Very happy that the judge placed I.D. outside the realm of science where it belongs.
--- jiva jivazz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Note: forwarded message attached. > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam > protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor > --------------------~--> > Need Help? Get Help! Tools and Strategies for > Healthy Drug-Free Living</a>. > http://us.click.yahoo.com/wI.OUB/dbOLAA/d1hLAA/0NYolB/TM > --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> > > > To subscribe, send a message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Or go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > and click 'Join This Group!' > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > From: "Michael Shermer" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: jiva jivazz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: eSkeptic: today's ruling against > Intelligent Design > Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2005 14:10:59 -0800 > > --------------------------- > > eSkeptic > > the email newsletter > of the Skeptics Society > > Tuesday, December 20th, 2005 > ISSN 15565696 > > --------------------------- > > To view this newsletter with graphics and > formatting, visit: > <www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/05-12-20.html> > > --------------------------- > > BEST HOLIDAY WISHES FROM SKEPTIC, > and cheers to the new year! > > --------------------------- > > Today's eSkeptic reports on the case of Kitzmiller > et al v. Dover > Area School District, which left the courts this > morning with an > important decision in the place of Intelligent > Design. The report is > by Burt Humburg and Ed Brayton. > > Burt Humburg is a resident in the Department of > Internal Medicine at > Penn State University, Hershey Medical Center. An > evolution advocate > for years, Burt has previously served as board > member of Kansas > Citizens for Science and he attended most of the > days of the Dover > trial during the month of October. > > Ed Brayton is a freelance writer and businessman. He > is the > co-founder of Michigan Citizens for Science, a state > organization > that works to protect the integrity of science > education, and the > Panda's Thumb, a group science blog with the same > purpose. His > personal blog may be accessed at > <www.stcynic.com/blog/>. > > --------------------------- > > KITZMILLER ET AL > versus > DOVER AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT > > a report by Burt Humburg & Ed Brayton > > > On November 4, 2005, after 40 days and nights of > testimony, the first > evolution-Intelligent Design trial of the 21st > century drew to a > close in Federal court in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. > While evolution > trials in the 20th century had focused more on > traditional > creationism, Kitzmiller et al v. Dover Area School > District pit the > teaching of evolution against a more legally > sophisticated > challenger, Intelligent Design (ID). > > This morning, December 20, 2005, Judge John Jones > III handed down his > ruling against the teaching of Intelligent Design: > > The proper application of both the endorsement > and Lemon > tests to the facts of this case makes it > abundantly clear > that the Board's ID Policy violates the > Establishment > Clause. In making this determination, we have > addressed the > seminal question of whether ID is science. We > have concluded > that it is not, and moreover that ID cannot > uncouple itself > from its creationist, and thus religious, > antecedents. > > Both Defendants and many of the leading > proponents of ID > make a bedrock assumption which is utterly > false. Their > presupposition is that evolutionary theory is > antithetical > to a belief in the existence of a supreme being > and to > religion in general. Repeatedly in this trial, > Plaintiffs' > scientific experts testified that the theory of > evolution > represents good science, is overwhelmingly > accepted by the > scientific community, and that it in no way > conflicts with, > nor does it deny, the existence of a divine > creator. > > To be sure, Darwin's theory of evolution is > imperfect. > However, the fact that a scientific theory > cannot yet render > an explanation on every point should not be used > as a > pretext to thrust an untestable alternative > hypothesis > grounded in religion into the science classroom > or to > misrepresent well-established scientific > propositions. > > The citizens of the Dover area were poorly > served by the > members of the Board who voted for the ID > Policy. It is > ironic that several of these individuals, who so > staunchly > and proudly touted their religious convictions > in public, > would time and again lie to cover their tracks > and disguise > the real purpose behind the ID Policy. > > With that said, we do not question that many of > the leading > advocates of ID have bona fide and deeply held > beliefs which > drive their scholarly endeavors. Nor do we > controvert that > ID should continue to be studied, debated, and > discussed. As > stated, our conclusion today is that it is > unconstitutional > to teach ID as an alternative to evolution in a > public > school science classroom. > > Those who disagree with our holding will likely > mark it as > the product of an activist judge. If so, they > will have > erred as this is manifestly not an activist > Court. Rather, > this case came to us as the result of the > activism of an > ill-informed faction on a school board, aided by > a national > public interest law firm eager to find a > constitutional test > case on ID, who in combination drove the Board > to adopt an > imprudent and ultimately unconstitutional > policy. The > breathtaking inanity of the Board's decision is > evident when > considered against the factual backdrop which > has now been > fully revealed through this trial. The students, > parents, > and teachers of the Dover Area School District > deserved > better than to be dragged into this legal > maelstrom, with > its resulting utter waste of monetary and > personal > resources. > > To preserve the separation of church and state > mandated by > the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment > to the > United States Constitution, and Art. I, S 3 of > the > Pennsylvania Constitution, we will enter an > order > permanently enjoining Defendants from > maintaining the ID > Policy in any school within the Dover Area > School District, > from requiring teachers to denigrate or > disparage the > scientific theory of evolution, and from > requiring teachers > to refer to a religious, alternative theory > known as ID. We > will also issue a declaratory judgment that > Plaintiffs' > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Need Help? Get Help! 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