Religion editor suggests "opt-out" option for evolution.

I suspect part of this is a tongue in cheek given to the religious community, part in a serious vein. The last sentence seems rather to say to the religious minded that they should stop holding back progress. There is a movement here in Florida especially in the Southern Baptist churches to urge parents to remove their children from publics schools which obey the state rules in teaching the new standards.

Our society is used to conscientious objection to all sorts of things. It is an accommodation we have made in the public square for military service, for sex education, for medical treatment in some cases. We should allow those whose beliefs clash with this teaching of modern science to exempt their children on the same grounds.

It's not a perfect solution, but it would allow society to move forward.

I have read a lot of his work, and I think he is rather upset with those who simply deny science. I think he knows that fellowship well enough to know they will not change, and this might allow "society to move forward."

Evolution And the Opt-Out Option

For the first time, Florida's students would be explicitly required to learn about the theory of evolution. Until now, the standards have had some vague language about "biological changes over time." From the experience my children have had in science classes, I can testify that they did not learn much about the theory of evolution, and I'm sure that instruction about the theory varies from one school to the next, even from one classroom to the next in the same school.

So it's no wonder that changes are being considered. The independent Thomas B. Fordham Institute gave the state a grade of F in science. Because the federal government is pushing for improved math and science education, the heat is on the state board. The new standards under consideration are comprehensive and generally get high marks - except when it comes to high school biology.

The battle is heating up between a vocal minority who oppose the teaching of evolution and those who think the teaching of scientific principles shouldn't be, well, monkeyed with. As many as seven county school boards - most in Northern Florida - have passed resolutions opposing the evolution standards, according to the St. Petersburg Times, and more could follow. A majority of school board members in Polk County, where I live, have gone on record expressing their opposition.

..."Let's cut to the chase - those who object at all costs to having their children learn about evolution are conservative Protestants who have a religious basis for their objection.

First, these folks must realize one thing: The theory of evolution eventually will be taught in public schools. It is as inevitable as the sunrise. There are far too many people who not only have no objection to the theory of evolution, they insist their children learn it as part of a complete education. And, the nation's security depends on having its children literate in science, including biological science.

So here's my proposal: Let those parents who have a religious scruple about this part of the curriculum sign a waiver exempting their children from learning it.

He then reminds the parents who are objecting that their kids who go on to higher education with be tested on it anyway, whether of not they believe it.

A final caveat to conservative Protestants: My proposal would not get your children entirely off the hook. It's unlikely they would be exempted from being tested about evolution in the battery of standardized tests mandated by the state and federal governments. And colleges are not going to be interested in your children's explanations about why they scored poorly on the science sections of the SAT and ACT. Even if you tell your children not to believe it, it would not hurt them to learn what the theory of evolution is.

In case you missed it, here's some background on the battles on evolution going on here in this state. Even school superintendents believe there are holes in the evolution theory you could drive a truck through.

Florida...shades of Kansas and Tennessee.

Haloscan comment thread

"Yes we can" video

Thanks to Holly for posting about this powerful video in the comments earlier today. And since every other liberal blogger in the world (at least it seems that way to me) has front paged the video, it occurs to me that I should too.

Imbolc

Alexandra Lynch at Street Prophets just reminded me that, in addition to being Groundhog Day, today also marks the Celtic festival of Imbolc.

Some links:

Imbolc: Feeding the Body & Soul

The Wheel of the Celtic Year: Imbolc

By the way, I didn't learn until today, as I was searching to find out more about Imbolc, that there actually was a connection with Groundhog Day:

Imbolc was much concerned with fertility and weather prognostication. According to Gaelic folklore, the hag goddess Cailleach would gather firewood on Imbolc. If she intended to prolong winter she would make the day bright and sunny, the better to gather firewood. If Imbolc turned out overcast, it meant that Cailleach was asleep in her den and that there would be an early spring. Sound familiar? Most Groundhog Day reference sources cite this bit of Scottish verse:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,

Winter has another flight.

If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,

Winter will not come again.

Amazing how many things I've gone most of my life not knowing...

Haloscan comment thread

Open Thread

I'm not sure if I mentioned this--maybe I mentioned it in the comments, but not on the front page here, but Demetrius and I have been doing some work for Maryscott O'Connor on the My Left Wing store. Here's a design Demetrius just added...

And here's a picture of Bart, the new pup Mom will be raising for Canine Companions for Independence.

Talk amongst yourselves...

Haloscan comment thread

Actually, Hillary...

you can't make those delegates from Florida count just by coming to this state and saying you will count them. It is a little bit of grandstanding you are doing, isn't it?

