Activate the Mechanism!

The Louisiana Supreme Court Rules School Vouchers Unconstitutional

(NPR) - The Louisiana Supreme Court handed Gov. Bobby Jindal a loss today: It agreed with a lower court that his method of funding private school tuition through vouchers was unconstitutional.

For the past year, , Jindal’s administration has used “money earmarked for public schools in the state’s Minimum Foundation Program to pay for private school tuition.”

In a 6-1 vote, the court decided the funding mechanism was unconstitutional.

read more

Louisiana counts the cost of teaching creationism – in reputation and dollars

GOP Governor Bobby Jindal defends anti-evolution education policy, but it costs his state millions in science-based business

(The Guardian) - Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal endorsed teaching creationism in public schools, by way of the state’s creationism law, a misnamed and misguided piece of legislation called the Louisiana Science Education Act. In a recent interview with NBC News, Jindal said:

“Let’s teach them about intelligent design … What are we scared of?”

Governor Jindal, we are scared of the harm to Louisiana students and to our state. The Louisiana Science Education Act has already hurt our economy.

The chairman of Louisiana’s senate education committee, Conrad Appel, has called for high schools and colleges to graduate more students in Stem fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), because “the amount of income [students] can earn in these related fields is best.” Teaching students that creationism is science will confuse them about the scientific method and the nature of science, which, in turn, will hold them back from getting jobs in any cutting-edge scientific field.

We can’t teach students misleading lessons that blur the lines between rigorous fact and religious belief.

If the law stays in place, we will not graduate more students into careers in science unless we teach them evolution, which is vital to fields like agriculture and medicine. We need our students to understand the concept to get jobs in places such as Baton Rouge’s top-notch Pennington Biomedical Research Center or New Orleans’ BioDistrict.

Claude Bouchard, a former executive director of the Pennington Research Center, told me that because of the Louisiana Science Education Act:

“[Students] will continue to believe that the laws of chemistry, physics and biology are optional when addressing the big issues of our time. Unfortunately, this is also not without economic consequences.

“If you are an employer in a high-tech industry, in the biotechnology sector or in a business that depends heavily on science, would you prefer to hire a graduate from a state where the legislature has in a sense declared that the laws of chemistry, physics or biology can be suspended at times or someone from a state with a rigorous science curriculum for its sons and daughters?”

Peter Kulakowsky, a biotech entrepreneur in Louisiana, recently published a letter in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, saying that:

“As the director of a biological laboratory in Louisiana, I need enlightened staff. Distracting the state’s students in their formative training [through the Louisiana Science Education Act] only cripples them.”

The Louisiana Science Education Act does more than harm the potential of Louisiana’s students. It is already directly impacting the state’s economy. Louisiana State University’s former graduate dean of science, Kevin Carman, testified before the state legislature in 2012 that top scientists had left the university citing the Louisiana Science Education Act as a reason. Other scientists chose to accept jobs elsewhere, because they didn’t want to come to a state with a creationism law. Carman said: “teaching pseudo-science drives scientists away.”

read more

It seems they are shooting themselves in the foot with this.

Louisiana Governor’s Voucher Program, Which Would Send $11,000,000 to Creationism-Endorsing Schools, Ruled Unconstitutional

Back in July, we learned that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal passed a voucher plan that would give more than $11,000,000 of taxpayer money to private schools that teach Creationism. Their curriculums obviously wouldn’t meet the state’s science standards. You can read some of the curriculum excerpts from these schools here.

There’s finally some good news to report on the matter.

On Friday, State District Judge Tim Kelley ruled that Jindal’s voucher program was unconstitutional:

While the court does not dispute the serious nature of these proceedings nor the impact and potential effects on Louisiana’s educational systems, vital public dollars raised and allocated for public schools through the [Minimum Foundation Program] cannot be lawfully diverted to nonpublic schools or entities.

The downside to that ruling is that it doesn’t say the program is unconstitutional because it uses taxpayer money to promote religious garbage. The judge says it’s unconstitutional because the program through which these schools are getting the funding is intended only for public schools.

Still, the effect would be the same; Creationism-teaching schools would lose out on public money.

