Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[Barry Karr <SkeptInq@aol.com>]

From Genie Scott (National Center for Science Education)
scott@ncseweb.org
http://www.ncseweb.org

and

Eric Eckman
eeckman@etccomputers.net
www.ohioscience.org

Mr. Karr, I want to bring to your attention the situation here in Ohio. Our state Board of Education is trying to hijack the process of approving new science standards. Obviously, it is a long story, but the end result is that the same people responsible for what happened in Kansas a few years ago are trying to get Intelligent Design into the curriculum and undermine evolution.I am part of a group made up of scientists, clergy, parents, and students who have organized the Ohio Citizens for Science. Our web site is www.ohioscience.org.   Would it be possible to send out an invitation to join us to your email distribution list?Thanks in advance for your help.
Eric Eckman  (eeckman@etccomputers.net)


Barry,

If you have the ability to send an email to your members in OH, we
could use the help. There is a group formed, Ohio Citizens for Science
(like KS Citizens for Science, of course) to counter efforts to
"supplement" the OH science standards with ID and other "alternatives to
evolution". There is a listserve, a brand new web page, and a group that is
willing to put up a fight. I fear that OH will be the next Kansas -- and
Phil J has already told a group to whom he was speaking last week that
"we're better organized in OH than in Kansas."

If you could tell your OH members something along the lines of:

-The Ohio Science Education Standards are under attack by "intelligent
design" proponents and other creationists who wish to have their
nonscientific views included in the standards. A creationist group,
"Science Excellence for all Ohioans"  (http://www.sciohio.org/) has been
organized to promote creationism and especially ID creationism. Legislation
has been introduced that would require the teaching of "alternate views"
(code phrase for creationism). Any Ohian wishing to support evolution in
the science education standards should contact Ohio Citizens for Science
for information. Their web site is www.ohioscience.com , or Ohians can
contact Patricia Princehouse, Department of Philosophy, Case Western
Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106,  216-368-2810, pmp7@cwru.edu.
A  listserve has been organized.

Genie Scott

Articles of Note

www.cnn.com

'Mothman' movie resurrects mysterious legend

January 24, 2002 LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- No one is quite sure what came to the river town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in the 1960s. Was it an alien? An angel? The devil? Or merely an instance of group hysteria? Whatever the answer, it was called Mothman. And now that Hollywood has produced a movie about "The Mothman Prophecies," mystery investigator John A. Keel expects skepticism about the bizarre phenomena he chronicled in his 1975 book.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/24/wkd.mothman.legend.ap/index.html


Boston.com

Police department in Pennsylvania town accuses YMCA of promoting witchcraft

By Associated Press, 1/24/2002 07:28 PENRYN, Pa. (AP) The police department has refused to direct traffic at a YMCA triathlon because it says the club promotes witchcraft by reading Harry Potter books to children. Penryn Fire Police Capt. Robert Fichthorn said the eight-member force voted unanimously to boycott the 20th running of the triathlon, scheduled for Sept. 7.

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/024/nation/Police_department_in_Pennsylva:.shtml