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January 11, 2007
Tacoma Jumps the Shark

Local hamlet Federal Way (Motto: "It's not Tacoma, but we can see it from here!"), has joined the ranks of the tragically stupid by subverting the education of an entire town's school children because one delusional parent complained.

This week in Federal Way schools, it got a lot more inconvenient to show one of the top-grossing documentaries in U.S. history, the global-warming alert "An Inconvenient Truth."

After a parent who supports the teaching of creationism and opposes sex education complained about the film, the Federal Way School Board on Tuesday placed what it labeled a moratorium on showing the film. The movie consists largely of a PowerPoint presentation by former Vice President Al Gore recounting scientists' findings.

"Condoms don't belong in school, and neither does Al Gore. He's not a schoolteacher," said Frosty Hardison, a parent of seven who also said that he believes the Earth is 14,000 years old. "The information that's being presented is a very cockeyed view of what the truth is. ... The Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up, but that perspective isn't in the DVD."

Goddamn it, I hate these people. Seriously, what the fuck?

The school board has decreed that when presenting "controversial" issues, teachers must present a "credible opposing view." The problem, of course, is that there is no credible opposing view. Science is not an opinion. Why are we losing ground on this issue? Soon we're going to be throwing witches into the lake to see if they float.

Asked whether an alternative explanation for evolution should be presented by teachers, Barney said it would be appropriate to tell students that other beliefs exist. "It's only a theory," he said.

While the question of climate change has provoked intense argument in political circles in recent years, among scientists its basic tenets have become the subject of an increasingly stronger consensus.

These morons think that their policy prevents schools from being used for indoctrination when in fact it does exactly the opposite. Not showing the film--knuckling under to pressure from religious fanatics--indoctrinates children in the idea that all ideas are equal, mistaken ideas of what scientific fact is, not to mention a fundamental misunderstanding of what the word 'theory' means.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

Comments

Previous Comments

Heres the email i sent the Fed Way school superintendent and school board, and Cc:'d to every Principal and Asst. Principal.

I include it here for your convenience to use the email list for your own correspondence to them.

Rob


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Regarding "An Inconvenient Truth"
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007
From: Rob J
To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], maggie-o'[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]


Dear Federal Way School Officials,

I read with interest your decision to prohibit the viewing of Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" in your school district, and I would like for you to consider my observation on this issue.

Namely, that your district leadership has an overabundance of spineless ass-monkeys who can't recognize scientific evidence if it came up and slapped you in the head. If your district won't quit bending over for Frosty the Moonbat and grow a pair, then all I can say is God help your students. I just pray that some tragic event doesn't befall me that I would ever have to move my family into your school district.

Sincerely,

Rob J
Seattle

PS, if you haven't already started one, please look into instituting a condom distribution program. There are apparently a number of people in your district that need to be discouraged from procreating to every extent possible.

Mine (to the list you provided above, thanks...):

Hello,

Courage is not the absence of fear/fear of consequences. It is doing what is right in the face of fear/fear of consequences. What is right in the "moratorium/Inconvenient Truth" circumstance?
While it may be procedurally "right" to place a moratorium on the film in light of a complaint, it is a "right" that is also incomplete. Schools must be rational; they must propagate a "rational actor" view of the world, because it is the only one about which there is evne the possibility of agreement. Science provides that Baconian, rational platform for discourse. So, in lieu of a moratorium, invite any protestor to provide a rational counter-argument to the submissions of fact found in the film. Instead of facilitating the resting replete in ignorance of those who cna throw learning off track with procedural complaints, you might encourge some learning ,which is what this is all about.

Isn't it?

--
Mel Brennan
Founder, CitizenNow
www.citizennow.org

haha "Frosty the Moonbat"

I found this site/blog through Google. I believe in God and the Word of God (Bible) - and I think that Mr.Hardison sounds completely closed minded. Sex education is important for people who choose not to practice abstinence... Climate change is OBVIOUSLY occuring, and while I haven't yet seen Al Gore's film... I think we need a huge wake-up call to stop destroying the planet. My faith encourages me to be better educated in science, to reverse and prevent the damage done to the earth we should have taken better care of in the first place.

We aren't all religious fanatics.