On 5 Feb 2005 13:47:20 -0800, "darth_versive"
<darth_versive@yahoo.com> wrote:

stoney wrote:

On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 23:29:05 GMT, Al Klein <rukbat@pern.invalid>
wrote:

On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:32:41 -0800, stoney <stoney@the.net> said

alt.atheism:

On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 05:41:15 GMT, Al Klein <rukbat@pern.invalid>
wrote:

On 1 Feb 2005 14:59:13 -0800, "darth_versive"
<darth_versive@yahoo.com> said in alt.atheism:

If they teach their followers that the definition of science

should

include supernatural explanations, and that this makes science

"more

objective," and if their followers believe it, then they've

victory, because these people will then put political pressure

school boards and state boards of education for this new

definition.

The question is not, "isn't this ridiculous"? (which it is),

"what

are we doing to counter it?"

Build a fence around Kansas?

Won't work, you'd get an influx of undocumented aliens.

Rather that than documented morons.

Thank you. Your suggestion is a much better descriptor.

Ok. So we agree that building a fence won't work to keep out the
documented morons. Plus, it's too late to build fences anyway.
They're already outside of Kansas. Like in Dover, Penn., and all

the country. Any other suggestions on how to keep the theocrats

taking over?

{tic}
Shoot them?

I have a suggestion. It's a bit radical, but it seems to work in other
countries.

1. Start a representative democracy. In this republic, people vote for
leaders who represent entire areas rather than special interests. The
leader of the nation is the person whose party gathers the most votes.

2. Depoliticise the public service. Make constituencies follow
population not composition. Make advice to political leaders free, fair
and without favour. Make appointments to the public service independent
of political interference.

3. Educate the population. An ignorant population will vote to follow
demagogues. An educated population will decide for themselves. Make
public education a requirement of all academic programs, to a degree
consistent with them meeting other performance indicators (like
graduates, etc).

4. Introduce fairness in media reporting by law. Make sure there are
severe penalties for misreporting facts, and that the news is at least
roughly even handed. Fund a public service (see 2) broadcasting system,
independent of legislative interference or funding blackmail.

5. Introduce laws that forbid discrimination of people on the basis of
religious belief or nonbelief, and enforce them. Make it legally and
conventionally impossible to restrict the kind of people who can hold
office in politics or the public service on the basis of whether they
fit some majority-rule criteria. Make it a constitutional foundation of
law that such discrimination in law or regulation is prima facie
illegal, and put the onus on those who try to introduce such laws to
show they are not, rather than the reverse. The public service that runs
the legislative assemblies administration ought to advise the speaker of
each house to not accept the law for debate if it so discriminates. Make
the law independent of special interests, so that nobody can legislate
in favour of or against particular individuals or groups.

6. And this is the most important one: allow public debate on all
matters of civil importance.

Hope this helps. I know that to Americans this will be seen as Librul,
but let me assure you, democracy can work if you work to make it. We in
the democratic world hope that democracy wil spread to all nations, even
including America...

I have a suggestion. It's a bit radical, but it seems to work in other
countries.