North Texas Skeptic - Vol 22 No 08 - 2008

Magazine Overview

The North Texas Skeptic, Volume 22, Number 8, published in August 2008, is a magazine dedicated to promoting skepticism and critical thinking, particularly concerning pseudoscientific claims and the separation of church and state in education. This issue features articles on "Web News," the ongoing debate about teaching evolution versus intelligent design in public schools, and scientific discoveries.

Web News

Authored by John Blanton, this section introduces the idea that the World Wide Web is a source of both true and false information. It sets the stage for a column that will focus on creationism from a skeptical perspective.

Newsweek Weighs In

This section references an article by Jonathan Alter in Newsweek (August 15, 2005) that commented on the "Kansas education war," which had been ongoing since 1999. It links to the original article and a related Newsweek piece.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

This article strongly criticizes the concept of Intelligent Design (ID) as an alternative to evolution, calling it "a cruel joke" that "walks and talks like science but in the lab performs worse than medieval alchemy." The author notes that the war over Darwin in schools is raging, and quotes a Kansas teacher calling ID "creationism in a cheap tuxedo." The article attributes the popularization of ID to the Seattle-based Discovery Institute. It argues that the threat to science comes less from fundamentalists and more from "sophisticated branding experts and polemical Ph.D.s" who cleverly avoid religious terminology but use political tools, such as the President of the United States, to promote their agenda. The author also mentions the Pentagon's efforts to make science "sexy" for students, suggesting that right-wing groups are framing biology as atheistic.

Events Calendar: August Program

The magazine includes a calendar of events for the North Texas Skeptics. On Saturday, August 16, 2008, at 2 p.m., there will be a program featuring Alison Smith with SAPS at the Center for Nonprofit Management in Dallas. On Saturday, August 23, 2008, at 7 p.m., a Board Meeting/Social Dinner will be held at Al Amir in Dallas. Readers are encouraged to RSVP.

Officers and Staff

The issue lists the officers of The North Texas Skeptics: John Brandt (President), Kristine Danowski (Vice President), Mike Selby (Secretary), and Barbara Neuser (Treasurer). The staff includes Keith Blanton (Webmaster), John Blanton (Webmaster), and Kristine Danowski (Meetings and Social Director).

Board of Directors and Scientific and Technical Advisors

The Board of Directors and Directors Emeritus are listed, along with Scientific and Technical Advisors, including Joe Barnhart (Professor of Philosophy), Raymond A. Eve (Professor of Sociology), Timothy N. Gorski (M.D.), Ronnie J. Hastings (Ph.D.), Anthony P. Picchioni (Ph.D.), James Rusk (Director, Russell Planetarium), Lakshman S. Tamil (Ph.D.), and John Thomas (Attorney).

Organization Information

Details are provided about The North Texas Skeptics being a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, its newsletter, and membership benefits. The newsletter is published monthly and mailed to P.O. Box 111794, Carrollton, Texas 75011-1794. Permission to reprint articles is granted under certain conditions.

Ignorance Comes of Age

This section discusses a new law in Louisiana (Senate Bill 733) signed by Governor Bobby Jindal, which allows local education agencies to use supplemental materials to "analyze, critique, and review" scientific theories, including evolution. The article notes that the law was sponsored by Democratic State Senator Ben Nevers and pushed by the Louisiana Family Forum and the Discovery Institute. Scientific organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, urged the governor to veto the bill. The impact of the law is seen as dependent on how school districts and teachers implement it, with opponents fearing it could lead to lawsuits if evolution is denigrated in favor of creationism or intelligent design.

Louisiana Governor Signs Evolution Bill

This article reiterates that Governor Bobby Jindal signed Senate Bill 733, which allows the use of supplemental materials for analyzing scientific theories. It mentions that scientific organizations urged a veto, but the governor did not comply. The potential impact on public schools is discussed, with concerns about the promotion of religious-based views.

