Governor In Texas Looking For Young Earth Creationist

[Tsukasa Buddha]

In Governor Perry's never ending search for a creationist to head the Texas Public Education system, he has turned to Gail Lowe, who never was a teacher or school administrator, but a newspaper journalist. Oddly, she is actually less controversial than the favoured candidate, Linky.

• Bio and Contact Information at SBOE site.
• She voted for reintroducing the “strengths and weaknesses” in the 2009 standards.
• She co-nominated Charles Garner, anti-evolutionist and chemistry professor, to the state science curriculum expert review panel in October, 2008.(51)
• In 2002 she Strongly Favored this position on Creationism: “Present scientific evidence supporting intelligent design, and not just evolution, and treat both theories as viable ones on the origin of life.”(52)
• In 2008 she Strongly Favored this position on “Evolution Weaknesses”: “Biology textbooks which do not teach both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of the theory of evolution must be rejected by the board.”(53)
• Her favorite “weakness” seems to be the polystrate fossils, as mentioned at a recent SBOE meeting.
• Contrary to the stated position of the National Academy of Sciences, she told Texas Monthly: “The National Academy of Sciences has still stated that [evolution] is not a fact, and we don’t believe evolution ought to be taught as a fact.”(54) The actual position of the National Academy of Sciences is that evolution is both a fact and a theory.
• In 2003, Lowe was one of four SBOE members to vote against the adoption of new biology textbooks because those textbooks did not include creationist fabricated “weaknesses” in the theory of evolution.(55)
• She wants full authority to censor textbooks returned to the SBOE ”… to ensure that the authority for such decisions rests with the State Board of Education, not with an appointed educrat or administrative bureaucracy.”(56)
• She opposes teaching high school health students about contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases through any method other than abstinence. “I think parents have overwhelmingly shown that they want abstinence to be taught” (57)
• “Lowe said she guarantees she will turn down any book encouraging population removal or blaming global warming on the normal activities of everyday people.”(58)
• She is a newspaper editor, not a climate scientist. She works as an editor and copy editor for a semi-weekly newspaper in Lampasas.
• James and Cecilia Leininger, proponents of private school vouchers and social conservative causes, donated to her campaign in 2004.

Linky.

 

[leftysergeant]

Not only is she not qualified to head an education department, I doubt her qualifications as a journalist.

 

[tyr_13]

Is it sad that I almost wanna move to Texas just to fight this bs?

Yes, yes it is.

 

[FarmallMTA]

She looks like a good common sense gal. At least she knows enough to understand that "MMGW" is total BS. Good ol' Rick Perry: slayer of crank liberals like Jim Hightower and sleazy Democrat politicians like Ann Richards.

All you non-Texans just stay where you're at. You've ruined California and we don't need you down here mucking up our great state. Californicate is the place you oughta be!

 

[johnny karate]

All you non-Texans just stay where you're at. You've ruined California and we don't need you down here mucking up our great state. Californicate is the place you oughta be!

There's actually quite a few places other than California a non-Texan can be from; 48 of them right here in the U.S. It seems the geography they teach in Texas is on par with the rest of their education system.

 

[tyr_13]

She looks like a good common sense gal. At least she knows enough to understand that "MMGW" is total BS. Good ol' Rick Perry: slayer of crank liberals like Jim Hightower and sleazy Democrat politicians like Ann Richards.

All you non-Texans just stay where you're at. You've ruined California and we don't need you down here mucking up our great state. Californicate is the place you oughta be!

Really? In California they'd call me a neo-con because of my stance on guns.

If 'good common sense' is wanting creationism taught in the classroom, and that evolution isn't one of the most evidenced of theories, than we up north have different definitions of 'common sense'. Around here, that's called '****ing retarded'.*

Be proud of having a declining school system run by fundamentalist, un American, journalists. You can keep producing students not ready for the science curriculum at the college level, and keep importing teachers from up north, where we actually learn critical thinking.

*actual quote upon relating this story at work

(I'm actually assuming that you were being sarcastic, because I doubt there are really that many people who fit the 'idiot Texan' mold. I didn't seem to meet that many stupid people there.)

 

[fishbob]

She looks like a good common sense gal. At least she knows enough to understand that "MMGW" is total BS. Good ol' Rick Perry: slayer of crank liberals like Jim Hightower and sleazy Democrat politicians like Ann Richards.

All you non-Texans just stay where you're at. You've ruined California and we don't need you down here mucking up our great state. Californicate is the place you oughta be!

When I left Texas to move to Alaska, Ann Richards was governer, the events in Tula hadn't happened yet, GW Bush only ran the Rangers baseball team, and the state wasn't the laughingstock of the nation.
Yall have really let the place run down.

 

[FarmallMTA]

Really? In California they'd call me a neo-con because of my stance on guns.

Be proud of having a declining school system run by fundamentalist, un American, journalists. You can keep producing students not ready for the science curriculum at the college level, and keep importing teachers from up north, where we actually learn critical thinking.

Interesting blah blah blah there, sport. Texas public schools rank much higher than California's. The rest of your spew is equally asinine, so no detailed comment needed.

 

[tyr_13]

Interesting blah blah blah there, sport. Texas public schools rank much higher than California's. The rest of your spew is equally asinine, so no detailed comment needed.

Hi, I'm from New York. Stop talking about California as your 'land of liberal boogymen'.

Then again, if you believe this woman, or any ardent creationist, would be a good choice for this position, I don't think it is worth actually discussion it with you.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Interesting blah blah blah there, sport. Texas public schools rank much higher than California's. The rest of your spew is equally asinine, so no detailed comment needed.

And your teen pregnancy rate is really top notch. Way to go.

 

[Shalamar]

Interesting blah blah blah there, sport. Texas public schools rank much higher than California's. The rest of your spew is equally asinine, so no detailed comment needed.

Do you consider having a religious fundamentalist creationist a GOOD thing to head the Texas School system?

 

[mortimer]

Do you consider having a religious fundamentalist creationist a GOOD thing to head the Texas School system?

In a way, yes. I love seeing the ID tards smacked down in court. Its a form of entertainment.

 

[tyr_13]

In a way, yes. I love seeing the ID tards smacked down in court. Its a form of entertainment.

True, but it's a form of entertainment that is needlessly expensive and detracts time from what a school board should be doing.

 

[tyr_13]

Hi, I'm from New York. Stop talking about California as your 'land of liberal boogymen'.

Then again, if you believe this woman, or any ardent creationist, would be a good choice for this position, I don't think it is worth actually discussion it with you.

Oh wow, I can't believe I missed my 'actually discussion' mistake. When talking about education systems and whatnot, it's best to maintain at least some proper grammar.

 

[mortimer]

True, but it's a form of entertainment that is needlessly expensive and detracts time from what a school board should be doing.

Totally agree.