The state of Georgia, via it's public school superintendent, recently announced its intention to strike evolution, Charles Darwin, and many other scientific facts and theories from the biology curriculum for high school students.  Could there be a more religiously pedantic attack on science and truth?

It's lunacy to think that removing Charles Darwin, evolution, actual fossil evidence, and even the emergence of single-celled microorganisms from a truthful study of biology is anything more than an attempted religious coup of public education.  When Superintendent Kathy Cox, a Republican of questionable mental ability, announced the changes, I convinced myself that I was suffering from a mental break and could no longer trust my own senses.

To ensure that the theological offensive on science would be complete, the new curriculum also eliminated other details about the origin of life, including Gregor Mendel's identification of genes, the appearance of primitive life forms 4 billion years ago, and the long-term dynamics of evolution.  In its place is a statement listing five "historical scientific models of change" that includes the sole mention of Darwin.  The word "evolution" disappears entirely and is replaced by the phrase "l;change over time."

Heralded as a way to take pressure off of teachers "on the front lines" and to promote consideration of the new curriculum, this attempt to push public education back into the Dark Ages is truly the most offensive religious invasion of public education that I have ever seen.  If teachers do not wish to face the controversy inherent in education (especially science), they should find a different career and leave teaching to those who will face the discussion with an eye toward the free flow of ideas rather than with fear.

Teachers who support the move, such as Susan McKinney, who teaches biology to high school students in Crisp County, say they never believed earth could have come into existence without a divine hand.  McKinney went on to say she believed in natural selection, but when her course touched on the fossil record and single-celled organisms believed to be among the first life forms on earth — information she considers a "tentative hypothesis" — she skims over it, recommending that students study the material independently if they wish.

Since when are teachers allowed to modify facts and figures to fit within their own narrow, incomplete idea of what children should be learning?  When this is allowed, the truth in education is lost to the spin of politics and religion.

Sharing in my own acute embarrassment that such a move could take place in today's society, John Avise, a genetics professor at the University of Georgia, responded to the announcement by saying, "I hope we don't have to change the word 'chemistry' to 'the movement of molecules across space' next.  I'll have to rewrite a lot of my texts."

It seems to me that excluding scientific facts and theories in order to promote a single religious agenda to students who look to the education system to provide a balanced and honest learning experience is reprehensible at best.  It's unnecessary to teach children that the world is once again flat and is indeed the center of the universe since we learned long ago that these ideas were not correct.  In fact, when we stifle the free flow of ideas to our children, we cripple future generations from continuing to learn and grow and expand our scientific knowledge.

The advancement of humans as a whole is endangered by such selfish attacks on truth.

This decision, if it stands, will mean that Georgia will have taken a very large step backward in science.  Students of such an education system must be considered under par and inadequate for the real world.  With a crippled and incomplete — if not entirely inaccurate — picture of the universe around them, these children are clearly being betrayed by those entrusted with ensuring their education.

I can only hope that this decision is reversed, either by the educational system or the courts, before much damage is done to the unsuspecting next generation from Georgia.

Here’s the archive of the latest welcome message from the front page.

C₁₇H₂₁NO₄

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Welcome to my little corner of the Internet.  My name is Jason (duh, right?), and this is my experiment in self-expression.  It’s about life, the universe, and my kids.  I had no grandiose ideas when I started it and continue on in the spirit of ad hocism.

You can learn a little something about me and my life from what I divulge here.  It centers around my kids (the four cats who are very much in charge around here), my tattoos (those I have and those I intend to get), piercings (again those I have and those I intend to get), working out and trying to build a better body, my experiences, and exercising my free speech by discussing politics, local, national and world events, technology, science, national security, and a host of other things that I’m interested in.

Hopefully some of the things you’ll find here will entertain you.  If I’m lucky, you might find something here that will make you think. 

So take a look around and feel free to let me know what you think either by sending me an email or signing the Guestbook.

Little more than a month ago the American Family Association created a poll on their web site intended to query from their constituency their views on the question of gay marriage.  The AFA is a right-wing conservative group which strongly believes that only a select few should be entitled to the legal benefits afforded by marriage.  Their poll was intended to prove that point — and they had every intention of taking the poll's results to Congress to prove that all patriotic Americans believe in the class system and advocate bigotry, hatred and exclusionary laws.  Unfortunately for the AFA, the exercise did not turn out to be as straightforward as they had hoped.

