So why again does OC have that awful reputation?

Former OC GOP chair Tom Fuentes with friend

     The OC Reg has finally caught up with the Los Alamitos Unified School District fubar that was first reported in the Patch and then noticed by the noisy Huffington Post (California Struggles to Out-Dumb Texas).
     Naturally, as in most such debacles, there’s a right-wing OC Republican in the woodpile:

     Los Alamitos Unified School district trustees unanimously agreed to update the policy on controversial issues at the request of board member Jeffrey Barke, who said he is concerned about "global warming dogma" and wants students to be offered a balanced perspective on the topic.
     "There are two clearly divergent opinions on global warming," Barke said in an interview. "There are those who believe that global warming is a fact, created by man's impact on the environment and the consequences will be devastating. There are others on the conservative side who believe it's much ado about nothing. It's overhyped and politically motivated, and the science is not solid, and there's room for more studies."
. . .
     Barke, a doctor who has a practice in Newport Beach, said he is a Republican and his conservative political leanings come into play "from time to time" but not on this subject.
     "On this particular issue, I'm not pushing my view. I just want the kids to be presented with balance."

Barke

     As I noted previously, Dr. Barke is remarkably clueless: yes, among ordinary citizens, there are divergent opinions about global warming. But among the relevant scientists, there is consensus both that global climate change is very likely occurring and that human activity is (likely) helping cause it. No doubt, in OC, a sizeable minority is skeptical about the Holocaust (OC is home to the Institute for Historical Review). So should history teachers pursue “balance,” too, in their treatment of the Holocaust? Naturally, the relevant experts are not skeptical about the Holocaust. So, should we Orange Countians blow 'em off, since many of us disagree with 'em?
     Actually, the original Patch post (May 11) did a better job identifying the “philosophy” behind the board’s action:

     “I believe my role in the board is to represent the conservative voice of the community and I’m not a big fan of global warming,” said board member Jeffrey Barke, who led the effort….
. . .
     “Most teachers are left to center, and if we leave it to teachers to impose their liberal views, then it would make for an unbalanced lesson,” Barke said. “Some people believe that global warming is a crock of crap, and others are zealots.”
. . .
     “We define a topic to be controversial if it has more than one widely held view,” said Assistant Superintendent Sherry Kropp….
. . .
     “If the textbook talks about the evil adventures of humanity, we want teachers to describe an opposing view,” Barke said. “Teachers and textbooks are biased.”
. . .
     Kropp said, “An unbalanced lesson would portray only one side. All we want is to have teachers teach the various scientific theories out there.”

     OK, so what’s next for the “balance” police? Astrology in physics courses? Chi in biology? Birtherism in social studies?
     Luckily, lots of sensible people (yes, we do have those too here in the OC) have come out against the board’s move, reminding Barke and his Barkettes that scientific method is neither liberal nor conservative. It follows the evidence, come what may.
     And that, of course, is why scientists worry about global climate change.
     —Republicans? Not so much.

A still from "the OC"

• ALSO in today’s OC Reg: Mexican America history – through baseball:

• For a recent update on David Nazar's coach "kickback" story, which seems to involve Saddleback College coaches, go HERE