Date: Mon Nov 22 08:20:56 1999
From: erikahedberg@hotmail.com ("Erika Hedberg")
Subject: Defending Science Education
To: ashslistserve@yahoo.com
From: Dennis Coyier
You may know that I just this month ushered through the Democratic Party of
Dane County (Wis.) a resolution defending science education.
When I got the idea I cast a net.
Many different voices chimed in.
The whole thing took about 3 months from announcement to passing.
Not only did it educate new people on this and other important issues, it
now moves on to the 2nd Congressional District and Wisconsin Democratic
Party where I hope it will do likewise.
I don't know what good will come of it, but we've got to start someplace.
It seems like the appropriate forum for bringing out the issues; Where
better than a major party?
We also passed the same night a resolution to oppose charter schools that
are not of and by the public. This is important in trying to stop our
gotta-have-vouchers governor from privatizing education. Tommy Thompson is
the poster boy of the Radical Right, you know.
There seems so few people in high places talking about these things.
I think it's more important to talk to the leaders than talk to the herd.
Two months before we passed one defending a Naturist beach from closure by
Wisconsin Christians United. That got my photo in the extremist group's
newsletter this month.
My resolution to remove Under God from the Pledge failed by a wide margin.
There just weren't enough people with the gutz.
I produce a web page at http://www.execpc.com/~dcoy/PEDS and
http://www.ececpc.com/~dcoy/rightwatch
DPDC is at http://www.danedems.org
The Wisconsin Democratic Party states in its Platform, "We support strict
enforcement of the Constitutional principal of separation of church and
state." I'd like to hold their feet to the fire and could sure use help.
The State Party page is http://www.execpc.com/democrat/index.html
The following is my last post to my "Evo Reso" team:
At 8:45 PM, November 11, 1999, the Democratic Party of Dane County (Wis.)
passed a resolution to address the introduction of religion-based ideas into
the public school science curriculum.
The approved resolution, titled ON AVOIDING CONFUSION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION,
was escorted through local Democratic Party channels by Resolutions
Committee Chair William Scanlon and Executive Board member Dennis Coyier.
That a resolution be drafted was proposed by Mr. Coyier before the August 11
DPDC membership, which meets 2nd Wednesdays in Madison. The notion was
sparked by the Kansas anti-evolution School Board decision coupled with the
rumblings of creationists in progressive Wisconsin.
By the September 8 DPDC meeting, it was announced that a draft was in the
final stages and that it would be presented to the membership the following
month, which complied with local Party bylaws. This gave interested parties
ample opportunity to weigh in.
On October 13, Draft 10-13-99 was brought to the floor for discussion and
potential vote. Although a dozen or so members voiced approval, one or two
had reservations about the wording. One thought referring to creationism
sounded potentially and unnecessarily confrontational to Christians and
another suggested barring creationism from classrooms might be considered a
form of censorship.
Vital technical advice was generously provided throughout the process (and
is still coming in) by the following: Molleen Matsumura, Network Project
Director, National Center for Science Education; Andrew Petto, Editor, NCSE
Reports; Massimo Pigliucci, University of Tennessee, Patrice Legro (National
Academy of Science's; Wayne Carley, National Association of Biology
Teachers'); Brian Charlesworth, Institute of Cell, Animal and Population
Biology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK; Susan Mazer; Mark Peterson;
Robert Siegfried, Americans United for Separation of Church and State,
Wisconsin Chapter; Carol Smith, Humanist Quest, Milwaukee; Jack Mayr,
Atheists and Agnostics of Wisconsin.
By the time the final draft was ready for presentation to the forty DPDC
members at the October meeting, the "Evo Reso" had gone through dozens of
revisions, all in pursuit of the perfect product, one which would make the
important points and put to rest the reservations.
The final moment brought resounding praise from earlier dissenters for a
much better worded product, with only one or two exceptions regarding
whether creationism in science classes violated Constitutional separation of
church and state, which took only a stroke of the pen to remedy.
Following is the no-word-limit County Party version followed by the
100-word-maximum version, necessary when advancing the resolution to the 2nd
Congressional District and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
ON AVOIDING CONFUSION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
WHEREAS, evolution by natural process since reproducing biological entities
first occurred on Earth about 4 billion years ago is the scientifically
established basis for variability among organisms and speciation in the
biological world; and
WHEREAS, there are a number of science-based theories concerning events at
the beginning of the universe, all of which agree that the universe began
more than about 10 billion years ago; and
WHEREAS, there are religious points of view about the origins of species,
including humans, and the time of and events at the beginning of the
universe which are not scientifically based; and
WHEREAS, there is a political movement in the country and Wisconsin with the
goal of mandating public schools to give equivalent treatment in science
textbooks and curricula to science-based theories of evolution and the
beginning of the universe, on one hand, and religion-based views about these
things on the other; and
WHEREAS, the fundamental procedures of science exclude appeal to
religion-based views to explain phenomena of the natural world because such
appeals cannot be validated or invalidated objectively; and
WHEREAS, presentation in public school science classes or textbooks of
religion-based views to explain phenomena of the natural world would
undermine students' learning about science;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF DANE COUNTY
THAT, science-based theories of evolution and beginnings of the universe be
taught in science classes and presented in science textbooks in Wisconsin
without reference to religion-based ideas; and
THAT, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the public school
boards in the State authorize no textbook for use in science
classes in which religion-based ideas are presented; and
THAT the Chair of the Party, or his or her designee, communicate the
position of the Party as expressed in this Resolution to the media in
Dane County, the superintendents and members of the school boards of school
districts that are entirely or partly within Dane County, the
Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Democratic Members
of the Wisconsin Legislature; and
THAT this Resolution, in the following form, be forwarded as a resolution
from the Democratic Party of Dane County for inclusion in the resolutions
packet at the 2nd Congressional District Convention and Democratic Party
Convention in 2000.
ON AVOIDING CONFUSION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION (100-word limit)
WHEREAS, evolution by natural processes is the scientifically established
asis for present species and several science-based theories explain the
universe's origin with natural phenomena; and
Whereas, many religions have ideas about species and universe origins but
religion-based ideas and science-based theories are fundamentally different;
and
Whereas, presentation in science classes and textbooks of religion-based
ideas on natural phenomena undermines science education;
NOW, THEREFORE, WISCONSIN DEMOCRATS RESOLVE:
Science-based theories of evolution and universe beginnings be presented in
science classes and text books in Wisconsin's public schools without
reference to religion-based ideas.
(Note: Because a whereas was deleted, there may be room here for last-second
adjusting before we proceed.)
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