Here is a scenario presented by the blog at Convention Watch 2008.

How would the Florida and Michigan delegates actually be seated?

And we have a vote, state-by-state, the first meaningful state-by-state roll call at a Democratic Convention since 1980. Clinton would need a majority of the delegates (not including Florida and Michigan) to approve the Minority Report.

And then reality strikes. If Clinton can get a majority of delegates to support the Minority Report, than she has a majority of the delegates supporting her anyway, and she doesn't need Michigan and Florida.

But if she doesn't have a majority of the delegates supporting her, its hard to see why delegates supporting other candidates would vote to seat the two delegations, essentially helping her out. After fighting for the nomination for 2 years, why would Obama or Edwards and their delegates give up the fight in this way. It's just not going to happen. The delegations will NOT be seated if the nomination is contested.

Bottom line is my vote won't count at all toward choosing the nominee. It did not count in 2000 because the Supreme Court took it. It did not count in 2004 because my candidate dropped out a month before our vote.

It does not count this time because my state party leaders and legislators preferred get the limelight a week before Super Tuesday. They could have waited a week, and we could have helped choose the nominee.

Haloscan Comment Thread

D.I.Y. Thread

If anyone wants to post some new content, here, go ahead. But if nothing else, here's your new thread for comments. --Renee

Update: A few shared items.

Haloscan comment thread

DEAN AND ME

Thankful and I, wearing multiple Dean buttons, went to see Heath Eiden's Grassroots movie today at the Roxy Theatre in Burlington.


                       ~ listener and Thankful

One of my sons joined us there, and I saw a few other people I recognised, but not as many as I expected. There were probably 60 people present. Heath was present and took questions and comments afterward.

This is my take on it. Thankful is on the road home now, and will offer her take after she's home, maybe later tonight.

Members of my family and I were present when Dean announced his campaign's beginning and it's end, and were volunteers at Dean HQ in Burlington. I mostly stuffed envelopes for meet-ups and fund-raising from October 2003 (just after a son's wedding) on through the beginning of 2.0., but also answered phones during the wildest 8 weeks of mid-December 2003 to mid-February 2004. So I was braced for a rough ride today, not sure I had really prepared myself to "see it all again" and to reflect again on the events of those painful days, which remain largely unresolved.

The movie was 88 minutes and really different than what I expected. At Deanfest I, I had seen a video that made me cry. Some of you will remember how hard it was to see the vivid memories and the clips of Howard Dean speaking, shaking hands, and shaking up the political world, all while smiling and raising his eyebrows and offering the occasional wink.

There was some of that in this video as well, even a good close-up of a twinkly wink. But it didn't make me cry like before. I will say I definitely got misty-eyed when it hit a bit too close to home, and I saw my eldest son on camera, larger than life, at the Blogger's Breakfast in Iowa...with an inrush of memory of his hopes at that time, his diligent work for and donation to the campaign, and his loss (as well as all of ours) when it floundered there.

Otherwise, though, it was ... well ... description doesn't reveal itself easily. As Thankful said, and will surely expand on later (after mulling it on her long drive home): "something was missing." I'm not quite sure what. It is not a documentary. There are no voice-overs. It is the splicing together of a lot of video clips and TV event sound bites, with a little human interest video (even clips of Heath's children) thrown in. So it's a bit organic, and it's a bit limited, but it also has some merit. Bloggers will want a copy if only to have some video from the Blogger's Breakfast (we saw Nurse Teri!) and a comment by Charlie Grapski.

I'd say it's one observer's collection of those days. Heath goes to a lot of events, from house parties to canvassing to conventions. He sees a few people multiple times, such as a young reporter from Massachusetts (whose comments I found quite interesting) and pundit Tucker Carlson. Carlson is friendly toward Heath, says great things about Dean when not on media camera, then speaks of Dean as angry when on live TV. There is a priceless clip Heath got at the peaceful demonstration during the Republican convention, when a plain-clothes police officer runs his motorcycle into a crowd, seemingly to incite a riot, then calls the police to come break up the riot with force. There are comments from average Americans and celebrities alike, here and there, some simple, some begrudging, some poignant.

Nonetheless, we would probably need videos from a spectrum of participants to get the full picture. In some ways we each have that in our memories, from all we have seen and heard. I didn't really need a voiceover to tell what was going on; but as Thankful pointed out, most people probably would. There was less of Dean than I expected ... not comprehensive of his views or policy or happenings. But there were also clips I had never seen, bits of speeches I had never heard. And Heath only lightly brushed up against the reality that what happened in Iowa was engineered by the Kerry and Gephardt camps. He showed more bits which speak to what Harvard professor and commentator David Gergen described well in the movie: that Howard Dean's appeal was at the local, in person mode, during which he really connected with the people and became one with them; but this appeal somehow did not translate the same way in the bits and sound bites (even commercials) in the media at the national level.

