Evolution - Show Me the Proof

The famous or infamous reply by creationists to evolution is, "show me the proof". Or if evolution is true where is the crocoduck?

Recently I was emailed a group of amazing pictures. Obviously, these are Photoshopped but never the less they are very cool.

So, for you own amusement or to mess with creationists follow this link to 22 amazing photos of "evolution".

Ca. Anti-Gay Sen. Busted for DUI After Leaving Gay Nightclub

I found this over at Unreasonable Faith by Daniel Florien.

Anti-Gay State Sen. Got DUI After Leaving Gay Nightclub

Early Wednesday morning, State Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Calif.) was pulled over and arrested for drunk driving. Sources report that Ashburn — a fierce opponent of gay rights — was driving drunk after leaving a gay nightclub; when the officer stopped the state-issued vehicle, there was an unidentified man in the passenger seat of the car.

Ashburn has issued an apology for the incident:

“I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment. I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did. I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me – my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate.”

Well isn’t that nice that he accepts the responsibility and is prepared to accept the consequences? I’m sure he’s not hiring lawyers and trying to weasel his way out of anything!

Ashburn’s voting record shows that he’s voted against “every gay rights measure in the State Senate since taking office including Recognizing Out-Of-State Same-Sex Marriages, Harvey Milk Day and Expanding Anti-Discrimination Laws.”

Sometimes, when I get cynical, I think there’s a private gay club where all the anti-gay Republican representatives are members…

And people say we don't do crazy here.

Florida to Allow Public School Students to Promote Religion

And they think this is a good idea because why?

Florida bill would allow majority to promote their religion in public schools 

March 2, 9:33 AM Orlando Atheism Examiner Dianna Narciso

Bills were introduced into the Florida House and Senate today that would allow students to vote on whether or not they want to hear a prayer and which student they want to hear it from.

In the Senate, Stephen R. Wise, a Republican Baptist, proposed SB-1580 which states:

"District school boards are authorized, but not required, to permit the delivery of an inspirational message, including a prayer or an invocation, at a noncompulsory high school activity, including a student assembly, a sports event, or other school-related activity, if a majority of the participating students request the delivery of an inspirational message and select a student representative to deliver the message."
The companion bill in the Florida House is H-0031 and was introduced by Republican and Baptist Brad Drake and is cosponsored by his fellow Republican Baptist, Greg Evers.

The bills were referred to committees. In the Senate, to the Education PreK-12 and Judiciary committees, and in the House to "PreK-12 Policy (EPC); Civil Justice & Courts Policy (CCJP); Policy Council; and Education Policy Council"

Both bills claim as their purpose to "solemnize and memorialize" such events. Strangely, all three sponsors of these bills are Baptists. And yet, it is clear that the purpose of this bill is intentionally false. The true purpose is to allow Christian students to promote their religious views to captive audiences of their peers, who must submit if they want to participate in what should be a fun and inclusive school function.
Find your Florida Representatives and your Senator and speak out against this bill today.

Cheatham County BoE Settles ACLU First Amendment Lawsuit

Cheatham County Court House
Image by jimmywayne via Flickr 

Cheatham County tried to do just that (cheat them that is) but got a beat down by the ACLU instead.

Tenn. school board settles lawsuit over First Amendment violations
By Bob Allen  
Thursday, March 04, 2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) -- A Tennessee school board voted March 1 to settle a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union last fall alleging a pattern of unconstitutional promotion of religion.

The Cheatham County Board of Education voted 5-1 to accept a settlement agreement with the ACLU of Tennessee, ending negotiations that have been going on since January.

Under terms of the agreement, school officials will no longer encourage prayer or promote their personal religious beliefs to students in class or in conjunction with school activities and events. Invocations will no longer be permitted at graduation ceremonies or school functions and speakers will no longer be selected because of their religious affiliations.

In addition, school officials will no longer permit non-student third parties, such as members of The Gideons International, to distribute Bibles during school activities or instructional time.

School officials will not cite the Bible or other sacred texts as authority for historical or scientific fact to students and will make good faith-efforts to avoid holding school programs at religious venues.

"We applaud the Cheatham County Board of Education's decision to uphold the principle of religious freedom," said Hedy Weinberg, executive director of ACLU-Tennessee. "The signed agreement ensures that all students will be treated fairly, regardless of their religious beliefs, and that the school system can focus on what it does best: providing a quality education for Cheatham County students."

The Tennessee chapter of the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the school district Nov. 16 in federal court after six months of negotiations failed to resolve the dispute.

The ACLU sued the school district on behalf of two former students and the families of two current students who alleged that board members and the principals of two schools for years have endorsed and promoted religion through extracurricular activities like marching band, choir and sports; classroom instruction and related content; and graduation ceremonies and other school events.

Specific allegations included:

    * A band instructor who, while leading the marching band in practice for an upcoming football halftime performance, stopped and called on a particular student to pray.
    * A December 2007 concert where students sang Christmas and other seasonal songs and the choir director said something like, "We all know the reason we are here tonight, even if we are not allowed to say it" to the crowd.
    * A band Christmas concert in 2008 where students were asked to read lyrics or introductions to Christmas songs before the band played them. One of the plaintiffs was selected to read a religious lyric, but was reassigned a non-religious lyric after another student objected that it shouldn't be read by a non-Christian.
    * Distribution of Gideon Bibles inside classrooms at Cheatham Middle School, in which students were instructed to line up to receive Bibles and to write their names in them.
    * One high-school teacher displayed a foot-tall cross in his classroom next to a whiteboard used for student instruction. Another teacher required students to read and write about the biblical creation stories as an assignment for English class. A world history teacher introduced "intelligent design" as an acceptable alternative to evolution. An American history teacher read, in an angry tone, a handout emphasizing that the United States was founded as a "Christian nation" and criticizing the ACLU. None of those incidents, the lawsuit argues, were related to the general curriculum of the class or relevant to lessons being discussed that week.

Charles Haynes of the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center said at the time if the allegations were true, the school district in Cheatham County was "in clear violation" of the First Amendment