A majority of the Pinellas County, Florida, School Board supports the inclusion of Intelligent Design in the science curriculum, reports the St. Petersburg Times.
Four members of the school board, including the chairperson and vice-chairperson, have made statements in support of Intelligent Design.
“The entire theory of evolution is not scientific fact. Intelligent design balances it out.” — Nancy Bostock, Chairperson
“I’d probably ideally like to keep it all [evolution and Intelligent Design] out of the classroom. If it’s going to create this much controversy, how important is it?” — Peggy O’Shea, Vice Chairperson
“I think that students should be given the opportunity to view all theories on how man evolved and let their science background and their religious background take over as to which one they believe in.” — Jane Gallucci, Member
“To teach one [evolution] as if nothing else existed, I think we’re doing our students a disservice.” — Carol Cook, Member
You can read the news article here.
The PCSB website states: “The public is encouraged to contact the School Board members on any issue.”
I suggest we contact the school board and let them know there are more than two theories of our origins. Pastafarianism is built on similar tenets as Intelligent Design, and has much greater support from the academic community. If you decide to write, please be respectful.
Contact Info:
Office: (727) 588-6300
E-mail: Board@pcsb.org
Individual E-mail addresses:
Nancy Bostock: bostockn@pcsb.org
Peggy O’Shea: osheap@pcsb.org
Jane Gallucci: galluccij@pcsb.org
Carol Cook: cookc@pcsb.org
This is the letter I sent:
Good day Ms. Bostock. I am writing in response to your comments in the St. Petersburg Times, where you stated, when asked to comment on the specific mention of evolution in the new science standards to be voted on this February, “The entire theory of evolution is not scientific fact. Intelligent design balances it out.” Ms. Bostock, I couldn’t agree more and I applaud you for taking a stand on this issue.
Evolution is a theory. It is well established, peer-reviewed, so far verified and is accepted by the vast majority of the scientific community, but it still remains just that: a theory. Theories are not 100% fact and should not be threated as such. And that’s my biggest criticism of the scientific method- if you can’t say that something is 100% guarenteed to be true, why bother? Intelligent design answers all of our questions easily- the designer did it! A Christian will say that it was God, an Arab can call the designer Allah, etc. This makes intelligent design so beautiful: there are so many different versions of it!
If you will continue fighting the liberal media and the snobby scientific elite in the name of unbiased science and giving our students a choice, you will have done a great service to America. We’re a democracy, why can’t we let the people decide for themselves what the scientific truth is? But, because science is a democracy, we’ll need multiple viewpoints to be decided on. Evolution, intelligent design, and a third excellent theory known as Flying Spaghetti Monsterism. This theory, which I have decided is the scientific truth, states that the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) created the universe, the mountains, the trees, and the midgits. He created the universe a mere 5000 years ago, but because He is mischievous, He uses his Noodly Appendage to alter the data we think we are empirically observing. I believe that FSMism is the truth. Try to disprove it: you can’t! All your ‘evidence’ against it is only there because the FSM wants you to think that! With a theory so unfalsifiable and therefore true, surely you must agree that students are being done a disservice by not being taught it.
In conclusion, thank you for taking the time to hear my views and beliefs. I hope I was able to convey the importance of teaching this theory to your students. The Church of the Flying Spagheti Monster will of course be able to train the teachers in this alternate theory. I am eagerly awaiting your response, and hope dearly that no legal action will need to be taken. I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.
Sincerely yours,
J.D. Hutton
@Pontius Pirate
Nice letter, thanks for sending.
I am actually a student in Pinellas County and I am appalled by the mere mention that Intelligent Design should be taught in schools. They will not actually be teaching Creation “Science” but Christian Creationism. I can only hope that this intellectual atrocity will be shot down iin our fine system of government.
Don’t pray in my school and I won’t think in your church.
RAmen
@Esan - Florida has a fine system of government? Where do they hide it?
Since I have been shut out of registration despite my love for all things pasta, I am using this response as my only available means to start a new campaign. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is considering granting some sort of recognition to an anti evolutionist religious outfit.. See my correspondence below.
Everybody - Get on their case!! The email address for the individual who responded to me is DeJ.Lozada@thecb.state.tx.us
Message:
Dear Mr. xxxxx:
Thank you for your comments to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Please find below a link to information that should prove useful. After reviewing the material, please feel free to contact us with further comments and questions.
We are all stakeholders in ensuring the highest standards of excellence for our students and higher education professionals throughout the state, and as such, applaud you for your involvement in this process. We welcome your feedback at any time.
