Who knew? » « Oh, well, that’s all right then.

Good news!

You have rarely seen me say this, but…Texas did a good thing. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has voted against, I repeat, against approving the application from the Institute for Creation “Research” to issue degrees in Texas. The ICR will not be handing out Master of Science degrees in Texas.

Good work, Texans!

Who knew? » « Oh, well, that’s all right then.

Comments

  2. Texn Embsd by Bush says

    This is one good step but I expect we’ll be fighting the I.D. folks down here for quite some time.

  3. says

    Wow, more oppression.

    I really wanted the creationists to find me a dinosaur to ride (no, we won’t all settle for ponies).

    What’s next, are they going to begin teaching evolution in Texas, or has that completely disappeared under their own “academic freedom” law?

    Glen D
    http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7

  6. Ichthyic says

    OT:

    is it just me, or is Scienceblogs behaving a little hinky over the last half hour or so?

    I keep getting long pauses and disconnects (only from scienceblogs).

  8. Bouncing Bosons says

    From the linky: the proposed degree is inconsistent with Coordinating Board rules
    which require the accurate labeling or designation of programs

    Understated, but hilarious. I like it.

  9. firemancarl says

    Ha! Nice try Texas! Florida, my state, is still in the lead to out dumb Arkansas and Alabama! Try to top that!

  13. freelunch says

    Did the board itself vote? Your post merely said that the folks on the Academic Excellence and Research said no, which normally would be a slam dunk. But I have no idea what the board itself is. If it is full of faculty from real universities like Texas, Rice, SMU, Baylor, Texas A&M, etc. then we have no problem, but if the recommendation came from folks like that, but the board itself is just a bunch of Perry’s idiots, we still may see problems.

  15. says

    Very nice work by Dr. Paredes.
    Read the PDF starting on page 6. That’s his explanation of his decision.
    It sounds like someone was trying to fast-track acceptance the first time but Dr. Paredes caught it and sent them back for a proper review.
    Check out some of the quotes from the ICR starting on page 8. From the course catalog

    “All things in the universe were created and made by God in the six literal days of the Creation Week described in Genesis…and confirmed in Exodus… The creation record is factual, historical and perspicuous; thus all theories of origin and development that involve evolution in any form are false.”

    I especially like this one from on of the text books:

    “One principle agreed on… is that the earth is young, on the order of 6000 years old. This is not a working hypothesis to be tested as to whether it is true of [sic] false. Instead, it is a basic conclusion drawn from the biblical record of creation as written by the only One who was present, God himself.”

    Dr. Paredes, thank you.

  16. Holbach says

    There is still some sanity left in Texas. Don’t backtrack now with some other absurdity.

  17. Sastra says

    “Instead, it is a basic conclusion drawn from the biblical record of creation as written by the only One who was present, God himself.”

    I think it’s amazing that we’ve actually got copies of God’s handwriting. I wonder how big the crayon was.

  18. freelunch says

    I also like that an approval is only temporary, so even if those fools somehow manage to get the board to overrule the decision of the committee, they _must_, yes, _must_ see accreditation from Southern Assoc. of Colleges and Schools or Texas pulls the approval. That is a very good rule.

  20. Larry says

    Don’t start gloating yet, Texans. There still is plenty of stupid down there. And you know they say everything is bigger in Texas.

  22. Mark A. Siefert says

    Good for Texas.

    Now, while yawl cowboys don’ thar are having a nanosecond of sanity, REHIRE CHRIS COMER!

  23. says

    Check out their website: http://www.icr.org/
    Notice that they don’t use the .edu domain…

    You’ll love this: https://www.icr.org/article/3749/
    On evolution:

    For more than 30 years, professional population geneticists have been aware of the profound difficulties these realities present to the theory of evolution.6,7 These problems were treated as “trade secrets” to be researched within their own ranks but not to be publicized outside in the broader biology community. Thus, the crucial step of hypothesis testing has been “postponed.”

    And

    Most professional biologists have therefore been misled into believing that the theoretical foundation of the neo-Darwinian synthesis is secure when, in reality, the foundation is a sham.

    They also go on to attack Geology and Cosmology.

    So PZ? Are you one of the protectors of the “trade secret” or just one of the poor fools that have been dooped?

  24. JJ says

    A small victory. But expect more fireworks when the revised state science standards go to the State Board of Education. That should happen around November. So fellow Texans, get ready for the battle. It will be worse than Florida.

  25. FutureMD says

    I have a degree in biolog can I pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease know what the trade secret is?

