Discrimination Against Intelligent Design Film Cited in California Science Center Lawsuit

Evolution News & Views ^ | November 25, 2009 | Casey Luskin

[UCANSEE2]

Those of us who have carried on debates on highly charged subjects here on FR have pretty much seen it all.

The “you are an idiot compared to me” tactic is played all the time, and easily recognizable. Usually the poster wants you to respond by claiming you are ‘smarter’, or ‘know it all’ so they then can try to prove to you how they have this one niche of expertize which should cause us all to go prostrate at their feet.

They come here (FR) to ‘teach’, not to ‘learn’. And that is their loss.

[count-your-change]

What I meant by the tax supported group being in a different situation is that they have to be neutral whereas a private owner might be able to just refuse.
Schools have faced the same choice, be even about renting public facilities or rent to no one.

And right you are, the contract was valid from all reports and whatever someone else says about the event has nothing to do with it.

I suppose the Center agreed before they rec'd their orders from above (The Great Mythsonian).

[count-your-change]

It do get funny after a while. Cheers!

[Natural Law]

"“As an American, are you alarmed by the attempt to convert public resources to the perpetuation of things clearly anti-American?”"

It depends in how you define anti-American. Besides, elections have consequences. If we want to change government policy we need to change those we elect.

[TooFarGone]

So is the complaint about a contract being broken or that id/creationism don’t belong in a scientific forum?

[count-your-change]

“More details are now coming out from the lawsuit filed against the California Science Center by the American Freedom Alliance (AFA), filed in the Superior Court for the State of California for the County of Los Angeles (Central District). AFA’s lawsuit contends that the California Science Center engaged in viewpoint discrimination when cancelling AFA’s contract to screen the pro-intelligent design (ID) documentary Darwin’s Dilemma at the Center’s IMAX Theatre on October 25th.”

[Natural Law]

"viewpoint discrimination"

The California Science Center relies on California General Fund support. By California state law the charter of the CSC prohibits nonsecular activities and programming. This mandates "viewpoint discrimination". As a California taxpayer I do not want my hard earned money going to promote any secular activities or, in the case of the California Science Center, non-science related materials like YEC and other "Chariots of the Gods" like pseudo science.

[count-your-change]

Perhaps you can quote or show that “state charter”? The school has a state charter and the foundation by law has it’s bylaws but what is the charter of the Center that prohibits “non-secular” activities?

[Natural Law]

"Perhaps you can quote or show that “state charter”? The school has a state charter and the foundation by law has it’s bylaws but what is the charter of the Center that prohibits “non-secular” activities?"

Either you are sloppy or intentionally misrepresenting my statement;

1) There is no "state charter". There is the CA constitution and CA state law. You can find it all at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html

2) The California Science Center is NOT a school.

[count-your-change]

Your comment, my caps.

“The California Science Center relies on California General Fund support. By California state law the CHARTER of the CSC prohibits nonsecular activities and programming. This mandates “viewpoint discrimination”. AND

“1) There is no “state charter. There is the CA constitution and CA state law.” 2) The California Science Center is NOT a school.”

That's good since I didn't say it was a school.

“You can find it all at
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html";
I'm not going to wade through the entire California legal code to find what you say is there but cannot produce.

However a 30 second search of google produced:

“Science Center School
Learn about the elementary school located on our campus.....

Imagine an elementary school with all of the resources a teacher or parent could ever want. It’s located near world-class museums, a major university and a state-of-the-art teacher professional development center. The school features an integrated curriculum emphasizing science, mathematics and the use of technology. Its teachers are fully credentialed with a demonstrated ability to make science and math engaging and accessible to their students. And it’s not a magnet school but, rather, a neighborhood school for underserved groups of children and their parents. While such a school seems like a dream, it is a dream that has become reality in South Los Angeles, the result of more than a decade of collaborative work between the California Science Center and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
www.californiasciencecenter.org/.../ScienceCenterSchool/ScienceCenterSchool.php”

PS...IT'S A CHARTER SCHOOL! On the grounds!

I don't think it's me that is sloppy or misrepresenting.

[Natural Law]

"That's good since I didn't say it was a school."

Your post: "The school has a state charter and the foundation by law has it’s bylaws."

[tacticalogic]

There’s been a lot of bad blood between the Smithsonian and the Discovery Institute for quite some time. Illustra Media, the production company that produces this film appears to be a shell company created by the Discovery Institute, so I’m no surprised that the Smithsonian isn’t happy about it.

[count-your-change]

That I did since there is a Science Center school on the grounds and operated as part of the Center just as there is a Center Foundation that was formed to raise funds.
The school has a charter and the foundation by-laws as
I said.

But where is this mandate that requires discrimination on the basis of the renter's beliefs and opinions? Basically when it comes to public facilities being rented out it's rent to all or rent to none.
I can rent a publicly funded library room or tax supported school auditorium when not in use if others, Hare Krishna's, Darwin doubters and believers, Prayer clubs, or whatever are allowed to and I don't have to meet an ideological test.
If I'm not allowed then no one is allowed.

[count-your-change]

What the relationship is between the Discovery Institute and Illustra Media really isn't relevant since many organizations may form other companies for a certain purpose. The Science Center has a foundation to raise money for it and probably to actually own the property.

And what relationship or ‘bad blood’ exists between the Smithsonian and the Discovery Institute is also irrelevant as the contract wasn't between the Discovery Institute and the Smithsonian.

[tacticalogic]

What the relationship is between the Discovery Institute and Illustra Media really isn't relevant since many organizations may form other companies for a certain purpose.

They do indeed. Sometimes those "certain purposes" are honorable, and other times not so much.

[count-your-change]

Hopefully the Science Center will do the right thing and honor its contract but if not then the courts will have to sort it out.

And hopefully they will act in accordance with the law.

[tacticalogic]

Hoepfully, justice will be done.

[GoodDay]

David Berlinski, Ph.D. Philosophy (Princeton University) and post-doc fellow in mathematics and molecular biology (Columbia University) speaks about flaws in Darwinism and peer pressure among scientists to conform to the “party line” in science.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec8lpcA5hls&feature=related
Berlinski 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEDYr_fgcP8&feature=related
Berlinski 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW2GkDkimkE&feature=related
Berlinski 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QlyKP6cUhQ&feature=related
Berlinski 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRqdvhL3pgM&feature=related
Berlinski 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LraSW4w2Kv8&feature=related
Berlinski 6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGaUEAkqhMY&feature=related
Berlinski 7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-Dpe21uK7I&feature=related
Berlinski 8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sinSG4mYajg&feature=related
Berlinski 9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6JJO4Tc4D8&feature=related
Berlinski 10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G4tVJIuEAg&feature=related
Berlinski 11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV5GTBhhtDs&feature=related
Berlinski 12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkck2uBUSjo&feature=related
Berlinski 13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhdQsS1eYDY&feature=related
Berlinski 14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMs4rOCWjI&feature=related
Berlinski 15

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsj2pV55QyE&feature=related
Berlinski 16

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj-6u4gsM2s&feature=related
Berlinski 17

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYYp5vfJLyk&feature=related
Berlinski 18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GiTPR-OWcs&feature=related
Berlinski 19

[Natural Law]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3fHrM_F6gg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qktsTfugKZ0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj1mUiK2GLQ&feature=related