As we learned this morning (initially via Pharyngula), the recent school board elections in Dover, PA yielded a win for science. From the New York Times:

All eight members up for re-election to the Pennsylvania school board that had been sued for introducing the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in biology class were swept out of office yesterday by a slate of challengers who campaigned against the intelligent design policy.

...

The election results were a repudiation of the first school district in the nation to order the introduction of intelligent design in a science class curriculum.

So, while the verdict from the recently-concluded trial won't be announced until January, we can take solace in what will hopefully be a very clear message to politicians — if you push creationism, you can kiss your political office goodbye.

Way over in the square states, though, things aren't going quite as swimmingly. Just after reading about the victory above, we also read about the current plight in Kansas (again from Pharyngula). From MSNBC:

Risking the kind of nationwide ridicule it faced six years ago, the Kansas Board of Education approved new public-school science standards Tuesday that cast doubt on the theory of evolution.

...

The new standards say high school students must understand major evolutionary concepts. But they also declare that the basic Darwinian theory that all life had a common origin and that natural chemical processes created the building blocks of life have been challenged in recent years by fossil evidence and molecular biology.

In addition, the board rewrote the definition of science, so that it is no longer limited to the search for natural explanations of phenomena.

Hey, there's a thought. If you want to teach your line of hokey bullshit in science classes but can't get past the fact that it isn't science, just change the definition of science, right? Sadly for these Kansas morons (and happily for the rest of us), that's just not how it works. If it did work that way, though, we'd move to rewrite the definition of "self defense" so that it included defending ourselves against an assault on reason. Then we'd hop out to Kansas and smack these idiots on their heads with a tack hammer.

We also love how they throw in their bogus arguments that evolution has been challenged by recent developments in molecular biology and fossil evidence. Frankly, these creationist morons wouldn't know molecular biology from Ovaltine, so even if recent developments in that field did cast doubt on evolution — which is an absolute fabrication — they would remain blissfully ignorant of that fact. We've seen this argument more times than we can count from proponents of silly pseudoscience. Hell, all the other loons points to "recent scientific evidence" that supports their cause; why should creationism be any different?

There's probably a lot more to say on both of these issues, but we're really tired tonight. Instead, we'll toast the Dover elections, and drown our sorrows over the loss of Kansas. Either way — we're having some drinks.

I drove through kansas once. IT was interesting, because at every truck stop, or gas station or little town along the freeway, there was also a very prominently advertisted pornographic outlet.

Whats this got to do with the topic at hand? Kansas is wonky as all get out.

Oh, and just so I dont forget to mention, it was also the most boring state I have driven through.

Clearly you've never driven through Oklahoma. Not only is it incredibly boring, they also make you pay tolls in order to experience said boredom.

And unlike Kansas, we didn't even see any truckstop porn.

OPEN EPISTLE TO KANSAS SCHOOL BOARD
November 8th, 2005
I write with joy and thanks in my heart for your bold decision to teach Kansas schoolchildren of The Intelligent Design GOD IDio. Finally, The Church of The Intelligent Designer needs no longer cower behind a façade of science.

Now that your establishment of IDio has rendered the Constitution's first amendment inoperative, we can proudly proclaim in every Kansas classroom, "There is but one Intelligent Designer and His Name is IDio!" Thanks be to the taxpayers of Kansas for donating their money to proselytize for His church. May IDio mutate you all intelligently.

Finally, we see an end to the dark decades of awkward debates, of tedious aping of scientific method, of endless self-publication to mesmerize the faithful. No more need we pay our devout 'scientists' to appear in court, only to be insulted by the IDioless forces of logic. Never again must we shrug uneasily and mumble, "Umdon'tknowbutit'snotagod," when Darwinists ask the identity of the Intelligent Designer.

Spread the word: http://www.godinabox.com

Funny stuff, Doug! We have just one question: is IDio a parody of the god of Intelligent Design, or a parody of classic heavy metal group Dio?

Either way, we're ready to start training up the science teachers!