Ron Paul Doesn't Believe in Evolution

Yet Paul believes Ayn Rand is a literary genius. More proof that libertarians have irrational minds. I wrote in 2007 about the disconnect Paul and other libertarians have with reality.

Libertarians are a breed that can not process information. Megan McArdle states that Republican economic policy is not dominated by Supply-side theory. Glenn Reynolds continues to blog about the "good news" from Iraq. The libertarian madness goes on. I take a NRA Republican over libertarians any day.

Short answer: libertarians are essentially stupid.

Quote of the Day

"Probably not. No, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it."

George W. Bush, on if the Bible is historical fact.

Bush belives there is room for both evolution and religion.

Quote of the Day

"It’s not a clean-cut division. If you have studied at all creationism vs. evolution, there’s theistic or God-controlled evolution and there’s variations on all those themes."

Stephen Johnson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Charlie Crist: The Undecider

Photo by the Orlando Sentinel

Florida Governor Charlie Crist can't seem to make up his mind about issues that might affect his approval rating.

The controversial abortion ultrasound bill? He’d wait to see how it looks when it reaches his desk, he said.

Allowing teachers to debate the basis of evolution? Ditto.

And the plan to bring commuter rail to Central Florida by giving CSX Transportation, a private company, sovereign immunity?

Déjà vu: “I’m interested in seeing the final product and look forward to reviewing it when it gets to my desk,” he said.

Crist has flip-flopped on abortion. Crist favors the current status quo on Florida abortion laws and is open to the possiblity to ultrasound screenings for abortions.


"Let's see what happens," Crist told the media.

Short answer: Crist is praying this bill dies in the legislature. Which might happen.

State senators were supposed to vote on the measure Friday after they halted an hour-and-a-half long discussion Thursday. But without discussion Friday morning, the Senate pushed back voting on the bill to next week, in the final days of the legislative session.

The bill's sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Daniel Webster, R-Winter Garden, said discussion was "not quite ready."

Crist was asked if he believes in evolution. The Governor gave a convoluted answer.

Asked if he believe in evolution, Crist said, “I believe in a lot of things. We should have the freedom to have a good exchange of ideas.”

But is legislation needed to guarantee that exchange? “I’m not so sure,” Crist said.

I'm glad the press didn't grill Crist with hard-hitting questions about his beliefs in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

The transportation bill allows CSX to not be held liable for passenger-related injuries. Taxpayers will pay for lawsuits. Sink's letter details how the Florida legislature caved in to lobbyists.

"Much of the initial negative reaction to the Department of Transportation's proposal is a direct result of the lack of full public disclosure on this several hundred-million-dollar deal," she wrote.

"DOT has claimed they were successful during negotiations with CSX, but Floridians have been given a take-it-or-leave-it plan at the 11th hour."

Crist refused to say where he stood on the CSX liability issue. A true profile in courage.

The Evolution of Ronda Storms

The conservative meme is that liberals always lie. The Right might want to ask themselves why they have to frame a debate in less than candid terms. Conpassionate conservatism is cutting SCHIP. Donald Rumsfeld said that Iraq was "immediate threat" to America's security. We now know that wasn't the case.

Which brings us to Ronda Storms. She has introduced the SB 2692. The bill is known by the misnomer Evolution Academic Freedom Act. The Orwellian term was created by David Howowitz and the Center for Science and Culture. Both parties have long attempted to push the scientifically unfounded theory of intelligent design in classrooms. Storms was asked several times by Senate Democratics if her bill would allow the teaching of intelligent design. Storms ducked the question and reread her bill.

"You've given us criteria," Geller, of Hallandale Beach, told Storms. "I don't want to know the criteria."

Steve Geller asked Storms a straight question. Storms didn't have the honesty to say she believed that evolution is nonsense. She framed her bill as promoting freedom to teach evolution. Where was Storms when Jeb Bush would not allow teachers to mention evolution?

What Is the Academic Freedom Amendment?

