North Texas Skeptic - Vol 20 No 02 - 2006

Magazine Overview

This issue of The North Texas Skeptic, Volume 20, Number 2, dated February 2006, focuses on organizational matters, significant legal and scientific debates, and news updates relevant to skepticism.

NTS Election of Officers

The lead article details the election of new officers for the North Texas Skeptics (NTS) held on January 14th. The organization is described as being run by active members. Two new faces, Erling Beck and Claudia Meek, were elected to the board of directors. The new board members are listed as Laura Ainsworth, Daniel Barnett, Virginia Barnett, Erling Beck, John Blanton, John Brandt, Prasad Golla, Elizabeth Hittson, Jack Hittson, Claudia Meek, and Mike Selby. The NTS Officers for the upcoming term are John Brandt (President), Pat Reeder (Vice President), Mike Selby (Secretary), and Mark Meyer (Treasurer).

Events Calendar

The issue includes an events calendar with two upcoming NTS events:

• Saturday, February 11, 2006, 2 p.m.: At the Center for Nonprofit Management, John Brandt will present a review of the creationist video "Icons of Evolution," which was previously discussed in the January 2006 issue.
• Saturday, February 25, 2006, 7 p.m.: A Board of Directors/Social Meeting will be held at Good Eats.

NTS Stock is Up

This section discusses the financial health of the North Texas Skeptics, humorously comparing its financial performance to stock market performance. For the year 2005, NTS showed a profit of over $106, exceeding expenses. The article clarifies that as a nonprofit organization, dividends are not paid to members. The principal expenses were printing ($650) and postage ($400), with many members opting for e-mail delivery of the newsletter to reduce costs. Membership fees and donations were the largest sources of income. Referral fees from Amazon generated over $230, covering about two-thirds of the website's maintenance costs. The article encourages members to use Amazon links on the NTS website for purchases. The organization is entering its twentieth year, and the article expresses gratitude to supporters.

Web News by John Blanton

This section covers news items found on the World Wide Web, focusing on the legal and public relations aspects of the Intelligent Design (ID) debate.

Waterloo in Dover

This article discusses the December ruling by federal judge John E. Jones against the Dover, Pennsylvania school board's attempt to introduce creationism into science classes. The ruling chastised board members for misrepresenting the law. The article notes that the Internet reacted strongly to the decision. Steve Verdon is quoted, stating that the ruling bodes ill for ID and creationists in general, viewing ID as a sophisticated, but ultimately supernatural, explanation for biological complexity. Judge Jones' decision is described as questioning the honesty and clarity of the policy and its effect on students' understanding of science. Verdon concludes that the ruling debunks arguments for "academic freedom," "teach the controversy," and "ID is science."

The Discovery Institute's Response

The Discovery Institute responded to the Dover decision by issuing a press release criticizing the judge. Dr. John West, Associate Director of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute, argued that the ruling was an attempt by an activist judge to censor scientific ideas and prevent criticism of Darwinian evolution. He asserted that the ruling conflated the Discovery Institute's position with the school board's and misrepresented ID. West maintained that empirical evidence for design cannot be changed by legal decree.

Casey Luskin, an attorney for the Discovery Institute, stated that the ruling's validity would be determined by scientific evidence, not courts, and that the ruling only applied to the federal district. He also noted that the Dover school board's recent election results, with members campaigning against the policy, preempted further legal challenges.

West emphasized that the Discovery Institute supports the freedom of teachers to discuss ID voluntarily and objectively, and that students should learn about both the strengths and weaknesses of Darwin's theory. The article also defines the scientific theory of intelligent design as proposing that certain biological features are best explained by an intelligent cause rather than undirected processes.

Schools Nationwide Study Impact of Evolution Ruling

This article, by Laurie Goodstein, reports on how schools nationwide are reacting to the Dover decision. In Muscatine, Iowa, the school board debated whether to teach Intelligent Design as a challenge to evolution. Some members expressed that the Pennsylvania ruling would help their cause, while others noted that a judge in one state shouldn't dictate to others. The article also mentions that educators and legislators in various communities were learning from the Dover trial's outcome.

