Man, I step out for a few hours and, Holy Snapping Nutsack, Batman, Ontario Conservative leader John Tory steps into the nearest phone booth and re-emerges as Retard Man:
On eve of Ontario election, Conservative leader muses about creationism in schools
There is no reason creationism could not be taught in addition to evolution and "other theories" if private religious schools are brought into Ontario public school boards, Progressive [sic] Conservative Leader John Tory said Wednesday.
On the eve of a provincial election campaign that gets underway Monday, the Conservatives are promising to give private religious schools $400 million if they opt into the public system, teach the provincial curriculum, hire accredited teachers and administer standardized tests.
But that doesn't mean Christian schools couldn't teach creationism on top of the existing provincial curriculum, said Tory, who is embarking on his first campaign as Conservative leader.
"It's still called the theory of evolution," Tory said after touring a 100-year-old Jewish school in a Toronto suburb.
"They teach evolution in the Ontario curriculum, but they also could teach the fact to the children that there are other theories that people have out there that are part of some Christian beliefs."
This should be Tory's sponsorship scandal. It should be his getting caught in a public bathroom stall, tapping his foot for the guy next to him. Quite simply, this is what should force him to step aside as leader of the Ontario Conservative party, since he's just demonstrated the most stunning ignorance of basic science.
The media should be writing about this latest bit of idiocy, and they will. But they should also be calling for Tory to resign as party leader. Let's see who's up to that job.
9 comments:
John Tory is the best Conservative leader I've seen at appearing to be a reasonable man. He's not a robot like Harper or a jerk like Harris. He listens, he pays attention, and rather than claiming to not believe in government, he makes it clear that he does believe that the government can do good things.
And yet, when you look at his proposals, it's the same old shit. Pander, pander, pander to the "common sense" crowd so that he can get elected, then axe the public sector and cut taxes to the point that we're plunged back into deficit.
Admittedly the McGuinty Liberals are also determined to sell out to as many interest groups as possible, but at least their basic policies aren't designed to destroy the province.
John Tory - Liberal Mole.
Dalton's campaign should send him a wreath and thank you note for this.
I thought that the continued existence of the Ontario PC's as an electorally-viable political party after the Harris abomination was a searing indictment of our political culture.
In true shit-head Canadian "conservative" fashion, Tory is listening to the "whiz-kids" who have been inspired by the third-rate assholes who brought the Repugs to power in the US, only to disgrace their country and discredit their bullshit "philosophies."
Of course, as with the US media's love affair with insane war-mongers, the Ontario PC's will continue to be a "serious," "respectable" party, while the ONDP are a bunch of kooks.
John Tory isn't listening to one of those "whiz-kids" --He is one of them.
He's been a behind the scences guy in Tory politics since the Mulroney years.
Yeah, from what I heard, he had quite a bit of influence in Mel Lastman's mayorship of Toronto, with all its own wingnut initiatives. That was one of the reasons I was so utterly relieved when he didn't become mayor in his turn.
So he turned to the Cons, and got himself elected leader. I felt like banging my head on my desk. (Kind of like how we thought we'd gotten rid of Flaherty and Clement -- only to have them foisted on the whole damn country instead!)
First of all, I'm so sick at all the stupid people thinking that having run a business qualifies them to run a government -- two totally different enterprises, with entirely different goals. (Government's goal is to govern the general livability of society, NOT to maximize profits providing as little service or product as possible!)
But this latest move -- equating religion and science -- is the most horrifying, disgusting thing I've heard in Ontario politics in my seven years here. The only silver lining is that he actually said it out loud.
Still, I feel like whacking him with The God Delusion till he gets some sense in that head.
First of all, I'm so sick at all the stupid people thinking that having run a business qualifies them to run a government...
Amen to that. I've seen enough private-sector hires come and go through the public service, leaving a trail of disasters behind them.
These people simply can't handle complexity. They should stick to manufacturing widgets, which is what they're really good at.
What is the big deal with John Tory stating that publicly funded faith-based schools should be able to teach the creation stories of their respective faiths? He even explicitly clarified that he did not intend that creationism could be taught in science classes. All he is suggesting is that the 53,000 kids in non-Catholic faith-based schools be given the same opportunity to learn about their faith, along with the full Ontario curriculum, together with the 650,000 kids currently attending fully funded Catholic schools. At least Tory has the gumption to propose a solution for the discrimination. It is disturbing to hear the Liberals sweeping Ontario’s official religious discrimination under the rug, and using Tory’s fairness initiative as a diversion to deflect attention from their own sorry record.
aliza, you're right -- far better to ban ALL faith-based schools, and put every single citizen in the province on a completely equal footing in the public system. That would be the best, fairest, most democratic and equal way to go.
I'm sure you agree.
A secular state (which this is) has no business whatsoever teaching or funding religion. That's a matter for every person's own conscience. So keep it out of public, taxpayer-funded schools, and anyone who wants that extra bit of stuff taught to their kids -- they can choose to do it and pay for it themselves. (A very good, proper, capitalist approach.)
The alternative? If my tax money is going to pay for teaching a religious belief about the origins of the world to someone else's kids? THEN TEACH EVERY SINGLE ORIGIN MYTH, democratic style.
If I'm funding the teaching of creationism to some kids, then I'd damn well better be funding the teaching to other kids that the earth is a flat disk on the back on an elephant on the back of a turtle swimming in the infinite sea of milk.
Because I will NOT support giving preferential treatment to one religious viewpoint, and discriminating against all other religious viewpoints either.
Far better, as I began, then. Secular education in this secular state, in a very democratic, nondiscriminatory fashion. And anyone who wants extra stuff tacked on to that education -- they arrange and pay for it.
More simply put, Aliza: let's not solve the discrimination problem with a cure that is worse than the disease.
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