One thing social conservatives can't be faulted on his their predictibility. They use the same playbook over and over again. Opponents of teaching evoltion in public schools pushed for a academic freedom amendment. The Orwellian-sounding term was created by professional education hater David Howowitz. Essentially, social conservatives want to erode teachers' abilities to teach things they disagree with. Which makes it all the more hysterical for evolution opponents to call the teaching of science dogmatic.

Howowitz's ignorance on what actually goes on in the classroom is staggering. Howowitz protested George Washington University's women's studies department.

"Women’s studies, as everybody knows…are about unequal power, the oppression of women, so if they don’t have a course on oppression of women in Islam, they should," said Horowitz.

GWU had a class titled "Women In Islam", at the time of Howowitz's silly protest. The man doesn't know what he's talking about. That doesn't stop conservatives from taking him seriously.

Howowitz and the Christian conservative think tank Center for Science and Culture got Rick Santorum to sponsor an amendment for the No Child Left Behind Act. The Santorum Amendment to teach intelligent design in public schools.

Santorum on the floor of the Senate:

This is an amendment that is a sense of the Senate. It is a sense of the Senate that deals with the subject of intellectual freedom with respect to the teaching of science in the classroom, in primary and secondary education. It is a sense of the Senate that does not try to dictate curriculum to anybody; quite the contrary, it says there should be freedom to discuss and air good scientific debate within the classroom. In fact, students will do better and will learn more if there is this intellectual freedom to discuss. I will read this sense of the Senate. It is simply two sentences—frankly, two rather innocuous sentences—that hopefully this Senate will embrace: "It is the sense of the Senate that—

(1) good science education should prepare students to distinguish the data or testable theories of science from philosophical or religious claims that are made in the name of science; and

(2) where biological evolution is taught, the curriculum should help students to understand why this subject generates so much continuing controversy, and should prepare the students to be informed participants in public discussions regarding the subject. It simply says there are disagreements in scientific theories out there that are continually tested.

Evolution is not controversal in the scientific community. The Christian Right attempts to sound reasonable while casting doubt about evolution. They can't come out and say that man was created from dust. They know people will laugh at their ignorance.

John Stemberger Against Evolution

John Stemberger takes time out of opposing gay marriage to oppose evolution.

The Florida Family Policy Council, a religious conservative group headed by John Stemberger, says it will oppose new Florida public school science curriculum standards that it says advocate teaching evolution “as fact.”

The organization held a news conference including pastors, a public school parent and others in Orlando today.

Stemberger said evolution should be taught as “a theory with ... strengths and weakneses,” not as established scientific fact.

The Florida Family Policy Council is so insecure about their own religious beliefs that they fear that evolution will disprove Genesis. The members of the FFPC dispute evolution, but firmly believe that the first woman was created from the rib of Adam. It's scientific fact because it is in a book written by superstitious people. Stemberger is entitled to his views. That doesn't change the Bible not being science.

The FFPC is essentially Stemberger. The web site domain registry is owned by him. The actual numbers of Republican Christian activists are very fews. They are able to start one and woman organizations and generate media publicity. Public officials are scared of small Christian organizations that have few followers because they call themselves Jesus lovers.

Stemberger can make a difference by feeding the homeless or helping women victimized by domestic violence. He chooses to be a cultural warrior. It's more publicity and he can intimidate government into making people live by his narrow set of ideals.

You Say You Don't Want Evolution

Bill Foster is a potential St. Petersburg mayoral candidate. Foster is upset over Governor Charlie Crist and the State Board of Education proposing teaching evolution and biological diversity. Foster wants high school science teachers to teach creatism, as a possible option. Foster fails to explain how this will produce the next generation of scientists to compete with other industrial nations. Instead, Foster blames science for Nazi genocide and the Columbine murders.

