This morning four Kansas organizations, including Kansas Citizens for Science, announced the formation of a coalition in support of the state science standards committee’s work and opposing the kangaroo court hearings in May. The coalition released a position paper which states in part:
We urge all Kansans to join us in adopting the following positions:
1. We request that the State Board of Education adopt the final draft of the standards offered later this spring by the writing committee, without revisions.
2. We request that the State Board of Education cancel all special opportunities for the Intelligent Design minority to present their views. We especially urge the Board to cancel the so-called “science hearings” scheduled in May. The minority proposals were considered and rejected by a two-thirds majority of the science standards writing committee. The BOE should accept that and give the minority group no further special privileges.
See the KCFS News Forum to read both today’s News Release and the Position Paper.
6 Comments
Bayesian Bouffant, FCD · 15 April 2005
The ID proponents are demanding "special rights". I like that. I think that terminology will be effective.
tytlal · 15 April 2005
one-third accepted it?!
Jack Krebs · 15 April 2005
When the writing committee was formed, there were five anti-evolutionists on the Board of Education, and each got to recommend two people for the committee. Therefore, out of 25 members we could have had as many as 10 creation-friendly members, because those Board members selected people who would support their anti-evolutionary position. As it turned out, "only" eight of those people joined the ID minority.
That is, the reason there are as many IDists as there are is because the creationist Board members were working on this from the beginning.
"Rev Dr" Lenny Flank · 20 April 2005
Speaking of Kansas:
From the Wichita Eagle:
Evolution's defenders will testify
Supporters of teaching evolution had been planning a boycott of the
State Board of Education's hearings on the issue.
BY STEVE PAINTER
Eagle Topeka bureau
TOPEKA - Defenders of evolution, despite earlier pledges of a
boycott, plan to present three days of evidence in support of the
scientific theory at hearings next month.
A science education group, meanwhile, intends to offer daily
commentary when supporters of the concept of intelligent design make
their case.
The stage will be two sets of hearings May 5-7 and May 12-14 in
Topeka before a three-member committee of the State Board of
Education. All three members favor de-emphasizing evolution as the
board adopts new science standards this year.
Pedro Irigonegaray, a Topeka lawyer, provided no specifics about who
will testify in support of standards recommended by a science
education committee. He said he is representing, at no charge, that
committee's majority, whose evolution recommendations were rejected
by the state board.
"The majority concluded that a response is needed," he said.
"Our witnesses will be called in a timely manner, and they will have
relevant and important information," he added.
The development came as the three state board members met by
teleconference to finalize plans for the May hearings. Irigonegaray
and John Calvert, a retired lawyer who runs the Intelligent Design
Network, took part in the meeting at the State Department of
Education building in Topeka.
As the meeting opened, Irigonegaray objected to the state board
spending "a single penny" to promote what he called a "political
agenda" to bring theology into science classrooms.
Intelligent design suggests that certain features of living things,
such as DNA, are too complicated to have occurred naturally and that
no scientific law explains them.
Evolution is considered the central theory of biology.
Calvert has lined up 24 witnesses to question evolution in the first
set of hearings. Tuesday night, he pressed Irigonegaray to release
his list of witnesses.
"You cannot cross-examine an expert witness without preparation," he
said. "I'm a little bit perplexed about why these witnesses need to
be kept secret, especially in light of the boycott."
Connie Morris said she and the other state board members needed to
know, as well, so they could be "praying over" their upcoming
decision.
"Did you say praying over?" Irigonegaray asked.
Board members directed him to provide the witness list by May 2.
"I'm just very disturbed that one of the reasons I have to do this is
so the board can pray about it," he said.
Before the meeting, the president of Kansas Citizens for Science said
he and others will conduct daily briefings on issues raised at the
hearings.
John Burch, a private investor in Lawrence, said he organized the
meeting out of concern that Kansas' bioscience industry will suffer
if the anti-evolution push continues.
Last year, lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bioscience funding
initiative that they hope will generate tens of thousands of new jobs
in the future.
"We can't afford to be nice about this anymore to religious
partisans. We've really got to get serious," said Burch.
"Rev Dr" Lenny Flank · 20 April 2005
More from Kansas:
Hearing to offer evolution defender
By DAVID KLEPPER
The Kansas City Star
TOPEKA Evolution will have its defender after all.
The Kansas Board of Education's science standards subcommittee met
Tuesday to hammer out details of an upcoming six-day, courtroom-style
hearing on the teaching of evolution. Despite a call from scientists
for a boycott, a Topeka civil rights and defense attorney said he had
been asked to defend the way science is now taught in public schools.
Pedro Irigonegaray said the hearings were simply a political effort
to inject a theological argument into school curriculum.
The daylong hearings are set for May 5-7 and 12-14 in Topeka's
Memorial Hall. Opponents of the way evolution is taught in school
have signed up 23 witnesses. Irigonegaray said he would call
witnesses too, though he wouldn't say how many. After giving
testimony, the witnesses will be questioned by the opposing side and
the subcommittee.
Still, the group Kansas Citizens for Science had declared the
hearings a sham and called on scientists to boycott the proceedings.
Subcommittee members say they will use what they learn in the hearing
to decide whether to change the way science is taught.
All three members of the subcommittee say they have concerns about
evolution. Opponents of evolution say teachers should include
criticism of evolution or discuss alternatives, such as intelligent
design, which argues that there is evidence of a divine creator.
Board members who support the hearings say they want it to be
educational to the whole state. Residents are encouraged to attend
the hearings.
This is not a legal proceeding, said school board Chairman Steve
Abrams, also a member of the subcommittee. This is an informational
proceeding.
At Tuesday's meeting, attorney John Calvert, a proponent of
intelligent design and the leading advocate for the hearings,
defended the school board's plan to use $5,000 in public money for
his witnesses' travel expenses. He also said it was appropriate for
the state to spend $5,000 to keep a written transcript of the
hearings.
He called the evolution debate probably one of the most important
issues facing public education in the entire country.
But Irigonegaray cited the ongoing debate about school funding
which forced lawmakers to cut the state budget and is now pending
before the state Supreme Court and said any money spent on the
hearings was a waste.
We would object to the use of a single penny, he said. He said that
he was not receiving compensation for his legal work and that his
side will not pay for witnesses' travel costs.
Shortly after that, Abrams canceled the subcommittee's request that
lunches be provided during the hearings.
We can supply our own lunches, he said.
Over Irigonegaray's objections, the subcommittee ordered him to
provide a list of his witnesses by May 2. Calvert said he wanted the
list so he could prepare his cross-examination. Board member Connie
Morris said she was planning on praying over the list of witnesses.
"Rev Dr" Lenny Flank · 20 April 2005