Sunday, August 06, 2006
Nothing Wrong With Kansas
Washington Post: For the second time in less than a year, voters have turned out of office policymakers who insisted on teaching kids bad science. Last year, the people of Dover, Pennsylvania, got rid of a group of school board members who injected the theory of 'intelligent design' into high school biology.
Last week, Republican primary voters in Kansas ousted the conservative majority on the state Board of Education, which had adopted science standards embracing intelligent design and casting doubt on Darwinian evolution. Moderate Republicans replaced two conservatives -- giving those supporting science at least a 6-to-4 majority, even if the other conservatives hold on in the general election.
The vote, which should lead to changes to those embarrassing standards, is an encouraging sign that even in conservative jurisdictions, most people want kids to be taught biology, not religion.
The Kansas board has been fighting over evolution since 1999, when it moved to eliminate references to Darwinian theory from statewide standards.
See "Anti-Evolution Incumbent in Kansas Wins" or Anti-evolution forces lose power in state primary
technorati tags: science, dover, pennsylvania, intelligent+design, high+school, biology, republican, kansas, education, standards, darwinian, evolution, religion
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