North Texas Skeptic - Vol 13 No 09 - 1999

Magazine Overview

This is the September 1999 issue of "The North Texas Skeptic," a newsletter published by The North Texas Skeptics. The issue is Volume 13, Number 9, and focuses on the growing influence of creationism and pseudoscience in education and public discourse.

Turkish Creationism

The lead article, "Turkish Creationism" by Taner Edis, translated from a Turkish newspaper, details a movement in Turkey that is actively promoting creationism and undermining the teaching of evolution in schools. The movement, associated with the Science Research Foundation founded by Adnan Oktar, distributes free books like "The Evolution Deceit" and holds presentations, particularly targeting high school students. The article notes that these efforts are apparently supported by certain government institutions, making it difficult for teachers to defend evolutionary science. The author highlights that the book's author, Harun Yahya, uses a pseudonym and that the footnotes are largely of American origin, suggesting an international connection with US-based religious right organizations that have also campaigned against teaching evolution.

The article also mentions a letter from a university professor who describes the pervasive distribution of "The Evolution Deceit" and the resulting difficulty in finding teachers willing to present the theory of evolution. The professor characterizes this as a "well-established movement" that has acquired the confidence to attack science. The article points out that the Science Research Foundation, despite describing itself as "pro-Ataturk," advertises in Islamist newspapers.

The Agenda: Ignorance in Motion!

This section, by Mustafa Balbay, further elaborates on the creationist movement in Turkey. It summarizes a letter from a university professor who details the free distribution of "The Evolution Deceit" and presentations that make it hard for teachers to present evolution. The professor outlines four key points: government institutions support Islamists, their target is high school students, they attack science, and teachers are becoming scarce to defend science. The article notes that many citizens, and even school administrators, are involved in distributing the book. It also mentions that the publisher, Vural Publishing, only holds publishing rights, while the foundation does the printing. The author of "The Evolution Deceit" refused to speak directly with the publisher.

The article draws parallels between the situation in Turkey and the efforts of religious right organizations in the USA to prevent the teaching of evolution. It notes that 72 Nobel laureates and 21 science academies have defended the scientific importance of evolution. The author states that in modern times, the debate is not about whether evolution is correct, but how it occurred. The article quotes Professor Sevket Ruacan of the Turkish Academy of Sciences, who described attacks on professors who spoke against "The Evolution Deceit" as "beyond insults."

Bleeding Kansas

This article by John Blanton discusses the decision by the ten-member Kansas Board of Education to eliminate evolution from the curriculum. While not explicitly prohibiting teachers from teaching evolution, the action makes it optional, which is expected to lead to its removal from most classrooms. The board also removed modern cosmology. Creationists consider "micro-evolution" (observable changes within a species, like dogs from wolves) acceptable but deny "macro-evolution" (the production of new species). The article notes that Republican Governor Bill Graves expressed dismay and planned to dissolve the board. The CEO of a software company cited the board's action as a reason for not locating a regional headquarters in Topeka, stating it "isolates Kansas and handicaps its children."

The author suggests that while this is a tactical victory for creationists, it strategically alerts the opposition and polarizes neutral parties. Skeptics organizations are mobilized, and the article predicts more programs and exposés on creationism, with creationists likely to attempt similar victories in other states.

What's New

This section, compiled by Robert Park, includes clippings of interest. One clipping, "Evolution: 'Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore,'" humorously notes that the Kansas school board's strategy was to delete any reference to evolution and "big bang" theory from the curriculum, rather than directly banning creationism. The chair of the school board defended the decision by questioning the evidence for evolutionary changes. The clipping suggests that "Philistines are much better organized than scientists."

Another item, "Economics 101: Meanwhile, Michigan invests in biotechnology," contrasts Michigan's investment in life sciences with Kansas's decision, which is seen as driving away such industries. "Paleontology 101: Eukaryotes are much older than supposed" notes that while the Kansas school board questioned the age of the Earth, scientists reported evidence of eukaryotes existing 2.7 billion years ago.

"Evolution I: Darwin runs dead last in the Iowa straw poll" reports on presidential candidates' responses to questions about evolution, with many deferring to local control or expressing creationist views. "Evolution II: Darwin polls badly with Americans" cites a Gallup poll indicating that nearly half of American adults believe in a literal biblical interpretation of creation, and only about one in ten subscribe to a purely scientific interpretation of evolution.

"Devolution: will no one stand up for Darwin?" discusses the lack of strong defense for evolution from political figures. It highlights a spokesperson for Vice President Gore initially supporting local control for teaching creationism, then clarifying that it should be within religious, not science, courses, after being informed that the Supreme Court ruled such teaching unconstitutional in 1987.

Nutrition Forum

This section, by John Blanton, reviews newsletters from CSICOP, focusing on "medical quackery." It highlights "Chiropractic Nutrition," an article by Samuel Homola, which suggests chiropractors can increase income by selling nutritional products. The article discusses various chiropractic techniques like functional intracellular analysis (FIA) and applied kinesiology (AK), noting that CRA involves pushing down on a patient's arm while touching reflex points.

Another article reviewed is on "Kava," a beverage from the South Pacific Islands used for relaxation. The article, "Controversial claims, questionable evidence" by Beth Fontenot, notes that while kava may offer some relief for anxiety, the evidence is questionable, and there are safety concerns, advising against its use by children, teens, pregnant or lactating women, and in combination with alcohol or other depressants. It stresses that serious anxiety should be treated by professionals.

A brief news item mentions the "Alliance of GNC and Rite Aid," detailing a strategic alliance for marketing nutritional products.

More

This section includes a brief news item about the alliance between General Nutrition Centers (GNC) and Rite Aid Corp. to jointly market nutritional products through pharmacies and stores, and to develop a nutritional information website.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the challenges to scientific understanding, particularly the theory of evolution, from creationist and pseudoscientific viewpoints. The newsletter strongly advocates for science and reason, as espoused by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and critiques the spread of misinformation and the politicization of science education. The editorial stance is clearly pro-science, pro-evolution, and critical of pseudoscience and religious fundamentalism's encroachment into scientific and educational domains. The newsletter aims to expose and counter these trends through critical analysis and information dissemination.