29/6 Louisiana new school texts: "Nessie refutes Evolution"?!

The Louisiana State Legislature and Governor Bobby Jindal, has passed a law allowing books to be purchased. The bad news is, these books teach to a Christian nationalist agenda, and the state will divert education funds of around $1m to this ridiculous propagandist indoctrination including racism bigotry and pseudo-science in private schools.

Some of the highlights of texts include:

• Nessie is a dinosaur that survived the Yucatan asteroid strike so evolution is dis-proven.
• African literacy is at 10% because Communists shut down missionary schools.
• Stellar fusion is a myth.
• The KKK, were moral crusaders. Slavery in Christian America gave slaves true freedom ( from "the bondage of sin")
• The Great Depression was an exaggerated by liberal socialists.
• The final battle "Armageddon" will happen in the middle East when Jesus come back to set up his kingdom on Earth,

Lets take a look at wrong with this picture

Nessie

Nessie is largely thought to be myth and hoax. Though there are blurred photos and sonar scans none clearly show what is being observed. Though one photo bears a striking resemblance to a swimmers arm held out of the water.

African Illiteracy

If you haven't heard of this before that's probably because it didn't happen(much). With African countries suffering from war ethnic or religious violence. Education becomes a secondary priority to avoid being shot or hacked to death. Education needs stability in the society in which it operates.

Stellar Fusion Myth Claim

The stellar fusion thing seems to come from tin foil hat territory. The was a hypothesis that Sol(our Sun) was burning coal. this ignores many clearly observable phenomenon that would be observable if were true.

• After 10000 years, we would be in the dark from all the smoke and the light that reaches us would be redder. 
• The moon would be blackened from soot. the Apollo program of course found no soot. 
• When the moon crosses the face of sun in a total solar eclipse the smoke would be lit up and light reflected from the smoke would mean there would more illumination than we get from a full moon,

It also doesn't account for spectral analysis, light from burning coal has different component frequencies (colours) when compared to light from excited hydrogen. Or put another you never get sun burn from coal fire.

KKK Moral crusaders

Now the KKK bit has got to be revisionism at its worst. These good ol' boys were known for lynch black Americans for walking home while hiding behind bed sheets. I can't help but think of the lionization of Black shirts in 30's-40's Germany.

Depression Exaggeration

It is a matter of record that America had unemployment of around 22%. Leaving people hungry and soup kitchens a major feature American life.  The current economic downturn boasts a maximum unemployment rate of 10% (source Federal Bureau of statistics).

Eschatology

Finally, this piece of eschatology is one of those vague predictions that seem to be confirmed every other week. But considering how vague these prediction are it should be no surprise to anyone the they describe things that are relatively mundane and hyped beyond reason.

I predict that in the year after venus passes before the sun someone who is love by many will die of a disease of heart.

It sounds good, but of think back to news reports the question become was there ever a year in which a celebrity didn't have a fatal coronary event.

In Conclusion

Its one thing to suffer delusions, it is quite another to be teaching to children that your delusions are fact. The problem is with delusions those that hold them they don't know their delusions are false. I'm so glad people are working to remove the religious exception for delusion in Diagnostic Statistics Manual of psychiatry. I so hope they get this revision through.

What do you think?