I still can't quite put my finger on what's missing, so I hope Thankful has a revelation on the way home. My suggestion is that this movie be shown at Deanfest this summer, that there be a gathering afterwards (perhaps the next day to give folks time to mull it or see it twice) during which the movie is discussed (maybe over a Blogger's Breakfast?). Then maybe some bloggers would offer their personal take on it, on camera, which clips could be added to the end of the movie, allowing a spectrum of reflections to help viewers begin to reflect on that time. Perhaps this would serve to bring the movie full circle...back to the people.

As I said to Heath at the end of the comments time today, the movie is a slice of history. Howard Dean gave articulation to our voices and helped us realise that we have the power. When the campaign crashed, we crashed with it (I heard a murmur of assent when I said that), but it also exposed what was going on in the media and the political sphere, and we will never see it the same again. We will never be the same again.

~ listener

Haloscan comment thread

Obama wins South Carolina

Via Yahoo News

Barack Obama routed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the racially charged South Carolina primary Saturday night, regaining campaign momentum in the prelude to a Feb. 5 coast-to-coast competition for more than 1,600 Democratic National Convention delegates.

Pardon me a moment of self-indulgence here.

Here's a link to Caroline Kennedy's op-ed, A President Like My Father.

Update: Hat tip to Alan for posting a link to Obama's victory speech. (Speeches by the other candidates, of both parties, can be seen at that link.)

Haloscan comment thread

Open Thread

Image courtesy of the Brick Testament

I've added some new shared items (including a couple about Hillary's recent stunt) here.

Update: Watch for South Carolina primary results here, after 7 p.m. Eastern time on January 26.

Haloscan comment thread

VPR interview with the guy who is previewing the Dean movie

in Burlington and Montpelier next week.

VT Edition Interview: Heath Eiden on his film "Dean and Me: Roadshow of an American Primary"

Four years ago, when Howard Dean's presidential campaign was heating up, Stowe resident Heath Eiden grabbed his camera and hit the campaign trail alongside the candidate. What he captured during those tumultuous weeks is now collected in a documentary, "Dean and Me: Roadshow of an American Primary. " Eiden spoke with VPR's Jane Lindholm about the film and about what he learned on the campaign trail.

Here are more details. Wish we Floridians could see it. I will supposedly get a DVD later because of our early on donation to Heath. Jealous.

Two Very Special Sneak Previews In Vermont

Jan. 26, Sat., 11am @ THE SAVOY in Montpelier, VT

Jan. 27, Sun., 11am@ THE ROXY in Burlington, VT

In the spirit of the Dean Movement we ask for a small donation ($10 or what you think it's worth).

Heath has been working on this movie about the Dean campaign since the campaign ended. A lot of us donated toward it, and he keeps in touch. Check out this post at the Vermont Daily Briefing. The movie is almost ready to roll out...with previews in Vermont.

Vermont Daily Briefing post about Dean and Me

Instead I get to be in this state and listen to the all the media blitz when Hillary wins the non-countable primary here next Tuesday. I get to watch all the local news and read the local media presenting only one side.

I am very tired of it, and I am very tired of politics in general.

Haloscan Comments Thread

Open Thread (with puppies)

My mom is about to get one of these puppies, or one of their siblings--all I know for sure is that it will be a yellow male, and his name is Bart--to raise for Canine Companions for Independence. I think he's arriving at the CCI branch in central Ohio this Friday.

By the way, Haloscan is having some serious issues today. No idea what the problem is, but no, you weren't imagining it.

Update: In fact, I have now tried about a half dozen times to post a comment saying "New thread", to no avail. Anyway, I tried.

Another update--I've gone ahead and made a Blogger comment thread for this post, since Haloscan is currently not working here, nor is it working at Americablog, which also uses Haloscan commenting.

Good night, everyone.

Haloscan comment thread

Dean: "We have been here before in this country"

Yes, I know. I am doing it again. Posting something Dean said. But I am in a real funk right now with my vote not counting because our Florida Democrats tried to be Big Shots. And to make matters worse, the party leaders here are insulting, the press is obnoxious, and the Florida bloggers are mostly silent. So it is an irritating time for hubby and me.

To make matters even more annoying the attacks on him in Florida will get worse as the primary nears on January 29. I dread it.

And besides his words still give me hope. It was a time of hope for many of us...we thought we could make a real difference. The time was not right then, and the country continues on its sharp right turn.

