In the wake of his Iowa victory, Mike Huckabee is doing the news and talk show circuit. Here are his comments this AM on evolution.
ABC's "Good Morning America" grilled Huckabee about his evangelical ties, making Creationism the issue.ABC's Robin Roberts mentioned a new book from the National Academy of Sciences that says Creationism has no place in the classroom -- given the overwhelming evidence in favor of evolution.
"Do you agree with that -- that Creationism should be kept out of our classrooms," Roberts asked.
"In ten-and-a-half years as a governor, I never touched it," Huckabee said. "It's not an issue for a president. It wasn't even an issue for me as a governor, and governors do deal with education - but not the curriculum." Huckabee said his focus as governor was on music and arts in education.
"Should creationism be banned from the classroom, yes or no?" Roberts persisted.
"Banned? Well, banning sounds like sort of a censorship," Huckabee said. "I don't think most people agree with censorship. Should we teach it as a doctrine? Of course not. Should we teach that some people believe it, some don't? I think that's academic freedom."
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Should we teach arithmetic as a doctrine? Spelling as a doctrine?
Shouldn't there be equal time for the alternatives -- innumeracy and illiteracy?
Looking in as a total ousider (secular humanist Irish cancer researcher in Sweden) I get the impression that the real danger to US science from Huckabee is not an active plan to implement the wedge strategy but rather indirect consequences of continuing to have a right wing religious figure in charge. For instance the US supreme court is rather finely balanced at the moment and another Scalia-like appointment may result in decisions that seriously erode your separation of church and state policy.
Followup question:
"So, Governor, should we consider your position pandering, or ignorance?
Do you feel the same way about geocentrism? Flat earth?
It's just one more concept that Huckleberry is unclear on. I guess music and arts are important in education, but not science.
You can fiddle while your country burns?????
sig: I think you are exactly right.
Huckabee is not unclear at all in his position: "Should we teach that some people believe it, some don't? I think that's academic freedom."
That is coded speech for " Teach the Controversy", i.e teach "both sides" as if religion is a side.