Pinellas County School Board supports Intelligent Design

Published by Bobby Henderson December 19th, 2007 in Intelligent Design and General FSM news.

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

194 Responses to “Pinellas County School Board supports Intelligent Design”

1. 21 - December 19th, 2007 at - bottlecap Says:
   
   

   This is stupid. If we didnt have enough troble with polk, now this? The FSM is not pleased…..

2. 22 - December 19th, 2007 at - bottlecap Says:
   
   

   I can not beleive that another school board thinks this a good idea. So, hopefully we can track down the individual E-Mails and inform them of our tasty theory. Untill then, we should email them at Board@pcsb.org and hope for some results.

3. 23 - December 19th, 2007 at - andre Says:
   
   

   i mean, this is really how it should be taught in one class
   1.evolution(35min)
   2.Flying Spaghetti Monster creation(20min)
   3. I.D(5min)

   any one disagree?

4. 24 - December 19th, 2007 at - StJason Says:
   
   

   *sigh*. Once more unto the breach my friends, once more unto the breach…

5. 25 - December 20th, 2007 at - Bottlecap Says:
   
   

   I still cant believe this…….

6. 26 - December 20th, 2007 at - Droidiphile Says:
   
   

   Okay, I sent a letter off to these people.

   It’s funny. They look like such intelligent people. They don’t “look” like they would supoort ID without also supporting FSMism.

   Since looks can be decieving, I propose that we devise a test to determine if individuals are truly intelligent, and therefore capable of comprehending Intelligent Design, or for that matter, anything more complex than opening a beer. I’m thinking something along the lines of measuring brain cavity volume with a CT scan, and looking for any voids created by missing brain mass.

   Oh wait, nevermind: I forgot that He will be there to “adjust” our test results. I guess we’ll have to gauge people’s intelligence by gut instinct since empirical data cannot be trusted.

   rAmen.

7. 27 - December 20th, 2007 at - mikeb Says:
   
   

   I already emailed them and got a response back.

8. 28 - December 20th, 2007 at - spiderwebby Says:
   
   

   sigh..
   this kind of blind stupidity annoys me

9. 29 - December 20th, 2007 at - Dutch R Says:
   
   

   When will this end? It looks like every week another US school board decides to include one religion into science classrooms, while they ignore other theist theories. Leave them all out, or include them ALL!
   Luckily activist school boards like this are utterly impossible in my country :)

   Is it just me, or do these board members look like they just stepped out the nineteen-fifties?

10. 30 - December 20th, 2007 at - C_Felix Says:
    
    

    Seriously.

    I’m first!?

    Here’s the letter I’m sending!

    —As a child I was always interested in history. This interest history led me to pursue a career in education. I currently teach HS social studies.

    Throughout learning and teaching about history, I’ve learned that it is next to impossible to separate history and religion. The two are intertwined.

    Sometimes in history class, one discussion leads to another, and that topic leads to another and next thing you know, you are talking about something you intended to talk about.

    The result of one of the conversations has prompted me to write to you.

    I was talking about how Christianity has the 10 Commandments, how I am a big proponent for hanging them in schools, and how most other religions don’t have such rules. Then a student corrected me. “The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has 8 ‘I Rather You Didn’ts’.”

    I laughed this off. She then informed me that she has as much proof as I do; there is as much proof that a flying monster made of spaghetti created everything as there is as much proof that Jesus’ dad created everything.

    “It all came out of a book. No one was around to see what was described in Genesis. For all we know, The Flying Spaghetti Monster created everything with his noodly appendages.”

    I then asked her what she knew of these 8 “I Rather You Didn’ts.”

    “I don’t remember all of them. But the ideas are;

    -Just play nice with each other, don’t go killing or beheading people in my name.