Not surprisingly, Jindal isn’t happy about it… it hurts his image with his Christian base:

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who had championed the program, called the ruling “wrong-headed” and “a travesty for parents across Louisiana who want nothing more than for their children to have an equal opportunity at receiving a great education.”

Jindal, a Republican, vowed to appeal.

…

About 5,000 students are currently receiving the vouchers, which cover tuition and fees at scores of private and parochial schools, including some small church-based schools that infuse all their classes with Biblical references and do not teach subjects such as evolution.

Note to Jindal: Parents across Louisiana already have the opportunity to give their students a great education. Stop trashing your state’s public schools. They would get even better if you weren’t taking funding intended for them and using it to promote your illegal pet projects.

National School Boards Association President C. Ed Massey agrees:

“It is clear this law was not created with the best interest of all children in mind; insteadit promotes a narrow political agenda and will harm community public schools that serve the best interest of all children,” Massey said. “It also deprives the public schools of valuable resources that are necessary to carry out the mandate to provide a free and appropriate public education.”

(via Joe. My. God.)

source

Remember those two Louisiana sheriffs deputies who were shot last Thursday? - The shooting suspects are tied to the ‘sovereign citizen’ movement

Police say at least two of the seven suspects arrested for the fatal shooting of two Louisiana sheriffs deputies last Thursday are connected to the anti-government “sovereign citizen” movement.

According to WBRZ-TV, 28-year-old Kyle Joekel and 44-year-old Terry Smith had identified themselves as part of the movement, which was classified as a domestic terror group last year by the FBI.

Joekel and Smith, along with several members of Smith’s family and other associates, were arrested following an ambush on authorities in LaPlace, Louisiana, about 25 miles west of New Orleans. Deputies Brandon Nielsen and Jeremy Triche were killed in the ensuing shootout. Two more deputies were wounded.

Smith’s son, Brian Lyn Smith, 24, has been charged with first-degree murder. Arrested as principals to attempted first-degree murder were Derrick Smith, 22, and 21-year-old Teniecha Bright. Terry Smith’s wife, 37-year-old Chanel Skains, and 23-year-old Britney Keith, Bryan Smith’s girlfriend, were arrested and charged as accessories to the crime.

read more

Could this have been more right-wing domestic terrorism?

Louisiana public school forces pregnancy tests on girls, kicks out students who refuse or are pregnant

In a Louisiana public school, female students who are suspected of being pregnant are told that they must take a pregnancy test. Under school policy, those who are pregnant or refuse to take the test are kicked out and forced to undergo home schooling.

Welcome to Delhi Charter School, in Delhi, Louisiana, a school of 600 students that does not believe its female students have a right to education free from discrimination. According to its Student Pregnancy Policy, the school has a right to not only force testing upon girls, but to send them to a physician of the school administration’s choice. A positive test result, or failure to take the test at all, means administrators can forbid a girl from taking classes and force her to pursue a course of home study if she wishes to continue her education with the school.

This is in blatant violation of federal law and the U.S. Constitution.

Today, the ACLU of Louisiana and the ACLU Women’s Rights Project asked Delhi Charter School to immediately suspend this discriminatory and illegal policy.

The policy’s complete disregard for Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities, is astonishing. Title IX and its regulations explicitly mandate that schools cannot exclude any student from an education program or activity, “including any class or extracurricular activity, on the basis of such student’s pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy or recovery therefrom.”

read more

Okay, so let’s see if we can get this straight.

No access to comprehensive sex education or contraceptives, little/no access to abortions, but if you do get pregnant you get kicked out of school.

Sex shaming much? 

Where are the repercussions for the guys that got them pregnant? 

This shit is absolutely ridiculous. More puritan “Christian Values”  at work.

Louisiana Republican: When I Voted for State Funds to go to Religious Schools, I Didn’t Mean Muslim Ones

In Louisiana, Republican Governor Bobby Jindal pushed for a voucher program that would allow state funds to be used to pay for religious schools. It’s unconstitutional, it’s a way to use taxpayer money to fund someone’s faith, and it was a bad idea to begin with.

But it passed.

Now, one of the state legislators, Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Watson), just made a shocking discovery, though: Christianity isn’t the only religion!

Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Watson, says she had no idea that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s overhaul of the state’s educational system might mean taxpayer support of Muslim schools.

“I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of America’s Founding Fathers’ religion, which is Christianity, in public schools or private schools,” the District 64 Representative said Monday.

…

“Unfortunately it will not be limited to the Founders’ religion,” Hodges said. “We need to insure that it does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools. There are a thousand Muslim schools that have sprung up recently. I do not support using public funds for teaching Islam anywhere here in Louisiana.”

Wait, we’re teaching the “Founders’ religion”? I can’t wait to see those Deistic schools popping up everywhere…

I can’t decide whether the staffers at Americans United are collectively rolling their eyes or shaking their heads in disbelief, but they’re right to suggest “We told you so”:

Where to begin? Hodges’ bigotry is perhaps only rivaled by her ignorance of constitutional and legal principles. Of course Muslim schools will qualify for funding under a voucher plan. When programs like this are set up that dole out benefits to religious schools, the government can’t play favorites. That’s basic.

…

Some legislators aren’t comfortable funding Muslim schools. What’s to be done? How about not establishing these programs in the first place? Let Muslims fund Muslim schools. Let Catholics fund Catholics ones. Let fundamentalist Protestants pay for the conservative Christian academies and so on.

Rep. Hodges made the mistake of saying out loud what most conservative Christians only say to themselves to private: When they say they want “religious freedom,” they’re only referring to their own faith. Everyone else can fend for themselves.

Message to Rep. Hodges: Your Christian privilege is showing.

source

I’ve always said these people need to be careful what they wish for…

WTF? Louisiana Bans Cash For Second Hand Transactions

If you’ve been following this blog for more than a few months, you’ll know that I like to add a warning if I’m posting about Louisiana, it seems like the politicians down there do their best to challenge Texas for being the most backwards ass state in the union and their politics make me want to rage.

I just came across this article on Crooks and Liars outlining how they passed House bill 195 pretty much under the radar banning cash in second hand transactions.

It’s supposed to help track people who fence items like copper wire or electronics, but according to Crooks and Liars;

I don’t think this would hold up in court. Cash is legal tender of the United States government. How can a state legislature ban its usage? And frankly, I think the whole “helping the police” is a crock of bull. As banks start charging more and more fees for us to have the privilege of letting us access our money, I suspect that Rickey Hardy is doing a solid for his lobbyist buddies in the banking industry.

…and I tend to agree.

Ten Commandments monument bill rejected by Louisiana Senate committee

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/06/senate_committee_rejects_ten_c.html

Fearing the expense of a protracted lawsuit, a Louisiana Senate committee Wednesday rejected a bill to authorize placement of a Ten Commandments monument on state Capitol grounds.

The Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs voted 5-2 against House Bill 277 by Rep. Patrick Williams, D-Shreveport, after it started loading up the bill with hostile amendments.

The bill is dead for the session unless Williams can graft it onto another measure that is still alive in the House or Senate.

Voting to kill the bill were: Sens. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans; Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge; Lydia Jackson, D-Shreveport; Rob Marionneaux, D-Livonia; and Edwin Murray, D-New Orleans.

Voting for the measure were: Sens. Jody Amedee, R-Gonzales; and Mike Walsworth, R-West Monroe.

Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Covington, was absent for the vote, and Sen. Robert Kostelka, R-Monroe, as chairman of the panel, did not vote.

Williams told the committee that before he filed the bill, he ran the language by the state attorney general’s office, which said it could withstand a constitutional challenge…

WIN!!!!

[WARNING] This post contains rage and dirty words and Louisiana.

Louisiana.

What the fuck man, I mean really, what the ACTUAL fuck.

In justification for his bill that puts a monument of the 10 commandments on display at the Louisiana state capital, Patrick Williams said “The significance is historical, our laws are based on the Ten Commandments. In fact, without them, a lot of our laws would not exist.”

Wait a fucking second here. Are you FUCKING kidding me. 

First of all -

The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense founded on the Christian religion

- article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli

Second of all, lets look at the 10 commandments:

• I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.

• You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.

