The Final Showdown, part 2: Biology

Vice Chair Lawrence Allen (D-Houston) moved to strike all of McElroy's amendments from January ("sufficiency and insufficiency..."), and one of Terri Leo's from yesterday. After McElroy's epic speech, a lengthy discussion ensues. In the end, compromise substitutes are made in place of both McElroy's key amendments, but he proclaims himself pleased nonetheless. Terri Leo's amendment survives its recall vote...

Allen says that given that the standard above is about making sure students understand common ancestry, it is inconsistent to follow it with a standard casting doubts on it. Also, he says, it takes complicated math to properly analyze the statistical likelihood of fossilization. To satisfy the others, he cites as his experts for this move as two of the Board's official experts, UT Professor David Hillis, Baylor Professor Donald Wetherington, and Dr. Eugenie Scott of the National Center for Science Education.

Cynthia Dunbar (R-The Faction, Richmond) argues that the new TEKS 3A language supercedes what McElroy was trying to do: foster a free discussion. But then out of the other side of her mouth, she says McElroy's language should be kept to underline the need.

Geraldine "Tincy" Miller (R-North Dallas, but NOT The Faction) points out that this is an amendment she voted for last time, but realizes now that she shouldn't have...gently implying that McElroy has tricked and betrayed her. According to her experts, common ancestry should not be expected to explain stasis or sudden appearance. David Bradley (R-The Faction, Beaumont) points out that half of the Board's experts agree with her and half don't. (The half that don't were the Discovery Institute's guy, and the other two evolution-doubters that The Faction selected as their representatives.)

Swing vote Rick Agosto (D-San Antonio) embarks upon a soliliquy worthy of Hamlet, decrying how, as a swing vote, he's under intense pressure from scientists and teachers, who don't know what this Board is trying to do. He believes that Board Members are trying to allow this issue to become a lightning rod for other issues that are completely outside of the board room. "It's a wedge that's dividing the board," he says, "and it's an embarrassment." When he announces he won't support keeping McElroy's amendment, it's pretty much all over...

...Except that Board Members love to make speeches, so many more follow, from Ken Mercer (R-The Faction, San Antonio) on one side ("we don't cover sudden appearances of species anywhere else and we need to") to Berlanga (D-Corpus Christi) on the other ("When I need medical advice, I go to a doctor. When I need legal advice, I go to a lawyer. In this instance, I need to listen to the science teachers and the scientists.")

Finally, with comments exhausted, they vote. McElroy's amendment falls 8-7, with Rick Agosto voting against The Faction.

REPLACEMENT FOR 7B In the wake of this defeat, Dunbar rapidly moves to amend it with a replacement "Analyze and evaluate the sufficiency of scientific explanations concerning any data of sudden appearance, stasis, and the sequential nature of groups in the fossil record." Bob Craig (R-Lubbock, but NOT The Faction) offers an amendment to strike "the sufficiency of" from her language. Dunbar (surprise!!!) swiftly seconds it, and the Board, in a sudden swell of compromise, approves this replacement 13-2 with only Allen and Berlanga voting no.

MCELROY'S JANUARY AMENDMENT ON THE COMPLEXITY OF THE CELL
Allen moves to strike 7G, which would otherwise enshrine one of the anti-evolution lobby's favorite issues into the biology curriculum. Craig takes the unusual step of announcing he has a compromise replacement he'll offer if McElroy's version is taken out. With that assurance, the motion carries on an 8 to 7 Are-you-voting-with-or-against-The-Faction-line vote.

Craig's substitute is "Analyze and evaluate scientific explanations concerning the complexity of the cell." Dunbar positively gushes in praise of its "streamlined and straightforward language." It passes easily with another 13-2 vote, with only Allen and Berlanga opposed.

TERRI LEO'S AMENDMENT FROM YESTERDAY ON ORIGIN OF LIFE
Next, Allen moves to strike Terri Leo's 9D ("analyze and evaluat the evidence regarding formation of simple organic molecules and their organization into long complex molecules having information, such as the DNA molecule, for self-replicating life." He makes the case that this is a college-level issue at the cutting edge, and not appropriate for HS Biology.

But the motion fails 5 to 10. (Sorry, it happened so fast, I didn't catch who was for and who was against--we can be certain we know who 7 of the 10 were, though...)

KEN MERCER'S AFTERTHOUGHT
Finally, in keeping with his curious amendments to middle school science, Ken Mercer asks to replace "plan and implement investigative procedures" with "plan and implement descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations." Motion carries on an 11-4 voice vote.