Here's a scary thought: Texas and its massive purchasing power set the standard for which school textbooks are used across the country. That means the Texas State Board of Education — that bastion of zealotry and ignorance — decides what's in those books. Scott Thurman's compelling film is fit for policy wonks, as it digs into the history of the Lone Star State's problem with fundamentalist educators. But it also explains the current quagmire, showing why it is something that even blue state liberals should care about. At the center is Don McLeroy, whom Texas governor Rick Perry appointed to chair the Board in 2009, and who waged the war over intelligent design instruction. A full-time dentist, over-time ignoramus, and character straight out of a Christopher Guest film, McLeroy — who believes that the earth is 6000 years old — represents more than just his own state's problem with science.
IFFB 2012 | 83 MINUTES | APRIL 30 @ 6:45 PM | SOMERVILLE THEATRE | DIRECTOR SCOTT THURMAN IN ATTENDANCE