  27. brokenSoldier says

    I bet there are a lot of Kent Hovinds and Liberty University boosters crying somewhere in utter defeat…(or maybe that’s my optimism running wild) The battle is assuredly far from over, but decisions like this give me a little more faith in the ability of our system to keep mysticism and superstition out of the field of science. I only hope this ability perseveres until it is no longer necessary to defend science from such inappropriate and wholly destructive attempts to pervert and control its practice – if such a blissful era should ever dawn upon us.

  29. chuckgoecke says

    “Good for Texas.

    Now, while yawl cowboys don’ thar are having a nanosecond of sanity, REHIRE CHRIS COMER!”

    Posted by: Mark A. Siefert

    Here Here! Texas, you are only partially redeemed!

  30. says

    #6 Ichthyic | April 23, 2008 7:25 PM

    OT:
    is it just me, or is Scienceblogs behaving a little hinky over the last half hour or so?
    I keep getting long pauses and disconnects (only from scienceblogs).

    I’m probably the oddball – I haven’t had any issues on Science Blogs… But the Expelled movie blog isn’t working for me.

    JBS

  31. says

    There’s more.
    Check this one out: https://www.icr.org/home/resources/resources_tracts_apollo/

    Did you know that Evolution is supposed to explain the origin of the moon and the universe?

    …but there is no doubt that the motivation of those planning and directing the project was to investigate the origin of the moon and to confirm one of the several theories concerning its evolutionary origin.

    Creation scientists, based on the clear and unequivocal statements in the Word of God, and firmly supported by well-established natural laws and the failure of all theories on the evolutionary origin of the universe…

    Thus, using special processes operating nowhere in the natural universe today, God created all the heavenly bodies, including the earth, the moon, the sun, and all the other objects in the solar system.

    Hold on. You’re saying that Creation science is supported by well-established natural laws but then you go on to say that God did it “using special processes operating nowhere in the natural universe today”. Nice.

    At least he doesn’t try to claim that the moon landings never happened…

  32. says

    This is indeed good news, but the Texas legislature might feel obliged to step in. It was good in Florida too, when the State Board of Education adopted some excellent statewide science teaching standards, but the Florida legislature is currently working on one of those Discovery Institute “academic freedom” bills. It just passed in the Florida Senate, and now the House will be dealing with it.

    I’ve been blogging about it, and so has a fine outfit called Florida Citizens for Science, found here: http://www.flascience.org/wp/

    Legislators are often far less science-literate than many state education boards. So it’s not over in Texas.

  34. freelunch says

    I don’t know if the Lege will step in. Texas may be God-sotted, but it is also pretty willing to spend a bit for its premier state universities. The critical juncture in which the Lege would have to intervene would be to abolish the requirement that this school apply for accreditation with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

    I suspect that the idiots at ICR didn’t notice that this was a requirement for approval or they would never have put themselves in this position. There probably are a few marginal colleges that have been accredited with the ‘real’ accreditation organizations, the regionals, but not many. None of those schools ever put disdain for knowledge in their charter, though.

    If it weren’t so embarrassing for Texas, I would love to see what SACS would do to ICR in their response to ICR’s attempt to get real accreditation.

    Popcorn please.

  35. Ichthyic says

    I think it’s amazing that we’ve actually got copies of God’s handwriting. I wonder how big the crayon was.

    Could God make a crayon so big even he couldn’t color inside the lines with it?

  36. Hank Fox says

    Hmm.

    Our standards have been forced painfully low for us to be celebrating a no-brainer decision like this.

    Hurrah! We got through another day without losing our fingers at the sawmill!

  38. says

    O/T, but important —

    Here’s the problem WRT the “vaccines and autism” nonsense: The antivaxers are better at getting their message out.

    Try Googling “vaccines autism” sometime, which is probably the extent of the research Obama’s, Clinton’s and McCain’s people did. The first three links are antivax garbage links; the CDC pages don’t show up until links four and five, sandwiched between more antivax woo. And the CDC’s first site doesn’t say flat-out that there is no link; it just says that there’s no evidence for it but because parents are concerned they’re still studying it. So the CDC and Obama are actually on the same page here.

  39. says

    Ok, I take back most of the negative things I said about Texas. Let’s hope this decision is the rule and not the exception.

  43. Jsn says

    Don’t celebrate so soon.
    We here in the Lone Star State know that no good deed (against the xian right) goes unpunished. Gov. Rick “ID” Perry will work his magic somehow, someway to undermine anything that conflicts with his Bushie agenda.
    And then there’s Hagee, McCain’s batshit fundie.
    That second shoe will be dropping soon enough….