    -Don’t do anything that might hurt other people’s feelings

    -Don’t spend millions making churches and what-not to worship me. Use that money more effectively; such as feeding the homeless, finding a cure for some disease. ”

    She then added that, to the best of the Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster’s knowledge, no one has ever been killed in the name of his Noodly Deity. “Can you say that about any other religion? Can we say, The Crusades and the Inquisition?”

    These simple ideas appealed to me and I told the class I’d “Google” the Flying Spaghetti Monster when I get home.

    I read up on this Noodly Deity. I must say that I am convinced that there is as much of a chance that the Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe as did Jesus’ dad.

    If you insist in teaching Jewish-Christian belief of creation, I implore to you please consider teaching the idea of Carbo-Hyrdate-Creationism. I also encourage you to teach the main beliefs of the 8 I Rather You Didn’ts. These simple tenets encourage all men and women to do their best to get along, respect each other, and to try to help each other.

    As we say,

    Peace and RAmen

    C. Felix

    (A nice and simple contraction of Amen and Ramen [As in Ramen Noodles.])—

11. 31 - December 20th, 2007 at - KaelinRing Says:
    
    

    – Ah, I love instructing people in the ways of the FSM, i guess that’s two schools in the past couple weeks to mention their interest in ID. Quite concerning, eh? Well, in case anyone is interested, though doubtful, I’ll show ya what I wrote to them.–

    Hello Pinellas County School Board,

    I don’t want to take up much of your time, so I’ll make this as short as possible.

    Just today I was looking in the news, and noticed an article concerning the schools interest in adding ID (intelligent design) into the science curriculum alongside evolution. I’m not against the addition of such content in the science curriculum, but I am rather distraught that there is only interest in the teaching of one form of ID. If the school does indeed end up teaching ID, then it would only be understandable and fair to incorporate other forms of ID, such as my belief, and the belief of many others, that the world, and it’s inhabitants, and even everything in existence, was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. And if the one form of ID that you school is so intent on teaching is the only one that is taught, and the Pastafarian ID (Flying Spaghetti Monsterism) is left untouched in the classroom, then legal action must take place. I know you will be reasonable and teach both though, so hopefully no one will have to worry about that.

    Not only does the Pastafarian ID have just as much evidence as any other form of ID (maybe more), but we have many very respected scientists/doctors/etc that are completely for Pastafarian ID being taught at school. If need be, I could supply this list for you.

    Anyways, this is turning out a bit longer than I expected, so I’ll go over the rest as quickly as possible. The teacher MUST wear complete pirate regalia while teaching the Pastafarian ID. For brevities sake, I won’t explain why, so best to not question it. My fellow Pastafarians and I can instruct the teachers in the ways of Pastafarian ID, so the teachers would be well versed in our teachings before hand. Lastly, I would like to make a toast to a time when ID, Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence can all be taught side by side.

    Have a good day, and may your curriculum be touched by His noodly appendage.

    - ******* *******

12. 32 - December 20th, 2007 at - Cap'n Turtlehead Says:
    
    

    “The entire theory of evolution is not scientific fact. Intelligent design balances it out.”
    Balances it out? Balances it out? AAARRRGGGHHH!

    “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?”
    Oh, it’s very important. So much for politicians knowing what they’re talking about-yet another example.

    “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.”
    Then teach ID in religion class, and Evolution in science class.

    “To teach one [evolution] as if nothing else existed, I think we’re doing our students a disservice.”
    See above. There is more fact around evolution than ID, that ’s for sure.

    More politicians jumping on the ID bandwagon. Sigh.

