The anti-science school board took some pretty nasty hits from last night's primaries. Pro-science incumbent Janet Waugh kept her seat, while Connie Morris and Iris Van Meter's replacement (son-in-law Brad Patzer) were both eliminated. 2 anti-science board members did make it to the November election, but I'm not sure they'll make it through the real election.

Long story short, Pro-Science has a 6-4 majority on the Kansas Board of Education, and could possibly have an 8-2 majority after November. This round of madness is over.

Cutesy Connie Morris tricks (http://pitch.com/issues/2004-10-21/news/janovy.html)

Big bucks go to conservatives on Kansas Board of Education (http://redstaterabble.blogspot.com/2005/03/right-wing-pacs-channel-big-bucks-to.html)

Well Praise Cheeses the godsquad was weakened some. Kansas had an above average level of education in all areas until the jesus freaks descended from their mighty egos and poisoned the system with their bronze age bullshit. Kansas IS backward but not THAT backward. I believe public schools under seige by religious militants should have the right to request their kids be removed from public education to allow normal people to learn science. They have bullied cowardly school districts all over the state to ban books, ban certain documentaries and ban expression of non-Judeo-Christian faith in schools. Talk about the encroaching nanny state! They want to dictate to the rest of us what we can and cannot do in the name of their god. Get the hell out of our public schools conservatives and christians. We don't need you. But keep paying taxes, you owe it for years & years of pain & suffering the rest of us have had to endure.

Hahahahahaha. Thank you MetaKron. I had no idea she had written a book. I do know, that she was either running for mayor of Dodge City or Garden City and claimed the incumbent was an illegal - which was false.

Genji, I should note that the standards were not adopted by any district for fear that it would bankrupt the district fighting a "Dover-like" war.

Hey, I had no idea she could write.

I just want to make a quick point here.

When people think of anti-evolution and pro-creationism in schools, it's always states like Kansas and Alabama that come to mind.

But, remember, Kansas has tried this before. And it didn't succeed then and it probably won't succeed now.

But, did you know that Italy has banned the teaching of evolution in elementary and middle schools?

Yet, you only hear about Kansas.

Why?

A mystery.

I'm not sure if the proposed italian school ban went into effect. This is the latest info I can find:

http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/news/2004/ZZ/769_decision_to_remove_evolution_f_4_28_2004.asp

yale

Because as we all know, the USA is the centre of the world.
Furthermore, nobody seems to be suggesting that it be dropped (Not banned, there is something of a difference) from the curriculum in Italy for religious reasons. The Catholic church is broadly accepting of Evolution, what this looks like froM Yales link is that the people drafting the curriculum wanted to move it further up the school, so children who were specialising in biology would get it later, but children who didnt do much biology woldnt get it at all.
And yes, those of us who are watching the culture wars are aware that Turkey doesnt do much evolutionary biology education, and several other countries have trouble with it.

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more.

I just thought that people in Kansas didn't evolve. That's what they're trying to tell us, anyway.