• You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

• Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

• Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

• You shall not murder.

• You shall not commit adultery.

• You shall not steal.

• You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

• You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

Okay, so, are we talking about US law or Louisiana law? Or are we fucking talking about people saying bullshit that falls the fuck apart as soon as you actually put some thought to it?

So, let’s look at the first commandment, it says not to have any other gods before god, last time I checked this wasn’t a law at any federal or state level.

The second commandment… What’s that? God’s jealous and doesn’t want you bowing down to carved images or worshiping them. Please point me to a state or federal law about this. Furthermore, you are breaking this commandment every time you bow down and pray in front of an image of Jesus or the Virgin Mary… just sayin’.

Commandment 3, god damn motherfucking son of a BITCH. Like GOD DAMN!!!! - shit, I hope I don’t get in trouble for breaking that law!!!!

At number 4 we have keeping the Sabbath day holy, fuck, someone better tell all the people who work in the service industry that they’re breaking the law, I’m going to have a looooong talk with Walmart.

Okay, moving on, let’s look at commandment 5, shit, you mean I could go to jail for not honoring my mother or father? Shit, I haven’t talked to my father in 15 years, the guy’s an asshole, I better hide from the police.

Commandment number 6 - Thou shall not murder, okay, we’re half way in and we’ve finally found something that is actually a law!!! Fuck dude, all glory to god for telling me that killing people isn’t cool. There is no way I would have figured that out on my own, nor would have countless other societies or cultures that aren’t Christian or don’t have laws based on Christian doctrine.

Commandment number - 7 - Thou shall not steal. Thank you god. I know how happy I am and how awesome it is when people steal my shit, I thought it was totally okay, and every other culture in the would did too, thank you for setting that straight.

Number 8 - You shall not commit adultery, okay, I actually wasn’t real clear on the laws concerning cheating on your spouse, so I did some fact checking (see, this is what you do when you don’t know the answer to something, you look it up and don’t make up speculative bullshit) - here is what I found concerning adultery in the US:

In the United States, laws vary from state to state. In those states where adultery is still on the statute book (although rarely prosecuted), penalties vary from life sentence (Michigan), to a fine of $10 (Maryland), to a Class I felony (Wisconsin). In the U.S. Military, adultery is a potential court-martial offense. The enforceability of adultery laws in the United States is unclear following Supreme Court decisions since 1965 relating to privacy and sexual intimacy of consenting adults.However, occasional prosecutions do occur.

So, I’ll kind of give you guys that one, but only kind of, but then again, I just did some more fact checking, and it seems adultery isn’t illegal in Louisiana, it is grounds for a divorce, but you can’t be arrested for it (as is the case, it seems, in most of the rest of the US).

Coming in at number nine we have “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”. Okay, this can be interpenetrated a few different ways, but from what I understand by reading about it, it says you shouldn’t slander, lie, perjure yourself, “spread false reports” - it’s kind of ambiguous, but I think I should get in touch with every fucking politician ever, and anyone else I can think of that lies their ass off and let them know they are breaking the law.

While there are slander and perjury laws, laws like these have been around in one form or another (for example Roman law) before Christianity was.

Lastly, we have commandment #10, Fuck. I didn’t know I could go to jail because I think my neighbor had a hot wife or I wish I had a Dodge Viper too, that arrogant fuck.

If you want to put religions bullshit on government property, I think a much better option would be Jupiter, since a lot of western law is based off of what the Romans came up with.

So, Mr. Patrick Williams, please, kindly fuck off and get your facts straight.

What the fuck is wrong with Louisiana?

Are Louisiana politicians trying as hard as they can to make their state the most draconian, politically fucked up state in the union?

Do they want their state to be a theocracy?

Lets look at a few Louisiana news stories over the past month or so:

Louisiana moves to outlaw abortion entirely

Teaching creationism: Louisiana law that skirts US ban survives challenge

Damon Fowler ostracized and threatened for challenging prayer at graduation

These are just three examples, you want to know what an America run by extremists would look like, you’re seeing it right here.

This is why it’s so important to get off your ass and vote, when only those with the most extreme political views vote, then only the politicians with the most extreme political views get into office and start restricting people’s rights with their political agendas.

