Date: Thu Dec 06 2007 - 12:09:33 EST
Bernie said: *It is either true or false regardless of the scandal. *
Or, there might be an excluded middle here. Most of the "id" promoted by
Gonzalez, for example, is the sort of "cosmological id" that many TE's --
including Francis Collins in his book -- would accept. Is it really so
black-and-white?
On Dec 6, 2007 11:22 AM, Dehler, Bernie <bernie.dehler@intel.com> wrote:
> It is interesting news, but just remember the scandal has no bearing
> what-so-ever on whether ID is true or not. It is either true or false
> regardless of the scandal. I think the Discover Institute may try to assume
> that the scandal someone implies that they are on to something truthful and
> are being unfairly suppressed by the establishment. So even if the scandal
> is true, ID may or may not. (Why is ID backed by DI… what's with the
> initials I and D ???)
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] *On
> Behalf Of *John Walley
> *Sent:* Wednesday, December 05, 2007 7:50 PM
> *To:* '_American Sci Affil'
> *Subject:* [asa] Secret Emails Reveal How ISU Faculty Plotted to Deny
> Distinguished Astronomer Tenure
>
>
>
> Evolution News & Views
>
> News Analysis of Media Coverage of the Debate Over Evolution
>
> « Design Was the Issue After All: ISU's official explanation in Gonzalez
> case exposed as a sham<http://www.evolutionnews.org/2007/12/intelligent_design_was_the_iss.html>|
> Main <http://www.evolutionnews.org/> | Secret ISU Faculty E-mails Express
> Vitriol Towards Intelligent Design, Disregard for Academic Freedom, and
> attempts to Hide a Plot to Oust an Outstanding Scientist »<http://www.evolutionnews.org/2007/12/secret_isu_faculty_emails_expr.html>
> *Secret Emails Reveal How ISU Faculty Plotted to Deny Distinguished
> Astronomer Tenure*
>
> *ISU's tenure process and official explanation in the Gonzalez case
> exposed as a sham.*
>
> *Des Moines**, IA --* Iowa State University faculty plotted to deny tenure
> to a distinguished astronomer, as revealed in private emails written by
> faculty and administrators at ISU.
>
> Discovery Institute is making public a record of secret emails exchanged
> among faculty at Iowa State University about noted ISU astronomer Dr.
> Guillermo Gonzalez<http://www.evolutionnews.org/2007/05/biosketch_of_dr_guillermo_gonz.html>.
> The emails demonstrate that a campaign was organized and conducted against
> Gonzalez by his colleagues, with the intent to deny him tenure because of
> views he holds on the intelligent design (ID) of the universe, expressed in
> his 2004 book *The Privileged Planet* <http://www.privilegedplanet.com/>.
> In spite of his distinguished publishing career, Gonzalez was denied tenure
> by ISU in the spring of 2007.
>
> Faculty involved in the tenure decision were well aware of Gonzalez's
> support for ID. More than one year before his tenure evaluation was
> scheduled, one ISU professor wrote an e-mail that left no doubt that
> Gonzalez's tenure application would never receive a fair evaluation.
>
> "He will be up for tenure next year," wrote the professor. "And if he
> keeps up, it might be a hard sell to the department."
>
> Contrary to his public statements, and those of ISU President Gregory
> Geoffroy, the chairman of ISU's Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dr. Eli
> Rosenberg, stated in Dr. Gonzalez's tenure dossier that Dr. Gonzalez's
> support for intelligent design "disqualifies him from serving as a science
> educator."
> ------------------------------
>
> Click to download *ID Was the Issue After All* (including e-mail quotes)<http://www.evolutionnews.org/ID_was_the_Issue_Gonzalez_Tenure.pdf>
> Click to download Backgrounder on Guillermo Gonzalez Story<http://www.evolutionnews.org/gg-bckgrndr.final.pdf>
> Click to download Q&A on Guillermo Gonzalez Story<http://www.evolutionnews.org/GG-QA%20final.pdf>
> ------------------------------
>
> "Dr. Rosenberg misled Dr. Gonzalez, the public, and the media when he said
> that ID barely played a role in the decision," said Casey Luskin, Discovery
> Institute's attorney for public policy and legal affairs. "In fact, a third
> of his own statement in the tenure dossier focused on Gonzalez's views on
> intelligent design, where he instructed faculty that support for ID as
> science should be a litmus test for denying tenure to Dr. Gonzalez."
>
> ISU faculty have claimed that ID was not discussed as often as other
> subjects during the tenure deliberations, but that "is only because at
> secret and inappropriate tenure deliberations held via e-mail a year before
> the official process started, they decided that they wanted Gonzalez out of
> ISU because he supported intelligent design," said Luskin.
>
> Gonzalez's colleagues privately deliberated via e-mails about his tenure
> and collaborated to express their intolerance toward him by asserting that
> ID is "intellectually vacuous," and "more than just vacuous," and that
> "embalming is more of a science" than ID.
>
> They also wrote that Gonzalez should be lumped with "idiots" and
> "religious nutcases." They mocked Gonzalez's ID work, saying they would
> study it "[u]nder medication."
>
> His own department members drafted—and nearly released—a petition against
> ID with the avowed purpose "to discredit" Gonzalez and "give Gonzalez a
> clear sign that his ID efforts will not be considered as science by the
> faculty."
>
> Members of ISU's department of Physics and Astronomy wanted Gonzalez to
> know "that this is not a friendly place for him to develop further his
> IDeas" and thus hoped "he may look for a better place as a result."
>
> "Faculty in the department knew they were treading on dangerous ground,"
> explained Luskin. "They repeatedly expressed their fear that their e-mails
> were, in effect, 'secret meetings' on Dr. Gonzalez's tenure."
>
> One faculty member wrote in e-mails that "[i]n view of an upcoming tenure
> decision, secrecy in the department may equally be interpreted as prejudging
> the case as making a statement" because "[i]f it becomes clear that there
> were efforts to write such a statement and that the statement was not made
> only to avoid the impression of a hostile environment, isn't this strong
> evidence for secrecy in the department[?]." Another stated, "I don't think
> talking behind Guillermo's back is quite ethical."
>
> "Their concerns ultimately centered around outward appearances of fairness
> for legal purposes, not true protection of academic freedom," added Luskin.
>
> "The emails prove that Dr. Gonzalez lost his job because of views on ID,
> not because of his job performance," said Luskin, adding that this "is a
> clear First Amendment case."
>
> On December 4, the Iowa State Board of Regents has its next scheduled
> meeting.
>
> "Like the ISU administration, the Board has ignored the significance of
> such a gross breach of academic freedom and professional misconduct by some
> faculty," said Luskin.
>
> "By denying requests to include these e-mails from the record in
> Gonzalez's case, the Board has refused to acknowledge most of the evidence
> uncovered in the open records request in an apparent attempt to keep it from
> the public," said Luskin. "It is extremely disconcerting that they are
> closing their eyes to the fact that Gonzalez was a victim of academic
> persecution, since they will ultimately issue a final administrative ruling
> on this case."
>
>
>
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