Dean's speech when he left the race...February 18, 2004, in Burlington

DEAN: Change is difficult. You cannot expect people with great privileges taken at the expense of ordinary working people to surrender them lightly. But the history of humanity is that determined people will overcome obstacles.

And we will overcome the problems that this country is facing as a result of George W. Bush and as a result of a Washington establishment that has forgotten who sent them there.

(APPLAUSE)

Some of you have been on the road with me or have seen the speeches have heard this before, but it's true. We have been here before in this country. When William McKinley was president, enormous trusts were put together which made it impossible for ordinary Americans to start their own business, make any money without enormous pressure from those trusts, which destroyed their business.

Teddy Roosevelt came along, busted up the trusts and made it possible to earn a living for ordinary Americans and small businesses again.

Under Harding and Coolidge and Hoover, Calvin Coolidge said, The business of America is business, but (he) forgot that human beings are not meant to be cogs in an enormous government corporate machine; that we are spiritual people who need connections and have to have community again.

Franklin Roosevelt came along and took America back for ordinary working people again.

A great part of that speech that day, which unfortunately was not to come to pass that year...still is funny.

My favorite, however, is this one. In 1824, John Quincy Adams, the son of a one-term president, John Adams...

(LAUGHTER)

... beat Andrew Jackson of Tennessee in an election where Andrew Jackson received more votes.

It was decided in Congress by one vote, electing John Quincy Adams as president.

In 1828, four years later, John Quincy Adams became the one-term son of a one-term president.

(APPLAUSE)

Unfortunately, the Little Emperor Bush was a two term guy.

Ah, what might have been.



The full speech in Burlington that day.

Announcement of end of campaign

Haloscan comment thread

Happy Former President Bush Day

I know, I know. I really wish we could push that eject button today instead of waiting another year. But, hang in there, world.

And, a lot of us are really really sorry about this whole Bush fiasco. He never should have even been allowed one term, and somehow we let him have two? I know a lot of you had to be wondering what was wrong with us. Well, it's almost over now--just one more revolution of the earth around the sun. And we're going to try really hard not to do anything that stupid again

Haloscan comment thread

Open Thread

moar funny pictures

Update from the world of electoral politics:

"I guess this is how the West was won," Clinton told cheering supporters in Las Vegas. She captured the popular vote, but Obama edged her out for national convention delegates at stake, taking 13 to her 12.

Haloscan comment thread

Carville and Rahm urge Dems to push fear of immigration.

This just makes me so angry I see all kinds of colors. This is just so wrong, and they know it. They will do anything to win.

First James Carville, or Mr. Matalin, as I often call him. I found this today about a strategy paper he wrote in December.

Outdoing each other to appear tough on immigration

The issue is also causing trouble for the Democrats. Hillary Clinton’s biggest wobble so far came when she appeared to "flip-flop" on a plan by Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York to grant driving licences to illegal immigrants. A December 2007 strategy paper by James Carville, architect of Bill Clinton’s two victories in the 1990s, urges Democratic candidates to show voters that they appreciate the importance of the immigration issue and convey an understanding that “illegal immigration is out of control.”

Hmm...mmm.. I remember someone else who said about the same thing. Rahm Emanuel, tough guy.

Rahm tells Dems to move right to win

A quote from Firedoglake.

Two weeks ago he sent a DCCC-connected candidate training a video of himself haranguing congressional candidates to “move right” on immigration or risk defeat at the hands of Republicans. This is similar to the terrible advice he shoved down candidates’ throats last year, although then he was demanding they move to the right on Iraq, dooming the candidacies of Lois Murphy, Francine Busby, Ken Lucas, Tammy Duckworth, Diane Farrell and several others who went along with his demands. Yesterday Markos asked a blaring question at DailyKos: Is Rahm racist, or merely scared?. While walking the picket line at the WGA strike at Fox today Jane and I came up with the idea of inviting Emanuel over to FDL to ask him why he thinks adopting Tom Tancredo’s immigration ideas is a good idea and why he’s unleashed Heath Shuler to do just that.

There you go. That is why Heath Shuler's picture and plan are featured front page on Tancredo's website

That is the exact opposite of what Howard Dean has been doing. He has been urging people to ease up on the hate rhetoric concerning immigrants. Here he is meeting with Hispanic ministers and others who feel as he does, that the hate talk is overboard.

Howard Dean, Rev. Luis Cortes join to ask GOP to tone down immigration rhetoric.

Also today, Democrats scored a coup when a powerful Latino clergyman joined with party chairman Howard Dean to denounce the Republicans' harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration.

