Science Under Attack and an Action: Smart Mobs for Science '09

First some background on some troubling news, then an ACTION that goes beyond petitions and pledges into realms of media-savvy creativity that I hope catches on - but that depends on you. Digg it, Facebook it, Tweet it, Stumble it, spread it. And above all, go out on a fun limb - come on, you're a primate with fantastic opposable thumbs - and do it.

Background: Science in schools under attack

From the "Are We Monkeying Around with Creationism in Textbooks Again?" Department - from today's NYTimes:

In Texas, a Line in the Curriculum Revives Evolution Debate

AUSTIN, Tex. — The latest round in a long-running battle over how evolution should be taught in Texas schools began in earnest Wednesday as the State Board of Education heard impassioned testimony from scientists and social conservatives on revising the science curriculum.

The debate here has far-reaching consequences; Texas is one of the nation’s biggest buyers of textbooks, and publishers are reluctant to produce different versions of the same material.

Many biologists and teachers said they feared that the board would force textbook publishers to include what skeptics see as weaknesses in Darwin’s theory to sow doubt about science and support the Biblical version of creation.

In case you don't read the full article here, a couple more snippets:

Even as federal courts have banned the teaching of creationism and intelligent design in biology courses, social conservatives have gained 7 of 15 seats on the Texas board in recent years, and they enjoy the strong support of Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican.

The chairman of the board, Dr. Don McLeroy, a dentist, pushed in 2003 for a more skeptical version of evolution to be presented in the state’s textbooks, but could not get a majority to vote with him. Dr. McLeroy has said he does not believe in Darwin’s theory and thinks that Earth’s appearance is a recent geologic event, thousands of years old, not 4.5 billion as scientists contend. . . .

And lest you think this a local issue for Texans only, note that the Discovery Institute may be coming soon to a schoolhouse nearer you:

Already, legislators in six states — Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri and South Carolina — have considered legislation requiring classrooms to be open to “views about the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian theory,” according to a petition from the Discovery Institute, the Seattle-based strategic center of the intelligent-design movement.

Finally, for an answer to the "What do I care?" question, let's let money talk:

Business leaders, meanwhile, said Texas would have trouble attracting highly educated workers and their families if the state’s science programs were seen as a laughingstock among biologists.

“The political games we are playing right now are going to burn us all,” said Eric Hennenhoefer, who owns Obsidian Software.

Action: Smart Mobs for Science

Picture this: enterprising students, parents, teachers, and advocates of science in cities in Texas, particularly, and other cities nationwide - along with counterparts in Romania, which just mandated a Creationism-only science curriculum (I kid you not), and maybe Turkey, for good measure - organize Smart Mobs, in Howard Rheingold's happy term, to strike, peacefully and simultaneously, out of the blue to demand only 21st century science - yes, I mean evolution - be included in their biology and other science textbooks.

And they do it quickly, before Texas’ Creationist-dominated Board of Education votes this Spring to insert Creationism yet again into its science standards. (See this post.)

They happen at such places as the state capitol buildings, the lobbies of textbook publishers’ headquarters, science museums, schoolrooms, the national capitol, and wherever else seems like a good idea. Participants photograph it, videotape it, upload it all and tag it ScienceSmartMob09 on Flickr and YouTube in hopes of going viral and gaining more media and political attention.

And they simply follow the steps of this excellent video (h/t to the Personal Democracy Forum):

And, because they’re good, peaceful citizens showing the will, responsibility, and creativity to act for the education they deserve, the students who organize these events (more than once, please) include this as a bullet on their college application, to show that they’re more original and more consequential than the herd that joins the schooly National Honor Society and such. And the admissions officers at the best colleges see that bullet, and place their applications in the acceptance pile.

And they live actively and powerfully ever after.

If Obama’s doing it, kids, maybe it’s something you should consider as worth your time to learn. It might just help your future more than a couple hundred extra points on your SAT.

Watch the video above to see how easy and fun it is, and if you're game, Do Not Pass Go - go directly to this action and sign the pledge. We'll follow up with interviews, feature articles, and guest-blogger invitations for folks who take the action.

See more from the good folks at Texas Freedom Network.

Image by Colin Purrington