Repealing the Louisiana Science Education Act

Bobby Jindal, creationist Governor of Louisiana, has endorsed Rick Perry, creationist Governor of Texas, for President of the United States. It’s not surprising. They are two of the most prominent creationist Governors in the country, and Louisiana and Texas are creationist hotbeds. They have a lot in common, and so do their states.

Both the Louisiana and Texas State Boards of Education were recently embroiled in fights over creationism and biology textbooks. Both Governors can empathize with each other that their state’s biology textbooks were not replaced with creationist materials.

Governor Jindal can also give Governor Perry lessons on how to sneak creationism into public school science classes. Back in 2008, Governor Jindal signed the misnamed and misguided Louisiana Science Education Act. The Louisiana Science Education Act allows creationism to be brought into public school science classrooms.

Despite that the Texas legislature didn’t manage to pass its own unconstitutional creationism bill, Governor Perry is trigger happy when it comes to creationism. He recently claimed, “In Texas, we teach both creationism and evolution in our public schools.”

Neither Perry nor Jindal seem to realize how vital teaching evolution is. Biotech is going to be one of major technologies of the future. In New Orleans, they are working hard to grow their biodistrict. If Louisiana wants it’s science and technology industries to grow and its kids to work in them, we need to teach our students evolution.

At Rice University, I live directly across the street from the largest medical complex in the world. If Rick Perry wants Texas kids to get good jobs Houston’s hospitals, he is going to have to allow them to be taught evolution. Otherwise they won’t get those jobs.  And the dynamism of Houston’s medical center could be threatened.

Also, both Governors come from oil rich states with energy sector jobs.  But kids from Louisiana and Texas will not get jobs as petroleum geologists if we don’t understand evolution.

I can understand Governor Perry’s bad attitude towards science. He made a C in his genetics class. Given his organic chemistry scores, I’m sometimes afraid he’s going to start insisting there is also a controversy over chemistry and that we should teach alchemy in public schools. It looks like Governor Perry might have struggled with the “controversial” portions of his chemistry education.

Governor Jindal, on the other hand, is a Brown University educated biology major. His old genetics professor, Arthur Landy, implored him to veto the Louisiana Science Education Act saying, “without evolution, modern biology, including medicine and biotechnology, wouldn’t make sense… I hope [Jindal] doesn’t do anything that would hold back the next generation of Louisiana’s doctors.” I don’t know what Governor Jindal made in Professor Landy’s class, but as a Rhodes Scholar he probably made A’s, proving that at least at one point he learned how vital the theory of evolution is to modern biology.

While it is not surprising that Governor Perry was endorsed by Governor Jindal, Governor Perry will not get the endorsement of the science community. The largest general science organization in the world, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, with over 10 million members, is supporting the effort to repeal Jindal’s Louisiana Science Education Act. He is also not going to get the endorsement of any of the forty-four Nobel Laureates who’ve endorsed the effort to repeal Louisiana’s job killing creationism law. Particularly those like Sir Harry Kroto who described Louisiana as a “laughingstock” or Roger Kornberg who said, “Shame on the legislature that enacted [the Louisiana Science Education Act], and especially on the governor who signed it into law”

Teaching our students evolution is vital to supporting our biotechnology industries and our hospitals. Teaching evolution is vital to creating cutting edge science based jobs for Louisiana and Texas kids. Our Governors have a choice. They can pander. They can sign creationism laws like Governor Jindal. They can appoint creationists like Barbara Cargill to Chairmanship of the State Board of Education like Governor Perry did.  Or they can do what’s right.  They can support a comprehensive state curriculum that not only teaches evolution, but recognizes, like the American Association for the Advancement of Science says, that, “the science of evolution underpins all of modern biology” and makes it the centerpiece of any biology course.

Republican presidential candidates at tonights night’s debate in Ames, Iowa should be asked whether they agree with Newt Gingrich’s 2006 statement, “I believe evolution should be taught as science, and intelligent design should be taught as philosophy.” Most would much rather spend their evening calling President Obama a socialist or demanding Tim Geithner’s resignation rather than being forced to choose sides in a debate which scientists resolved long ago. But answering this question will go a long way in telling us about their backbone, their sanity and their vision for creating jobs in the 21st century.