One of the Columbine shooters wrote this on his website, "You know what I love? Natural selection! It's the best thing that ever happened to the Earth. Getting rid of the stupid and weak organisms." This sick young man wore a T-shirt with the words "Natural selection" at the times of the murders, and carried out his killing spree on the birth date of Adolf Hitler. All of this took place at the very school where he was taught evolution and Darwin's theory of natural evolution.

The last politician that made a career out of expoloiting the Columbine tragedy is the disgraced Tom Delay. Foster is so insecure in his religious beliefs that he makes the most simplistic of arguments. Members of white supremist groups and Al-Qaeda consider themselves deeply religious. To make the argument that all religious people are violent thugs is utterly dishonest. Foster would be up in arms about such statements. He has no problem accusing biology teachers of producing murderers.

Foster has no understanding how science works evolution is a theory that can be scientificly tested. Intelligent design can not be proven in a laboratory.

To be certain, racism is not a scientific theory, but it is a large part of evolution, and if allowed to go unchecked, we may be damned to repeat history.

Let me get this straight: stronger predators eat weaker animals because of racism. Animals do not even have a concerpt of racism. A dog chases a cat because it sees a fury little chew toy. That is natural selection. Hitler and the Colombine killers used Darwin's theory to justify their racism.

Side note: Darwin was a horrible racist. Darwin's Beagle survey gave the scientific community an understanding of how life evolved. Fundamentalists hate evolution because their literal interpretation of the Bible makes no mention of dinosaurs and primates. They dare not question Christian theory that women was created from Adam's rib.

The Evolution of Terry Kemple

The fact that Florida educators are scared to use the word evolutions shows how a few organized members of the Christian Right have dominated the debate. Educators are attempted to please people that hate public education and want to force Christian ideology. Nevermind how poorly the state's school system is ranked.

JACKSONVILLE -- Florida public school educators are considering revisions in state science standards that would substitute the word evolution for ''biological changes over time,'' a subject sure to cause intense debate during the coming six weeks.

It gets better. Noted anti-titty bar crusader Terry Kemple weighs in.

But Terry Kemple of Tampa Bay, president and founder of the Community Issues Council, disagreed.

''This isn't about whether or not our children should be taught that evolution is a fact. The issue goes to whether our schools are places of learning or indoctrination centers,'' he said.

''The science standard is a set of beliefs -- unproven,'' Kemple said. ``Leave the science standards as they are, so our children are taught to think.''

Kemple is a longtime Christian activist and founder of the Community Issues Council, whom is attempting to indoctrinate people to his evangelical thinking and believes in a God that can not be scientificly proven.

Kemple often receives media attention, but is considered a joke in Tampa. Kemple held a press conference to spout his views against gay marriage. No one attended. Kemple filed an appeal to keep a Valrico bikini bar from opening. Through a bizarre set of matters, Kemple's appeal helped open the bikini bar. Just ask the establishment's attorney Luke Lirot.

“Had Mr. Kemple not filed his appeal, the true flaws would have been more difficult to prove. In essence he assisted us.”

Kemple says that attempting to shut down adult businesses "was a training God had given me." That unscientific theory is "unproven" by his track record.

Side note: Kemple is the only employee of Community Issues Council.

Evolution Blues

In 2005, Jeb Bush fed his base by making a stand against the teaching of evolution in Florida public schools.

"I think people have different points of view and they can be discussed in school," Bush said. "They don't need to be in the curriculum."

Around that time, Bush's handpicked State Board of Education moved the decision to review if evolution should be mentioned in the curriculum to 2007. Charlie Crist has an opportunity to correct Jeb's wrong. The SToE will review the decision in 2008. There is a new proposal being floated by educators.

The new standards, which members of the State Board of Education will consider for adoption early next year, are likely to rekindle the debate over science and religion, and what's appropriately taught in public schools.

Under the plan, evolution and biological diversity are together considered one of several "big ideas," firmly grounded by "multiple forms of scientific evidence."

The proposal not only deserves strong public support, but also raises the question: What took so long?

The answer is this is Florida. State officials are allergic to good ideas.