(image from jeffreyhill.typepad.com)I've lived in the southern U.S. all of my life. There are quite a few very smart people in this region of the country, and yet everyone wonders why the South has such a reputation for being uneducated, backwoods idiots? Well, do stupid things and comments about being stupid will soon follow.
Recently, a bill was introduced to the Kentucky legislature which would encourage teachers to 'teach both sides' of the global climate change issue. Sound familiar? These are the same individuals who have been attacking Mr. Darwin for decades (the guy is most certainly dead, give him a break already). Hmmm...let's see, what was the quote? Oh yes..."discuss 'the advantages and disadvantages of scientific theories,' including 'evolution, the origins of life, global warming and human cloning.'" In other states, legislation has been proposed or voted on to water down or eliminate the teaching of evolution in science classrooms, and additional legislation is linking global climate change to this controversy.
Am I proposing to purposefully block or hide (truly) scientific information? Certainly not. On the surface the 'teaching both sides' seems like a good idea. But peel back the onion layers my dear ogre, peel them back. The article I'm linking to in the New York Times sums things up quite nicely:
"The linkage of evolution and global warming is partly a legal strategy: courts have found that singling out evolution for criticism in public schools is a violation of the separation of church and state. By insisting that global warming also be debated, deniers of evolution can argue that they are simply championing academic freedom in general. "
Is your brain smoking yet?
I encourage you to read the full New York Times article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/science/earth/04climate.html?ref=science
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