It would also make interesting theater.

Will Newt Gingrich crawfish away from his earlier statement as he did when he renounced his prior concerns about climate change?

Will Jon Huntsman stand by what he said in 2005, that “intelligent design should not be taught in science classes and that the time to talk about [intelligent design] comes largely at home or in religious settings,” or will he back off to pander to the religious right?

Mitt Romney has been running away from a lot of the best things he’s ever said and done, including providing a blueprint for health care reform with “Obamneycare.” Does Romney still think evolution should be taught in science class like he did in 2007 when he asserted, “science class is where to teach evolution” and “if we’re going to talk about more philosophical matters… that’s for the religion class or philosophy class or social studies?”

Let’s not forget Tim Pawlenty, because he’s easily forgettable. Will he finally realize that pandering to the creationists won’t help him outflank Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin? They’ve already cornered the market on crazy. In 2008 Pawlenty explained that “Governor Palin has said intelligent design is something that she thinks should be taught along with evolution in the schools, and I think that’s appropriate.” He also said, “Intelligent design is something that, in my view, is plausible and credible… from an educational and scientific standpoint, it should be decided by local school boards at the local school district level.” By the way, Governor, no gold star for you with that answer. It’s not a local issue; it’s a constitutional one. Teaching creationism in public schools was found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Edwards vs. Aguillard back in 1987. And intelligent design, which is essentially creationism dressed up in a lab coat to make it appear scientific, was also found unconstitutional in Dover vs. Kitzmiller in 2005 (P. 43, 137).

The ultimate panderer is physician turned congressman Ron Paul. Paul’s libertarian cult followers are largely in support of evolution, but he knows they alone can’t win him the election. That’s why when he’s talking about evolution, he panders by saying things like “it’s a theory… and I don’t accept it.”

If the Republican candidates aren’t pandering, they’re just plain nuts. Paging Michele Bachmann. Bachmann seriously believes that “there is a controversy… over evolution” and there is “reasonable doubt” about it’s validity. Why? Because she believes “there are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.” So far, these Nobel Prize winning scientists only exist in her head, because she hasn’t come up with a single name.

These men and women are in the running to be leader of the free world and to take on the responsibility to put America back on top. We’re ranked 23rd globally in science according to the Program for International Student Assessment. What’s their plan to close the science deficit? If we’re serious about creating jobs and winning the future, we need to be number one in science education. To get to the top spot, we don’t have time to waste pandering to the religious right and pretending that evolution is not science.

Coming from Louisiana, the one state in the country that actually has a creationism law, I can see its effects firsthand. Too often Louisiana students don’t have the science background they need to compete with kids from around the world for admission into college and to get cutting edge science jobs when they graduate. And this anti-science attitude is driving away scientists and science investment and even tourism revenue from our state. While the rest of the world is competing to see who can teach science best, we are wasting time, energy and resources re-debating settled science.

We should not be putting creationism into public school science classes. Instead we should be teaching science better than every other country.

That’s why this question should be asked at Ames. We need to know which of these candidates is going to pander to the creationists. Politicians used to be able to say one thing and do another once they were elected, but not anymore. With the debt limit brinkmanship, the Tea Party has proven they will hold the Republicans to their pandering promises. America deserves to know who has the “titanium spine” needed to lead our country and who wants us to stay 23rd in science education.

New Rule: Presidential Candidates Should Not Makes Stuff Up.

I’m channeling Bill Maher and I have a New Rule:

Presidential candidates should not make stuff up.

This rule is inspired by presidential candidate Michele Bachmann.  She likes to make stuff up.  Now that she is in the running for leader of the free world, she should stop.

In 2006, she claimed, “there is a controversy among scientists about whether evolution is a fact… hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel prizes, believe in intelligent design.”

Intelligent design is another name for creationism.  Teaching these interchangeable theories in public school science classrooms was found unconstitutional in the 2005 Dover vs. Kitzmiller case because neither is science.

