A state senator and evolution/creation

One of my state senators (website here: http://www.scstatehouse.net/members/bios/0554545388.html) is promoting a bill that would change the way evolution is taught in S.C. He wants the classes to include material that would call into question the theory of evolution, and encourage students to investigate other alternatives. He says he doesn't want creationism or ID taught. Sounds relatively harmless so far. Maybe.

I just saw an interview with him on the local news. He repeated the above statements. Then he said, "This will basically say to those who believe in Darwinism, 'prove it.'"

Okay, now it's clear that he's using this as a wedge, trying to get creationism/ID foot in the door.

Every time I get into this discussion with a creationist/IDer, I notice that they do not offer evidence for their belief; they simply rely on questions about evolution. When one of those evolution questions is unanswerable or not proven, they lock on to that. Their belief is that creationism/ID is the default answer. Which is logically ridiculous.

So I have an idea. I emailed this state senator and proposed that he sponsor an event in which creation and evolution are debated. I suggested this be held at a large auditorium and that it be broadcast on our state's public TV system. The creation side chooses their expert on creation and the evolution side chooses their expert on evolution. A moderator would then ask questions about the origin of life and each expert would get to answer using information from their belief/theory. Answers that concentrated on the other side's belief would not be allowed. The point of the debate would not be to tear down the other side, but rather for each side to support their own belief on its own merits, and let the viewers decide.

The idea being, of course, to see what exactly the creationist/IDer comes up with if he/she isn't allowed to spend their allotted time trashing evolution. I don't think it can be done. I'll post any response I get from the senator's office. :)

He's not my state senator. I'm in Charleston, so I'm represented by Glenn McConnell.

Is Limehouse in the Senate? Where is he from?

but he's the idiot that held up the budget a few years ago in order to make sure the state dance (along with examples of the candidates) was voted on. He's also the one that submitted the bill to the governor before Thurmond kicked off that would have required that any replacement for a congresscritter unable to fulfill his duties could ONLY be filled by a person of the same political party. With the only exception being if the person discommoded was a democrat.

I'm in Charleston, too. North Charleston.

...the ones that are resistant to first generation antibiotics.

Ask him if he's happy screwing around with the future of SC kids contributing to medical research, and whether he'd prefer America get their cures from foreign countries who are not so stupid as to challenge the evolution paradigm.

Or would he prefer to keep all cures based on evolution out of America?

Probably won't make a difference, but you never know.

God luck

Charleston is home to the Medical University of SC, which has hosted some rather good scientific and medical researchers. Jonas Salk being one of them.

explain why evolution is fact and not simply unproven theory. And, you would likely need a B.S. in Biology to completely understand the facts and how they occur. The creationists greatly count on people's ignorance for science in making their arguments. Once again, a disdain is created for intelligent, thinking people.

that evolution is BOTH a fact and a theory. The Theory (theories are never proved) of Evolution attempts to explain the fact of evolution.

you know that they're a nut job. Scientific theories are not about proof. They are never proved.