ACTION ALERT: OMG!!! ID in Oklahoma...

[Kazak]

Received this in my inbox this morning...sorry about the shoddy formatting.

> Subject: ACTION ALERT: Oklahjoma Creationist Bills
>
> Action Alert: As expected, creationist ID bills in the Oklahoma
Legislature
> will be introduced in the next session beginning in early 2006.
Please write,
> call and e-mail these legislators stating your opposition to any such
bills.
> Reasons may include: (1) It is NOT science and should not be in
science
> courses (but could be in social studies course; (2) It will be an
> embarrassment to the State and will go against the efforts to get
high tech
> industry in Oklahoma, especially the medical companies the State says
they
> desire; (3) It is illegal based on ALL previous Federal Court
decisions
> including three by the Supreme Court; (4) Educational content and
standards
> should be left to the designated State organizations responsible by
law (State
> Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, State Textbook
Committee ­
> leave it to the experts, which the legislature is not; (5) ALL major
> scientific organizations in the country have formal statements
against
> including any form
> of creationism in public school science courses; (6) Many mainline
religions
> have formal resolutions against such inclusion of creationism; (7)
The
> University of Oklahoma Faculty Senate, OU Science Faculty (125
persons, the
> Oklahoma Academy of Science, the Tulsa Interfaith Alliance, The
Oklahoma
> Interfaith Alliance, Oklahoma Chapter of Americans United for
Separation of
> Church and Sate, Oklahoma Mainstream Baptists and other organizations
have
> passed resolutions against such inclusion in science courses and are
likely to
> be active again in any further attempts by creationists; (8) Both
Œold¹
> creationism and its current extension, ŒIntelligent Design¹ is NOT
science
> since science can not address the supernatural; (9) There is not one
iota of
> accepted scientific evidence to support creationism; (10) There is no
need for
> conflict between science and religious views; (11) Oklahoma students
do not
> now score highly in math and science and dilution of science teaching
will
> certainl
> y not improve these scores; (12) Establishment of any creationism of
any ilk
> in science courses will not attract the best science teachers in
public
> schools and will hinder the attraction of faculty to higher education
> institutions (as has been warned by the President of the University
of Kansas,
> Iowa Sate, Cornell and others; (13) Passage of any law that allows
creationism
> in science courses will surely result in costly law suits at the
expense of
> the State, as Federal court cases in DeKalb County, Georgia (where
the judge
> has ruled textbook disclaimers illegal) and in Dover, PA (trial over,
judge
> will decide shortly); and many other valid reasons.
>
> CONTACT THE FOLLOWING TO STATE YOUR OPPOSITION:
>
> Rep. Thad Balkman Rep. Ann Coody
> [e-mail] [e-mail]
> 3403 36th Avenue N.E. 104 State Highway 65
> Norman, OK 73026 Lawton, OK 73501
> [phone] [phone]
>
> Send letters to the above two, copy other legislators you may know or
those in
> your district and be prepared to send messages to other Republican
legislators
> as they sign on to support the bills. So far, it has been mostly
Republicans
> who have supported creationist stuff in the past. We know of others
likely to
> come out in support of bills.
> ----------------------------------
>
>
> Norman and Lawton Lawmakers plan creationist bill to give different
view on
> evolution
>
> By The Associated Press, 9 November 2005
>
> A Norman lawmaker said Wednesday he wants Oklahoma to join the
growing
> national debate on whether school children should be exposed to
different
> viewpoints on the origins of mankind.
> "I think most Oklahomans would agree that students are best served if
they are
> exposed to all viewpoints, including the intelligent design theory,
along with
> the theory of evolution. That would make for a more rounded
educational
> experience," said Rep. Thad Balkman, R-Norman.
> "I'm a supporter of intelligent design to the extent that I believe
that it is
> a theory on equal par with the theory of evolution." Balkman said.
> Intelligent design holds that the universe is so complex that it must
have
> been created by a higher power.
> Balkman said he had not decided whether his legislation would mandate
or
> merely encourage school boards to allow the teaching of a concept
different
> from evolution.
> His comments came a day after the Kansas Board of Education adopted
standards
> redefining the word "science" so that it does not include only
natural
> explanations of origins of life.
> He said he wanted to study the Kansas standards and the situation in
Dover,
> Penn., where parents have sued the school board over a similar
standard. The
> parents' lawsuit argues the board's action violated the
constitutional
> provision on separation of church and state.
> The controversy was blamed for the defeat of eight Dover school board
members
> in an election on Tuesday.
> Critics say intelligent design is merely a form of creationism,
couched in
> scientific language.
> The issue has been in the background in Oklahoma since 1999, when the
attorney
> general held that the state Textbook Committee lacked the authority
to include
> a disclaimer in new biology books terming evolution as "a
controversial
> theory."
> During the 2005 legislative session, the Oklahoma Senate narrowly
approved
> Gov. Brad Henry's nomination of Virginia Ann Dell to the textbook
committee
> after criticism of her views on the issue.
> Sens. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, and Mike Mazzei, R-Tulsa, objected to
her
> position that the teaching of intelligent designed blurred the line
between
> separation of church and state.
> Jolley, an attorney, said Dell had misinterpreted a U.S. Supreme
Court ruling.
> He said schools should have a more open discussion on the issue.
> "I believe in intelligent design and I also believe it is entirely
possible
> that the Intelligent Designer utilized components of evolution to
accomplish
> his design," he said.
> Rep. Ann Coody, R-Lawton, vice chairman of the House Common Education
> Committee, said she is a supporter of teaching intelligent design and
believes
> such discussions have gone on for years in science classes in
Oklahoma.
> "I believe that not to allow a teacher to teach the theory of
intelligent
> design is denying what our founding fathers intended when they wrote
the
> Constitution," said Coody, a former teacher and high school
principal.
> --------------
>
>
> Victor H. Hutchison
> George Lynn Cross Research Professor Emeritus
> Department of Zoology
> University of Oklahoma
> Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
>
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------ End of Forwarded Message

[Kazak]

1. My letter to Mr. Balkman:

Dear Mr. Balkman,

I'm writing to express my complete utter disapproval
of the idea of introducing Intelligent Design into
Science classes in Oklahoma's public schools. I
recently read an article which quoted you as saying,
"I'm a supporter of intelligent design to the extent
that I believe that it is a theory on equal par with
the theory of evolution." I'm sorry but what a
pathetic joke this must be! Intelligent Design is
nowhere near a true scientific theory, in fact it's
little more than an idea at this point, and a
half-baked one at that. A theory is backed by a
mountain of repeatable, predictable, and observable
evidence. By all means, when proponents of ID have
provided adequate empirical evidence to actually
develope their half-baked idea into a true scientific
theory, should it then and only then, be introduced
into public school curricula. Until such time, if this
non-sense passed in Oklahoma, I'll be moving my child
out of this state (which I dearly love), and I'll do
everything in my power to remove people like you,
who've helped to pass this non-sense, from office
while I'm still here.

Respectfully,
a concerned citizen of Oklahoma,
XXXXX XXXXXXXX