorrow, Feb 11, Edison Day. Great job!!

The proclamation reads:

>WHEREAS, Science and technology have had and will continue to have a
profound impact on shaping our world, and

>WHEREAS, Scientists and inventors are deserving of our respect and
praise for their many contributions to our ever-expanding body of
knowledge and our efforts to harness that knowledge for the greater
good, and

>WHEREAS, Our most accomplished scientists and inventors are deserving
of special respect and praise for a job well done, and

>WHEREAS, Such special respect and praise may serve as a reminder to
all of us of the remarkable capabilities of the human mind and the
scientific method, and

>WHEREAS, Such special respect and praise may also serve to educate
today’s students as to the importance of science and encourage them to
emulate the great scientists and inventors who have gone before them, and

>WHEREAS, Few scientists and inventors in all of human history have
done more to transform all our lives for the better than Thomas Alva
Edison, the holder of over 1000 patents and the inventor of the
phonograph, the light bulb, motion picture equipment, and many other
things, and

>WHEREAS, Mr. Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847,

>NOW, therefore, I, Michael B. Coleman, Mayor of Columbus, Ohio, do
hereby proclaim Saturday, February 11, 2006 as Thomas Edison Day in
Columbus, Ohio, and urge all members of our community to join in
recognition of this significant occasion.

Last night I went to a book club meeting at a local library held by The Humanist Community of Central Ohio. It was really great to get out and have some adult interaction.
While I’m not really reading a book, I did mention Bad Astronomy.
I got to hear reviews on The End of Faith by Sam Harris, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, A Box of Matches by Nicholson Baker, The Collapsing Universe by Isaac Asimov, and Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, just to name a few (that I can remember). Amazing… Where these guys find the time to read!!
Anyway, it was a good time with great people, and I decided to join today.

Strength in numbers people!! :-)

Shepherd Church of the Nazarene in Gahanna, OH says:

District 6 (Franklin County), this is your representative.

[Link]

• Elected board member Michael Cochran of Blacklick “cross-examined” a string of witnesses, including a graduate student, who criticized the 10 thgrade biology plan.

• Elected board member Deborah Owens Fink of Richfield questioned the character of a witness by producing an e-mail he wrote to a colleague that ridicules a supporter of intelligent design.

• One person declined to testify, citing attacks on previous witnesses.

• Cochran and appointed board member Richard E. Baker of Hollansburg showed their apparent lack of interest by reading a newspaper during the testimony.

This is absolutely disgusting. Michael Cochran is the man that *we* elected to represent us and our children? He is making decisions about our children and their education?

I URGE you to write this man and express your disgust!

Read the article here or visit the link above to The Dispatch.

Tags:
intelligent design, evolution, Science, Creationism, atheism, atheist, Christian, darwinism, columbusblogger, ohio, education
(more…)

Find your elected member of the State Board of Education.

How did they vote on the issue of Intelligent Design on January 12, 2006?

Yes (Remove the Lesson)
Martha Wise (elected)
Sam Schloemer (elected)
Lou Ann Harrold (elected) NEW
Rob Hovis (appointed)
Note: Mr. Hovis was defeated by Ohio voters in the 2004 election (by a significant margin) for district 5, but was immediately reappointed to the board by Gov. Taft. Thus, he only represents Governor Taft, not Ohio constituents. He has become a primary spokesperson for the supporters of evolution.
Stephen Millett (appointed)
Eric Okerson (appointed) NEW
Jane Sonenshein (elected) NEW
Jennifer Stewart (elected)

No (Keep Intelligent Design in Science Classrooms)
Richard Baker (appointed)
Michael Cochran (elected)
Jim Craig (elected)
Colleen Grady (elected) NEW
Deborah Owens Fink (elected)
Emerson Ross (appointed)
Jennifer Sheets (appointed)
Sue Westendorf (appointed)
Carl Wick (appointed)

Absent
Virgil Brown (elected)
John Griffin (elected)
Note: On January 12, 2006 the Columbus Dispatch quoted Mr. Brown as saying that he stands ready to “withdraw or amend the lesson plan.” He also stated, “My feeling all along was that intelligent design is not a scientific theory and does not belong in a science classroom or science lesson.”
Board member John Griffin has been absent for many months due to his recovery from a stroke.

Contact your Board Member today and either thank them for their vote in favor of removing the lesson, or express your concern for their vote if they voted to keep ID in schools.

Thanks to Jill at Writes Like She Talks for her post on contacting Virgil Brown (one of the members absent from this meeting).

Thanks to Ohio Roundtable for the information on votes.

Tags:
intelligent design, evolution, Science, Creationism, atheism, atheist, Christian, darwinism, columbusblogger, ohio, education

My Letter to the Editor was published in the Sunday Edition of The Columbus Dispatch!

[Link]

Sunday, January 15, 2006

I am disappointed in the State Board of Education and its decision to keep the “critical analysis of evolution” lesson plan (or the promotion of intelligent design) in our science classrooms.

How can we expect our 10 th-grade students (typically 15 or 16 years old) to make a separation between critical analysis of evolution and intelligent design, and between intelligent design and creationism? How can students be expected to critically analyze the theory of evolution without God being discussed?

Bringing ID into our science classrooms puts teachers on that slippery slope of God being brought into the classroom. It increases the likelihood that students, classrooms and high schools will be divided – where will it end?

The bottom line is that intelligent design is not science. ID involves a “maker.” Science is about nature, not the supernatural.