Americans United Weighs In

This section features a press release from Americans United for Separation of Church and State regarding the new Louisiana anti-evolution law. The organization warns that lawsuits will result if the law is used to introduce religion into public school classrooms. Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director, expresses disappointment and states that any attempts to sneak religion into schools will not be tolerated. Americans United is a watchdog group focused on church-state separation. They note that supporters of the bill, including the Discovery Institute and Sen. Ben Nevers, insist it is not intended to promote religion, but Americans United intends to hold them to that.

Masters of Disguise

This article critiques the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture (CSC), calling it the "main force behind Intelligent Design" and accusing it of being more adept at propaganda than science. The author asserts that ID is religiously motivated and that the CSC tries to frame evolution as a religion. It references a blog post by Larry Caldwell, an attorney and supporter of ID, who questions whether Barbara Forrest and the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) oppose religious instruction in evolution. The article quotes Forrest's statement that the Louisiana Science Education Act is not intended to introduce religion into classes.

The article then delves into a debate between Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute and Neil Shubin, a paleontologist and author of "Your Inner Fish." Luskin criticizes Shubin's book for not providing a diagram comparing the wrist bones of the fossil Tiktaalik to those of a tetrapod (land vertebrate), claiming Shubin has something to hide. The author of this article argues that Luskin's complaint is based on a misunderstanding of scientific terminology and that Shubin's work does indeed describe the homologous wrist bones in Tiktaalik.

Missing The Wrist

This section continues the discussion about Casey Luskin's critique of Neil Shubin's book "Your Inner Fish." Luskin complains about the lack of a diagram showing Tiktaalik's wrist bones. The article points out that Luskin's "fruitless search" highlights his lack of scientific understanding. It contrasts Luskin's approach with that of Carl Zimmer, a science writer, and PZ Myers, a biology professor, who have commented on the topic. The article suggests that Luskin's arguments are similar to those of young-earth creationists, despite the Discovery Institute's claims of not being creationists.

Chuck Gafford Responds

Chuck Gafford, who contributed a piece titled "Expelled Review" in the previous month's newsletter, provides additional comments. He discusses the movie "Expelled" and expresses disappointment with Ben Stein's premise that professors lost their jobs and tenure over ID. Gafford argues that academia should be a place for open discussion and that the movie's premise might be flawed if the reported information about people being "fired" or "let go" is inaccurate. He also addresses the "young-earth creationist" viewpoint, particularly from the Discovery Institute, contrasting it with "old-earth creationists" who accept the Earth's age as approximately 4 billion years old. Gafford finds the idea of a 6,000-year-old Earth, originating from Bishop Ussher, to contradict scientific proof.

Skeptic Ink

This is a comic strip by Prasad Golla and John Blanton, featuring humorous takes on alternative history and the teaching of evolution.

Joe Barnhart Shot

This short piece reports that Joe Barnhart, a technical advisor for The North Texas Skeptics and retired professor of philosophy and religion, was one of the individuals wounded in a church shooting in late July. It provides a link to a news story about the incident.

Natural News

This section introduces "Natural News," a website focused on "Natural Medicine." It highlights cartoons by Mike Adams and Dan Berger that illustrate the pitfalls of mainstream medical science and the FDA's struggles with tracking salmonella outbreaks. The article suggests that even skeptics of natural medicine might find humor in the situation.

The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal

This is a brief description of the committee's mission to encourage critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims and disseminate factual information. It also mentions "The Skeptical Inquirer" magazine, published bimonthly by the committee, and provides subscription information.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the critical examination of claims presented as scientific but perceived as religiously motivated, particularly Intelligent Design. The magazine strongly advocates for the separation of church and state in public education and promotes scientific reasoning and evidence-based inquiry. The editorial stance is clearly skeptical of creationism, intelligent design, and other pseudoscientific or religiously-based arguments presented as science. The publication champions the scientific consensus on evolution and criticizes efforts to undermine it in educational settings. There is also an emphasis on the importance of accurate scientific reporting and debunking misinformation.