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From: rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: Balanced Treatment Act: the text
Message-ID: <403@opus.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Apr-84 01:26:33 EST
Article-I.D.: opus.403
Posted: Thu Apr 26 01:26:33 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 27-Apr-84 05:17:48 EST
References: <45500003@uiucdcs.UUCP> <140@iwlc6.UUCP>
Organization: NBI, Boulder
Lines: 30

Thanks to A. Ray Miller for the text of the Act - I had no idea it was so
bad.  Thanks to John Hobson for detailed scrutiny of many points.  A few
more brief ones:

The Act claims (286.2) to exist for the purposes of protecting academic
freedom, yet it attempts to legislate the teaching of (a particular area
of) science without any reference to scientific methods.  It is, in fact, a
frontal attack on academic freedom.

Why does the Act attempt to give legitimacy to two particular models?  What
if, next Tuesday morning, scientists discover a marvelous answer to all the
questions of origins/cosmology/etc., which is at odds with both evolution
and creationism?  Bad magic; then you gotta fix the law.

In the name of "balanced treatment", the Act provides protection against
job discrimination for teachers who hold creationist points of view and/or
teach creationism, but NOT for evolutionists (see 286.4 C).  Balanced, my
ass!

An entire section (286.7) is devoted to development of creationist
curriculum and such.  In other words, what can't be achieved by scientific
methods will be achieved by legislative fiat.

The whole Act reeks of shameless, shabby politics.
---
...Cerebus for dictator!				Dick Dunn
{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd				(303) 444-5710 x3086
-- 
...Cerebus for dictator!				Dick Dunn
{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd				(303) 444-5710 x3086