Re: [Phys-l] California state standards and their tests

["John Clement" <clement@hal-pc.org>]

California is very much in the thick of reactionary educational policies, so
what could the West Coast secede from?  Even parts of the "liberal"
Northeast such as parts of PA have been pushing fundamentalist dogma.  LA
has its historical share of populist conservative preachers who were courted
by politicians.

Actually TX has a moderating influence in the large Catholic population.
The Roman church is not opposed to evolution or the big bang theory.  And
Galileo was laid to rest along with the most famous Italians in Florence.
But the fundamentalists have managed to cow some teachers even in schools
where evolution is an approved subject.

This seems to be a uniquely American problem, but if polls are right, the
public is slowly coming along.  This may be why the fundamentalists are
fighting so hard.  They used to ignore politics.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


> Your example is what adds fuel to the move for the West Coast to declare
> independence from the United States.