We have great news for the schools in Louisiana, which are already primed to allow “supplementary materials” in science class, thanks to the Louisiana Science Education Act, and — if Another Weird Creationism Bill passes — will be able to select science texts at the local school board level.
The news is posted at the creationist blog of the Discovery Institute — described in the Cast of Characters section of our Intro page. The Discoveroids’ headline is Introducing a New Intelligent Design Curriculum: Discovering Intelligent Design. Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us and their links omitted:
It’s brand new and launching today! Discovering Intelligent Design (DID) is the first full curriculum to present the scientific evidence for intelligent design in both cosmology and biology in an easy-to-understand format. The curriculum includes a textbook, a workbook, and a DVD with multimedia video clips that are integrated into the readings. Developed by home school educators Gary and Hallie Kemper, and Discovery Institute research coordinator Casey Luskin, DID uniquely fills a specific niche in the intelligent design literature.
Now they’re calling Casey a “research coordinator”? BWAHAHAHAHAHA! But who are Gary and Hallie Kemper? We can’t find much about them, except that the Discoveroids seem to like their work, and that tells us all we need to know. The Discoveroid article continues:
While best classified as a textbook, DID reads like a book and is intended for a wide range of ages — from middle-schoolers to adult — in settings such as private schools, a general family and home setting, homeschool, church environments, small discussion groups, extracurricular school organizations (such as IDEA Clubs), or personal use.
Yes, “church environments” are definitely the appropriate market. As for IDEA Clubs — are there any of those still around? There may be — Wikipedia has an article about them: Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness Center. Let’s read on:
When used as a textbook, DID is not intended to replace standard subject science texts, but instead can supplement them by presenting information not available in many standard textbooks. While DID is strictly scientific in its content, it is not recommended for use in public schools.
They claim it’s “strictly scientific,” yet it’s not recommended for public schools. Why is that? Perhaps the Discoveroids learned a lesson from their humiliation regarding Of Pandas and People, all promotion of which is now scrubbed from their website. We continue:
DID stands out as the only strictly scientific textbook that comprehensively introduces both the cosmological and biological evidence for intelligent design at a layperson’s level.
That’s amazing. Why doesn’t any other “strictly scientific textbook” do that? It must be a conspiracy! We’ll skip a few paragraphs of breathless puffery, but their last sentence is interesting:
DID is published by Discovery Institute Press.
Ah yes — the Discovery Institute Press. Among their stable of highly respected authors are David Berlinski, David Klinghoffer, Casey Luskin, and John West. Any school would be proud to adopt a text from such a fine publisher.
It boggles the mind to think of the wonders humanity will achieve when we have a generation raised on science texts such as this one. Okay, Louisiana — what are you waiting for?
Copyright © 2013. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.
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The Sensuous Curmudgeon 
“DID stands out as the only strictly scientific textbook that comprehensively introduces both the cosmological and biological evidence for intelligent design at a layperson’s level.”
All the cosmological and biological evidence for ID? Man, this book’s going to be even shorter than The Wit and Wisdom of Spiro T. Agnew!
Pete, you’re assuming that most people remember who Spiro T. Agnew was. Of course he was famous for deriding us “eggheads.” I wonder what he would think of the DIdiots?
Yes, I too would like to see the evidence for cosmology and biology that this book supposedly presents. Certainly it doesn’t rely on any scientific investigations or research.
From the overview, DID hits every ID talking point in its anti-evolution paranoid diatribe. Far less subtle than Pandas and People.
He (Luskin) formerly conducted scientific research at Scripps Institution for Oceanography and studied evolution extensively at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The only research Casey Luskin did at Scripps was a paper published by his grad advisor who put all of her student’s names on a rather nondescript geology paper. I think Scripps regrets his having ever attended the school. But alas, Casey did, and for a while he actually posted his class notes on his private web site to prove he attended class. As for his studying evolution extensively, well, that’s questionable, but likely he was always a creationist and had every intention of attacking evolution. And he assists educators nationwide to teach evolution more accurately ???? Give me a break.
