Following on from the story about creationism in British GCSE science exams I feel the need to illustrate what happens when science education is allowed to fail. Fortunately a fabulous example of scientific ignorance presented itself almost immediately. In the USA (Arizona) the state senator Sylvia Allen provides us with several points of supreme ignorance in a single statement, she asserts that the earth is only 6000 years old, even 6 year old children know there are trees older than this, its wrong on an epic scale. Then she goes on to say that there is no need for environmental laws, perhaps the good people of Arizona who have to live next door to this proposed Uranium mine would like to have a dig around in Ms Allen's back yard, see if they can find something toxic that might poison her loved ones. Then she says we won't even know the mine was there when they are finished, uh huh, strip mining has a clear and long track record of not impacting the environment, evidence old girl, evidence. Then there is the logical fallacy that because something is supposedly "old" that it cannot change, she states that because we haven't destroyed the environment yet that we won't destroy it. Unbelievable, jaw dropping ignorance, tell that to the Dodo!
The stooopid, it burns..
3 comments:
How embarrassing to hear that a fellow American says that. Thanks for posting. Will check out the video later when boss isn't around! :)
Hi Elizabeth, yes quite!
I think what's more scary than her rather strange and erroneous "opinions" it is the fact that she is using it to inform policy decisions!
I can't gloat too much though, I suspect there are quite a few in our government with similar views.
E, how are you feeling BTW - not the dreaded swine flu I hope?
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