A long time ago I had made the bold prediction that the deceptively named academic freedom bills would just sputter and die. I was wrong. My lack of political experience now shows.<\/p>\n
The senate bill is on tomorrow’s special order calendar.<\/p>\n
As this drama plays out, I am getting the rude awakening that our opponents are not fighting on the science battlefield or even the education battlefield. This is politics all the way.<\/p>\n
Trying to convince lawmakers that the bills are religious Trojan horses, and that the scientific community is fully against this garbage, and that Storms and Hays are not being entirely forthcoming about their intent … well, it’s all a waste of breath. Neither Storms nor Hays will give nonreligious, legitimate scientific examples of their deceptively named “critical analysis” and no one who has a vote in this issue seems to notice or care.<\/p>\n
The only possible way to reach anyone at this late stage of the game is to repeat “trial lawyers” and “litigation” repeatedly and loudly. The ACLU has stated that these bills are litigation magnets. School districts will have nightmarish lawsuits coming and going. These bills will invite lawsuits from teachers and parents alike. It’s not a matterof if, but a matter of when.<\/p>\n
Ask senators if they are willing to vote yes on these bills and then watch a court case swallow up the school district in his or her own home turf. Are they willing to face the local voters after a case costs a million of wasted dollars just like in Dover, Pa.?<\/p>\n
The science and facts are on our side. There is no legitimate “critical analysis” that will pass muster in the public school classroom. None. But the only way to get the point across to the senators is to show them that similar efforts have failed big time elsewhere. Is the risk of expensive lawsuits worth this feel-good yes vote?<\/p>\n
Don’t waste any time on other efforts. Ask them about the trial lawyers and litigation. Ask them until they hear you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A long time ago I had made the bold prediction that the deceptively named academic freedom bills would just sputter and die. I was wrong. My lack of political experience now shows. The senate bill is on tomorrow’s special order … Continue reading