>
> Hello all~
>
> Sorry for the mass emailing.  Sometimes I just feel like shouting  
> this stuff at the top of my lungs, but blanket mails like this seem  
> to be a bit more effective.  If you're like me, maybe you are  
> feeling a bit like the notion of "separation of church and state"  
> is, these days, becoming more like a blurry line pointing towards  
> an ever-increasing rise in religious terrorism.  I feel like we're  
> back-tracking here.  Creationism?  Intelligent Design?  Fine,  
> believe what you want, but don't bring those beliefs into the  
> public school system.  The following is an email that was sent from  
> my friends dad's wife.  I can't imagine having been under the kind  
> of backwards religious peer pressure, that her sister Claire is  
> going through, when I was in high school.  It just wasn't even an  
> issue...  Anyways, it only takes a moment to sign the Texas Freedom  
> Network petition if your'e so inclined.  I know many of you are not  
> IN Texas, but it is still a major issue.
>
> Best,

> Valerie

>
> Hello, Everyone,
>
> I've never sent an email like this before, but the issue of science  
> education in Texas is one I feel so strongly about that I'm  
> compelled to write and ask for your help.
>
> I'm sure you've all read the news stories about Governor Perry  
> appointing a creationist as Chair of the Texas Education Board;  
> about the fact that eight members of the 15-member board are from  
> the religious right; about the Texas Education Board's science  
> director being forced to resign after she forwarded an email about  
> a speech by a pro-evolution scientist; and about the recommendation  
> from the TEA advisory committee to allow the Institute for Creation  
> Research in Dallas to grant master's degrees in science education.   
> Science is under assault in our state and it's our children who  
> will suffer if we don't do something to reverse the trend.
>
> I feel rather like we are on the frontline of this battle, because  
> Claire is currently taking Biology at Burnet High School.  Recently  
> she had the assignment of writing a paper on whether or not she  
> believed in evolution.  It was a difficult task for her because she  
> was feeling a lot of peer pressure--although I probably shouldn't  
> have been, I was surprised when she told me that over half of the  
> kids in her class do NOT believe in evolution.  The bogus argument  
> that personal faith and science are incompatible is certainly being  
> promoted in Burnet County, as elsewhere. The good part of this was  
> that it provided an opportunity for us to discuss our views on this  
> issue and why we believe the way we do about it.  The amazing thing  
> to me is that it should be an issue at all in 2008.  But it is.
>
> This year, the state Board of Education is revising curriculum  
> standards for all public school science classes in Texas. You can  
> be assured that religious extremists will be making an effort to  
> influence those standards.  You can do your part to support a sound  
> science curriculum for Texas students by signing the Stand Up for  
> Science petition sponsored by the Texas Freedom Network at http:// 
> www.tfn.org
> I hope you will join me in working to ensure that our students  
> receive the sort of education that will prepare them for the future.
>
> Thanks for reading this.
>
> Suzanne
>

Attachments

text.html (text/html) 3.9 kB