I would have thought that it was a relief, a minor bit of unconcern, that Mitt Romney nominally supports evolution (he's one of those waffly theistic evolutionists, so he doesn't really…but at least he wouldn't be brazenly contradicting all of the evidence). But there's a potential problem looming: who will he pick for vice president? Who does he turn to advice on education? Ken Miller discusses the situation, and points out that his key advisor on education reform and potential VP pick is…
Bobby Jindal, creationist governor of Louisiana.
Jindal has an elite résumé. He was a biology major at my school, Brown University, and a Rhodes scholar. He knows the science, or at least he ought to. But in his rise to prominence in Louisiana, he made a bargain with the religious right and compromised science and science education for the children of his state. In fact, Jindal’s actions at one point persuaded leading scientific organizations, including the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, to cross New Orleans off their list of future meeting sites.
What did Jindal do to produce a hornet’s nest of “mad scientists,” as Times-Picayune writer James Gill described them? He signed into law, in Gill’s words, the “Louisiana Science Education Act (LSEA), which is named for what it is designed to destroy.” The act allows “supplemental textbooks and other instructional materials” to be brought into classrooms to support the “open and objective discussion” of certain “scientific theories,” including, of course, evolution. As educators who have heard such coded language before quickly realized, the act was intended to promote creationism as science. In April, Kevin Carman, dean of the College of Science at Louisiana State University, testified before the Louisiana Senate’s Education Committee that two top scientists had rejected offers to come to LSU because of the LSEA, and the school may lose more scientists in the future.
And now Jindal is poised to spend millions of dollars of state money to support the teaching of creationism in private schools.
But don't panic! Jindal is currently just one possibility for VP, and there are plenty of other Republicans Romney might pick…like Nikki Haley, or Rick Santorum, or Michele Bachmann…
OK, panic. There's no way we'll be happy with anyone he chooses.
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Yeah, because there are no issues that Obama can run on and say he did a good job. Unemployment is worse than it was under Bush. He promised to close Gitmo, but hasn't done that. He got Osama Bin Laden by doing something that the same Obama supporters told Bush he wasn't allowed to do (i.e. invade a foreign sovereign country without their permission). These same Obama supporters complained about the Bush Patriot Act which Obama (repealed? No let me check ...) extended.
Since we can't focus on Obama's actual accomplishments I guess trashing Mitt Romney is what you have left.
I've noticed the trolls are getting angrier. That's because they know they're facing four more years of Obama.
He's going top pick which ever candidate will help him score the most votes.... isn't that how it usually works?
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Let's hope that the 'choice'(they allow choices?) that Mittens makes is worthless in November. We have a businessman who is antithetical to what business ought to be, a statesman that gaffes his way forward, a strategist who is on every side of every issue. In the end, he is not a leader which is why only about 35% of all reps even voted for him in primaries. He's Bush on steroids...although he's better looking.
DiTurno
Yes, we are facing 4 more years of Obama.
Can you explain to me why that is a good thing?
Mormon missionaries taught me that their doctrine was essentially "young earth creationism," and that fossils and geological evidence (radioisotopes, e.g.) were put there by their god (which is the Abrahamic god) during creation. If Romney says otherwise, either doctrine has changed (as it has done before) or he's not quite the Mormon we might think he is.
With the guidence of the Angel Macaroni and a magic stone or is it magic stoning, Bishop Mitt Romney will make the best choice.
@Kookmin:
By comparison.
As Mitt's affinity for Jindal is clearly of Satanic origin, exorcism is clearly called for but the only practicing exorcist in the Republican Vice Presidential race is Jindal himself.
As strict constructionists of Roman law, perhaps they should sew themselves into a bullskin and hop off the nearest levee.
November is a choice between the mediocre and the bizarre.
Since Mitt is into unintentionally humoristic self-contradictions I look forward to the nomination of a goofball as veep that is every bit as good at producing cringe-worthy moments.
"He’s going top pick which ever candidate will help him score the most votes…. isn’t that how it usually works?"
Name the last Republican who did this.
McCain picked Palin, and many think this cost him the election.
Before that, Cheney picked himself. Cheney didn't help Bush get any votes or swing states.
@Kookmin
we can’t focus on Obama’s actual accomplishments
-- because they have two-fifths of bugger-all to do with PZ's post.
mano singham has the perfect answer for Mitt
http://freethoughtblogs.com/singham/2012/08/03/romneyrafalca-in-2012/