The so called “Christian Right” is invading our everyday lives and trying to force beliefs on all of us through our education system. Consider recent statements from Glen Beck, Palin and Christine O’Donnell.
Politicians already elected and others trying to get elected are trying to force our schools to teach only creationism to our children.
Denying scientific fact is a huge detriment to the education of our children.
We need scientists, not just to argue the other side of how we got here but in all facets of life. We need new scientists to carry on studies of germ warfare,global warming, bioweapons, stem cells, cloning, pollution ,agricultural, genetics and National defense.
Just as an indication of how badly America is in need of a science image makeover, consider that the US was ranked 29th in Science and Math education behind countries like the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Liechtenstein.
A recent study found, for example, that one in five American adults think that the Sun revolves around the Earth.
Proven undisputed fact: Sarah Palin believes that man walked beside dinosaurs on Earth just after it was created a mere 6,000 years ago, and that priests who speak in tongues can put a shield against witchcraft around you.
Scientific literacy also means voters who can make better informed decisions on subjects ranging from stem cell research to transportation to natural resource management.
Contemporary advocates of creationism attempt to force their views through lawsuits and campaigns of misinformation, seeking to bypass the scientific community altogether and directly indoctrinate the next generation of students with fraudulent objections to science.
Although creationist legal maneuvers have so far resulted in failure the creationist PR effort has been successful.
The only hope for those who care about science is to match misinformation with information: to invest as much time and money into educating the public as creationists do into misleading it. The Internet contains many good resources for those who wish to defend science.
That's exactly right! Last week (09/24 episode) on Real Time with Bill Maher, he had as a guest the late Carl Sagan's wife, who is also an avid scientist who said the same thing. I read an article about the changes in the Texas Department of Education's goal of rewriting the text books, and how they're limiting text about Islam, and who they mention as influential Americans, also limiting text on the Founding Fathers. This kind of treatment of our history is why most Americans who were born here and graduated from high school here cannot complete the citizenship test to enter the U.S. They're breeding ignorance and teaching them to bask in it.
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