Believe it or not I visit Charlie Daniels’ website occassionally just to get an idea of the conservative “mentality”. Well, it is interesting to see his May 13, 2005 Soapbox “rant” entitled “Silly Fight”.
Basically he’s arguing for a school voucher program so that parents can send their children to schools that will teach the same “values” that their parents hold.
After all, Mr Daniels asserts:
*“I wouldn’t want my child to be taught evolution. I consider it to be a big lie. I believe that all things were created by Almighty God and I would want my child to be taught accordingly.”
“The National Teacher’s Association is a big and powerful lobby who is bent on keeping your child under their thumb for twelve years of their lives. They ride rough shod over the parents of this nation, teaching their children things which go against their wishes.”
*
If you want to read more, here’s the link. http://www.charliedaniels.com/soapbox/soapbox.asp?id=43
Yes Charlie, I too hate the fact that our educational system has a “pro-correct-answer” point of view. Let’s have our children learn whatever their parents want. And when they compare American students’ abilities in math and science to other industrialized nations’ students we can rest assured that they will consistently score at the bottom. :mad:
I understand your anger, but seriously-it’s not like he’s a politician or anyone in a position of authority. He’s the “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” guy, not the Vice President.
I’ve always been against the school voucher program because I’m convinced it will turn education in this country into a two tiered have and have not system in which children of the poor and disadvantaged-- who already get the shit end of the stick with-- will have even their sticks taken away from them while those who can buy their way out of the hell would do so in a heartbeat.
But now I’m seeing something different. Maybe the pro-voucher people are just buying their way straight into generations of drooling stupidity. Perhaps there is something to this voucher system!
If nothing else, vouchers could help provide outlets for creationism, school prayer and issues of that sort. Worth supporting, IMHO, just to get the religious right off the backs of the public schools.
On the other hand, that assumption is only valid if the RR only want to teach their values to their own children, not force everyone else to have the same values. YMMV.
I’ve always been against the voucher system, mainly for the reasons CD thinks they’re a good idea. I was against the No Child Left Behind Act, because I thought it was poorly thought out, and unevenly administered, leaving more children behind than ever.
Then about a year ago I realized that NCLB was put into play to destroy the public school system as it exists today. That would leave in its wake more charter schools with pro-religion charters than you could shake a stick at. IMO, that was the whole plan from the start.
That might just be a healthy dose of paranoia speaking, but I think I’m on to something here.
I oppose vouchers for the same reason. The only thing is, I’m pretty sure Dr. Love’s got a point. From what I gather, it isn’t enough that their own children not be taught about evolution, they don’t want any children to learn about it because it goes against God.
Then there’s Mr. Daniel’s statement “I wouldn’t want my child to be taught evolution. I consider it to be a big lie. I believe that all things were created by Almighty God and I would want my child to be taught accordingly.” Hmmm. My basic assumption has always been that Almighty God did create all things, using mechanisms like evolution, plate tectonics, etc. If his god is so fragile that he can be damaged by using one’s mind and reason, perhaps Mr. Daniel’s might want to consider worshiping another god. The “first and greatest Commandment”, according to Jesus Christ, is to love God with all one’s mind as well as one’s heart. Christians (and non-Christians) using their minds to figure out how creation works led to the current theory of evolution. It’s a pity Creationists seem to overlook this part of the equation.
Look, the man is a fucking idiot, but this is what you get for exposing yourself to Charlie Daniels’s crap. Avoid the problem. You will not be any poorer for it.
Charlie Daniels is not a respected scientist, politician, pundit, religious leader, author, educator, commentator, or writer. He’s a guy who plays the fiddle, had a few moderately popular songs, and had one big novelty hit 25 years ago. He’s beyond musical irrelevance, so he caters to his audience with ignorant political rants. It’s agitation, not education, and it’s not intended to enlighten anybody in any way - just stir them up by telling them things they already agree with, or are sure to.
It’s more than fair to get worked up over the attempts of like-Daniels-minded people to keep evolution out of schools. But to go to Daniels’s site, knowing you’ll disagree with him, and then get mad at the crap he’s spewing in his own space? That’s pointless. Stay away from his site for the same reason you don’t pick at sores.
It’s no different from visiting this board. I’m sure anyone will find opinions here that differ from their own. I’m also sure that most of the opinions on his site are at least debatable: “I think private investment accounts are the bees knees” or “The president could also beat the devil at the fiddle.” Somehow “evolution is a lie.” and “The teachers association is keeping your children under their thumb.” is slightly more ignorant.
I find this pit thread warranted simply because I get pissed whenever drooling morons like him spew shit like this to an audience that will take them seriously. Fostering ignorance they do. Stopped they should be.
If I need moral guidance, Charlie Daniels is the last guy I’m going to ask. Maybe he ought to stick to “touring along in my Chevrolet, tokin’ on a number and diggin’ on the radio.”
The people with money can already buy their way out of the current hell by sending their children to, get ready, religious schools. The country is going to heaven in a handbasket.
I continue to believe vouchers are a great example of “be careful what you wish for.” Sure Charlie’s kids won’t be exposed to that silly notion of evolution, but Charlie’s tax dollars will go to the “Maid Mother Crone School for Alternative Anthropology” (back during the Matriarchy there was no war and we all lived in peace and harmony.)
There is a great article in today’s (London) Times written by Richard Dawkins concerning evolution and creationism . I like the headline :-
Creationism : God’s gift to the ignorant and the last line Ignorance is God’s gift to Kansas.
In this article Dawkins , who is professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, gives several examples where statements by well known scientists (including Darwin) have been taken out of context to try and prove creationism.
He goes on to say “it isn’t even safe for a scientist to express temporary doubt as a rhetorical device before going on to dispel it.” because this doubt is quoted by the creationists to ‘prove’ their point of view. He adds everything in science is not cut and dried and “admissions of ignorance and mystification are vital for good science” but not when this is misused by people for their own devious ends.
Charlie Daniels is one of those people who should stick to what he knows (music) and stop embarrassing himself on other subjects. He seems to be against everything, but what is he for? It’s a shame. WIth all his money, he could have bought a better education (re-education) for himself. I imagine his next “blog” will be about the geocentric universe, or the flat earth (with dragons and everything). Musicians should stick to music. Scientists don’t tell him how to play his gee-tar, do they?