22 May, 2008

The Washington Post Attempts to Make Up for Kathleen Parker

A few days after letting Kathleen Parker drool homophobic bullshit all over their editorial page, the Washington Post attempts to redeem the place with an exposé of what Academic Freedom Bills are really all about:

What's insidious about these measures is that at first blush they appear so harmless. Isn't everyone in favor of academic freedom? What's so wrong about allowing all sides of an issue to be heard? Why should teachers be punished for speaking their minds? Those arguments might have standing if there were any doubt about the reality of evolution, but, as an official with the National Academy of Sciences told the Wall Street Journal, "There's no controversy." Consider, also, that there really is no such thing as academic freedom in elementary and secondary education. A teacher can't deviate from the accepted curriculum to present alternative lesson plans or to offer his or her own notions. The Florida teachers association opposed the bills, though ostensibly they are meant to benefit educators. Clearly, the strategy is to devise an end run around legal decisions -- going all the way to the Supreme Court -- that restrict the teaching of creationism in public classrooms.
All right. For such clear-eyed reporting on the sneaky neo-Creationist efforts to smuggle their pious non-science back into science class, thee shall have a cookie. And you're allowed to sleep on the couch. But I'm warning you, Washington Post: one more right-wing fucktard editorial, and it's right back to the doghouse without supper for you.

No comments: