Alex Moshakis at The Guardian profiles the UK’s skeptical movement from the QED conference, and naturally brings up the American skeptics, which is, naturally, us:
The American skeptical movement, which emerged in the 1970s and later spawned a UK counterpart, involves several large organisations, including the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, which promotes “the use of reason in examining important issues” (Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov were founding members).
Trump tweets in support of “Bible literacy” classes in public schools. “Starting to make a turn back? Great!” A turn back to the dark ages, maybe. Anyway, it seems he did so because he was watching Fox News as usual and because his support with evangelicals is finally beginning to slip.
We responded by reminding folks that this “Bible literacy” junk is really a way to get creationism into public schools, that it’s all part of the religious right’s “Project Blitz” playbook, and that science teachers really need us to watch their backs:
“Science teachers already face incredible resistance to their efforts to teach the facts of evolution,” said Robyn Blumner, CFI’s President and CEO. “We established the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science to give middle school science teachers the tools they need to effectively teach evolution and answer its critics, because we saw how much religiously grounded pushback they were receiving.”
“The last thing science teachers need is to be undermined by the President of the United States who seems to want the creation myth along with other biblical science inaccuracies taught in the nation’s public schools.”
Our legal guru Nick Little writes a post on how same-sex marriage rights seem safe for now, even with the new super-conservative SCOTUS, but things aren’t looking so good for LGBTQ rights in general down the road:
I don’t foresee judges being quick to grant such exemptions to Scientologists or Pastafarians, for example. But Christians, in particular Christians who subscribe to the social views of the religious right, will be able to opt out of obeying law after law that seeks to require equality and basic civil rights. This Supreme Court will continue the process of placing religious belief as an über-right, paramount over all others.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Chellie Pingree (who represents my district in Maine) call out Facebook, Microsoft, and Google for sponsoring a libertarian conference, LibertyCon, that features an event promoting climate science denial:
The example you have set promoting sustainability and evidence-based science is compromised by your implicit support of the session organized at LibertyCon. Given the magnitude and urgency of the climate crisis that we are now facing, we find it imperative to ensure that the climate-related views espoused at LibertyCon do not reflect the values of your companies going forward. … Today’s coordinated campaign to deny climate change, or to put a positive spin on its effects, is not unlike that of the tobacco companies which once sought to discredit their product’s link to cancer. Their propaganda kept the nation from addressing a public health crisis for years, leading to many preventable deaths. We cannot afford to make the same mistake again with climate change.
Trump also tweets about climate change, or rather is dismissal of reality, blurting out, “What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!” And yes, he did type “global waming,” with an “m.”
Germany, meanwhile, aims to end its use of coal in 19 years. Viel Glück.
Sandhya Ramesh at the Post writes a WTFOp-ed (I just coined that, I expect to be cited when you use it) about the ridiculous pseudoscience being peddled at the Indian Science Congress.
The Verge previews the new documentary on the Satanic Temple, Hail Satan? Tasha Robinson says “it’s hilarious”:
A great deal of what makes Hail Satan? funny for everyone else is watching the reactions of that group of people when Greaves and his group express their own freedom of religion. Over and over, Lane catches journalists, politicians, protestors, and bystanders who are either flat-out consternated or openly enraged by the straight-faced people touting an “after-school Satan club” for elementary-school students, or a “Menstruatin’ With Satan” drive for sanitary products for women in need.
New York’s state legislature, which is really on a roll lately, passes an extension of the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse victims.
The GOP of Harris County in Texas posts (and later deletes) that “leftism” (whatever that means here) is to blame for the Holocaust. Though they deleted the post, they didn’t acknowledge being, you know, wrong:
Vlad Davidiuk, communications director at the Harris County Republican Party, [said], “The Nazis identified themselves as National Socialists. The name of the party was the National Socialist Workers party.”
Matthew Tonne, a children’s minister at the Village Church evangelical megachurch near Dallas, is indicted for “indecency with a child involving sexual contact.”
I just think you all should know that there’s a coffee company that aims to roast coffee beans with the heat from spacecraft atmospheric reentry. I’m not sure if I’m being tricked.
Quote of the Day
Massarah Mikati at the Houston Chronicle checks out the protests against Drag Queen Story Hour at a Texas library. I like what one non-protesting parent said:
Drag is theater, and theater is wonderful — it’s imagination and the kids love it. This is about being part of a diverse community here in Montrose.
And another:
We want to expose our children to the diversity of our world and teach them that you can express yourself in many different ways, despite what people may say.
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Linking to a story or webpage does not imply endorsement by Paul or CFI. Not every use of quotation marks is ironic or sarcastic, but it often is.