13. 33 - December 20th, 2007 at - Gnocci Man Says:
    
    

    This kind of thing really gets me worried. It’s bad enough having to deal with people pushing religion outside of school, but once it gets like this…
    Anyway, here are my replies as a loyal Pastafarian Discordian Unitarian Universalist Atheist:
    .
    Nancy Bostock:
    I have yet to see ANY convincing evidence for Intelligent Design. Evolution, on the other hand, has a massive amount evidence supporting it, which you should NOT have to ask me for if you actually have a science/biology teacher in Pinellas County. So saying that we should “balance out” science with something that is not even slightly scientific seems a little like saying the best way to lose weight is through complete disembowelment.
    .
    Peggy O’Shea:
    One of the biggest signs of importance is controversy. In the science classroom, students should learn science. It is that simple.
    .
    Jane Gallucci:
    Out of curiosity, would it change your view if we gave you a list of all the different “theories” you should now be supporting? Just keep religion seperate from science, please.
    .
    Carol Cook:
    Oh, I think most of them are aware that many other theories exist. If they want to learn them, there are plenty of sources to do so. But for now, can you just go back to teaching science in the science classroom? Intelligent Design is not science.

14. 34 - December 20th, 2007 at - El Peatieablo Says:
    
    

    How have these school boards not learned?
    Gold!
    But seriously, there was Dover, Kansas, and a few recently, I mean seriously, this is the problem with education: stupid idiots are in charge.

15. 35 - December 20th, 2007 at - flyingspaghettiapostle Says:
    
    

    “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.”

    I like it I like it - as long as pastafarianism is given as much consideration as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Confucianism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Shinto, Taoism, Wicca and any other beliefs people hold to be true as well - if you want to teach intelligent design then you MUST teach all intelligent design theories.

16. 36 - December 20th, 2007 at - ScienTastic! Says:
    
    

    “eye’d probubbly lyke to keep itt awl [speling and grammer] owt of the klasrum. if its going too kreat this much kontruvurse howe umportunt iss it.”
    -ScienTastic

    “The entire theory of evolution is not scientific fact. Intelligent design balances it out. Of course, I don’t know what the words ‘entire,’ ‘theory,’ ‘evolution,’ ’scientific,’ ‘fact,’ ‘intelligent,’ ‘design,’ or ‘balance’ mean, so take what I say with a grain of salt.” — Nancy Bostock, Chairperson

    “To have someone like me on the school board, I think, does our students a disservice.”
    — Carol Cook, Member

    “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

    Wait. What? Does she even KNOW what intelligent design IS?

17. 37 - December 20th, 2007 at - mikeb Says:
    
    

    I got a reply back from them, which has email addresses

18. 38 - December 20th, 2007 at - PastaTux Says:
    
    

    Here is my Letter:
    To the Pinellas County, Florida, School Board
    .
    It may not be immediately obvious why a person from Australia would take an interest in what is happening in a Florida School district. The short answer is that developments in Australian public education open the possibility that we will move to a similar system to yours.
    .
    I would like to take this opportunity to applaud you on your brave decision to oppose the scientific establishment and include alternate theories on the origins of life on earth in your Science curriculum.
    .
    In light of this bold move, I feel it is only right that I bring to your attention another such theory which has even MORE evidence to support it than does the theory of Intelligent Design.
    .
    I speak, of course, of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
    .
    As a practicing Pastafarian I am passionately committed to educating others about the Divine Pasta and the abundant evidence of His Creation of our world. Accordingly, I beseech you, as responsible public servants with the best interests of your student body at heart, to ALSO include the Theory of the Flying Spaghetti Monster in your Science curriculum.
    .
    Details of the Theory and the evidence supporting it have been included in an Open Letter to the Kansas School Board, which can be found at http://www.venganza.org/about/open-letter
    .
    I thank you for your balanced and concerned consideration and anticipate your inclusion of this Theory in you curriculum with great hope.
    .
    Have a Wonderful X-FSMass!
    .
    Drew Dight
    Pastafarian.

19. 39 - December 20th, 2007 at - Breakinpoint Says:
    
    

    What is it with Floridians now a days. we are causing so much ruckus. (Sex ed and Intelligent design)

20. 40 - December 20th, 2007 at - bombadil Says:
    
    

    I think they need to talk to the idiots in polk county, you’d figure they’d here about us somehow…

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