And it appears the Kemper’s are both twits when it comes to science, instead looking for ID literature to support their religious beliefs rather than investigating scientific evidence.
Gary became a strong supporter of ID after becoming aware of the enormous amount of academic and media misinformation on the subject. Misinformation he says?
But yes, LA just might adopt this crap because they have relied on the “expertise” of the Dishonesty Institute throughout this whole affair.
Has anything ever been written about ID that rises above the “layperson’s level?” Come to think of it, very little has been written about ID at all – almost all writings by the DI and others have been about evolution, and it’s supposed “weaknesses”.
Maybe this “textbook” will describe the mechanisms of ID, when and by whom ID actions are performed, the purpose of ID (including why various poisonous insects and reptiles were created, dangerous microbes, etc), and so on. In other words, a textbook about ID, rather than evolution. Nah. It’ll never happen.
I wonder what they are going to state as the age of the universe and the earth. They are competing with AiG for the home-school crowd, and if they are not YEC, they may lose a large share. I bet they avoid taking a position.
The only math in this textbook will be Darwin = Hitler.
Now that Casey has been relabeled as a “Research Coordinator”, he is doubtless now permitted to drive the DI Clown Car without adult supervision.
Well, now we see why the DI spends most of its $4-5 million budget every year on lobbying right-wing politicians rather than doing scientific research.
They lobby the politicians to pass bills like HB116 in Louisiana to create a market for the &h17 books, then sell them to school districts and get a big return on their investment. Using government to create a market for their wares.
Diogenes says: “Using government to create a market for their wares.”
It works for the green industry, so why not for the brown?
I wasted about 15 minutes by downloading and reading the first (sample) chapter of this “textbook”. It’s pure drivel. Nothing but creationist talking points and dishonest representation of science is found in it.
The book and its authors are fit only for derision and ridicule. To call the authors experts in scientific matters is like calling a jar of pabulum a rare delicacy,
It is a shame that one step forward, merely seems like a giant leap in the opposite direction. Misinformation, or rather misrepresentation of information is in my eyes worse than nothing at all.
Did you notice they abbreviated “Discovering Intelligent Design” down to its initials, DID, but didn’t do the same with “Discovery Institute Press”?
DID NOT!
DID TOO!
That’s the argument.
Credential inflation. I love it so! (for all you JAD (RIP) fans) By Luskin’s standard I’m an internationally renown scientist who has won many awards. All true. Scientist, yes. Internationally renown, most certainly. (I have drinking buddies in London who still talk about the night I won a darts match of 601-down by the score of 601-0 finishing with a miss, a 19 and a double-top while 30 sheets in the wind.) Awards, sure. Purple participation ribbons. Boxes of them.
Luskin conduct research? Only if you consider a Fifth Grade Science Fair project “research.” He logged measurements. The dog probably had something else to do that day.
So, let’s snark a bit about the co-authors. Their bios do not brag that they have advanced degrees, in fact, their bios are so incomplete one can’t be sure they finished college at all. Gary boasts of being an “aerospace systems analyst” which is an entry level position (even an intern) doing almost anything but more likely nothing, based on the paucity of his academic biography. Then switched that promising career to writing but failing to leave the slightest whiff of a trace on Google. Remarkable!
The charming Hallie, however, has a 6-year record of homeschooling having published a fictional account of “why I homeschool” republished across several homeschooling websites over the years. I say fictional without any evidence other than the story is implausible to a rational, literate person and totally believable to the Persecuted People.
OK, the cast of characters is complete: professional propagandist, pathological liar and Attack Gerbil First Class Luskin; un-credentialed, failed engineer and entertainment writer with no scientific background Gary; and unaccredited homeschooler non-scientist stay-at-home Mom Hallie.
