Oklahoma's Divisive Disclaimer on Evolution

[Doug Yanega]

I've been asked to post the text of the Alabama disclaimer (dated 1996) so
people can see what it says. The excerpt from Oklahoma's disclaimer *is*
identical. If it's declared unconstitutional, I think someone ought to tell
the Governor of Alabama.

> A MESSAGE FROM THE ALABAMA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
>
> This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory some
> scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin of
> living things, such as plants, animals and humans. No one was
> present when life first appeared on earth. Therefore, any
> statement about life's origins should be considered as theory,
> not fact.
>
> The word "evolution" may refer to many types of change. Evolution
> describes changes that occur within a species. (White moths, for
> example, may "evolve" into gray moths.) This process is
> microevolution, which can be observed and described as fact.
> Evolution may also refer to the change of one living thing to
> another, such as reptiles into birds. This process, called
> macroevolution, has never been observed and should be considered
> a theory. Evolution also refers to the unproven belief that
> random, undirected forces produced a world of living things.
>
> There are many unanswered questions about the origin of life
> which are not mentioned in your textbook, including:
>
> - Why did the major groups of animals suddenly appear in the
> fossil record (known as the "Cambrian Explosion")?
>
> - Why have no new major groups of living things appeared in the
> fossil record for a long time?
>
> - Why do major groups of plants and animals have no transitional
> forms in the fossil record?
>
> - How did you and all living things come to possess such a
> complete and complex set of "instructions" for building a living
> body?
>
> Study hard and keep an open mind. Someday, you may contribute to
> the theories of how living things appeared on earth.
>
>
> End disclaimer


Doug Yanega        Dept. of Entomology         Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521
phone: (909) 787-4315 (standard disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
                http://insects.ucr.edu/staff/yanega.html
        NOTE: I WILL BE ON VACATION FROM DEC. 18 - JAN. 4
                vacation e-mail: dyanega at hotmail.com