Kentucky Republicans realize they screwed up: students will have to learn evolution

Three years ago the Kentucky legislature approved a measure to make the state’s high-school standards appropriate to those tested by the countrywide ACT (American College Testing) exams. I guess they didn’t realize that the ACTs, which are used to measure students’ proficiency in four areas and also are used as a criterion for college admission, require knowing evolution in the science section. OMG! That has Kentucky legislators—the Republicans, of course—up in arms. As usual, they utter their barrage of moronic statements. As HuffPo reports:


. . . state Republicans are now recoiling at their decision. They claim it doesn’t give the theory of creationism a fair shake and places undue emphasis on the teaching of evolution, which they maintain exists only as a “theory.”

“I would hope that creationism is presented as a theory in the classroom, in a science classroom, alongside evolution,” state Sen. David Givens (R) said in an interview with the Herald-Leader. “We’re simply saying to the ACT people we don’t want what is a theory to be taught as a fact in such a way it may damage students’ ability to do critical thinking.”

Teaching creationism in the school classroom is, of course, unconstitutional in America.

And what kind of amazing ignorance is displayed by this statement:


“The theory of evolution is a theory, and essentially the theory of evolution is not science — Darwin made it up,” state Sen. Ben Waide (R) said. “My objection is they should ensure whatever scientific material is being put forth as a standard should at least stand up to scientific method. Under the most rudimentary, basic scientific examination, the theory of evolution has never stood up to scientific scrutiny.”

Darwin “made it up”? Yeah, just like Einstein “made up” the theory of relativity and Pasteur and others “made up” the germ theory of disease, and Newton “made up” the theory of gravity. Does Waide know nothing about evolution? Is he aware of the thousands of observations, just in the fossil record alone, that show that the theory does indeed “stand up to the scientific method”? I feel like sending him a copy of my book, except that I doubt he’d read it.

And another:


State Sen. Mike Wilson (R) said he thinks the system could allow students to be “indoctrinated” by the study of evolution.
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress...wed-up-students-will-have-to-learn-evolution/

 

It has been shown that educational attainment and the hard right are inversely correlated.