atheist_in_foxhole

This nut Hochstatter actually ran for governor in 2000. He ended up getting creamed in the Repub primary by a radio talk show host who had zero experience in public office. The Democrat won the general by a landslide.

[ January 25, 2002: Message edited by: atheist_in_foxhole ]</p>

MOJO-JOJO

in WASHINGTON STATE?? I thought the great Northwest was the land of reason and critical thinking?!

Maybe Bill Gates should threaten to move out if this goes through. That should put the brakes on this nonsense...

The Lone Ranger

MOJO-JOJO Wrote:
Actually, having lived for some time in North Carolina, and for some time in Eastern Washington, I can tell you from personal experience that Central/Eastern Washington is a far different place from Western Washington. For all they have in common, Seattle and Spokane might as well be in different states. Indeed, there is serious talk hereabouts regarding the possibility that Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, and Northern Idaho should secede from their respective states and form the new state of "Columbia".

If anything, there are times when Eastern Washington seems even less a bastion of liberalism and progressivism than does North Carolina.

***

When I first read the proposed bill, I literally thought it was a joke. Sadly, it appears to be all too serious.

Several of us from the Department of Biological Sciences have already sent letters or e-mails to the state legislature expressing our dismay.

Actually, MOJO's idea regarding Bill Gates might not be a bad one. Washingtonians (even Eastsiders, who despise Seattle and everything it stands for) are about as keen to do something to upset Microsoft as North Carolinians are to do something to upset the tobacco industry.

Cheers,

Michael

copernicus

As a registered Democrat in the state of Washington, I'm not the slightest bit unhappy about Hochstatter's bill. This kind of law has no chance of passing either house of the legislature, and it probably will never get out of committee. On the other hand, it sets religious conservatives and Republican moderates at each other's throats. Right wing religious extremists have almost managed to monopolize the Republican party in this state, and it has tended to marginalize the party in state-wide offices. Both houses of the legislature are controlled by the Democrats by slim margins now, and Hochstatter can be counted on to help widen those margins.

Photocrat

Does *anyone* actually think this sort of thing will ever pass [save perhaps the writers thereof]?

Uhhhhh huuuuuhhhhh...

Which part of the Declaration of Independence says "thou shalt not teach science" or "thou shalt not teach evolution" again? I guess I misread it...

Ernest Sparks

in WASHINGTON STATE?? I thought the great Northwest was the land of reason and critical thinking?!

This could happen in any state, and probably does all the time. Every state houses and senates gets lots and lots of bills submitted by members. Most go down the toilet.

Both State of Washington and (my own) State of Oregon have desert outlands to the east of the lush rain forestland. Look for disgruntled constituencies there.

I suspect these people believe they ARE critical thinkers.

Kevin Dorner

Update: Not that this cowpat of a bill had a chance, but it's nice to know matter-of-factly that it <a href="http://www1.msnbc.com/local/PNELL/N253001.asp?cp1=1" target="_blank">died in committee, as predicted.</a>

Valentine Pontifex

Dead as it may be -- and lets face it even if it got passed it would have been struck down by the courts -- it still does damage. They don't actually have to get the law passed help keep the atmosphere of intimidation against teachers omnipresent.

hezekiah jones

It's appalling that elected representatives like Hochstatter don't know the difference between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.