  44. brokenSoldier says

    And then there’s Hagee, McCain’s batshit fundie.
    That second shoe will be dropping soon enough….

    Posted by: Jsn | April 23, 2008 9:09 PM

    McCain seems to be surrounded by batshit fundies and corrupt party hacks — including his financial advisor and predicted choice for Secretary of Treasury, Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX):

    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9246.html

    One can only hope his entire footwear collection falls out of the closet soon enough…

  45. Julie says

    Hillary Clinton is going to be president. I am not for her at all. However, she will be our next president.

    You read it first on this Blog. It’s not a good guess either.

  46. DLC says

    Creation Research . . . what’re they researching ?
    Cake? Paintings ? Baroque Music ?
    Oh wait… it’s that invisible dragon thingy, isn’t it ?

  47. Rick Schauer says

    Rest not on these laurals…there is still much work to do! We could only wish this was some kind of victory. Unfortunately, it isn’t, nothing but a minor skirmish…the somnambulists surround us…but I have god’s word we’ll achieve our goal soon. May the force be with you all!

  48. Etha Williams says

    From the wikipedia article on the ICR:

    “Some creationists are opposed to the ICR. Gary North “opposes the ICR on the grounds that they” acknowledge the second principle of thermodynamics…”

    When I think I can’t be any more shocked by the level of cretinous stupidity, something like this comes up…

  50. Sigmund says

    Wait a second, its only the Higher Education Coordinating Board that’s voted against it, not the full board.
    “The full Board is scheduled to vote on the recommendation of the AER Committee at the April 24, 2008 Board meeting.”

  51. j a higginbotham says

    as freelunch and sigmund point out, the full board doesn’t vote till the 24th according to the pdf linked to

  52. DCN says

    “When I think I can’t be any more shocked by the level of cretinous stupidity, something like this comes up…”

    Gary North is probably the most evil person in America, so it doesn’t surprise me at all that he’s also among the stupidest.

  54. John Wilder says

    Awesome, I always assume the worst from my home state. I guess random chance dictates that they get things right now and again.

  55. says

    I’m from Texas. Born and raised. Left and stayed gone for ten years. What the fuck was I thinking when I came back here? I wanted so much to go back to Europe! Stuck here now and worried about the education my grandchildren are going to get, or not get. I could have stayed in Washington State, or gone just about anywhere. I really need to check on the status of the bills they had up last year that violated church/state separation with regard to education and government/public property.

  57. says

    Final vote today. Hope for the best.

    And then, send a thank-you note to the Texas Freedom Network and to Texas Citizens for Science.

  58. Todd says

    “I guess they’ll have to go after Dr. Paredes job now.”

    I don’t think so since he ended what I think is, overall, a good response with a hat tip to religion (probably to keep his job):

    “In recommending against approval of the ICR program, I am not questioning the validity of religious belief as a means of comprehending the world and universe around us. As far as I know, science has no answer [Yet] to the question of how life on earth began or how the Big Bang was initiated some 14 billion years ago. [But someday we will and won’t that be cool to hold up to cdesign proponentsists?] Believers of many faiths might well attribute both these astonishing events to the intervention of a great Creator. [PANDER] It is entirely possible that science may never answer these fundamental questions and that, in these and other instances, religious belief supersedes science. [/PANDER] But religious belief is not science. Science and religious belief are surely reconcilable but they are not the same thing.

    This is good news but I still swear I will not die in Texas.

  59. says

    It just makes me happy that my state (SC) has stayed out of the batshit fundie news as of late.

    Don’t you worry, we’ll be back.

    Hillary Clinton is going to be president. I am not for her at all. However, she will be our next president.

    You read it first on this Blog. It’s not a good guess either.

    Way to go out on a limb

  60. says

    I’m afraid that comment #59 is right; they’ll be back. I am referring to religion and the ICR, though. They tried getting further into the education system. They failed this time, but I bet they’ll just regroup and try something new.

  62. onein6billion says

    The list of players in Texas:

    1) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. This agency approves new degree-offering programs for universities and trade schools. (UT, A&M, Baylor, dental assistant training, etc.)

    2) The Texas State Board of Education. This agency (members elected from districts, 8 non-creationists and 7 creationists with a creationist chairman appointed from those 15 by the creationist governor) will approve K-12 education standards. They recently approved an elective Bible course for high schools.

    3) The Texas Education Agency. This state agency will ensure (or not) that the K-12 standards and testing are enforced.

  63. Hap says

    I think I’d rather have Halliburton running Treasury than Phil Gramm – the expectation of honesty is higher.

    I must be delusional again – I thought that McCain might be honest (or at least choose honest people). Whoops.