Bob O'H
Posts: 2564
Joined: Oct. 2005
|
I just got this in my mailbox: I guess a few of you may have too.
| Quote | Hi,
I’ll keep this relatively short but first of all an apology for contacting you in this way. This is a once only deal, we won’t contact you again unless you sign up for newsletters (which you can do on the front page of the “Science, Just Science” site) or join our community and, just so you know, we sourced your mail addresses from earlier “Science, Just Science” websites.
Late last year, an organisation called Truth-In-Science sent out some rather splendidly presented but utterly misleading textbooks called “Explore Evolution” to a large number of secondary school librarians. You may have heard of this Truth-In-Science, an organisation claiming to promote good science education in the UK but in actual fact doing the very opposite, an organisation that, in 2006, also sent DVD’s and “information packs” pushing creationism & Intelligent Design to a huge number of British schools and colleges. We reviewed their DVD at that time and have seen reviews of this latest book offering (for example at NCSE and BCSE) and can only assume that this book will neither objectively or realistically describe the theory of evolution, indeed will do it’s very disingenuous best to foster doubt about what is arguably one of the most supported scientific theories to date.
In 2005 those promoting the so-called theory of Intelligent Design, were dealt a significant blow when they were soundly (and deservedly) exposed as another variant of creationism during the Dover vs. Kitzmiller trial and the last “Science, Just Science” e-petition (2007) resulted in a clear statement from the government that creationism and intelligent design should not be taught as science in science classes; it also led to the production of an official 'Creationism Teaching Guidance' document for UK schools which reiterates this core message.
However this has not deterred organisations like Truth-In-Science and because of that, because of the increase in UK-based creationism/intelligent design activity, we are relaunching “Science, Just Science” and preparing once again to tackle these devious individuals & organisations.
So, to the point, what do we want you to do?
· Firstly there are elections coming up this year and there will be a new government in parliament (whether labour, conservative or someone else I don’t know) and we want to ensure that their commitment to proper science education is as high as (or higher than) the last administration. In pursuit of that goal “Science, Just Science” has launched a new e-Petition on the government’s e-Petition website. We want you to sign that petition, to tell the new administration that, regardless of political leanings, science is as important to us, to the students of the UK, as it was when we all last voted; we want you to spread the word about the petition and get others to sign it; and we want to make it absolutely crystal clear that creationism, intelligent design and any other pseudoscience have no place whatsoever in the science classroom.
· Secondly the “Science, Just Science” Campaign is swinging back into action again and we’d love you to be a part of it if only to visit our site, use our resource, or sign up for our newsletters. Whether you want our newsletters or not, whether you join our community or not please forward this announcement to anyone you think would be interested in receiving it.
· Thirdly we’d like you to be aware of what individuals and organisations like Truth-In-Science are doing, of the lies they are spreading, of the devious methods they use and the insidious message they spread. Be aware, tell others, make them aware … an informed public is a much better defended one and the one thing organisations like Truth-In-Science can’t do is inform, all they can do is twist the truth or lie.
· Lastly, if none of the other options hold any appeal, we urge you to write … write to your MP, the national newspapers, your local newspapers, write to school heads, to college and university principals, to County Councils, to those in the media (TV, film, radio personalities) anyone and everyone who has any influence at all over education. In essence we want you to get the message out there, to make people aware of who these people are, of the dangers they represent to our nation’s children and their education because this kind of ignorance cannot stand against an informed and well-educated population.
Thank you for reading, I will not bother you again and once this e-mail is sent we will destroy all records of the addresses used.
Thank You
James C. Rocks (campaign@justscience.org.uk)
Co-Founder, “Science, Just Science” Campaign (http://www.justscience.org.uk)
SJS 2010 Petition (http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/NoCreInSciEd10/)
References & Links
· SJS Website: http://www.justscience.org.uk
· SJS First Government e-Petition: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/NoCreSciEd/
· SJS Current Government e-Petition: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/NoCreInSciEd10/
· Wikipedia: Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitzmiller_v._Dover_Area_School_District
· National Center For Science Education (US): A Critique of "Explore Evolution": http://ncse.com/creationism/analysis/explore-evolution
· British Centre For Science Education UK): “Exploring Evolution” Exposed (PDF): http://bcseweb.org.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/EE-Exposed.pdf
· Truth-In-Science Website: [URL=http://www.truthinscience.org.uk |
--------------
It is fun to dip into the various threads to watch cluelessness at work in the hands of the confident exponent. - Soapy Sam (so say we all)
|
