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Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)
Ed Brayton also blogs at Positive Liberty and The Panda's Thumb
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Posted on: March 20, 2010 9:09 AM, by Ed Brayton
From Texas BOE Wingnut Terri Leo:
Voters "get their information from the papers, which is mostly inaccurate," says Leo. "Most reporters are lazy, and they don't do their homework."
This from the woman who voted to ban a children's book author from the curriculum in Texas schools because a quick Amazon search turned up an entirely different person with the same name who once wrote a book about Marxism.
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Comments
Yo Teri,
Better to actually look for information rather than making shit up. You have voted for a generation of stupid. Nice job.
Posted by: MikeMa | March 20, 2010 9:25 AM
I think it's also worthy of noting that Ed's one mere example is only one of many examples given that nearly every time Ms. Leo opens her mouth about public square related issues she's getting something wrong. Her rank ignorance appears motivated by her zealous devotion to maintaining a false understanding of reality in order to promote her political objectives.
Exhibit B to Ed's A has Ms. Leo stating on David Barton's Wallbuilder's radio show:
TFN appears to infer that Ms. Leo was using Jonathan Well's Icons of Evolution as "proof" that she was both scientifically literate and science had discredited evolution in her statement I reference here.
Posted by: Michael Heath | March 20, 2010 9:38 AM
Well, I consider most of the newspapers here in Texas exceedingly bad--when they're not touting what the rich and powerful think/want to hear about any given topic, they're barely concealed free advertising for big bidness. I mean, honestly, the average household income in SA is around $30-40K, but there's an article just about every week about Chanel purses available at Neiman's, or some other such outrageously expensive item. The average person can't even imagine paying $2000 fora fucking purse, but there it is in our local paper, which I can assure you deserves its soubriquet of the Excuse for News.
Despite that, the average paper in TX is still more honest and accurate than Terrible Terri ever will be.
Posted by: Aquaria | March 20, 2010 9:39 AM
To be fair, the other author has written more than one book about Marxism. (/sarcasm)
Posted by: Greg | March 20, 2010 9:45 AM
Today's newspapers are pretty lame, as I saw in a particularly irritating recent example, but members of the Texas Board of Education have little to recommend them as alternative sources of reliable information.
Posted by: Zeno | March 20, 2010 9:56 AM
Most reporters are lazy? I know a few reporters and photojournalists. They go out with one thing in mind, to bring back THE TRUTH. It's publishers who alter the facts.
But I digressed before I started.
It's high time that the polar opposites of Teri Leo start making some noise!
Posted by: Reverend Rodney | March 20, 2010 9:58 AM
Let's ban physics books. After all, they contain mention of Marx!
If you don't believe me, look up Max Planck's real name :)
Posted by: Alex Besogonov | March 20, 2010 10:30 AM
Well, science reporting in the news papers hasn't exactly been great recently - but I doubt Terri Leo would be able to tell the good from the bad.
And haven't TV and the internet long surpassed the printed papers as people's primary source of information?
Posted by: Deen | March 20, 2010 11:31 AM
"This from the woman who voted to ban a children's book author from the curriculum in Texas schools because a quick Amazon search turned up an entirely different person with the same name who once wrote a book about Marxism."
Jesus, Mr. Brayton, did you not just read what the woman said? What part of "voters "get their information from the papers, which is mostly inaccurate," and "most reporters are lazy, and they don't do their homework,' " did you miss?
Clearly, they were wrong and she was right. She's a Christian, why should she lie?
Posted by: history punk | March 20, 2010 12:06 PM
Texas does things right. There should be a zero toleranc epolicy for marxism. All papers, books, sites, and anything to remotely relate to marxism should be deemed as a threat to national security and banned from public view. Socialist marxism is evil and it should be destroyed. Thank you Texas for banning a traitor. Now if we could ban the marxists in charge of this illegal HELLthcare mandate. I hope it fails and the people who wrote it get struck by an asteroid on the way home. Asshole traitors.
Posted by: Count Crapula | March 20, 2010 12:23 PM
I sure hope the good count crapula is a poe. If not, it is a further sign that the educational system is failing.
Posted by: MikeMa | March 20, 2010 12:38 PM
Voters "get their information from the papers, which is mostly inaccurate," says Leo. "Most reporters are lazy, and they don't" ...
agree with me.
Posted by: mikey.duhhh | March 20, 2010 12:46 PM
MikeMa, Crapula of aristocrat class is just full with fear that peoples of Amerika will read truth of Marx in book of same and will rising up and throwing off of chains!
Posted by: Modusoperanski | March 20, 2010 12:46 PM
... as she knows, because she, tragically, is a voter who got called on her errors a few times.
Posted by: Michael Ralston | March 20, 2010 1:13 PM
A condescending ignoramus. Never encountered that before. Are you sure Sarah Palin didn't make this make this statement?
Posted by: Dr X | March 20, 2010 2:04 PM
"Thank you Texas for banning a traitor."
Uh, which "traitor" did Texas "ban?"
Posted by: daniel rotter | March 20, 2010 4:17 PM
Papers are for the most part inaccurate and reporters are for the most part lazy. It's not the quotation that's dumb. It's the speaker.
Posted by: Miko | March 20, 2010 5:35 PM
Texas is just a national embarrassment when it comes to the SBOE. I hope the Republican theocrats have overplayed their hand this time, and the voters will start dialing them back.
Posted by: Tom Wood | March 20, 2010 11:56 PM
Miko -
Papers are for the most part inaccurate and reporters are for the most part lazy.
Maybe, but a generalization like that requires something to back it up. Do you have anything that is applicable to this story?
Eeven if the generalization is true, does it apply to the specific paper and reporter it was aimed at? If you're trying to refute a newspaper report you need more than "papers are wrong".
Posted by: Taz | March 21, 2010 12:21 AM
Taz:
"Papers are for the most part inaccurate and reporters are for the most part lazy."
is pure projection on Miko's part.
Posted by: dermocommie | March 21, 2010 10:58 AM
It would appear that ladies named "Terri", who are brain dead, are darlings of the reichwing.
Posted by: democommie | March 21, 2010 11:01 AM
I take it you have a different definition for treason from the one in the U.S. Constitution?
Posted by: DaveL | March 21, 2010 3:28 PM