That is the title of an editorial from the Seattle Post (lack of) Intelligencer concerning the Federal Way School Board requirement that teachers wishing to show Al Gore’s PowerPoint on Film “An Inconvenient Truth”, must run the decision through an administrator, and present the opposing viewpoint.
Those Federal Way School Board members are such clever politicians. They have used bureaucratic rules to gore classroom exploration of climate change, a critical topic for students’ futures.
To the contrary, the School Board feels that the debate is SO important to students future that they need to hear more than ONE SIDE of the argument. And the use of the word “gore” is just a little over the line of cute. I am sure the writer thought it was an inside joke, that only good Liberals would catch…
In responding to a parent complaint about Al Gore’s documentary on the threat of global warming, the board put a mythical pursuit of balance ahead of reality.
First, there were at least half a dozen complaints, not ONE, as is implied. But then, accuracy is not important, when the writers heart is pure. And how, exactly, does REQUIRING the opposing viewpoint be shown create a “mythical” pursuit of balance?
They enacted what is apparently a first: a virtual ban on showing “An Inconvenient Truth,” hidden behind hobbling of teachers’ options through demands for principal and superintendent OKs and presentation of opposing views to Gore’s stirring calls to concern and action.
What they did, was enact a “Virtual Ban” on presenting ONE SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT.
Any classroom teacher worth his salt is going to let students know about debates on the science of global warming.
Classroom: “Now kids, some people think that global warming is not real, just like they used to think the world was flat. Now here is former Vice President Gore to tell you about the REALITY and SCIENCE of Global Warming for the next 90 minutes”.
But equating the consensus on mankind’s role in causing the problem (which even the Bush White House now acknowledges, for crying out loud) with the voices of doubt is a flat misrepresentation of prevailing views.
Considering the Liberals opinion of President Bush, and the Administration, I would think this would have been enough to convert them all to skeptics. Don’t even get me started on the illogic of using government officials as a gauge of scientific process and reality.
As school board members well know, teachers have only so much time. Teachers also need a certain amount of freedom in using it. Maybe the duck-and-cover board members forgot that.
What they REALLY mean with this parting shot, is that there is a LOT of propaganda and indoctrination to cram into the young heads full of mush, and the requirement to present a balanced view on dogma is distracting and dangerous to the Liberal mindset they are trying to enforce.
What never ceases to amaze me is that since the 1960s, it is the Liberals (showing or characterized by broad-mindedness ) in this nation that demand that there be NO DEBATE on things like Climate Change, Minimum Wage, Abortion, Social Security, and other items in their quasi-religious world view. These things are TOO IMPORTANT TO DEBATE in their twisted little world.
You can never have too much information (well, there is one person that I work with, who has some questionable personal habits), only too much censorship.