Category Archives for climate change

David Barton Lectures Pope Francis (Really)

On his Monday WallBuilders Live! radio program, phony historian and religious-right propagandist David Barton decided to lecture Pope Francis about the advice he gets. Yeah, seriously. Barton and his sidekick Rick Green invited anti-climate science crank William Briggs on their show to criticize Pope Francis for his June encyclical calling climate change a “principal challenge” for humanity. International leaders and […]

Also posted in David Barton, Rick Green, TFNEF, William Briggs | 3 Comments

Don McLeroy and His ‘False Ideas’ about Science — Total Defeat

“False ideas are the greatest obstacle to progress. Evolution, the idea that all life is descended from a common ancestor, is a false idea.” — Don McLeroy (@DonMcLeroy) November 26, 2014 “False ideas are the greatest obstacle to progress. Evolution, the idea that all life is descended from a common ancestor, is a false idea.” […]

Also posted in Don McLeroy, evolution, science | 2 Comments

Advocates Applaud Publishers for Removing Climate Change Denialism from Texas Textbooks, Putting Education Ahead of Politics

Proposed social studies textbooks for Texas public schools will not include climate-change denial. In late reversals, two publishing heavyweights, Pearson Education and McGraw-Hill, have both confirmed that they will submit corrected textbooks this week at the SBOE. TFN distributed the following news release in response to the corrections. Publishers have agreed to correct or remove […]

Also posted in social studies adoption (2014), State Board of Education, TFNEF | 4 Comments

Science, Education Advocates Call on Publishers to Remove Climate Change Denialism from New Textbooks

We just sent out the following press release. Science and education advocates are calling on leading national publishers to revise proposed new social studies textbooks that include inaccurate and misleading information on climate science and promote climate change denialism. The Texas State Board of Education this month is considering the new textbooks, which could subsequently end up in […]

Also posted in social studies adoption (2014), TFNEF | 1 Comment

More about the Anti-Science Nonsense in New Textbooks for Texas

As we reported on Monday, a National Center for Science Education review finds that a number of proposed social studies textbooks for Texas public schools promote climate science denialism. One geography textbook, from publisher McGraw-Hill, even includes a passage written by political hacks at the polluter-funded Heartland Institute — the right-wing organization that a few years ago launched an infamous billboard campaign that […]

Also posted in Heartland Institute, James M. Taylor, Joseph Bast, TFNEF | 4 Comments

Proposed Texas Textbooks Get the Facts Wrong on Climate Change, Promote Denialism

When it comes to Texas textbook adoptions, attacks on science seem to be almost an annual affair now. So with the State Board of Education considering new social studies textbooks for Texas public schools this fall, we asked the National Center for Science Education to check what those texts say about climate change. The news is […]

Also posted in social studies adoption (2014), TFNEF | 3 Comments

Ouch! Texas Judge Slams Right-winger for Wasting His Time

It’s always good to see folks in responsible positions refuse to play games with far-right fanatics who substitute ignorant, facts-free ideology for honest research and expertise. So we enjoyed reading a particular section of state District Judge John Dietz’s opinion on Thursday that the public school finance system in Texas violates the state Constitution. The case is almost certainly […]

Also posted in Heartland Institute, Joseph Bast, public education, TFNEF, vouchers | 8 Comments

Learn How to Lobby to Defend and Improve Science Education

Our friends at the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) have been fantastic partners with the Texas Freedom Network in defending teaching about evolution and climate change in Texas public schools. Now NCSE is offering an online workshop on December 18 to train people around the country how to lobby their elected officials in support of science […]

Also posted in evolution, National Center for Science Education, TFN | Leave a comment

Cynthia Dunbar (Remember Her?) Says Teaching Texas Kids about Climate Change Is ‘Socialized Education’

Remember Cynthia Dunbar? She’s the creationist former member of the Texas State Board of Education who wrote a book in which she called public education “tyrannical,” unconstitutional and a “subtly deceptive tool of perversion.” Dunbar left the board at the end of 2010 and last we heard was teaching law at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. On […]

Also posted in Cynthia Dunbar, FOX News, Science adoption (2013), State Board of Education, TFNEF | 25 Comments

BREAKING NEWS: Science Education Wins in Texas!

The State Board of Education just voted to adopt all of the high school biology and environmental science textbooks without watering down instruction on evolution and climate change. We just sent out the following press release: TEXAS TEXTBOOK ADOPTION IS A MAJOR VICTORY FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION No Compromise on Science Instruction about Evolution or Climate […]

Also posted in creationism, evolution, intelligent design, Science adoption (2013), State Board of Education, TFNEF | 13 Comments