Tennessee is where the famous Scopes Trial of 1925 played out, and more recently two state level state bills (one house and one senate) are in play in a move by legislatures to further enhance Tennessee's reputation as a place where people don't value education and would not know of valid scientific theory if it bit them on the ear.
You'all knew that if you've been following the news from there. Yesterday, an editorial was printed by four scientists who are rather fed up with Tennessee's playing fast and loose with reality, and it is worth a look.
... Even the religious mainstream has accepted the theory of evolution as the scientific description of how living things change over large time scales. Over 12,000 Christian clergy in the U.S. have endorsed a statement acknowledging that "the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests."
In opposing the legislation, the American Association for the Advancement of Science explained, "There is virtually no scientific controversy among the overwhelming majority of researchers on the core facts of global warming and evolution. Asserting that there are significant scientific controversies about the overall nature of these concepts when there are none will only confuse students, not enlighten them."...
Read the whole editorial here, it is quite good.
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Tennessee is competing with Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi to be the biggest laughing stock state. It might be a four-way tie!
It is encouraging that most of the comments after the article are from people who identify the legislatures who did this as the idiots they are ("Christian Taliban" is used by one commenter). Whether these folks are simply whistling their opposition in the wind remains to be seen.
Ever since ID created its "teach the controversy" campaign of ignorance, what these scientists have pointed out has been pretty much made clear to everyone that can read simple English - except, it appears, Tennessee legislators.
How hard is it to understand that the scientific "controversy" they want to teach does not exist?
Yep, that is my state.
I can't wait till I get to quit TN. Hopefully before the state kills me.
Three scientists, not four. All the more credit for each of them!
Let's party like it's 1925.
Since when the fuck has anyone advocated this? Moron.
Wanted to point out that not all of his hillbillies in TN are idoits. :-) We are mostly a backwards thinking state but it comes more from Christians trying to further their religious beliefs than ignorance. Just one country boy's opinion that I thought needed to be heard.