The Letter that frightened the Texas Education Agency

The reason that fear has their sphincters a-flexin'
Is knowing the President's also a Texan:
They suck up to him, so when shoves come to pushes
You can't see the Forrest, on account of the Bushes.

Yes. yes, Texans are all dandified. That's why they get moist over W. It's not like he's a real man's man or anything.

It is important to look at the other e-mails being sent around by various people in the organization. Odds are, people are using their e-mails all the time to send youtube links to their friends, funny fwds, other events, etc.
Maybe we'll get lucky and the person who called for this Waaaambulance has been throwing out church luncheon invitations for years.

(After a while you can just anticipate the hypocracy before it even happens)

It certainly seems like an endorsement of science-based science-standards from a scientist. The e-mail even supports somebody who, while not a scientist, is an expert on the philosophy of science and is on a national board having something to do with science education to give a talk about how her testimony helped a state's legal system decide science-based science-standards.

Hoo boy. After this kind of madness gets out into the press, Comer's going to be glad she just got out of this by resigning, instead of being lynched by a peaceful christian Texas mob.

Well, that letter was completely shrill and unreasonable.

Speaking of political railroading and witch hunts, I just heard that Henry Hyde has been gathered unto his dark master.

I suspect someone was offended bt 'Creationisms Trojan Horse".

Must be tough being a voice of reason in a state the loves themselves some good christian republican's.

To repeat the obvious: creationists have taken their 'don't read, Jesus just did it' bullshit all to the way to how people communicate? What's next? Will we have to stop speaking English if we don't squeal for the Jesus?

You don't understand. The truth, reality, and science are like sunlight to a vampire for these people. They just shrivel up.

There is no way that the email, Barbara Forrest, or the NCSE would be frightening except to medieval religious bigots. Which describes who runs Texas. At least we know.

It wouldn't surprise me if the USA has to send in federal troops to rescue liberal Xians and secularists after the Texas theocrats are done. If there is still a USA.

I guess when one lives in Texas, away from reasonable scrutiny and oversight, the mere mention of outside intervention is cause for panic. If the Dover case taught us anything, it's that a lot of creationists are cowards when their activities are exposed to the world. It makes me suspect that they know they are wrong.

"cdesignproponentsists."

Chuckle.

"If the Dover case taught us anything, it's that a lot of creationists are cowards when their activities are exposed to the world. It makes me suspect that they know they are wrong."

Or they're afraid that their con is up. Not only the money angle, the whole 'keep people stupid little consumers with the panopticism that is American Christian thought' as well. Nothing keeps people pushing their meager dollars into the Church Machine like an everpresent Big Daddy who's used to reinforce bigotry.

Hey, don't mess with Texas.

Its messed up enough already!

That talk was about a mile away from my house.

I must defend Austin. We were the only county in Texas (out of over 100) to vote against the civil union ban, and one of the very few who voted against Bush. He's hated here.

The rest of Texas, however, is as it seems.

Please stop perpetuating the vicious rumor that W. is "from" Texas. He just lives here. He's actually from Connecticut. That is all. :p

I very much doubt she would have lost her job if she had been sending a similar mail "endorsing" a creationist crackpot, someone like say John West...

If the Dover case taught us anything, it's that a lot of creationists are cowards when their activities are exposed to the world. It makes me suspect that they know they are wrong.

Suspect? Hell, they know. I'm sure they are violating numerous parts of the US constitution and federal laws right now. Start with freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of speech.

That is the least of it. I'm also sure they have plans to violate many more. These are religious fanatics in a state with a significant fanatic population. They will probably run with it as far as they can before someone stops them. If anyone will bother. Violating laws and normal standards of civilized behavior are nothing to these people.

This is just the start. The succesor to Chris Comer as director of Texas science education will probably be a creo with a brain the size of a walnut and the personality of a rattlesnake.

You can't see the Forrest, on account of the Bushes.

:-)

Yup, yup, what a scandal it is: The director of science curricula being "biased" in favor of integrity in science education. I guess that flies in the face of everything Texas stands for.

What a sad, sad state of affairs.

Dude. He's was governor and he was an owner of the Rangers.

He's a Texan.

As an Austin resident, member of CFI-Austin, who attended the Forrest talk, I am horrified by this. Here is the letter to the editor I sent the Austin paper. A major stink needs to be made about this.

