Many thanks to Tony Whitson for putting together these recordings from yesterday's Texas State Board of Education meeting.
There was one interesting admission from Don McLeroy that I did not get to hear on Friday afternoon. (I was busy introducing my students to the basics of evolutionary biology).
In reference to his argument in favor of his (now dead) amendment, McLeroy admitted:
"I never claimed to have read the books..."
Well, that is technically true. But, he did state that reading books about evolution was "one of [his] hobbies." He also talked about checking out "three books a week" on the topic of evolution from his local public library. These statements certainly gave others the impression that he had read the relevant portions of the books he was quoting from.
Regardless, openly admitting that you have not actually read the original context of the materials you have quoted does nothing but damage one's own credibility. In other words, McLeroy's "defense" of his behavior resulted in an own goal.
I imagine that he is well aware of this and that it would just be mean for someone like me to rub it in.
Therefore, out of respect for Dr. McLeroy's public service, I would like to formally retract my prior assertion (found here) that McLeroy "claimed to have read" Stephen Jay Gould's magnum opus, The Structure of Evolutionary Theory.
I apologize for the mistake on this point.
posted by Jeremy Mohn
