These kinds of stories break every day, the religiously inspired officials in some town or village do or say something stupid and make everyone there look like backward hicks, evolution is usually the trigger but you also see divinely revealed misogyny, witchcraft, FGM, anti-medicine, anti-GW, dangerous rituals etc. etc. the list goes on and on. Usually you only get to hear the official line on these things through the mainstream media who often simply parrot what has already been said, but I always crave to know what the locals really think. Luckily in this case you can see what some of them feel by looking at the comments section of their local paper report on the story, it's interesting, seems like the religious anti-rationalists in Sedalia don't have things entirely their own way; here are a couple of comments which I thought were on the money although there are many more like this.
"Great, now the world thinks we're a bunch of back woods idiots. Good going #200. Unfortunately, our town made the national news back in 2004 when the Kerry/Edwards train stopped in town and that didn't cast us in a good light. Very sad that that same mindset is what will most likely get us in the national news this time. However, what is really sad is that the school district bows to a few parents--one of who is a teacher. There are many good people here working to bring our town into the 21st century--by trying to bring us new doctors, teachers, jobs, etc. With this kind of stuff getting out in the media--any media be it social or msm--we are cast in a poor light. Professionals don't want to move here when they see this stuff. Parents: Let the schools do their job and you teach your kids your religion at home. Sedalia School Board: You need to ask yourselves, "are we serving our children? our community?" If you are bowing to pressures from a few then the answer is no you are not. If you can't do that, then you need to resign your position and let new board members straighten out this administration."
And another one:-
"Here are the questions a school district should be asking itself: How do we help more of our children attend better universities? How do we help more of them become doctors, engineers, scientists and professionals? How do we instil a thirst for knowledge that will make them better citizens? That's what most parents want for their children. Students deserve the opportunity to make something more of their lives. They deserve the best education a community can possibly provide. It is their birthright.
They can no more become a doctor without an understanding of evolutionary biology than they can become an engineer without knowledge of Newtonian mechanics.
What never ceases to amaze me is that dominionist fundamentalists are never asking how to improve the quality of a school's education and give children better opportunities. They're asking, "How can I make these children as pig-ignorant as me?""
I think its great that a little local story like this can go global so quickly, now the school officials in Sedalia know that the whole world is watching them (at least for a few minutes) and it has become very difficult for them to continue to promote ignorance while hiding behind the veil of "faith" – we can't be provincial anymore.
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