When the poll first appeared on the AFA's site just before the end of 2003, they had every intention of keeping the poll isolated to like-minded people — an activity often referred to as "stacking the deck."  Given that the target audience for the poll was to include only those AFA supporters who believe that people who are different than their views are to be hated, reviled and excluded from any legal protections offered to others, it was with great displeasure that the AFA learned that their poll had leaked to the broader Internet audience.

As the URL for the poll spread across the Internet, a grass-roots drive to prove the AFA wrong began to spring up around the globe.

As of Jan. 19, 60 percent of respondents — more than 508,000 voters — said, "I favor legalization of homosexual marriage."  With an additional 7.89 percent — or 66,732 voters — replying, "I favor a 'civil union' with the full benefits of marriage except for the name," the AFA's chosen position, "I oppose legalization of homosexual marriage and 'civil unions,'" was being defeated by a 2-1 ratio.

In response to the bitter defeat they suffered at the hands of their own Internet poll, the AFA quickly announced it was annulling the poll and would no longer offer the results to Congress.

"We're very concerned that the traditional state of marriage is under threat in our country by homosexual activists," said AFA representative Buddy Smith.  "It just so happens that homosexual activist groups around the country got a hold of the poll — it was forwarded to them — and they decided to have a little fun, and turn their organizations around the country (onto) the poll to try to cause it to represent something other than what we wanted it to.  And so far, they succeeded with that."

Gee, Mr. Smith, would you like a little cheese with your "whine" today?

Despite finger-pointing at the "homosexual establishment" for the utter failure of the poll (at least so far as the AFA's goals are concerned), the results prove some valid considerations which the AFA failed to realize until it was too late.

(1)  The AFA learned an embarrassing lesson in how the Internet works.  If you put it on the Internet, expect it to spread on its own and to attract audiences well outside of your target market.

(2)  Hatred and exclusionary practices often bring out community-based efforts to fight them.  Assuming it was right and that there was no argument against its case kept the AFA blind to the response they would ultimately get.

The sad truth of this situation is that the AFA will use the results to galvanize their constituency into believing there is a vast "homosexual agenda" trying to destroy American life as we know it.

If for an instant they would remove the selfish religious blinders they have on and look beyond their own self-righteousness, they would realize that equal protection and treating all people fairly is as much a Constitutional protection as it is a religious directive (for all religions, not just Christianity, although very few religions practice that particular aspect of their beliefs).

For now, the AFA has learned a lesson about the Internet.

Let's just hope that, even if only a few, some of them have also seen that the hatred and exclusiveness with which they practice their beliefs and the law are only going to drive deeper wedges into American society.

Editor's note: See the correction to this post here.

A few days ago my Mother sent an email to me that had been forwarded to her.  Well, you undoubtedly know my penchant toward derailing chain letters — the fodder for my biting sarcasm and the target of my loathing.  Still, once in a while just such an email comes across my radar screen that is atypical for such garbage (as was the case with another email I received almost a year ago).  This latest chain letter has a valid point to make although it tends toward the tawdry (as do most such messages).  Despite its religious overtones, I still felt it was worth sharing as another reminder that we so often lose sight of what's important in order to keep up with the hectic pace of life that we have created for ourselves.

This was written by an 83-year old…  The last line says it all.

I'm reading more and dusting less.  I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden.  I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working.  Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure.  I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market.  My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries…

I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary; if it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.

I'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted.

I think they would have called family members and a few close friends.  They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles.

I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner or for whatever their favorite food was.  I'm guessing; I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited.  Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days.  Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them.  I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.

And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special.  Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God.

If you received this, it is because someone cares for you.

If you're too busy to take the few minutes that it takes right now to forward this, would it be the first time you didn't do the little thing that would make a difference in your relationships?  I can tell you it certainly won't be the last.

Take a few minutes to send this to a few people you care about, just to let them know that you're thinking of them.

"People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends don't need to hold hands because they know the other hand will always be there."

I don't believe in miracles.  I rely on them.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

A good friend of mine forwarded this to me the other day.  If you were wondering how to achieve a true inner peace in your life, look no further — the answer is right here.

 

By following the simple advice I read in an article, I have finally found inner peace…

The article read:

"The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you've started."

So I looked around the house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished…and before coming to work this morning I finished off a bottle of red wine, a bottle of white, the Bailey's, Kahlua and Wild Turkey, my Prozac, some valium, my cigarettes and a box of chocolates.

You have no idea how freakin' good I feel…

 

You may pass this on to those you feel are in need of Inner Peace…