What makes the US tick? What makes it the most powerful nation in the world? Well the events of last month provided us with many examples all leading to the same answer; that it is the honesty and integrity of the ordinary people. Sure there is corruption in the highest places (which a simple Google news search on Jack Abramoff or Randy "Duke" Cunningham will show you), sure there was an Enron or a Worldcom scandal but at the end of the day, sense of decency and uprightness of regular people sticking to their jobs brings home the bacon. Justice is swift and punishment is not delayed no matter how high and mighty the person is.
It does not happen because a Mahatma, a Messiah or a Savior comes and punishes people for their crimes. It is because a state attorney general here, a vigilant employee there, a small judge here, and ordinary citizens everywhere - stick to their duty and their voice of conscience. I'll give you an example. For a few months now, it looked that in the US, science and scientific enquiry would come to a grinding halt because of religious zealots. They insisted on schools letting their students know that Darwin's theory of evolution is just a theory and not justified by facts and that there is another theory out there called Creationism that is intellectually on par with the theory of evolution. In effect, their game plan is to muddy up the water so that people start confusing theory of evolution as just another theory, probably on par with Creationism. For some time it did seem like they were winning. In Dover, Pennsylvania this is what teachers were forced to read out the students before teaching evolution: The Pennsylvania Academic Standards require students to learn about Darwin’s theory of evolution and eventually to take a standardized test of which evolution is a part.
Because Darwin’s theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The theory is not a fact. Gaps in the theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.
Intelligent design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin’s view. The reference book, “Of Pandas and People,” is available for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what intelligent design actually involves.
With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind. The school leaves the discussion of the origins of life to individual students and their families. As a standards-driven district, class instruction focuses upon preparing students to achieve proficiency on standards-based assessments. And this trend looked like growing by leaps and bounds across the country, in Kansas, in Tennessee, in Texas and for a while it looked as if the entire country was only too eager to say "Here likes theory of evolution, RIP". What it took to stop it? A bunch of parents in Dover, Pennsylvania who decided that they could not be mute spectators while their kids were being taught religious beliefs in the garb of science. It is important to realize that they did not have any grand vision about the clash of science and religion, they just wanted to ensure the best education for their kids and were willing to stand up for it. It also took a relatively junior Federal judge, a Republican no less, appointed by President Bush no less, to listen to the arguments in the court, put aside his own ideology and beliefs and come out with thus stunning blow of a judgment: Judge Jones said that intelligent design has no place in a public school's biology classroom. That it is a thinly-veiled religious teaching of creationism and Christianity. It's a fine belief, he said, but it's not science. Period. And all of a sudden religious zealots across the country were stopped in their tracks. Just a handful of parents with conviction and a judge true to his conscience was all it took.
It does not happen because a Mahatma, a Messiah or a Savior comes and punishes people for their crimes. It is because a state attorney general here, a vigilant employee there, a small judge here, and ordinary citizens everywhere - stick to their duty and their voice of conscience. I'll give you an example. For a few months now, it looked that in the US, science and scientific enquiry would come to a grinding halt because of religious zealots. They insisted on schools letting their students know that Darwin's theory of evolution is just a theory and not justified by facts and that there is another theory out there called Creationism that is intellectually on par with the theory of evolution. In effect, their game plan is to muddy up the water so that people start confusing theory of evolution as just another theory, probably on par with Creationism. For some time it did seem like they were winning. In Dover, Pennsylvania this is what teachers were forced to read out the students before teaching evolution: The Pennsylvania Academic Standards require students to learn about Darwin’s theory of evolution and eventually to take a standardized test of which evolution is a part.
Because Darwin’s theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The theory is not a fact. Gaps in the theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.
Intelligent design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin’s view. The reference book, “Of Pandas and People,” is available for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what intelligent design actually involves.
With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind. The school leaves the discussion of the origins of life to individual students and their families. As a standards-driven district, class instruction focuses upon preparing students to achieve proficiency on standards-based assessments. And this trend looked like growing by leaps and bounds across the country, in Kansas, in Tennessee, in Texas and for a while it looked as if the entire country was only too eager to say "Here likes theory of evolution, RIP". What it took to stop it? A bunch of parents in Dover, Pennsylvania who decided that they could not be mute spectators while their kids were being taught religious beliefs in the garb of science. It is important to realize that they did not have any grand vision about the clash of science and religion, they just wanted to ensure the best education for their kids and were willing to stand up for it. It also took a relatively junior Federal judge, a Republican no less, appointed by President Bush no less, to listen to the arguments in the court, put aside his own ideology and beliefs and come out with thus stunning blow of a judgment: Judge Jones said that intelligent design has no place in a public school's biology classroom. That it is a thinly-veiled religious teaching of creationism and Christianity. It's a fine belief, he said, but it's not science. Period. And all of a sudden religious zealots across the country were stopped in their tracks. Just a handful of parents with conviction and a judge true to his conscience was all it took.