We are busy watching Florida, and the ICR's new "degree" in "life science education" in Texas, and whatever crap is happening in our own back yards, and we may be missing a dramatic development at the K-12 level in Texas: Social conservatives are poised to take over the Texas State Board of Education.
There is a primary in on March 4th, in which Barney Maddox, a conservative creationist, may take over the run against incumbent Pat Hardy for the District 11 (Fort-Worth) seat on the school board. This would shift the balance of power in the Lone Star (read Libertarian Fundamentalist Yahoo) state of Texas.
Maddox is a urologist who refused to talk to the press or otherwise reveal his stance on issues such as creationism. I guess he thinks he's running for Supreme Court Judge instead of as an elected representative. But his position is fairly clear from his prior leakage. He has posted anti-evolution rhetoric on the Institute for Creation Research web site, and there is a letter to the Cleburne Times Review (his home town newspaper) from 2006 that shows his position as well.
He has also opposed comprehensive sex education (insisting that the current Texas policy of Abstinence Only policy), is a knon anti-gay homophone, and wants the Ten Commandments displayed in Texas schol rooms.
According to the Texas Freedom Network, a watchdog group, this would be the first time since its formation that the Texas Board of Education has had a majority of socila conservatives.
So, as I predicted a few weeks back, Texas may well be the next serious battleground state.
[source]
Web Site of the Texas Freedom Network
Web Site for the TFN Petition to Defend Evolution in Texas. GO SIGN THE PETITION!
Life Science
Politics
Comments
Maddox is a urologist....
I really shouldn't make fun of a perfectly legitimate and necessary medical specialty, but....damn, this situation seems to invite all kinds of satirical abuse ;-).
Like this one, for starters:
But his position is fairly clear from his prior leakage.
So go ahead, folks: let's take the piss out of this guy....
Posted by: Eamon Knight | February 24, 2008 9:49 PM
Be nice. Let's say Texas is a diverse state (40% ain't zero). I'm a science teacher here in Houston (at one of the best public schools in the country - seriously) and I hadn't heard about this. I guess there's not much we can do except watch, but I'll let our bio people know. We really do want to maintain high educational standards and keep religion out of public schools.
Posted by: uncle noel | February 25, 2008 10:15 AM
Er...he's a homophone? Of what?
Posted by: MRL | February 25, 2008 7:27 PM
Uncle noel: I do hope that you don't really think that there is nothing you can do but mildly complain about the ridicule I dish out! Go sign the petition, make a phone call or two, send an email. Find the on line newspaper pieces on this ... many have comment areas, and that is a way to voice an opinion. Write a letter to the editor. Viist the National Center for Science Education web site.
http://www.natcenscied.org/
There is stuff you can to!
Posted by: Greg Laden | February 26, 2008 7:27 AM
I signed the petition and emailed the link to my colleagues. Thanks for notifying us. I meant there's nothing we can do about the election in Ft Worth.
And it's not like there aren't cretins in MN or MA: I believe your alma mater awarded a degree to our President, for example - one of the very "yahoos" from Texas you were refering to! I'm afraid I've lost respect for Harvard and Yale because of that. It is, indeed, the "balance of power" that's the problem. I'll see what I can do.
Posted by: uncle noel | February 26, 2008 1:16 PM
"He has also opposed comprehensive sex education (insisting that the current Texas policy of Abstinence Only policy), is a knon anti-gay homophone" - I'm not sure what that is supposed to read as. Also a "majority of socila conservatives" - "socila" should be "social".
Posted by: Joshua Zelinsky | February 29, 2008 11:23 AM
"Libertarian Fundamentalist"? I usually think of Libertarians as people who think the government should pretty hands-off, most famously the free market but also personal decisions including abortion and drugs. That doesn't sound fundamentalist to me. 'Reason' is a libertarian magazine and they publish quite a bit of anti-religion in politics articles.
Posted by: John | March 2, 2008 7:26 PM
There is a big difference between 'libertarian' as a philosophy and 'libertarian' as a convenient refuge for the lazy and irresponsible.
Posted by: K.P. | March 2, 2008 8:11 PM