Thanks to, and from, the Texas Freedom Network

Tonight I received an email from Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network.  It is titled, ‘A Victory for Science in Texas’.  It reads (in part) as follows:

Dear Aron,

WE WON!

Moments ago the Texas State Board of Education cast a final vote to approve science textbooks based on established science. This is a huge victory for science education and all the Texas students who will have sound science materials in their classrooms for the next decade.

Predictably, there was a last-minute effort at the board to threaten two widely used textbooks. But that attack yielded no concessions from either publisher that would water down instruction on evolution or climate change. And ultimately, the board voted to approve all the proposed science textbooks.

And you deserve the credit for this. The Texas Freedom Network’s #StandUp4Science campaign has been possible because of supporters like you. You kept the pressure on by taking action online, spreading the word on social media and contacting board members.

Your activism stopped the anti-science forces from vandalizing Texas science textbooks.

Now I realize that lots of other people got this same message, and that it was not intended for me alone.  It might not even have been written with me in mind.  But I like to think that it was, because it makes sense.

Kathy Miller and I both testified before the State Board of Education a couple months ago.  She sat next to me then, and again when she joined my wife and I, and P.Z. Myers at another ‘Stand Up For Science’ event.  That was when we all presented our case to a capacity crowd at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  That was the day after we picketed the Texas Homeschool Coalition for allowing con-men like Ken Ham to represent them as keynote speakers.  After that, The Texas Freedom Network hosted Bill Nye to stir up support for legitimate science education, and my speech at Apostacon both ridiculed and challenged the creationists from the school board hearings.  As part of that presentation, (now viewed over 20,000 times) I also suggested/predicted that text book publishers take the bold step of ignoring the pleas of the Religious Right on that board -which they did.

I have been in-touch with the Texas Freedom Network frequently over the last several months.  They’ve kept me informed, and I’m very happy with the way that our combined efforts have raised awareness of the outrageous under-handed factions seeking to undermine science education. I don’t know how much credit -if any- I can personally claim, but at least I feel as though I did my part -and it worked.

So TFN, allow me to respond accordingly.  You’re welcome, my pleasure, anytime.

Now could you invite me the next time you have Bill Nye over?