As a mother, I worry about our children and the quality of education here in Ohio. Time in science class is best spent on academics, not mythology. The money that will be spent in court as a result of this decision would be better spent on keeping schools in Columbus open.

CASSANDRA COX

Gahanna

Tags:
atheism, atheist, Christian, intelligent design, Creationism, evolution, darwinism, columbusblogger, ohio

Thanks to We The People, I came across the Ohio State Constitution.

Preamble -

We, the people of the State of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare, do establish this Constitution.

Interesting, huh?

To the Editor:

I am disappointed in the Ohio State Board of Education and their decision to keep Critical Analysis of Evolution (or the promotion of Intelligent Design) in our science classrooms. How can we expect our 10th grade students (on average, 14 years old) to make a separation between Critical Analysis of Evolution and Intelligent Design, and between Intelligent Design and Creationism? How can students be expected to critically analyze the Theory of Evolution without God being discussed?
Bringing ID into our science classrooms puts teachers on that slippery slope of God being brought into the classroom, it increases the likely hood of the division of students, classrooms, high schools… Where will it end? The bottom line is that Intelligent Design is not science. ID involves a “maker.” Science is about nature, not the supernatural.
As a mother, I worry about our children and the quality of education here in Ohio. Time in science class is best spent on ACADEMICS, not mythology. The money that will be spent in court as a result of this decision would be better spent on keeping schools in Columbus open.

Cassandra Cox

I have a feeling they’re going to toss this letter right out, but hey, I tried (and not all that hard, I might add). I’m sure that someone will write something similar that will be published for sure.

This morning my husband went to the next door neighbor’s house to ask to borrow their ladder so that he could take a look at our broken garage door opener. An hour later, he opens the door.

I thought that the opener was fixed and was thrilled that it didn’t become an all day ordeal!

The first thing he tells me was that our neighbor “started into the Christmas war.” As they were making small talk, she starts telling my husband that she’s sickened by this “war on Christmas” and continues to tell him that “this is OUR country and if they don’t like it, they can get out.”

I guess the garage door wasn’t fixed yet afterall.

My husband, an atheist, proceeded to tell her that there was no war on Christmas. So what if Target, or Walmart make it company policy to say “happy holidays” instead of “merry christmas.” How is that an attack on Christianity? Like it or not, there are people in this country who aren’t Christian.

On December 15, 2005, House Resolution 579, sponsored by Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-VA), received an overwhelming amount of “Yeas”.

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected.

When Davis was asked “if she would permit the symbols of Chanukah and other holidays to be included in the protection of the resolution,” she refused and also said, “We realize that the spirit of Christ and of the day itself will be a barren, charred, corpse of its former self, but that’s the price we are willing to pay for 100% allegiance to the symbols of Christmas . Sometimes you have to hurt something you love in order to save it, and we are the right people at the right time to do just that.”

What is happening here? I’m so sad about the state of our country. My own neighbors are non-Christian haters, along with the majority of the House of Representatives. Here are some of the remarks that were made during this circus.

Ahhhh…. How proud Jesus would be of his people.

Thanks to the National Jewish Democratic Council and the New Patriot.

Tags:
atheist, atheism, christmas, solstice, war on christmas, holidays, Religion, columbusblogger

To the Editor:

According to The Harris Poll (conducted online by Harris Interactive between September 16 and 23, 2003), 82 percent of adults in the United States believe in God. According to Adherents.com, 84 percent of adults believe in God and according to Nationwide Opinion polls, only 79 percent claim to believe in God. Also, the American Religion Identification Survey states that over 30 million Americans profess “no religion.” Two weeks ago, Ms. Chiero stated that 92 percent of Americans celebrate the birth of Christ. That information is incorrect and misleading.

Christ is not the “Reason for the Season.” The Winter Solstice (the shortest day of the year) has been the celebrated by humans all over the planet since the ancient times, long before the birth of Christ. This is the original “Reason for the Season.” Christmas was not actually celebrated as the “birth of Christ” until sometime during the fourth century and it is unlikely that Jesus was even born in December, according to historians. So what actually happened is that someone took the Solstice out of Winter!

Mr. Yanni is right, the word “holiday” does come from “holy day” (as stated in his letter last week). But the Christmas celebration actually came from the Solstice celebration! How easily this is forgotten.

A simple “happy holidays” is all inclusive, pleasant, and is a polite greeting. There are several days being included in the phrase “happy holidays”: the Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and even the New Year. How is this offensive? What makes Christmas superior to the rest of the holidays celebrated in December?

It is my opinion that those who are most upset about the lack of “merry Christmas” greetings are intolerant, and excluding the minorities that live and work around them. This is the true cause of the “war on Christmas.”

Cassandra Cox, mother

We’ll see if it gets published! :-)

Thanks to The Un-Apologetic Atheist and NoGodBlog.

Tags:
atheist, atheism, christmas, solstice, war on christmas, holidays, Religion, columbusblogger

There was a woman on the air this morning representing godhatesfags.com on Rover’s Morning Glory. I can’t remember her name, and I can’t seem to find it on their site.
What a disgusting woman spreading a sick and absurd message.
They aren’t only about hating gays, the have other beliefs and messages that are equally as disturbing.

They are (were?) actually planning to protest at the funeral of a marine killed in Iraq today (December 12th) at 10:00 am.
Here is their press release for today’s possible protest.

It is absolutely scary that there are people like this on the planet.

Tags:
Westboro Baptist Church, protest, hate