I’m an 18 year old from Louisiana, and I’ve been leading the campaign to repeal my state’s creationism law, the misnamed and misguided Louisiana Science Education Act (LSEA) because it denies kids the good science education they deserve.

Louisiana’s law is similar to a creationism bill, SF 1714, that Michele Bachmann authored in 2004 while she was in the Minnesota State Senate.

I know Michele Bachmann’s “controversy” about evolution is as fictional as her Nobel Laureates.

There is no controversy among scientists over evolution.  Our effort to repeal the LSEA has been endorsed by major science and educator organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which contains over 10 million scientists.

Even more significant, our repeal effort is backed by 44 Nobel Laureate scientists.

Where are your Nobels Michelle Bachmann?

You have a fake controversy and made up Nobel Laureates!

Your ongoing misrepresentation of science and scientists at a national level gives false authority to the lobbyists and politicians in my state who have an agenda to undermine evidence-based science.  Your imaginary Nobel Laureate scientists have given those lobbyists a powerful argument from a prominent voice.  You help them keep their harmful creationism law in place and keep students in my home state of Louisiana from getting the good education and good jobs we need.

MIchele Bachmann, please stop making stuff up.

Senator Karen Carter Peterson is one of the bravest women I’ve had the honor to meet.  I’ve been unbelievably lucky to be on her side and to have spent the last year fighting alongside her for the future of Louisiana students.  Fighting for students like my younger sister, who wants to be a veterinarian, to get the science education they need.  Fighting for students like my friend Benny, who is going to take his first biology class in the fall.

Back in 2008, the Louisiana Legislature passed a creationism law, the misnamed and misguided Louisiana Science Education Act.  This law hurts our state and it hurts Louisiana students.  It makes us a “laughingstock,” to quote Sir Harry Kroto, a Nobel Laureate scientist.  The Louisiana Science Education Act costs our state millions of dollars in lost tourism revenue.  It drives scientists out of our state and keeps science investment away.  This law keeps Louisiana students from getting the science background that many colleges will look for during the application process.  Louisiana students won’t get the science background they need to land cutting edge science jobs.  And besides being just plain dumb, the Louisiana Science Education Act is flat out unconstitutional for violating the First Amendment.

The Louisiana Science Education Act is one of the most regressive pieces of legislation that our state has passed.  Despite that, it passed nearly unanimously in 2008.  Why?  Because powerful lobbying groups like the Louisiana Family Forum threw their money and influence behind the job killing creationism law.  Senator Peterson stood strong and voted against the act.  She was one of only three people with the courage to do this.

If her bravery had stopped there, it would have blown me away, but Karen wasn’t done standing up for Louisiana’s future, for its kids.  This year, she took the extraordinary step to join me in fighting to repeal the misguided job killing creationism law.  She sponsored SB 70 to repeal the Louisiana Science Education Act.  Last fall, when I was looking for a sponsor, everyone told me that I would never find one.  Not only did I find one, the moment I approached Karen with the repeal, she was one hundred percent behind it.

Senator Peterson is on the right side of history.  She is on the side of over 40 Nobel Laureates who endorsed the repeal.  She is on the side of the scientists.  The American Association for the Advancement of Science, which is an organization of over 10 million scientists, endorsed the repeal.  She is on the side of the teachers.  The National Association of Biology Teachers endorsed the repeal.  She is on the side of 65,000 people who signed a petition in support of the repeal.  She is on the side of the Clergy Letter Project, an organization of over 13,000 clergy members who strongly support teaching evolution in public schools.  Lastly, Karen is on the side of the students.

Louisiana needs a legislature made up of Senator Petersons, but at the moment we only have one.  We need to keep Karen there to fight for Louisiana’s students, for Louisiana’s future.  Please help me keep her there.  Please donate to her reelection campaign.  Head down to New Orleans and spend some time volunteering on her campaign.  Tell her thank you!  Make a difference for Louisiana by helping us keep Karen where she can fight for Louisiana’s students.