OH, CAL!
I think Cal Thomas’ columns are generally poorly argued. Today’s, on the Dover case, is only half-bad– the first half. A few choice bits:
First, it exposes the sham attempt to take through the back door what proponents have no chance of getting through the front door. Judge Jones rebuked advocates of ”intelligent design,” saying they repeatedly lied about their true intentions. He noted many of them had said publicly that their intent was to introduce into the schools a biblical account of creation. Judge Jones properly wondered how people who claim to have such strong religious convictions could lie, thus violating prohibitions in the Book they proclaim as their source of truth and standard for living.
Jones admonished the school board members for lying, not Behe or any of the other witnesses for the defendants.
Judge Jones’ ruling will be appealed and after it is eventually and predictably upheld by a Supreme Court dominated by Republican appointees (Judge Jones was named to the federal bench by President George W. Bush, who has advocated the teaching of creation), those who have tried to make the state do its job for them will have yet another opportunity to wise-up.
The ruling will not be appealed. The board that adopted this policy was voted out of office in November. The new board has stated that they have no intention of appealing the decision.
In the second half of his column, Thomas argues (somewhat more coherently) that religious parents ought to pull their kids out of the g-schools:
Religious parents should exercise the opportunity that has always been theirs. They should remove their children from state schools with their ”instruction manuals” for turning them into secular liberals, and place them in private schools – or home school them – where they will be taught the truth, according to their parents’ beliefs. Too many parents who would never send their children to a church on Sunday that taught doctrines they believed to be wrong, have had no problem placing them in state schools five days a week where they are taught conflicting doctrines and ideas.
…Rulings such as this should persuade parents who’ve been waffling to take their kids and join the growing exodus from state schools into educational environments more conducive to their beliefs.
I agree, of course, that those are the only options left. And then finally–
Private schools or home schooling cost extra money (another reason to favor school choice) and extra time, but what is a child worth? Surely, a child is more valuable than material possessions.
Our children are our letters to the future. It’s up to parents to decide whether they want to send them ”first class” or ”postage due.”
Hear! Hear! (Thomas is a good finisher, I guess.)