Sarah Palin Says She Open To Teaching Creationism In Public Schools

Boston Globe :

John McCain's vice-presidential pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is an evangelical Protestant with a strong record of opposition to abortion and an openness to teaching creationism in the public schools.

Palin is the mother of five children, one of whom was born with Down Syndrome. She learned that her son had Down Syndrome when she was four months pregnant, and she told the Associated Press in May that she never considered ending the pregnancy. "We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," she said in the AP interview. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential." Palin also said of her son, whose name is Trig Paxon Van Palin, "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection. Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"

Read the whole story: Boston Globe

Comments

[ThankGodforAtheists]

McCain has sold his soul to try to attain the presidency hoping this will attract the religious right and Hillary supporters.

[truesoccermom]

I wouldn't be too sure about the Hillary voters. As I woman, I am offended and truly upset that he would pick someone so unqualified to potentially be our first woman POTUS. I would hope that most well-educated and intelligent women would feel the same.

[liberalloudandproud]

As someone who was not even a Hillary supporter, though she has won my respect after the convention and I would now be behind her if she chose to run in 2016 - my first reaction was this is a complete insult to Hillary. Those 18 million cracks do not belong to Sarah Palin. If I had been one of those cracks I would now be more motivated than ever to follow Senator Clinton's example and get behind Obama completely. This is McCain's downfall, he values women as nothing more than a photo op and a checkbook. If you watch Cindy, she is always walking a few steps behind him like its 1742, whereas Obama walks side by side with Michelle. John McCain's biggest mistake is miscalculating the intelligence of American women who can see though this and do not want to destroy the legacy of the first female POTUS by putting someone in place to fail miserably and leave us all waiting another 200 years before the ceiling is really shattered. If it had been Condi we would be having another conversation but Sarah, its not your ceiling. Any woman who is anti-choice does not deserve to even polish Hillary's ceiling. The ceiling is for women who believe women can do anything, with their bodies, with their careers and deserve equal pay for equal work. If every innocent life is worth protecting how can you hunt? Animals are innocent too.

[speeddeeps]

We are forgetting that the GOP is doing g0ds will, they are after all the party of G0D, we shouldnt be surprised

[LorettaSingbiel]

"We are forgetting that the GOP is doing g0ds will"

James Dobson's "Focus On The Family" hitman Stuart Shepard unveiled a video urging supporters to beseech God with prayers so that Barack Obama's Democratic Convention speech at Mile High Stadium in Denver would be washed out with "rains of biblical proportion".

And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

So, like "good christian churchgoers", they prayed for rain ... not for drought-ridden sections of the world, not for places people are starving as crops fail, nor for parts of the world where there isn't enough fresh water to drink. Nope. They wanted it to rain in Denver, Colorado, during Obama's acceptance speech.

But don't bother clicking the link to watch the video, because Focus has now removed it.

It seems as though their "God" has double-"CROSSED" (pardon the pun) them!? Because here comes Hurricane Gustav on a track to hit the U.S. Gulf Coast three years after Hurricane Katrina. Not only will this hurricane remind voters that Bush & McCain ATE CAKE (McCain's birthday cake) WHILE Katrina was KILLING the poorest among us ... but this hurricane might possibly rain on THEIR parade!

Let them eat cake? ...

[Avembe]

WFT???????­??????????­??????????­??!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!

[Crowhaul]

"Open to teaching both" is not an option....­unless said option is to teach creationism in a literature or social studies class.

McCain has showcased his own ignorance by choosing Palin. There is no way that America can teach "creationism" in a science class. We would seriously be the laughing stock of the world. And if nothing else is a sign of our deteriorating education standards then that certainly would be.

Note to creationists: There is no debate. There is no credible scientific argument to support creationism. Get over it.

[LorettaSingbiel]

They CANNOT contradict the "teachings" of their Bible ... God created Adam & Eve.

