Leo Berman, Republican State Rep in Texas, has proposed a bill that would allow the Institute for Creation Research to issue advanced degrees in Creationism. The faux educational institution, which moved from California to Texas several years ago hoping to dupe the Texans into exactly this sort of idiotic thing, was previously denied this right by the proper regulatory agency. Berman's act is cynical, anti-democratic, and terribly embarrassing for all Texans.
There is a news report here:
A Texas legislator is waging a war of biblical proportions against the science and education communities in the Lone Star State as he fights for a bill that would allow a private school that teaches creationism to grant a Master of Science degree in the subject.
State Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler) proposed House Bill 2800 when he learned that The Institute for Creation Research (ICR), a private institution that specializes in the education and research of biblical creationism, was not able to receive a certificate of authority from Texas' Higher Education Coordinating Board to grant Master of Science degrees.
Berman's bill would allow private, non-profit educational institutions to be exempt from the board's authority.
"If you don't take any federal funds, if you don't take any state funds, you can do a lot more than some business that does take state funding or federal funding," Berman says. "Why should you be regulated if you don't take any state or federal funding?"
And here are a few blog posts on the topic:
If Texas HB2800 Passes, I Want A Masters Degree In VooDoo
Leo Berman makes Texas look like a fool
"Creation Science" Degree in Texas?
Texans: Come on, man!!! Can you not please get your freakin' act together? Haven't enough Yankees moved into your state to overcome this endemic yahooism?????
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That is the most hilarious thing I've heard in quite a while. Ooohhh, I have a degree in creationism. I'm ready solve all your problems with MIRACLES!!!
In theory, then, if this bill passes, Miss Cleo could open a school in Texas and offer a MS in astrology, right? As long as she doesn't take any state or federal funding.
Maybe she could hire Professor Behe as the Dean.
Y'all are getting your panties twisted over not much at all. There already are all sorts of diploma mills and schools that fail to educate in the fields where they grant degrees. What is a degree in biology from Liberty University worth?
Russell: The problem is that a nefarious schoolboard can hire teachers with masters degrees in education and biology who are actually creationists.
Greg, could you clarify something I've been a bit unclear on? If this legislation passes would these degrees matter for purposes that Texas cares about degrees such as calculating public school teachers' pay?
Josh: I'm not certain, but I think that this is the point. The whole plan here is to get valid MA's or MS's in the hands of teachers who are actually stealth creationists. This is step one in a multistep process that may end up with the teaching of creationism in a given school be an HR and professional issue with Masters-holding creationist teachers at the center of various law suits. Plus, this just gives the creationists a longer list of certified-looking people arguing for the teaching of creationism i public schools.
Creationists love the argument from authority - this is just a very sad and obvious try to actually GET that authority in some way or another... or at least something that looks like it.
Would it be OK if the Institute for Creationist Rubbish issued Masters in Religion - which would be accurate?
Democracy is most definitely a two-edged sword.
Hmmm... that's an interesting aspect of this, Greg. I would hope that public schools hire only teachers with degrees from accredited programs. Don't know if that is the case or not.
In theory, I have nothing against any diploma mill issuing a masters or Ph.D. in whatever it wants. In practice, I want public schools and colleges not hiring faculty with degrees from diploma mills or fake programs.
The theory might be to make true the idea that there are lots of degreed scientists that agree with ID or creationism. Now when the bozos claim that we know they are lying.
Put on the scientist hat, please -- the Yankee influx would only make a difference if there were no selection bias in favor of yahoo Yankees.