Date: Thu Dec 06 2007 - 14:51:38 EST
Well, more specifically, Behe says that the flagellum motor is like a
mousetrap-takes 5 parts and has to be built all at once. Evolutionists
says this is not so, it can evolve. Either ID is right or wrong on that
point... I don't see a middle ground, do you? Either it can get there by
evolution (God-guided or not) or it can't.
________________________________
From: David Opderbeck [mailto:dopderbeck@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 9:10 AM
To: Dehler, Bernie
Cc: _American Sci Affil
Subject: Re: [asa] Secret Emails Reveal How ISU Faculty Plotted to Deny
Distinguished Astronomer Tenure
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.htm
l> | 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.htm
l>
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.htm
l> . 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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