(Reuters) - Conservatives lose latest Darwin battle in Kansas

[mconvente]

Awesome news! In a 6-4 vote, the Kansas Board of Ed. has re-allowed "mainstream" science back into the classroom, including elimination of evolutionary criticism! Here's to real science!

TOPEKA, Kansas (Reuters) - The Kansas Board of Education on Tuesday threw out science standards deemed hostile to evolution, undoing the work of Christian conservatives in the ongoing battle over what to teach U.S. public school students about the origins of life.

The board in the central U.S. state voted 6-4 to replace them with teaching standards that mirror the mainstream in science education and eliminate criticisms of evolutionary theory.

"I'm glad we've taken this step. If we are going to have a well-educated populace, this is important," said board member Sue Gamble.

Similar efforts to weaken the teaching of evolution in public schools have occurred throughout the United States including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky and Georgia.

But Kansas has been in the forefront of the debate since 1999, when the board voted to sharply reduce the emphasis of evolution in science instruction. A public backlash ultimately led to a reversal of that revision.

The new standards, set to take effect immediately, replace those put in place in 2005 by a conservative majority of the board who challenged the validity of evolution and called it incompatible with religious doctrine.

Link here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070214/us_nm/usa_evolution_kansas_dc

[AlCzervik]

1. Good news.

[donheld]

2. sometimes you have to yank'em by the neck and drag them

kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

[sutz12]

3. Only a 6-4 vote?`

Seems they have a couple of stealth fundies left on the board.

[WatchWhatISay]

4. Nothing's the matter with Kansas

Sounds like they are getting back to their progressive roots

[Straight Shooter]

5. There's a lot of good people in Kansas.

I hate to see all of them viewed as ignorant because the loudmouths have been running the show. Good on the Kansas Board of Education for getting their priorities straight, "a well-educated populace."

:thumbsup:

[calimary]

12. That said, as long as Kansas keeps sending neanderthals like sam

brownback to the Senate (and to power in general), we CANNOT breathe easier. Once they repudiate "representation" like him, there WILL be reason to hope. Until then, I wouldn't rest easy. And I have family and friends in Kansas, and grew up in Missouri one block from the Kansas state line.

I'm DELIGHTED this has happened, that enlightenment and rational thinking prevailed. But the margin was close, and the extremists were only held off by a couple of votes. Unfortunately, they'll merely be motivated to redouble their efforts, and they'll be back - and not just in Kansas. The repudiation was neither total nor permanent. And these people just simply do NOT give up.

Remember what Mad-Eye Moody said in the later Harry Potter books. He was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and repeatedly warned Harry Potter and the rest of the class NEVER EVER to drop their guard. He always bellowed "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!" at them.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!" VERY wise and timely watch-words for us in this day and age. These nut-cases won't stop until they've brought a theocracy down upon the rest of us, and maybe also Armageddon. BANK on it. Just because the news from the Kansas Board of Education is good, TODAY, doesn't mean we can relax because the Good Guys have triumphed. We dare not EVER let down our guard and get complacent while these people are around to make a mess of things and pervert the word of God. We ALWAYS have to stay alert.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!"

[Doondoo]

6. hopefully, this will finally shut the wackos up for a little while

[AX10]

7. Great to know this! Now...

let's move "Creation" back into the Fiction section. Maybe we should start a "Delusional" section just for "Creation"!

Evolution: A scientific fact!
Creation: A silly MYTH!

[mcscajun]

8. Glad to hear it, but 6-4 is still pretty scary. Ping-Pong is what they're

playing; and we'll see it go back again, I'm afraid.

[WindRavenX]

10. true

It's sad that evolution is even treated on the same level as ID...but at least the right side prevailed today.

[MasonJar]

9. Hey, Kansas DUers, does this foreshadow a chance to rid the Senate

of Pat Roberts?

[DavidMS]

11. Great news!

However, it does not change the fact that a very large group of Americans still believe nonsense like this. At least it will not have the stamp of approval of Kansas Schools.