The Revisionaries

[gavel]

The Senate Committee on

Nominations will come to order.

Mr. Chair, thank you.

Thank you for the opportunity

to question chairman McLeroy.

I think this is one of the most

important jobs in Texas.

There are 15 bills

floating around here

to strip your authority.

To make sure that you have

nothing to do with curriculum

and nothing to do

with selecting textbooks.

You've created a hornet's nest

like I've never seen here.

Now, the perception out there

is that you, as chair,

have done everything

conceivably possible

to make sure

that Intelligent Design

is what is taught

in the state's textbooks.

How would you respond

to that?

The question is:

did I try to put

Intelligent Design in the books?

I'd say that'd be false.

Absolutely false.

That you've done

everything possible

as chairman to push

that point of view.

Now, what would you say?

What would you respond to that?

I would say that's not true.

I would say I did everything

I did to bring up the...

.. some of the scientific

difficulties of evolution.

I would say that would be

absolutely true.

Yes, sir.

Hey, fellas,

It's March.

That means it's time

for the year's 'mote' exciting

television event.

Say it with me.

The Texas School Board hearings.

Why didn't you say it with me?

[laughter]

I want you to explain,

how can the Texas

Board of Education

have the power

to change textbooks,

really, all over the entire country?

Why does this matter

to the rest of us?

Typically, it's been Texas

and California,

the two biggest textbook

purchasers in the country,

that really dictate

the rest of the country.

Whatever textbooks they select

then affects

the rest of the country.

Because the publishers publish

those kinds of books,

and the rest of the country

follows.

You have been quoted

as saying

that the amount of power

you have,

at times, boggles your mind.

Well, I did say that.

I wished I hadn't have said that.

But I did say that,

because it is

pretty influential.

Each step of the way,

evolution deniers and opponents

on the board

have thumbed their nose

at science

and made clear

that their own personal

ideological beliefs

are more important

than giving Texas kids

the education they need

to succeed in college

and in the jobs

of the 21st century.

Okay, okay.

dd [soft music]

dd

Wait. Keep your chin down.

Perfect, just like that.

[air hissing]

Open a little wider.

- Ah.

- Open a little wider.

- Ah, ah.

[drill]

Hey, Michael, you ever

thought much about evolution,

the idea that we all share

a common ancestor

with that tree out front?

You ever thought much

about it?

You know, not really.

Yeah, most people haven't

thought much about it.

I think...

it's quite a big claim

that people make,

you know...

I'm a skeptic myself.

There's no way.

Anyway...

I think

what we've done in Texas

is unbelievably significant.

It has to do with the

definition of science.

[air hissing]

[grinding]

So now the debate

is over:
"What's science?"

It's gonna be in every single text book.

The kids are gonna know

what science is.

And science is the use of

evidence to make testable...

explanations of natural phenomena.

Rinse out real good.

I'm gonna be asking you

some true-false questions

just to see what you know already.

before we even start that...

I want to know what you guys

know already about evolution.

What have you guys heard

about evolution?

What are your ideas

when you...

Yes, Joey.

Monkeys turn into humans.

Monkeys turn into humans.

You know,

everybody always says that.

I want to clear this up

right now.

Evolution

doesn't necessarily say

That we evolved from monkeys,

alright?

Especially the monkeys

that we see now,

like an orangutan

or a gorilla, alright?

It doesn't say that.

What it does say

Is that a long, long time ago,

We may have had a common

ancestor with a monkey.

You guys know what I mean

by "common ancestor"?

like, your mom, maybe.

You and your cousin

have a common ancestor.

Alright who is your

common ancestor to your cousin

Your grandma.

Your grandmother, right?

Does that mean that

you came from your cousin?

No.

This week, the Texas

State Board of Education

Was reviewing the Texas

Curriculum Standards

for science.

Grades kindergarten

through graduation

were being reviewed,

but all conversation,

all debate, and all eyes

were focused on two words:

"strengths and weaknesses".

And it was all about evolution.

Evolution is a theory,

so it's not really valid.

True or false?

Some scientists

do consider it... Evolution...

to be scientific fact.

And so the controversy is:

At what point can we call

evolution a fact?

And that's where people

get into that heated debate.

Is it a theory, or is it a fact?

Texas science teachers

Were called upon

to review

the curriculum standards.

and they recommended

that the words:

"strengths and weaknesses",

that had been in the curriculum

be removed.

Because they recognized

that those words:

"strengths and weaknesses"

no longer had the regular meaning.

They had been drafted

into the political arsenal

of creationists

to promote creationism

and undermine

the teaching of evolution.

As an organization that cares

about our fundamental liberties,

we wanna

make sure that the classroom

is one of the places where

those types of liberties

are still safe.

And the problem is

if you take out the

"strengths and weaknesses" language

you're gonna have an environment

of censorship in the classroom

on these science issues.

- Hey, Miss.

- Yes, Sir.

So that means, like,

that Charles Darwin dude

don't believe in God

or something?

The theory of evolution

does not necessarily say

that you cannot be religious.

Okay?

And it should not conflict

with whatever religious

beliefs you have.

I know there are people that

are very fired up about it.

on both sides of the spectrum.

And, they've made a compromise.

And hopefully both groups are happy.

But maybe both groups are not

happy with it.

When you see a canyon,

you see all these layers, right?

Bottom line is, our students need to know

the science of evolution...

and they do need

to be able to ask questions.

OK, so you will keep me posted.

Initially, the Texas Freedom Network

was founded to counter

the efforts of the religious

right in Texas,

not in the hot button issues

that you typically see,

like abortion

and gay and lesbian rights.

but instead, the religious right

was promoting policies

far outside the mainstream

in a number of other areas.

Particularly public education.

I'm leaving to get Caroline

in about five minutes,

And then I think

I'm coming back here.

OK, thank you. See you later.

Yeah, I'm not out yet.

Every single issue

that we deal with

has some component

of the separation

of church and state

or religious freedom in it.

But our mission is to promote

religious freedom,

civil liberties,

and quality public education

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