This type of thing is seriously frightening to me.

17 Year Old to Michele Bachmann: Show Me Your Nobel Laureate Scientists.

http://www.repealcreationism.com/508/17-year-old-to-michelle-bachmann-show-me-your-nobel-laureate-scientists/

A 17 year old student in Louisiana is Calling out congress woman Michele Bachmann on creationism and Nobel Laureate scientists.

I’m a 17 year old from Louisiana, and I’m calling Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s bluff when it comes to creationism and Nobel Laureate scientists.

In 2004, while she was in the Minnesota State Senate, Congresswoman Bachmann tried to pass SF 1714, a bill similar to my state’s creationism law, the Louisiana Science Education Act (LSEA), which I’m fighting to repeal.  This misnamed and misguided law creates a way to sneak the teaching of creationism into Louisiana public school science classrooms.

The LSEA is hurting my state and the students in it.  And now, as the congresswoman is laying the groundwork to run for President, she is upping the ante for the rest of the country by bringing an anti-science, creationist stance to the national stage.  Why is this a junk hand for students?  Just look at the lessons from Louisiana.  Colleges both at home and across the country may question our science education and withhold admission because of our dubious science background.  In addition, Louisiana students may lose out on cutting edge science jobs to kids from countries like China and Britain where they teach accurate science and the theory of evolution.

This law gives Louisiana an anti-science reputation, which hinders the state’s ability to attract scientists who can help find innovative solutions to rescue the Louisiana seafood industry from disasters such as the BP oil spill and stop our coast from disappearing.  The LSEA also handicaps our bio-tech start ups and efforts to attract investment in companies that do scientific research.

According to the 2009 survey of 8th grade students’ science education by the National Center for Education Statistics, Louisiana was at the bottom of the list, ranked lower than all but one state.  Do not let Michele Bachmann drag the rest of the country down to Louisiana’s level.

In 2006, Congresswoman Bachmann claimed “there is a controversy among scientists about whether evolution is a fact… hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel prizes, believe in intelligent design.”

Intelligent design is another name for creationism.  Teaching these exchangeable theories in public school science classrooms was found unconstitutional in the 2005 Dover vs. Kitzmiller case because they are not science.

Bachmann’s ongoing misrepresentation of science and scientists at a national level adds fuel and false authority to the lobbyists and politicians in my state who have an agenda to undermine evidence-based science.

Does Congresswoman Bachmann really think the public will fall for her sleight of hand and believe she has Nobel Laureate scientists who support these unscientific theories?

Congresswoman Bachmann, I see your “hundreds” of scientists, and raise you millions of scientists.

For the next hand, I raise you 43 Nobel Laureate scientists.  That’s right:  43 Nobel Laureate scientists have endorsed our effort to repeal Louisiana’s creationism law.

Major science organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which represents over 10 million scientists, have publicly endorsed the repeal.

Congresswoman Bachmann, you claim that Nobel Laureates support creationism.  Show me your hand.   If you want to be taken seriously by voters while you run for President, back up your claims with facts.  Can you match 43 Nobel Laureates, or do you fold?

Over $12,000 has been donated to a scholorship for Damon Fowler…

http://friendlyatheist.com/2011/05/21/what-happened-at-damon-fowlers-graduation/

I still can’t get over the outpouring for this young man. I’m so happy that so much of the secular community pulled together to support him.

From what I have read, he is moving to Texas to live with his brother, as his parents threw all his belongings out on the lawn and skipped town.

Read the article I linked to above for more, it seems the local papers have been very biased in reporting the story, I really can’t stand the smug fucking attitude of people like Laci Mattice and her “I respect the beliefs of other people, but…”

This whole thing is so much NOT about religions beliefs and more about being fucking pious, smug, holier than thou assholes, fucking mob mentality. 

If Jesus was real he’d be ashamed of these people.

Furthermore, I simply loved:

Principal Stacey Pullen said earlier in the day that additional security officers were requested because of the outcry by atheists from across the country who sided with the student who filed the protest.

They had to hire additional security to protect them from the atheists, while Damon was receiving death threats and threats of bodily harm… makes perfect sense.