Thursday, October 26, 2006
Do You Think?
The Ohio Board of Education elections have caught the attention of the Gray Lady. The New York Times is carrying a story "Scientists Endorse Candidate Over Teaching of Evolution" (may require free registration) that reports:In an unusual foray into electoral politics, 75 science professors at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland have signed a letter endorsing a candidate for the Ohio Board of Education.That would be Tom Sawyer, who is running against Deborah Owens Fink, one of the architects of Ohio's erstwhile "teach the controversy" science standard. Having seen that ploy go down in flames, Owens Fink was deeply involved in the replacement strategy of proposed guidelines to teach "controversial topics." That was merely an attempt to paper over the religious nature of the "teach the controversy" scheme by "broadening" it to include subjects which -- surprise, surprise -- just happened to be other bugaboos of the Righteous Right, such as global warming, cloning and stem-cell research.
What I liked was Owens Fink's display of candor. Speaking of the charge in the scientist's letter that she called the National Academy of Sciences, perhaps the nation’s pre-eminent scientific organization, "so-called scientists," she said: "I may have said that, yeah." I remember that. Funny how she isn't so sure. Funny how she isn't ashamed, either.
If you live in Ohio, vote. No matter where you live, donate. Don't let the fact that Owens Fink has garnered a lot of money be the turning point of this election.
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