I am appalled to read of the political retaliation in the Texas Education Agency against Chris Comer for, in the article's words, "creating the appearance of bias against teaching intelligent design. "Imagine if the article had stated Comer had been forced out for "creating the appearance of bias against teaching the Earth is flat." Since when is the promotion of accurate science teaching a firing offense? Religious extremists in the TEA don't want students and citizens to know a simple fact that threatens their ideology: that "intelligent design" was laughably revealed to be the poorest pseudoscience in the 2005 Dover trial, and the so-called "controversy" over evolution exists only in the minds of the evolution opponents whose dishonesty and ignorance were laid bare in that trial. Anti-science extremists in the religious right are playing politics with the education of Texas' kids. If facts get in the way, shoot the messenger!

Steve P. @13:

Re Austin, I feel your pain! I recall from Texas History class, and a quick glance at wikipedia confirms, that "[t]he [annexation] resolution did include two unique provisions: first, it said that up to four additional states could be created from Texas's territory,..."

Perhaps Austin could be carved out to become a new state, an island of liberal rationality within the Land of the Gunrack? That would give a whole new resonance to the phrase Austin City Limits, eh? But then again...

"... with the consent of the State of Texas."

...probably not. Too bad.

******

drew@14:

Having grown up in Texas and now living in Connecticut, I get screwed at both ends of this "vicious rumor." I can only refer y'all to the masthead image (the pic in the upper lefthand corner) of my favorite Connecticut political blog.

I live in Texas. This TEA bull shit is seriously wearing on my last nerve. I hope that this e-mail leads to more than one resignation. Preferably of the fucktards that convinced her to resign.

I'm an atheist. I don't care for Bush. I'm not overweight. I have full bladder control. I think evolution is one of the greatest discoveries of all time. I'm awed and enthralled by the existence of an un-guided 13 billion year old universe. I've read Dawkins, Hume, Hitchens, Epicurus, Sagan, d'Holbach, Shermer, Mayr, Adams, Russel, Lucian and Lucretius. I don't own cowboy boots, or chaps, or a gun. I like squid.

And I live in Texas.

So tell you what PZ, if you're coming to my home town of San Antonio in January for the SICB annual meeting I'll make sure they put out the sissyfied picante sauce for you. But if you're man enough I'll buy your blue-blooded Minnesotan ass a drink and treat you to Tex-Mex food so damn hot you'll be sloughing more endothelial tissue than Cheney when he molts.

PZ, make sure you take Todd up on his offer! I grew up in the Houston area (actually the NASA-area suburbs), but San Antonio is a great town. But don't let Todd stop with "Tex-Mex food so damn hot you'll be sloughing more endothelial tissue than Cheney when he molts"; make sure he gets you some real barbecue, and some fresh, hot flour torillas (I'm partial to the Alamo Cafe for that last item). Drink a few Shiner Bocks, too... heck, the last time I was in SA, I found a place that was selling Shiner Bock flavored ice cream... which was actually pretty tasty!

"Creationism's Trojan Horse"

Hmm. Perhaps someone took umbrage at combining Creationism with terms for birth control and drugs.

Just kidding... I think.

Drew:
W may have been born elsewhere but he was raised in Midland, which if it is not the asshole of Texas, it is within farting distance. (Don't give me crap over this observation, I was born in Midland's homelier twin sister city Odessa) And as noted, he spent the majority of his adult life in Texas.
The elder Bushes may be patrician New Englanders but W is a Wes' Texas Good Ole Boy and Bid'nessman (translation: self righteous anti-intellectual countryboy-cum-fratboy with a father who had connections) who never set foot outside North America before getting elected as President.

Bill please tell me the pic of the road sign on that blog is real. You would give my image of the US a big boost if it were.

Peter Ashby wrote "Bill please tell me the pic of the road sign on that blog is real. "

Of course it isn't. http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/birthsigns.asp

Todd, whoah! Just remember a noted derogative description for Texan is braggart. I don't think PZ is picking on us as a whole.

I suspect PZ may like his food a little "picoso". Besides, if it's too friggin' hot, it ain't worth eatin'. There is a line between culinary fire and machismo bullshit. (Extreme Thai, anyone?)
PZ, I hope you go to San Antonio, it's a great city, as is Austin. (Dallas/Ft.Worth - eh, not so much...)

