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Evolution under attack

It scares the hell out of me to think that generations of American children are being taught (at best) that evolution is "controversial" and "not universally accepted". If nothing else, imagine how behind America will be in biotech-related fields when half the country is completely ign'ant of one of the core foundations of modern biology - to say nothing of the ethical corruptness we as a country will have when demagogues so absurdly force their agenda on the majority of the populace and that majority sits quietly by and says nothing.

This article in the New York Times brings up another disturbing trend in this attack on basic science: many teachers in the South and Midwest simply don't teach (or skirt around) evolution not because they don't believe in it but because they don't have the time or energy to deal with the uproar they fear from fundamentalist parents in their district. Where will this de facto censorship end? Will people finally say "enough" when fundamentalists, claiming that there is no evidence of it in the Bible, force the country to stop teaching trigonometry or algebra?

Comments

If that sticks in your craw (I know it sticks in mine) then this one will probably blow your stack:

First Amendment no big deal, students say
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/01/31/students.amendment.ap/index.html

Gack. You're right. I'm starting to sound like an old man - "these kids will be the ruination of the country."

Well, it just goes to show you. There are blue states, and then there are those red states that we just shouldn't talk about...