Yeah, they were, weren't they? So what's become of that? Well, it would appear that, like all lawsuits, it's becoming the usual drawn-out exercise in paperwork-generating tedium. But the ICR did, amusingly, recently file a motion for summary judgment, before the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board even managed to complete discovery for their defense. Basically the ICR's argument is a variant on the tried-and-true "Waah we're Christians and rules don't apply to us!" whine creationists typically rely on. You can read the motion, the burden of which is that, because the ICR doesn't take state money, the THECB has no jurisdiction over them. The THECB responds by saying, well, yes we do. Ah, it's never a dull moment dealing with entitled creationists who feel they can "educate" without any oversight.
Wait, what am I saying? It's nothing but dull moments! Criminy.
From the ICR motion:
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board ("THECB"), to the extent that it claims any jurisdictional or regulatory authority over ICRGS's academic liberties under the Texas Education Code (e.g., under its Chapter 61 or otherwise), does so improperly, because ICRGS is statutorily exempt from the Texas Education Code's application, as the fairly simple text of said §1.001(a) clearly shows.
From the THECB's response:
Plaintiff's contention purposefully and improperly ignores the remainder of the Texas Education Code.... Chapter 61 of the Texas Education Code — the Higher Education Coordinating Act of 1965 — includes a subchapter which expressly authorizes the Higher Education Coordinating Board to regulate private postsecondary educational institutions.
Wow. Quote-mining the law now? How very creationist of them.
I'm still hoping that they win that suit. I want Matt to award me my Doctor of Doctorology degree.
ReplyDeleteI would like a degree in Scientology . Actually I think a physics degree would be nice but that doesn't sound fake enough to make our point. I know a major in Scientology with a minor in Physics.
ReplyDeleteI'll take my Doctorate in Omniknowledge, with a side of Masters in HyperOrgasmic stimulation please.
ReplyDeleteBut, seriously, quote-mining the law to a JUDGE??? Really? That seemed a good idea to them at the time? That takes some serious stones if you ask me...that or a complete disregard for reality.
It really reminds me of 7th grade English when we were taught how to right persuasive essays. We were told only to include counter-arguments we could refute. Nothing in there about what to do with arguments we couldn't refute...like for instance changing our position.
Somewhere there's a lawyer who drew this up, yet can still sleep at night.
ReplyDeleteAhahah, this cracks me up. They're using the same misguided logic that many (but not all) Christians use to defend their faith in a court of law. This sort of reminds me of an episode of Judge Judy I saw once (not a regular watcher) where a couple scammed a mother and daughter into buying a cell phone off of e-bay. Instead of sending the winner of the auction an actual cell phone, they sent them a photograph of the cell phone. In their defense, they pointed out that on their auction page they explicitly said "you are getting what is in the picture", which itself was a picture. And even after they were torn apart by the judge and laughed out of the court room, they still insisted that they should have won the case.
ReplyDeleteOkay so it wasn't really related to the subject at hand. My point is people are stupid and ignorant of the rule of law.
Actually, that Judge Judy story is a good analogy. No one who loses on these court programs ever admits that they deserved to lose. Despite the fact that it was explained to them plainly why they were wrong (and despite the fact that the production company pays all costs and awards so they didn't lose any money), it doesn't matter - they're still right.
ReplyDeleteSame with fundies. You can try to reason with them until you're blue in the face, you can explain to them why they're wrong six ways to Sunday; in the end, it doesn't matter. They will always be right. They just have too much to lose by being wrong.