Damn, I could go for some food and cervesas at Mi Tierra's or Los Barrios.

Transplanted Texan here.

We have alot of nuts. One fellow drives around here with his dually covered and I mean covered with magnetic signs telling you that your rocketing to hell if you don't buy his version of whatever.

My family just had a relative pass away and he wash a non believer and the grandmother said the funeral was 'spooky' and much talk was had about whether the relative was in hell. It makes me nauseus to even think about. Not that they actually think it but that they accept such a horrid idea so readily and then just move on with their day and then go and lap it up some more on Sunday.

All that being said I really enjoy Texas and there are spots of enlightenment and most of the religious nature is cultural rather than actual. For every nutter there are 100 who go along to get along and pay it little mind.

Makes me think of Sgt. Schultz from Hogan's Heroes. I know nothing! I see nothing!

Peter:

Shiftlessbum beat me to the answer re the reality of that road sign picture. To their credit, the folks at the My Left Nutmeg blog don't try to pretend it's real. Doesn't stop it from being funny, though!

You know, we should declare our dislike for such events the way our founding fathers did... a TEA party Boston-Style!

Is the building close to the Gulf? Is there a quick way to chuck it?

" There is a line between culinary fire and machismo bullshit. (Extreme Thai, anyone?)"

I had a Thai chicken dish in Edinburgh a year or so ago that made me feel with every bite that my tongue was being sliced lengthways with hot lemon knives. Don't get me wrong it was delicious and the menu had described it as 'hot'. But I have never had anything like it. I did have to buy extra beer to quench the fire though.

Set me up nicely for what came next. A session at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Queen St. I made the acquaintance of an Islay so smoky I expected to prosecuted for having it in a an enclosed public area ;-)

Jsn:

There is a line between culinary fire and machismo bullshit. (Extreme Thai, anyone?)

Heh... the first time I ever had Thai food, I told the (Thai) waiter, "fix it the way you would for a Thai customer." I tasted nothing but heat, and it was another 10 years after that before I figured out that I actually like Thai food. (My current favorite Thai restaurant, OTOH, won't make the food hot enough to suit me; I guess it's always something, eh?)

But even really hot Tex-Mex isn't usually Thai hot.

D'oh!! Forgot to close my blockquote tag. My comments begin with "Heh..."

I don't understand why Chris Comer didn't stand her ground and dare them to fire her - and then sue them for false dismissal and damages. If you think you are right, why not force them to tip their biased hand?

Oh, and I guess we can see Uncommon Descent all up in arms about the pressure against people who hold different opinions?

"unfair dismissal"

W may have been born elsewhere but he was raised in Midland, which if it is not the asshole of Texas, it is within farting distance. (Don't give me crap over this observation, I was born in Midland's homelier twin sister city Odessa)

Ah, yes, Odessa. Prominently featured in Friday Night Lights (the book; haven't seen the TV series or film). Home of "Let the bastards freeze in the dark" bumper stickers during the 1970s.

Damn! Cuttlefish, not only was that brilliant but you banged it out only 10 minutes after PZ posted the item.
I'm in awe!

We could solve a lot of problems if we'd just cede Texas to Mexico.

It's the quotes around "intelligent design" that did it.

Texas is the only State with multiple assholes.

Midland (home of Texas' biggest asshole)

Amarillo

Tyler

Houston

Dallas

El Paso

Brownsville

Gainesville

Laredo

Nacogdoches

Odessa

Plano (the upscale asshole)

Port Arthur

And on & on & on & on...

Austin may be far better than the rest of Texas, but it gets more & more Texan with every highrise & subdivision.

/But even really hot Tex-Mex isn't usually Thai hot./
Bill,
True but there are some mexican cuisines that use the dreaded habanero.
I enjoy thai too, but it isn't always the heat that goes in your mouth that is the problem...

We onced jokingly dared a friend to put a drop of nearly pure capsaicin on his tongue and then frantically tried to talk him out of it once he accepted the challenge. He accidently put THREE drops on his tongue. He could not even spit or vomit (or see or breath for that matter), so you know how bad it was.
We sat in shifts to see if he was still breathing for an hour or two afterward. Several hours later, the real ordeal for him came after he poohpoohed my suggestion that he might want to apply some petroleum jelly to the exit surfaces before attempting evacuation.

