The best article I’ve read so far on the evolution sticker proceedings (no affront to Racoon) is here.

(2005-01-14) — Scientists credit the Darwinian mechanism of “descent with modification” for the mysterious appearance today of new labels in science textbooks in Cobb County, Georgia.

School officials discovered the new stickers as they prepared to comply with a federal judge’s order to remove primitive stickers which called evolution a “theory” rather than a “fact” and encouraged students to study it with an “open mind.”

U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper ruled that the old labels could “confuse” public school students, who are not accustomed to thinking critically.

Head over to ScrappleFace to read the rest.

“This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with a open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.”

can constitute establishment of religion. The current confusion over whether it is a fact or theory certainly warrants such an injunction; while well-informed scientists will admit readily it is no more than theory, a very significant portion of the general population believes it to be proven fact. In actuality it is no more than an untested — untestable, indeed– hypothesis.

Scott’s description of the ‘evolved’ sticker brings me vividly back to my days of freshman biology, so reminiscent it is of the way we were taught to think. Perhaps that’s why I’m now doing chemistry and math, not biology:

“This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a fact, not a theory, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with childlike trust, accepted obediently and defended vigorously against the attacks of ignorant monotheists.”