The Rev. Luis Cortes, a political independent who founded the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and a visible ally of President Bush's re-election campaign in 2004, joined Dean on a conference call with reporters, including the Times Peter Wallsten, to lambaste the GOP's presidential candidates. Cortes predicted that many evangelical Latinos who backed Bush in 2004 are likely to abandon the GOP in 2008.

Carville and Rahm are both working against that goal.

Haloscan comment thread

Political "Keep Away"

This is from last night's thread, in which we discussed (among other things) Hillary Clinton and how difficult it would be to vote for her. -Renee

I can't imagine any circumstance where I would be willing to be an accomplice to handing the reins of power over the government and the Democratic Party to her and her bunch. I would honestly rather the GOP win. At least then I wouldn't have to pretend that the government *wasn't* broken and corrupt. She is the anti-Dean. Her crowd is the antithesis of why I got involved in politics. I won't help them destroy everything we have worked for.

The Clintons and Carvilles have played a game for YEARS. The game is Keep-Away. Remember that game? Where the big kids grab something away from you and toss it back and forth above your head taunting you that you can't do anything about it? They played that game with Karl Rove and the GOP - understanding that it didn't matter which one of *them* had "posession". As long as *we* didn't get it, they could keep the game going FOREVER.

Wasn't the game worse when one of the "players" was supposed to be your friend?

Demetrius

Haloscan comment thread

2008 version of "What I want to know" plea from New West blogger.

I happened on this blog today, and I thought it was powerful. The things the blogger listed are the very same things I still want to know. The questions asked by Howard Dean at the famous speech in 2003 in California.....have never been answered.

What I want to know...2008 version

She was making this post coming up to last night's debate.

It would be a refreshing change tonight to hear about what have they learned from their pasts, and where do they want take the country based on that. Because we’ve got some major challenges ahead, and some key unanswered questions are still hanging. They’ve been out there for a while. Five long years ago, on March 15, 2003, Howard Dean galvanized the Democratic base and ignited a movement with a speech at the California State Democratic Convention. The ”What I want to know” speech is the single-most referenced moment in time people tell me about when they talk about getting passionate about politics.

What I want to know is what in the world so many Democrats are doing supporting the President’s unilateral intervention in Iraq?

What I want to know is what in the world so many Democrats are doing supporting tax cuts, which have bankrupted this country and given us the largest deficit in the history of the United States?

What I want to know is why the Congress is fighting over the Patient’s Bill of Rights? The Patient’s Bill of Rights is a good bill, but not one more person gets health insurance and it’s not 5 cents cheaper.

What I want to know is why the Democrats in Congress aren’t standing up for us, joining every other industrialized country on the face of the Earth in providing health insurance for every man, woman and child in America.

The blogger then lists what questions still have not been appropriately addressed by our party.

So here’s a few things that I want to know. I want to know why, five years later, is the substance of all of Howard Dean’s questions still unanswered?

What I want to know is that you will renounce preemptive war.

What I want to know is that you will get our troops out of Iraq before the end of your first term in office, without leaving permanent bases.

What I want to know is that you will make finding Osama bin Laden and destroying al Qaeda the number one national security priority of your administration.

What I want to know is that you will take care of the men and women who gave their all for us in Iraq and Afghanistan, how you will end the shameful lack of funding, services, and treatment these brave men and women face when they come home, and how you will ensure they get the help that they not only need, but deserve.

Thanks to the blogger for an great post. I wonder if this is McJoan at Daily Kos? Doesn't say.

Halo Scan Comments

Son of Open Thread

Yep, another open thread.

Haloscan comment thread

Open Thread

moar funny pictures

Haloscan comment thread

Voting "uncommitted" in Michigan

We've discussed this in the comments, but I think it's worth frontpaging on the off chance it can help to get the word out.

Group lobbies for uncommitted vote

Christina Montague of Ann Arbor is disappointed there's so much chaos and confusion surrounding what role Michigan voters will have in what could be a historic presidential election.

In the days leading up to Tuesday's primary, Montague and a group of volunteers are trying to get their message out, urging voters to choose "uncommitted" on the ballot.

They're among those who support Democratic candidates whose names won't appear on the ballot - Barack Obama and John Edwards. Hillary Clinton is on the ballot.

The confusion centers on Michigan's decision to move up its primary election to Tuesday for Democratic and Republican candidates. The move upset the national political parties, so some candidates respected the national stance and withdrew.

Write-in candidates will not count since no one officially filed as a write-in. Those votes are often referred to as "spoiled."

Read the rest of the article here.

Haloscan comment thread