Florida Senate Committee OKs Child Abuse

Well, maybe not child abuse in a technical sense, but close enough.

These fundamentalist Christians just never quit! In spite of the fact that the teaching of evolution has now been mandated in Florida's public schools, the state's Senate Judiciary Committee voted (along party lines!) to allow teachers to "present scientific information relevant to the full range of views on biological and chemical evolution."

In other words, the Republican morons on the Senate Judiciary Committee have approved child abuse. What else can you call it when you permit the teaching of nonsensical non-science, which will not only give children a false view of the universe and the world in which they live, but seriously handicap their chances for success if they should select a scientific field of endeavor as their life's work?

The sponsor of the bill, one Ronda Storms, a Republican (naturally) from Brandon, Florida, claimed that teachers and students in Florida's schools are afraid to discuss other "theories" of how life developed, such as intelligent design.

Ronda said "The bill is needed because the new science standards present the theory of evolution in a dogmatic way. Both teachers and students feel muzzled from expressing their views."

Actually, the true situation is the reverse of what Ms. Storms claims. Studies have shown that in this most backward of states, some science teachers are afraid to teach evolution because fundamentalist Christian parents complain and that can lead to a teacher's dismissal by a school board in fear of the wingnuts.

Furthermore, if a science teacher is so stupid as to teach Intelligent Design (which is nothing more than a cover for Creationism), then he or she should feel "muzzled." It is not appropriate to teach Christian religious dogma in a public school in Florida or anywhere else.

This bill is, of course, another attempt by the Religious Right (in this case, the Christian Right) to force their theological doctrines upon the children of the state. It has nothing to do with fairness because Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory but a religious dogma. And typical of the Christian Right, it tries to hide its true purpose behind the notion that it's only fair to teach "alternative theories of life's origin."

So, we'll say it again: There are no valid, scientific "alternative theories of life's origin!" There are merely unjustified and unscientific religious mythologies!

To teach public school children unjustified and unscientific religious mythologies is child abuse!