Bill Would Allow Texas School to Grant Master's Degree in Science for Creationism

[mr blur]

A Texas legislator is waging a war of biblical proportions against the science and education communities in the Lone Star State as he fights for a bill that would allow a private school that teaches creationism to grant a Master of Science degree in the subject.

State Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler) proposed House Bill 2800 when he learned that The Institute for Creation Research (ICR), a private institution that specializes in the education and research of biblical creationism, was not able to receive a certificate of authority from Texas' Higher Education Coordinating Board to grant Master of Science degrees.

Berman's bill would allow private, non-profit educational institutions to be exempt from the board’s authority.

“If you don’t take any federal funds, if you don’t take any state funds, you can do a lot more than some business that does take state funding or federal funding,” Berman says. “Why should you be regulated if you don’t take any state or federal funding?”

HB 2800 does not specifically name ICR; it would allow any institution that meets its criteria to be exempt from the board's authority. But Berman says ICR was the inspiration for the bill because he feels creationism is as scientific as evolution and should be granted equal weight in the educational community.


“I don’t believe I came from a salamander that crawled out of a swamp millions of years ago,” Berman told FOXNews.com. "I do believe in creationism. I do believe there are gaps in evolution.

<snip>

:wow:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509719,00.html

[TZ]

1. Doofus.

I think that guy IS a salamander that just crawled out of a swamp. He knows just as much about what SCIENCE is as one anyway..:banghead:

[beam me up scottie]

2. I pity the residents of Texas.

"But when you ask someone who believes in evolution, if you ask one of the elitists who believes in evolution about the gaps, they’ll tell you that the debate is over, that there is no debate, evolution is the thing, it’s the only way to go.”

Elitists?

:rofl:

"It would certainly open the door to all kinds of chicanery,” says Eugenie Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education. “I mean, all you have to do, it looks to me from the bill, is start a non-profit organization, don’t take any federal or state money, and then offer degrees in any fool subject you want."

Subjects like astrology, reiki, homeopathy, faith healing...oh boy.

[JitterbugPerfume]

3. what a dumbass

[WhollyHeretic]

4. "he feels creationism is as scientific as evolution"

[moggie]

5. No fucking way

Does this tool even know what degrees are for? I guess not, since he refers to biologists as "elitists". Why is politics riddled with utter morons?

Suggestion: if ICR are allowed to award degrees, they should be required by law to use scare quotes. Their degree would be a "Master" of "Science", and the certificate would have a picture of Fred Flintstone riding a dinosaur.

[beam me up scottie]

6. Ooooooooo! I like that idea!

They could use construction paper and crayons!

[moggie]

7. Yes!

And all their printed material would be legally required to use only Comic Sans font. And the website would have to conform to standard kook stylesheets: at least five different text colours and six font sizes per page, and all lines centre-justified.

[beam me up scottie]

8. That would help lay-creationists identify their own doctors and other professionals.

All they have now are those stupid fish.

[semillama]

10. The websites would also be required to play the Hamster Dance music at all times. n/t

[uriel1972]

9. "If I laugh, 'tis so I shall not weep."

Damn I wish I could remember who said that. My mind's gone downhill memory-wise lately.

[bluedawg12]

11. How very useful in a competitive global environment.

This is bound to give kids in Texas an edge in science over those who lack such a degree from heathen places such as China and India. :eyes:

[TZ]

12. OMG what a GREAT lolcat!

Perfect for the Health Scare forum!
:rofl:

[bluedawg12]

14. It's a

Placebo Cat!1!!11!!1 :rofl:

But it can't cure stupid. :cry:

[beam me up scottie]

16. LMAO!

Your lolcats keep getting better and better!

[uppityperson]

13. Master of Science of Creationism?

Thesis: World was Created in 7 days. There is no evolution.
Now, how to expand that into enough pages and pseudo-jargon babble?

[bluedawg12]

15. The next 200 pages

are taken up by having to explain away genetics, mutations, bacterial resistance, fossile data, carbon dating and the ever expanding universe.

no problem.

:rofl:

[cosmik debris]

17. Imagine how it would look on a resume.

Any degree from The Institute for Creation Research would disqualify you for any secular job. Who would want to hire someone who went to the trouble to get a degree in creationism?

[bluedawg12]

18. They're biding their time

waiting to get back in power and then, it's back to the loyalty litmus tests, like under shrub.

This is so nihilistic and so non-progressive. It's regressive.

Just listening to the Bill Maher show, one of the guests saying we have one of the lowest college graduation rates among developed countries.