Sincerely, De Juana Lozada Asst. Communications Director Office of External Relations Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/AAR/PrivateInstitutions/
NOTE: Scroll to bottom of page.
You wrote:
The Institute for Creation Research is clearly, by the declarations on their website, a religiously based group intent on propagandizing against the well established Theory of Evolution. To grant them any authorization to award academic degrees would give credibility to their position and advance the real possibility of their adherants undermining science education in Texas and elsewhere.
There is no scientific controversy about the fact of evolution. The claim of the Creation Research Institute to “present both sides” is empty.
They deserve no degree granting authority. The internet has enough diploma mills churning out questionable degrees.
I wrote to the members of the Pinellas County School Board urging them not to neglect teaching of FSM’ism in schools.
I received this reply:
Dear Shane Sody,
Over the past few weeks we have received several emails about the article written in the St. Petersburg Times. While I have chosen not to respond to everyone I do want to clarify one issue. A St. Petersburg Times reporter called and asked our opinions and then wrote the article.
We as a Board have not had this discussion, nor are we going to discuss this curriculum. It is the state that will tell us what the curriculum will be and we will make sure it is taught.
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns,
Carol Cook
This is the letter I sent
Dear Pinellas county school board,
I would first like to applaud you on your support of alternative theories to evolution. To many “scientists” are trying to make this theory seem like fact. While supporting Intelligent Design is an important first step, there is still more work to be done. ID is not the only alternative to evolution, after all. Another popular theory is the FSM theory of intelligent design. For those unfamiliar with FSM, this theory states that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe, and that pirates are his chosen people. Their is numerous evidence for this theory, all conveniently compiled at www.venganza.org. I would give some examples , but I fear loading this email with evidence would make it far too long. I will instead allow you to peruse the evidence yourselves at the aforementioned website.
Ramen,
Tony Russo, concerned student
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
“As a scientist, I’d like to say that the currently accepted scientific theory is evolution. But, some competing ideas have been proposed, such as ID and FSMism, and discussion to include one should include the other, as these ideas are equally valid.“
– Mark Zurbuchen, Ph.D.
Only “several” e-mails? However, that does at least sound reasonably positive. As long as the state doesn’t tell them ID should be included, anyway.
@ Landlubber- I was being sarcastic
Ok, I agree totally with this mail i wish I heard about this stuff before you guys so I could beat you to it in spreading the word about the FSM. I want to clear up one thing with some of these posters who are apparently 5 years old and have never been inside a school in their lives: The definition of a scientific theory is proven beyond doubt. Some of you say that is not true, a law is proven beyond doubt. A law is a physics theory proven beyopnd all doubt. A theory is irrefutable, backed by so much evidence that no matter how many of your stupid holy books tell us otherwise the facts will not change.
@erik
If you had any appreciation for the philosophy of science you would appreciate that no scientific law or theory is truely ‘proven beyond doubt’. This is because inductive reasoning is unable to account for the multitude of other phenomena that may explain an observation. However, it is the best we have as the alternative is theology which generates one explaination for every observation, ‘God did it’.
A new voice, that of Bill Foster, a lawyer and former St. Petersburg City Council member, has been added to the Pinellas COunty School Board’s questioning of evolution. Bill wrote saying that the study of natural selection led to Hitler’s crimes and belief in racial superiority. I sent the following letter to the St. Petersburg Times, which ran the story.
To: The Editor, St. Pete Times:
I read with stunned unbelief that Bill Foster thinks the study of evolution could lead to another Columbine shooting or could have been the genesis of Hitler’s super-race beliefs. He apparently thinks that there is no scientific proof of evolution, despite what top scientists state about the firmness of that proof. He also said that some homeless “choose” to live on the streets. Does he also believe that the moon is made of green cheese? How about UFOs being alien spaceships?
Yet, you claim that this uneducated former City Council member is “…widely considered to be a leading contender to be St. Petersburg’s next mayor in 2009”? This boggles the mind. Are there no intelligent or educated people willing to run? Is St. Petersburg to become the latest laughing-stock municipality in the nation?
Beam me up Scotty!
Ian MacFarlane
Pastafarians believe above all else that it is our duty to enlighten others to our beliefs. We believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) visited the Earth more than 5 billion years ago and left a deposit that created all of the plants and animals. Although the Flying Spaghetti Monster may be the most intelligent being in the universe, we believe the creation of life on earth was accidental. We want to make sure that FSM is included in any science textbooks that the Pinellas County School Board approves.