"onced", geeesh -I need to spellcheck.

Jsn,

Not to worry - It was intended to be more-tongue-in-cheek/barbacoa than anything. I know PZ can certainly take anything I dish out; he's chewed up so many creationists I would not be surprise if his gut was lined with chitin. Although my dinner/drink offer still stands.

On the other hand - compared to other states Texas is a bit, shall we say, Jerry Springer more than most and I hate getting lumped with that. I'm actually not a native Texan (which explains a lot I guess) - I grew up in Californication and I'm only here now because this is where the Air Force sent me. I became a Texas resident because you can't beat no state income tax and the low cost of living. While there are worse places to end up I certainly don't want to die here.

...Tex-Mex food so damn hot you'll be sloughing more endothelial tissue than Cheney when he molts....

Hey, don't compare Cheney to Ecdysozoa. Arthropods and nematodes have a lot more class than that.

The odd thing is that if a dyed-in-the-wool creationist received that same email from an unknown source, the creo could readily interpret it to mean that he/she should attend the meeting to show opposition to this philosopher and to the other plaintiffs/supporters in the Dover case.

There is no explicit pleading in the email itself. It is just an announcement of an event with some rather unbiased background about the speaker and the venue.

The address of the sender is the only real clue about the position of the sender.

Do note that, according to the Austin-American Statesman, when Comer forwarded the e-mail she added the commentary:

"FYI"

ZOMG!

http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/?p=533

Find the word "sermon" in the above link, and it will take you to a sermon given by the head of our State Board of Education, Don McLeroy at Grace Baptist Church advocating for ID.

I guess the SBOE head doesn't have to avoid appearing "in any way that (he) is advocating for any given position or stance," which was the major criticism of Castill0-Comer.

Really, had she sent a similar "FYI" email announcing an upcoming talk by Dembski at the Hyde Park Baptist Church, would she have been fired?

(Hyde Park BC is on my mind right now -- they're the church here in Austin that canceled the use of their facilities for an interfaith thanksgiving celebration when they found out that _gasp_ Muslims would be worshiping there too. Dembski really isn't talking there, but it's not too far from possibility.)

Thanks Jebus (yes, my son?) that Texas doesn't consider itself part of the south. Afterall, my state (LA) just elected a cocksnack who wants to push intelligent design into our schools.

Of course, this is the key phrase that ignited the panic. Or maybe that broke the camel's back:

"In her talk, Forrest will provide a detailed report on her expert testimony in the Kitzmiller v. Dover School Board trial . . ."

It certainly would not do to have Forrest explain her testimony in plain vanilla English. That might penetrate too many minds. It might lead to apostasy and the diminishing finances (and credibility) that would surely follow! O, woe is us!

Isn't this a clear indication that part of religious indoctrination is the denigration of simple mental capability?

I just want to express frustration over this.

Dammit, where is our country going??

Aggrevated,

MikeM

"Texas is the only State with multiple assholes.
Midland (home of Texas' biggest asshole)
Amarillo
Tyler
Houston
Dallas
El Paso"

Jaycubed, I grew up in El Paso and lived for 13 years in Austin. Having lived in Columbus, NYC and Southern California, and having traveled this great nation of ours extensively, I can say for a fact that Texas is not that different from the other states.

The smaller and poorer the town, the more suspicious and ignorant the people. The richer and more isolated the subdivision, the more paranoid and ignorant the people. I've seen better and worse examples of that same shit all over the US.

And lay off El Paso. She's homely, but she's honest.

Trojan Horse would get them excited because they'd be reminded of condoms and sex and birth control and heroin and horses and the war on science and the war on drugs and sex and drugs and rock n' roll is all my brain and body needs and like, whatever...yawn...

Putting 'intelligent design' in air quotes likely got their feathers in a frazzle too...buk buk buk.

Oh, and Cuttlefish, OM? Brill!

Damn! I should read all comments before posting. Matt v said it first!

Apparently many Texans are just Victorian-era matrons in disguise. People who reach for the smelling salts at the slightest challenge to the status quo.

Jsn:

True but there are some mexican cuisines that use the dreaded habanero.