Barred From One Philosophy Classroom

This piece discusses an incident where Intelligent Design was removed from a class at Frazier Mountain High School in California. The class, titled "Philosophy of Design," was reportedly more about Biblical Creationism than ID, and parents sued after the school introduced the course, which lent support to a particular religious view.

Not a Religion

This section addresses the claim that Intelligent Design theory is not religious, arguing that it does not depend on or refer to religion. It posits that ID simply argues that certain biological mechanisms are too complex to have arisen through evolution alone. The author questions why religious people are so invested in promoting ID if it is not about religion.

S.C. governor OK with intelligent design

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford stated on WIS-TV that he believes Intelligent Design should be taught in public schools, offering it as an alternative to the theory of evolution and suggesting there are "real chinks in the armor of evolution."

What's New by Robert Park

This section presents various news clippings of interest.

Cloned lies: Science will retract celebrated Korean paper.

An investigation panel at Seoul National University concluded that Woo Suk Hwang fabricated a paper published in the journal Science. Hwang, despite the findings, claims his conclusions are valid.

Pious lies: not every fraudulent research paper is retracted.

This item contrasts the handling of the cloning scandal with the continued listing of a fraudulent paper by Columbia University and J. Reprod. Medicine on PubMed, which claimed supernatural intervention.

Designed lies: the Dover school board did it "time and again."

This quote from Judge Jones' opinion in Kitzmiller v. Dover school Board criticizes the Dover school board for lying to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID Policy.

Breakthrough for 2005: Science picks "evolution in action."

This brief note highlights Science journal's selection of "evolution in action" as a breakthrough for 2005.

The Discovery Institute: our choice as "Spinmeister of 2005."

This piece names the Discovery Institute as "Spinmeister of 2005" for its effective use of phrases like "only a theory" and "a design must have a designer" in promoting Intelligent Design.

Alternate world: a leap into hyperdrive? or maybe just hype?

This article discusses the New Horizons spacecraft's long journey to Pluto and contrasts it with hypothetical propulsion systems that could achieve the same in a day. It distinguishes between the "real world" of scientific advancement and an "alternate world" of unproven or pseudoscientific concepts.

The hydrogen car: transportation in the alternate world.

This item discusses the challenges and funding for hydrogen car development, framing it as part of the "alternate world" of ambitious but potentially unfeasible technological goals.

Skeptic Ink

A comic strip by Prasad Golla and John Blanton, featuring a dialogue about inventing a limitless supply of free energy and overcoming hardships, with a punchline about the truth of the statements.

Shh! Top climate scientist says NASA tried to silence him.

Physicist James Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told The New York Times that NASA had screened his talks and journalist interviews. Hansen had argued for increased automotive fuel efficiency standards to cut emissions, contrary to the administration's reliance on voluntary measures. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) pledged to investigate NASA's actions and had previously defended climate scientists against alleged harassment.

Future Meeting Dates

A list of future meeting dates for the North Texas Skeptics is provided, running from February 11, 2006, through December 9, 2006.

The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal

This section describes the mission of CSICOP, which encourages critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims and disseminates factual information. It also promotes science, critical thinking, and science education.

The Skeptical Inquirer

This section provides information about The Skeptical Inquirer magazine, published bimonthly by CSICOP. It includes subscription details and contact information.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the defense of scientific principles against pseudoscience and creationism, particularly Intelligent Design. The editorial stance is clearly pro-science and skeptical of claims lacking empirical evidence or relying on religious arguments. The magazine actively reports on legal battles concerning science education, criticizes organizations that promote what it deems as pseudoscientific ideas (like the Discovery Institute), and highlights the importance of critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning. There is a strong emphasis on debunking what are perceived as flawed arguments used to promote Intelligent Design, such as the "academic freedom" and "teach the controversy" claims. The publication also serves as a platform for organizational news and events for the North Texas Skeptics, reinforcing its community and mission.