In the FSM we trust,
Eric Elder, Palm Harbor
Hi all folks,
When dealing with these stupid ID promoters, just ask them:
You get 10,000 dollars within 5 minutes, if you hand over one of your Scientific Reports declaring ID is Science. Low risk of loosing your money.
Good work Bobby and everyone else.
The creation myths (disguised under the name intelligent design) are all based on hearsay from stories told prior to 1000 BC. Note that was when intelligible writing was developed. Writing, itself, was an evolutionary process.
Sumerian cuneiform (pictograph) about 4000 BC
Egyptian pictographs developed about 3100 BC; developed hieroglyphs and begining of the alphabet, about 1700 BC.
Various scripts were developed between 1000 BC and 100BC
Scraps of writing found back to approximately 1000 BC on clay tablets, stone tablets; Papyrus and animal skins. later
Many telling the stories now incorporated in Christian, Jewish and Muslim scriptures; all claiming to be worshipers of the God of Abraham and descendants of Isaac and Ishmael.
Noah and the Flood 2400 B C. based on Archbishop Usher’s date of creation 4004 BC
Stonehange village outside London carbon dated at 2600 B C; same time as villages in Orkney Islands.(National Geographic)
GReat Pyramid in Egypt built about the same time. No indication in Egyptian history of Flood.
Moses born 1291 BC (Asimov’s guide to the Bible p. 174)
Just checked the Tampa Schools blog. From my reading of the report, it seems that ID is out of the curriculum but not everyone is happy because the new curriculum isn’t as strong as it could be in outlining how strong the evidence in favor of evolution is.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2008/02/and-the-decisio.html#more
There is also talk of litigation or legislation into the future, so this battle may not be won yet (even if you count what passed as a victory, which some pro-science board members don’t seem to).
As an Australian, I’m just so glad that this rubbish doesn’t happen in my country. I can’t believe that so many Americans refuse to accept evolution, or want ID taught alongside evolution in schools. There is no comparitive push for this here in Australia, nor in Europe.
Finally, congrats to Bobby for this whole effort. In centuries to come, I hope he will be regarded in a similar manner to Galileo, who was persecuted by the Catholic Church for making scientific observations about the universe which were not backed up by the Bible. Why don’t the ID crowd still insist that the earth is flat and at the centre of the universe - if it was good enough for their God to say this 400 years ago, why has he changed his position now? Why don’t physics majors need to learn about ‘Intelligent Falling’ alongside the theory of gravity? Their hypocrisy is unbelievable, but then so is everything else about them.
May His Noodly Appendage Touch You
Dave Liberts
Five words: Separation of Church and State. I align myself with neither the Christian faith nor the FSM faith, and feel that if you want your child to learn Creationism, ID, Noodley ID, or whatever, you should send them to a private school. Public schools serve the public, and should be teaching what is generally accepted by the public - Evolution.
This is what I sent:
As a studeny training in Earth and Environental Sciences I appreciate your open minded approach to teaching various theories of the origins of Man, the Earth and the Universe.
There are many theories and I hope you cover as many as possible. Even the Wapanoag Indian turtle myth though it does seem a little silly.
One theory that is not silly of course, should definirly be in the curriculum, That theory is Flying Spaghetti Monsterism. The theory that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created everything.
An open minded scientific evaluation of FSM theory shows it has more scientific validity than either Intellegent Design or Creationism and as such should be taught along side them in the classroom as an altenative to evolution.
I thank you for your progressive intellectual attitude.
Capkicks
I recieved a reply from the Pinellas County School Board:
Your e-mail will be shared with the Board Members.
Debbie
Deborah E. Beaty
Adm. Assistant to the Board
Pinellas County School Board
Phone: 727-588-6300 Fax: 727-588-6477
my letter:
As a student training in Earth and Environental Sciences I appreciate your open minded approach to teaching various theories of the origins of Man, the Earth and the Universe.
There are many theories and I hope you cover as many as possible. Even the Wapanoag Indian turtle myth though it does seem a little silly.
One theory that is not silly of course, should definirly be in the curriculum, That theory is Flying Spaghetti Monsterism. The theory that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created everything.
An open minded scientific evaluation of FSM theory shows it has more scientific validity than either Intellegent Design or Creationism and as such should be taught along side them in the classroom as an altenative to evolution.
I thank you for your progressive intellectual attitude.
Capkicks
If you are accused of being a Witch, would you want your judge and jury to be scientists or priests?