Posted on 01/13/2005 10:25:18 AM PST by cainin04
By DOUG GROSS, Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - A federal judge on Thursday ordered the removal of stickers placed in high school biology textbooks that call evolution "a theory, not a fact," saying they were an unconstitutional endorsement of religion.
The disclaimers were put in the books by school officials in suburban Cobb County in 2002.
"Adopted by the school board, funded by the money of taxpayers, and inserted by school personnel, the sticker conveys an impermissible message of endorsement and tells some citizens that they are political outsiders while telling others they are political insiders," U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper said in his 44-page ruling.
Six parents of students and the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites) had challenged the stickers in court, arguing they violated the constitutional separation of church and state.
The case was heard in federal court last November, where the school system defended the warning stickers as a show of tolerance, not religious activism as some parents claimed.
"The Cobb County school board is doing more than accommodating religion," Michael Manely, an attorney for the parents, argued during the trial. "They are promoting religious dogma to all students."
Lawyers for Cobb County disagreed, saying the school board had made a good-faith effort to address questions that inevitably arise during the teaching of evolution.
"Science and religion are related and they're not mutually exclusive," school district attorney Linwood Gunn said. "This sticker was an effort to get past that conflict and to teach good science."
The schools placed the stickers after more than 2,000 parents complained the textbooks presented evolution as fact, without mentioning rival ideas about the beginnings of life.
The stickers read, "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered."
The case is one of several battles waged in recent years in the Bible Belt over what role evolution should play in science books. Last year, Georgia's education chief proposed a science curriculum that dropped the word "evolution" in favor of "changes over time." That plan was soon dropped amid protests by teachers.
What a crock!
Isn't the Theory of Evolution, by definition, not a fact ?
wtf?
you would think. My problem with this is the judge cites "seperation of church and state" as his reason to have it removed. This is just another attempt by liberal judges to have any mention of God taken out of our schools.
I tell you all right now, I am only 24, but my kids (when I have them) will not be attending public schools--that is unless I lead a fight to take back our schools!
Read this earlier today at massnews.com Incredible! The ACLJ needs to start taking the ACLU to court for hate crimes violations. They continually "discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion" Isn't that what a supposed "hate crime" is?
So the false religion of atheism gets the stamp of approval form the little tin god, but suggesting that his tenet might not be fact, that's impermissible?
That high pitched whirring sound you hear is the Founding Fathers spinning in their graves like Dremmel tools.
Owl_Eagle”Guns Before Butter.”
All good posts. I totally agree.
NO WONDER the dimocraps in congress are fighitng W's judge nominations...
Having the audacity to question evolution dogma is a religion now?
Why is it a religious statement to note that the Theory of Evolution is a theory? Plenty of irrelegious scientists know that.
Normally, I'd expect the federal circuit court to smack down the district court judge for jumping at shadows. But with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals populated by ultra-libs like Rosmeray Barkett, I'm not optimistic.
He was appointed by Clintoon.
Crazy. In the first place, those stickers should have never been placed in the books - but now that they're there, why are we wasting money removing them? This whole thing is insane. I feel I need to rant for a moment about the opposition - atheism is just as much a religion as christianity or judaism, wh don't we start seeing judges recognize that? To actively -not- beleive in a deity takes just as much faith as actively beleiving - so let's see some equity in religious/non-religious 'protections' (a constitutional specter I've never seen, only a clause forbidding the establishment of or restriction of specific religions). Come on now! Lets waste tax dollars on something more important that this garbage. I reiterate - the stickers were pointless and a money-pit initially, and the removal thereof is likewise pointless and a money-pit. I can't beleive the insanity this kind of stuff causes.
Now they have "hate crime by association"! If you hold some belief in common with religious people, it is proven that you do so for religious reasons. I wonder if this guy is smart enought to get into his box of Cheerios. </forehead slap>
Biogrpahical information on this judge
Sounds as though he chose to get involved in politics, studied political science, moved on to law school, was hired to be the first black Legal Aid Lawyer, then first black DA, and his career has been nothing but a series of appointments from Dim politicians.
And those dim jerks in the Senate think Bush's appointees are "extremists"? This sticker says nothing about religion. It speaks only to the theory of evolution. What's next? The theory of relativity has to be considered something other than what it in fact is?
Good move! We kept our kids out of public school and they both graduated at the top of their classes. Although they once or twice wanted to try attending public school, they are now grateful that they didn't. The honors opportunities, scholarships, and personal attention from the college profs would likely not occur had we allowed them to attend a public school that boasts if they make the 51st percentile.
They lost the In-God-We-Trust case against a county treasurer and the judge ordered them to pay attorneys' fees to ACLJ.
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