What the heck is going on in this country? We are having a massive attack of teh stoopid lately.
The latest Florida buffoonery (not to be confused with the last one) is yet another example of the potentially doomed atmosphere of education in Florida.
Via the Florida Citizens for Science blog comes the news that Charlie Carraway, the Director of the Office of Instructional Materials at the Florida Department of Education, has sent out an email urging people to attend public meetings to take all the science out of the state science standards.
Her email is full of the same dumb stuff we in the rationally-based universe are familiar with: Evolution is just a theory, blah blah blah. What’s very, very interesting about this is that Ms. Carraway was not summarily fired, or forced to resign. Instead, she was reprimanded and told not to do it again.
There are obvious comparisons to the Texas situation where Chris Comer was forced to resign. However, the persecution of the rational by fundamentalists becomes more clear upon even the tiniest closer inspection. Chris Comer did not make any statement about evolution other than to tell people that a talk was being given about Intelligent Design, but was forced to resign by fundamentalists in power in the Texas Education Agency. Carraway made a clear statement about evolution being wrong, and did it after stating her authority as being a state employee in the education field and only got a reprimand.
Interesting, huh?
I’ll note that she sent the email from her personal account, but in it she pointed out her position as an official in state education clearly and on purpose, to give the email "credibility".
So if you work for a group in Texas that is supposed to uphold science, and you do so, you are forced to resign. If you work for a similar group in Florida and try to tear down science, you are given a slap on the wrist.
The St. Petersburg Times has more on this story as well.
Happily, Carraway is in no position to influence the standards, except as any of us are: by making some noise and getting the public involved. Well, she’s certainly done that. Let’s hope that the blogs and newspapers show her demands to be as hollow and wrong as all the others we have seen in the past, and almost certainly will be in the future, too.
Tip o’ the hat to Brandon Haught from the Florida Citizens for Science.
December 9th, 2007 at 10:59 am
I understand your feelings regarding how one state treats one person and how another state treats a different person, but let’s look at it like this: What if Texas had no fired Chris Comer but had instead “counseled” her just as Florida did to Ms. Carraway? While it is easy to perceive this as a double-standard, it really isn’t. If one set of parents spanks a child for what they perceive as wrong and another one simply talks to their child about what was wrong about what they did, is that a double standard? I, too, am not pleased that Chris Comer was fired as she had done nothing that was wrong in my eyes. Frankly, I hope that the laws of Texas allow Comer to sue the TEA for what they did and I hope that Comer decides to do that. But I don’t think that Florida was too lenient for what they did. Now if Carraway does it again, that is a different story. I don’t know if she’s made other such breaches of protocol in the past, so I can’t judge what Florida did in that context, only in the context of the single violation. I hope that there are others writing similar letters supporting the new science standards in Florida in order to convince the public not to oppose them.
December 9th, 2007 at 11:00 am
When Phil says “Make some…”, you say “Noise!”
Sorry, seemed appropiate.
I’m deeply ashamed of my state right now for this type of nonsense to rear it’s ugly head.
We need the voice of reason to be heard (and I don’t mean John Hurd).
Let us take action! Go skepticism! Go science!
December 9th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Hey,
You know,
Every time you post like this I find myself wanting to VOTE for someone like you. (Heck, anybody that makes some kind of sense really).
I usually must choose between the less religiously insane of my options.
I can’t be alone here.
I’m just sayin’,
rod
December 9th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Yeah, the education system is in a very sad state of affairs down here in Florida. I’m sorry.
It’s kinda tough to be a proud Floridian these days.
December 9th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
When will these dopes learn that Christians, as a group, are not opposed to the teaching of evolution? It is the literalist groups that oppose it, and not all Christians are literalists.
One might say–and I do–that it is incredibly presumptuous for any human being to purport to speak on behalf of the Creator of the Universe; but it is also very bad manners for one human being to purport to speak on behalf of a group that she does not in any way represent.
December 9th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
If you want to take action and make some noise, participate in the Florida Citizens for Science project “All I Want for Christmas is a Good Science Education.” We really could use your help!
http://www.flascience.org/wp/?p=340
http://www.flascience.org/xmas1.html
Thanks!
December 9th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Who do we Floridians need to contact in order to demand the resignation or termination of this woman?
December 9th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
When will these dopes learn that Christians, as a group, are not opposed to the teaching of evolution? It is the literalist groups that oppose it, and not all Christians are literalists
Probably about the same time that people realize that not all Muslims are terrorists. I wouldn’t hold your breath.
December 9th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
I would be happier with the slap on the wrist if in included a mandatory biology class. They should set this person down and bombard her with the undeniable evidence. Evidence that comes from many fields, and disciplines. Don’t just call her an idiot, show her why she is an idiot. Explain the process of science. If she can not be persuaded by the huge amount of complimentary evidence, she has no business in education. I would love to see the case made in public. The Nova special was good but was still pretty light on the science. Will no one in the television business have some guts, some patriotism, some ethics? The case needs to be made everywhere until the minority realizes the pointlessness of their attacks. If they want to make a religious stance make it against violence.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:23 am
# Brian Barone on 09 Dec 2007 at 3:32 pm wrote :
“Who do we Floridians need to contact in order to demand the resignation or termination of this woman?”
Termination eh? Anyone there know any hitmen?
Tempting prospect but, yes, for the humour challenged (ie. Republicasns, literalist fundamentalist & unintelligent Intelligent Designer lobbyists) I _*am*_ joking.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:31 am
Perhaps its time a group of biologists, geologists, astronomers or scientists generally went into a church, shoved the priest aside and took over one of the sermons; replacing their religious indoctrination with a basic biology / scale of geological & astronomical time lecture …?
Do this enough times, enough places to make the point then get a mutual treaty agreement :
You don’t teach religion in school science classrooms &
we won’t give science lectures in churches …
BTW. I second Phil Plait for US President – or PM in Australia!
The religious influence on politics is way too strong & its about time scientists whose work is fact not faith based got their voice heard at least as clearly by those running our various societies and nations.
We need scientists to have a say like religious
December 10th, 2007 at 12:32 am
folk do.
Otherwise as the BA says :
DOOMED!
December 10th, 2007 at 12:37 am
PS. My apologies about stuffing up with the over-early comment submitting above – twice. D’oh!
December 10th, 2007 at 6:00 am
hmmmm, looking at some news stories from the USA, and I’m wondering if it’s not the whole country that is DOOMED!!! (where’s that picture of the cat with the mouse?)
What has gotten me worried about the future of our southern neighbors is Huckabee. He seems to be gaining ground, and frankly, what he stands for is downright scary!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Huckabee#Political_positions
Now, you know that the Dem choices (Obama or Hillary) are bound to galvanized the right wing nutters and goad them into action come election day!
Dark, dark days ahead…
December 10th, 2007 at 10:58 am
My mother was at a conference and got talking to someone working in the textbook industry. The woman was saying that these affairs, especially Texas, has the entire industry scared to death. They have huge states like California with great education and excellent standards, then they have huge states like Texas that are already extremely backward and stunted in their standards across the board and appears to be getting worse not better, and the industry is having an extremely hard time making textbooks to satisfy all the different standards. For instance she was saying that in Texas in 8th grade they are learning to add fractions (she is in the math section of the company). I learned that in 2nd or 3rd grade. My mother has been hearing the blow-by-blow from me, and this other woman was positively livid about what is going on, but the third woman who was with them didn’t have a clue any of this was happening.