In an apparent move to ward off more hurricanes, the Louisiana House of Representatives yesterday approved their version of an academic freedom from learning bill.
Remember back when Rev. Franklin Graham stated:
"There's been a black spiritual cloud over New Orleans for years. They believe God is going to use that storm to bring revival."
And who can forget this gem, from Pastor John Hagee:
"All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that."
As justification for the bill, Jason Stern, Vice President of the Louisiana Family Forum, a conservative group pushing the bill, opined that
"a survey of Louisiana public school science teachers a few years ago showed that many felt uncomfortable teaching evolution, global warming and other topics that 'tend to be taught from only one perspective.' "
What Stern doesn't mention, of course, is that many teachers feel "uncomfortable" because of intense pressure from their community to downplay or downright ignore those topics.
In days past, chickens would be sacrificed in that region to ward off unwanted events. Nowadays, Louisiana legislators are more likely to sacrifice their kids' science education.
posted by Cheryl Shepherd-Adams
