McCain VP Hopeful Signs Anti-Science Bill

[JustAsking]

JA, those last two posts were just brilliant. Loved them.

Could you check that link you posted in the second to last? I think it's borked. It brings me to a link to reply to Calboner!

Thanks!

Thanks for the good words. I feel much better now after a good rant.

Sure. Here is the movie.

 

[2322]

Thanks for that!

Great quote from Jim Slotek at Jam! Movies:

"If someone believes in the Tooth Fairy, can they complain about not being taken seriously at dental school?"

 

[Guy-jin]

Guy,
Thanks for the good words. But there are quite a few books on this subject that are already on the market. It is a shame, that we have to read books like this to understand our own history. I venture to guess that Europeans get a better education on the philosphies of our founding fathers than we do.

Don't forget that when America was being colonized, Europe was still recovering from the Thirty Years War, a religious war between Protestants and Catholics, where some 1/3 of the population was killed. Some regions of Germany lost half of their population.

Our founding fathers and their constituents came here because their religions were persecuted by their governments, or they were fleeing from religion altogether.

Ironically, it is our very separation of church and state that has allowed us to become the most religious nation on the planet. Nothing kills religion faster than establishing a state religion.

I'm not sure about that, to be honest. My schooling had a pretty good American history curriculum that did give me the background to understand why our country was founded the way it was, why the Bill of Rights has the content it does, and so forth.

I mean to say, it isn't ubiquitous in the system for schools to teach skewed history. That said, intelligent design was never on the table in my school either. In fact, I'm quite certain my 9th grade biology teacher would have broken some skulls (if not busting his gut laughing first) if someone seriously started asking about that. Then again, this was a guy who had us cross-breeding Drosophila in the classroom.

Anyway, it all goes back to your original point: Politicians in this country abuse the education system to meet their own ends. The real history, teaching about King George, the foundation of the revolution and so forth, takes a back seat to the legend of Paul Revere. I'm sure the actual character, motivations, and even non-war activities of George Washington are rarely taught in the classroom. I'm unsure why the Farewell Address aren't standard parts of American history curriculum in our country, for example.

No Child Left Behind was the last nail in the coffin of the idea that politicians genuinely cared about education and weren't using it just for their own gain.

I've said it before, but I'll go and say it again: Education is simply not valued in our country, and that needs to change if we're going to succeed in the future.

 

[2322]

Jindal says no to VP slot!

There is hope for America yet! As he told Fox News:

"I'm not going to be the vice presidential nominee or vice president," Jindal said. "I'm going to help Senator McCain get elected, as governor of Louisiana."

"Let me be clear: I have said in every private and public conversation, I've got the job that I want," Jindal also said.- CNN