To a startlingly large percentage of Americans, anyone who is capable of tying his/her own shoelaces is an elitist.

... have a liberal bias."

This is why Creationism is the official science of the Republican Party.

Besides, since when did a belief's total divorce from reality stop Republicans from fervently believing it anywhere else?

at best he's saying that while it may be harmful and ineffective for children generally, it might be a good choice for certain individual kids, and only their parents would know????

Last I knew, a parent could opt his or her child out of sex ed. Then they're free to teach them that you can get pregnant from making out in a bathing suit if they so desire.

He also supported Congressional intervention in the Shiavo case. Apparently he only likes "elitism" when he is the among the "elite".

since when did a belief's total divorce from reality stop Republicans from fervently believing it anywhere else?

What - there are no Democrats who are Christians?

Stupidity and ignorance are confined to neither political party.

An American tragedy.

To a startlingly large percentage of Americans, anyone who is capable of tying his/her own shoelaces is an elitist.

A no-longer-surprising percentage of Americans think that a large percentage of Americans are idiots, especially if they happen to disagree about something.

Rep. John Duncan certainly sound intentionally ignorant, which counts as idiotic in my book. But I wouldn't be surprised if the vast majority of people who think that abstinence-only education is a good simply haven't heard about the studies, and/or don't really understand how science works -- whether from poor education or willful misrepresentation of science by corporate interests. I don't consider people like that idiots.

It's not that they can't understand, or even that most of them don't want to understand. It's that they're unintentionally and/or intentionally blocked from having the facts and from having some of the skill sets needed to understand.

It is elitist, I think, to dismiss them for that.

This time I agree! The PARENTS should be doing the parenting NOT scientists, the government or anyone else.

The parents should decide what is good for their kids in terms of sex education. Further, if the kid screws up, the parents should be held accountable.

"rather elitist" and

"I don't think it's something we should abandon"

are the only quoted words in this article. The least you could do is provide the full sentence.

"The difference between genius and stupidity is--genius has it's limits" Einstein

Whoops. My guess Duncan considers Albert to be an elitist too...

Why do you think so much of our raw brain power comes from new immigrants or their 1st generation children, AND IT ALWAYS HAS. 'We' the Americans were too busy burning witches as far back as 1656.

isn't a fictional movie.

Parent's should decide what sort of sex education is appropriate as far as what's taught in the home is concerned.

But in schools, educators should provide the facts supported by scientific training and research. And abstinence-only education ain't it.

I want our schools to be scientifically elitist. I want them to present evidence supported by the best scientific minds who think they know better than us because they should know better than us.

we give abstinence-only advocates an STD. nothing serious; i am thinking a mild case of the clap. then, we can ask them if they'd like to get rid of it, and hand them some antibiotics. after that, we can ask them if they'd like to ever have avoided it in the first place, and we give them a condom. if they refuse the condom? we give them herpes.

simple.

read Anti-Intellectualism in American Life. Although published in the early 60s, it is entirely relevant today. A large portion of the U.S. population falls into the anti-intellectual category and politicians, whether they personally do or not, must appeal to those voters. That's why so many presidential candidates said they didn't believe in evolution and it explains the mistrust of experts which this congressman exhibits.

Oh right, scientists are elitist because they DARE tell people what works and does not. And I imagine that priests and ministers, who preach from the pulpit to millions and tell them what Jesus would like and not like them to do are salt of the earth populists.

Unfortuately, the GOP has devolved into a party of Orwellian hypocrites who would use words for their emotional impact, not their actual meaning. If you want people to dislike something, call it "elitist". If you want people to like something, call it "democratic". This has nothing to do with the actual elitism or democracy, of course, same as Operation Iraqi Freedom had little to do with Iraqi freedom, the Patriot Act with patriotism, or the No Child Left Behind Act with children.

Sure, parents are ultimately responsible for their children (which means that if their children get pregnant because the parents thought that abstinence - or at the very least the rhythm method - is the way to go, it's their own damn fault.) But I think responsible parents should be informed. Is that elitist? If so, then I'm elitist and damn proud.

Then again... I'm a Berkeley-based scientist. That's like damned by default.

that have, like, fancy educations and stuff. Telling us how to keep our kids healthy.

The fact that he's a republican shows that he's unable to abandon an idea even after that idea has been shown in gory detail to be absolutely bankrupt on every level. That -- not fiscal responsibility, not smaller government -- is the chief characteristic of the GOP.

Their new slogan should be: "Vote Republican. Because reality is overrated."

Okay, we're assuming that one should never know about Sex, or should never understand how their bodies work, or....

Please...with any luck, most of us will have sex, and with alot more luck, it will be good sex. Now for some that will come within the context of a marriage, for others, not so much. But chances are at some point of time in your life you will appreciate the sex ed.

Just because you're taking physics, doesn't mean you'll be bending space and time....and when WAS the last time you used that advanced calculas you needed to graduate with anyway? Or even sewed a pillow, or ....well, you get the idea...

Nothing is stopping parents from teaching morality...these two things can compliment each other...as long as they don't pretend the other doesn't exist....JEEEZZZEEEE...