Re: [Phys-L] Relativity labeled as a liberal theory

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

> The Conservapedia website is dismal.  As a conservative, I 
> find it extremely disappointing.  I took a look at the 
> history for the E = mc^2 page.  Everytime someone (user B) 
> tries to correct anything, user A switches it back to the 
> old, incorrect interpretation.  Then, if user B contiues 
> making corrections, user A reverts the page and has user B 
> banned from contributing.  User A has no background in 
> physics.  his background is in law and government.
>
> I am glad to say that I have never met a conservative or seen 
> a post on Facebook by conservatives that references this 
> website.  I tend to think that the number of page views they 
> get is due to people checking it out for some laughs.
 
Good, but apparently there are people who are paying it attention.  So why
don't the conservatives stand up against this sort of nonsense.  The problem
is that the average public does not know that material like this is very
biased and not based on good research.  Of course the Conservapedia shows a
lack of realism when their front page says 2013 will be a bad year for
evolution belief.  The antievolutionist belief has been decreasing ever
since the Scopes trial.  I suspect that as long as conservatives continue to
let this type of thing declare itself to be conservative, the "none" section
of the electorate will fall to the Democrats.

Then there is: "A Beka Book is a publisher affiliated with Pensacola
Christian College that produces K-12 curriculum materials that are used by
Fundamentalist [28][29] Conservative Christian schools and homeschooling
families around the world. It is named after Rebekah Horton, wife of college
president Arlin Horton. A Beka Book and BJU Press (formerly Bob Jones
University Press) have been considered the two major publishers of
Christian-based educational materials in America.[30] A Beka Book is the
largest Christian textbook publisher in the world."

Fortunately Cal. Has rejected it as an in class text because of the
inconsistencies with current scientific understanding.  But other states may
allow it to be used, and it is used in schools attended by students on
vouchers.  This particular school does warn its students that they can not
teach in public schools because of its lack of accreditation, but they also
boast that their courses are accepted by many other schools.

Fortunately all of the large US networks do not buy into this sort of
nonsense and they do report science reliably.  But there are a number of
secondary schools which do promote this type of nonsense.  Then of course
there are the pre-college schools which put very poor things on their
websites such as http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/touch/touch.html
and this is actually a legitimate web site.

The sections on the special and general relativity do not claim that it is
false, but it is the section on just "relativity" that claims it is false.