Registered: Jul 2000
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Kansas Teacher Forced to Remove Picture of Flying Spaghetti Monster

BY ICESS FERNANDEZ
The Wichita Eagle



State Board of Education member Connie Morris took exception Wednesday to a picture of a made-up creature that satirizes the state's new science standards hanging on a Stucky Middle School teacher's door.

Fellow board member Sue Gamble told The Eagle that Morris asked for the picture to be removed.

The creature, called the Flying Spaghetti Monster, is the creation of Bobby Henderson of Corvallis, Ore. It looks like a clump of spaghetti with two eyes sticking out of the top and two meatballs flanking the eyes.

Henderson created the entity and an accompanying mythology on the origin of mankind to make fun of Kansas' recent debate over the teaching of criticisms of evolution, including intelligent design.

In November, the board voted 6-4 to allow criticisms of evolution to be taught in Kansas schools.

Morris, who voted for the new science standards, saw the picture during the tour. She did not return phone calls for this report.

Gamble, who voted against the new standards and was also on the tour, said that Morris asked principal Kenneth Jantz to have the picture taken down.

Board members toured Stucky before finishing two days of meetings in Wichita on Wednesday.

Gamble said that when she saw the picture during the tour, she knew that some board members wouldn't approve of it.

"When we went into that classroom, students were looking at rock formations," Gamble said. "Connie stopped to talk to a teacher and I moved on. That was when I was aware of the flyer. I thought 'she's probably going to say something to the teacher.' "

Gamble said that when Morris saw the picture, she asked the principal, who was on the tour, to take it down. Jantz did not comment for this report.

Gamble said she didn't see Morris talk to Randy Mousley, the teacher, or to the principal, but that she later went up to Mousley and asked if Morris said anything to him about the picture.

That's when Gamble learned that Morris had asked the principal to take it down.

The monster's picture has hung on the door since September or October and was put up there as a joke, Mousley said.

"It's a parody," he said. "It's just making fun of anti-evolution."

Mousley said he doesn't teach students about the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Also on the door is a Doonesbury comic strip about science, said board member Carol Rupe, who represents Wichita. She also voted against the new standards.

"It was two little pieces of paper on the door," she said. "It was poking good fun."

Gamble said she told the principal that it was his decision whether the monster could stick around.

"I advised the principal that Morris has no authority," she said. "I told him to deal with his staff as he saw fit, not by what a state board member says."

Board chairman Steve Abrams, who voted for the new standards, didn't see the picture but said he thinks that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is silly.

"Personally, I think it's juvenile," he said.

The picture was still on the door at the end of the school day Wednesday.

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Registered: Jul 2000
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btw, the Witchita Eagle has comments enabled on their website, and they're pretty funny.

quote:

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Just because she hasn't been touched by his noodly appendage doesn't mean she has any right to silence those who have. If they are to present all sides of the issue, then they cannot ignore the gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster; to do so is religious discrimination. Shame, Board Member Connie Morris, shame.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Kansas City
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Our school newspaper ran a half-page sidebar on the Flying Spaghetti Monster and its adherents' influence, accompanying a piece on the KSBE debate over science standards.

People of genuine faith, like those in my building, don't get threatened by this sort of thing. I think that's probably the reason that they allow me to remain employed. I've yet to receive a single complaint--parental, administrative, or otherwise--about the Demotivators posters, my discussion of non-Catholic or even anti-Catholic views in my classroom, or any similar issue related to religious orthodoxy. Naturally, I don't go around calling God "the space monster" in my room, but neither do I shy away from open discussion of religious questions. It seems that reasonable people can handle that.

There is a world of difference between the world view of sincere, devout, rational Christians--like the ones I work for--and the practitioners of the hyper-defensive, fragile faith practiced by the ignoramuses at the Kansas State Board of Education. I could raise my annual salary by about 15% were I to take a public school job. I've never seriously considered doing so. The hidden costs would be too high.

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I've had a Darwin fish on my car since like 1996, and I was shamed today to park on my street and see on the rear of the car in front of me a FSM fish. It was glorious. I want one.

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Registered: Jul 2000
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I wonder if I can post some FSM propoganda in the break room to counter the deluge of Jesus crap that's always being tacked up on the board.

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I'd definitely go with Church of the SubGenius stuff instead; it's explicitly designed for that purpose, and in my experience it drives the insecure element absolutely crazy.

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Do they make calendars? There's this Jesus calendar that simply has to go.

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Registered: Apr 2003
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I deal with a good bit of God loving types at my work...I think the second floor is full of them. Anyways, while I have never said "I dont believe in God' to anyone I work with or anyone from anywhere in the building it has been made clear to me that Christianity is very important for a lot of the people I work around. Not that anyone has ever engaged me in a religious conversation, since you know, I have tact and am able to avoid such idiocy, but whites and blacks and indians even(hell maybe a jew or two) have all said in so many words to me that they believe in Jesus. Prolly its mostly cause Im a white male who is obviously not a Jew...and they post stuff up too. In my offices there isnt anything religious in the common areas, but people can have whatever lame uplifting verse they need to get them through the awful chore of doing mental work in an air conditioned building at their desk...whatever right?

Having said all of that...if I put up anything anti-religious, something that expressed my true beliefs about having beliefs...it would cause a stir.

The reason is simple, religious types see denial of the supernatural as an attack upon it. I agree with them too...it is. At its heart atheism makes a pretty firm claim...there is no God. So, I just piss in the coffee from time to time to get even.

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