I actually grow habaneros in my garden, along with jalapenos and cayennes. I mostly use the habs -- in small doses -- to hot up my home-canned jalapenos and jalapeno jelly. Owing (I think) to the cooler, wetter climate of Connecticut (as compared to Mexico and the American Southwest), my chiles don't grow as hot as some... but even a slightly less hot hab is still nearly pure heat, and its judicious addition to the other chiles brings them up to spec.

@JSN(#43):
You have access to nearly pure capsaicin? And your friend was nuts enough to try and eat concentrated pepper spray? Didn't he get internal bleedings aside from finding out that the stuff creates pain on both sides of the human body?

Can she sue the people who fired her?

The habanero is pretty hot, but there are some pretty wonderful experimental peppers coming out of India, Cambodia, and Vietnam these days that make them seem as tame as jalepenos; they should be easy enough to find on any specialty chile site.

As to the Texas bashing, most of these people in TEA responsible for this are political appointees, not elected officials, so the mud slinging in this regard is kind of off base. It is true that they were appointed by elected officials, but you need to realize that much of that has to do with republican politicians paying back the pressure groups that got them elected and less to do with what they genuinely belief. My point isn't that there aren't wingnuts and fanatics in Texas, there are, my point is that most folks in this state are sensible enough to recognize bs when they see it, and if these ideologues think they're going to get a walk changing the curriculum because GW used to be the governor here, they're very much mistaken. Seriously, this is NASA's home state, and for all the outright idiocy and bigotry that Texas A&M produces, they also have one of the most spectacular biology and genetics departments in the nation. If you think some nutjobs in TEA are going to get mileage trashing evolution here, you just aren't looking at all the facts.

What will happen is this. Either 1) they'll hold their hearings regarding curriculum, a huge number of citizens will show up lambasting any pro-creationist moves they make, and they'll back down and maintain the status quo or; 2) they'll pass the changes because no one bothered to show up at the hearings, the new textbook will be immediately challenged in the courts, schools will likely not even buy the new text because they dont want to waste their limited funding on what is obviously a dead letter, the whole scheme will be exposed as the anti-science sneak that it is, TEA will have a nice old-fashioned bureaucrat-barbecue, and the handful of republicans responsible for those appointments will come out of it with egg on their faces.

The conservative political domination of Texas has allot more to do with jerry-mandering than it does with the actual views of the people of this state. For every right-wing nutjob there's a sensible citizen who knows the difference between opinion and reality.

who never set foot outside North America before getting elected as President.

Untrue. Didn't teach him anything, however.

And lay off El Paso. She's homely, but she's honest.

¿La Pasa?

If you think some nutjobs in TEA are going to get mileage trashing evolution here, you just aren't looking at all the facts.

have you considered, given your current governor, who is the one who appointed McKnucklehead, that you might be in denial? that you are, in fact, contradicting your earlier statment:

It is true that they were appointed by elected officials, but you need to realize that much of that has to do with republican politicians paying back the pressure groups that got them elected and less to do with what they genuinely belief.

again, how does it matter what the governor believes, if he's enough of an idiotic to destroy education in his own state simply to "pay back" right wing supporters?

It's nice to think one can project from an academic atmosphere outwards, but that simply isn't the case.
the numbers simply aren't on our side.

For every right-wing nutjob there's a sensible citizen who knows the difference between opinion and reality.

...and who utterly failed to prevent the gerrymandering and slander campaigns coming from the Karl Rove camps.

Yes, Texas USED to be a blue state, once upon a time. Not after Karl was through with it, though.

When the teachings of the Prophet Charles Darwin are promoted, people get bent. Cast your support to the First Church of Evolution to preserve the faith. www.fcefaith.org

Buncha sissies. What do they say? "All hat, no cattle." (They say that in Oregon too.)

Alvin: Chipmunks shouldn't concern themselves with matters which require use of the brain.

Alvin: Chipmunks shouldn't concern themselves with matters which require use of the brain.

I got my first big laugh of the day envisioning Alvin's comment being vocalized in a high, chipmunk voice.

thanks.

who never set foot outside North America before getting elected as President.

Untrue. Didn't teach him anything, however.

And lay off El Paso. She's homely, but she's honest.

¿La Pasa?