Based on the Table of Contents and the whiney, apologetic Introduction, undoubtedly written by Luskin, explaining why DID is no way, no sir, uh-uh not religious at all, like the introductions in ALL science books, this tas de merde puante is no more than a review of already-existing Disco Tute essays and talking points complete with all their old DVD’s (probably donated by Coppedge). Perfect for teaching children and people who think childishly absolutely nothing.
What speaks volumes for the “ID (bowel) Movement” is that the Kemper’s are the best the Tooters could dig up for a monumental educational project like this. It doesn’t even rise to the level of circus.
“their humiliation regarding Of Pandas and People, all promotion of which is now scrubbed from their website.”
Not quite. There is still “Intelligent Design in Public School Science Curricula:
A Legal Guidebook,” which says:
“… teachers should be reassured that they have the right to expose their students to the problems as well as the appeal of Darwinian theory. Moreover, as the previous discussion demonstrates, school boards have the authority to permit, and even encourage, teaching about design theory as an alternative to Darwinian evolution-and this includes the use of textbooks such as Of Pandas and People that present evidence for the theory of intelligent design.”
http://www.arn.org/docs/dewolf/guidebook.htm
John Pieret says: “Not quite. There is still …”
Right. Well, they couldn’t scrub everything. But I remember when they were openly promoting the thing on their front page. That was before Kitzmiller, of course.
This whole affair bolsters the Dishonesty Institute’s claim that they promote education and science, thus deserve their tax exempt status.
The best of the DI was shortly after Kitzmiller when Richard Thomas who unsuccessfully defended the Dover School District was on a video panel where he claimed that the Tooters offered a “teaching supplement” that supported ID in schools without encountering “constitutional entanglements.” Mark Ryland, formerly of the DI Washington office, countered Thomas and said, “Oh, no that’s not true.” Whereupon Thomas reached into his briefcase and pulled out the document! It was magical. Ryland just shut up and shortly thereafter was dismissed from the Disco Tute. I also have a copy of that document and it’s just a piece of sh*t written by Luskin who is the same. Totally worthless document.
Because there are railroad crossings and Mount Rushmore, intelligent design is true!
docbill1351 says: “It [the tas de merde puante DID book] doesn’t even rise to the level of circus.”
Oh crap, and I thought the Discos were going to sub-title it the “Cirque du Merde”
docbill:
Yeah, what Richard Thompson pulled out was what I quoted from above. The NCSE has an account and a transcript of the exchange between Thompson and Ryland here:
http://ncse.com/news/2005/10/discovery-institute-thomas-more-law-center-squabble-aei-foru-00704
Ryland is plying his Beltway banditry in some other policy tank these days, or maybe he just retired. He certainly embarrassed the DI but good in that video.
Funny thing is, I downloaded a copy of that document at least a year or two before Kitzmiller. Luskin was touting how the Tute had written a guide to “Teaching ID in Public School without Getting Your Rat’s Ass Sued” or, as they put it, “constitutional entanglements” and it was all based on the Tute’s “legal opinion.” Sub-title: Casey Luskin, Attack Gerbil, Sez!
Don’t we find it strange (not really) that ID is always just not quite ready, especially in light of the fact it hasn’t changed in 20 years. However, it’s just not quite ready for public school but just fine for your little homeschooled cabbages or in your church. There it’s peachy keen perfect!
docbill: “However, it’s just not quite ready for public school but just fine for your little homeschooled cabbages or in your church. There it’s peachy keen perfect!”
With all the christian academies popping up under the guise of “charter schools”, and publicly-funded vouchers going to religious schools for the past two years in Indiana (and most likely other states soon), DI’s market for their “intelligent” design propaganda is expanding to the point where they won’t need to worry about getting into public schools. Their religious beliefs are being publicly funded in other ways.
The document whipped out by TMLC lawyer Thompson was not written by Luskin but by David K. DeWolf [Law Professor], Stephen C. Meyer, and Mark E. DeForrest [“instructor”].