The first five chapters of the Bible give great attention to make it very clear that Adam & Eve were the first humans, and they gave birth to the first human babies.

Adam lived 930 years and was named 30 times in the Bible.

Yet, evolution teaches that mankind descended from some kind of an animal.

Thus, if Adam & Eve were NOT the first human beings, the first five chapters of the Bible CANNOT be trusted. In FACT, the Bible would be telling things that were absolutely NOT true if Adam & Eve were NOT the first human beings.

The Bible and evolution are in direct contradiction. To accept evolution is to deny the Bible.

So basically, the concept of Adam being the first man ... would mean then that we are ALL the product of INCEST? And so I guess that would make Adam & Eve our incestors rather than our ancestors?

[fleaba]

The bible is a bunch of stories that have been told and retold for hundreds of years. It's like believing gossip.

[muffler]

In 10 days from now they whole thing will settle into a picture as providing zero gain for McCain. He is an old man making amateur moves based on knee jerk reaction. Obama will win by 10% easy. I predict by wednesday that the polls will show Obama up by huge numbers. The more we see Palin the less looks will matter. Image ove content on Palin. Obama has content, drive and smarts.

[theone718]

Damn, middle america will EAT THAT UP! She really poses some problems for us Dems, DO NOT underestimate her.

[Atticusparis]

The only thing creationists prove is that evolution is not a one way street .

[spiderbucket]

Creationism is nothing more than a means by which the Right wants to control the past. If they can re-write history that far back then eventually it will all be Rove-approved for our consumption. JFK will have shot himself. The Vietnam War was won. Saddam had WMD.

[foxbat]

I wonder about the vetting process here. I don't know how rigorous it was, but I guess time will tell. I recall a statement from Bayh who stated that the vetting process that he went through with the Obama campaign was much more rigorous/thorough than any he'd been through previously.

I think that one of the things that folks don't always think through in vetting is not just how the issue sounds on face value, but how it'll be received. An issue like creationism plays well with the general evangelical crowd, a big part of the Republican base. I'm not sure that it plays as well with the independent vote which is where A LOT of those "disaffected" Clinton voters, that this pick was obviously selected to go after, are situated.

Many more things will be "vetted" after-the-fact; not a good thing for McCain. She'll have some surprising things that'll be viewed positively by independents like the first bill that she vetoed was an anti-gay type bill, but there will also be issues that will bite her by her own words. Yesterday she stated that she was against Steven's "Bridge To Nowhere," but she's on record a year before, when asked about that, saying that it made sense to go ahead with these types of projects, especially while AK's representatives had a political power advantage in DC at the time ... the old thing that hurt Kerry, "I was for it, before I was against it."

[truesoccermom]

Using your political power to get your disliked brother-in-law fired from a state trooper job is not without problems as well.

[helonias]

Other creationists fun and games

This idea about the universe did not sit well with the Catholic Church. They lured Giordano Bruno to Rome with the promise of a job, where he was immediately turned over to the Inquisition and charged with heresy.
Giordano Bruno spent the next eight years in chains in the Castel Sant’Angelo, where he was routinely tortured and interrogated until his trial. Despite this, he remained unrepentant, stating to his Catholic Church judge, Jesuit Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, "I neither ought to recant, nor will I." Even a death sentence handed down by the Catholic Church did not change his attitude as he defiantly told his accusers, "In pronouncing my sentence, your fear is greater than mine in hearing it."
Immediately after the death sentence was handed down, Giordano Bruno’s jaw was clamped shut with an iron gag, his tongue was pierced with an iron spike and another iron spike was driven into his palate. On February 19, 1600, he was driven through the streets of Rome, stripped of his clothes and burned at the stake.

[mainmonkey]

That's Religulous!

[mikie63]

If that had been the only devastating thing the catholic chuch ever did it could almost be forgiven. What about the thousands of autistic children who were, according to some priest, definitely sent by Satan to harm us humans. What do catholics have to say about that?

[AdamInMaryland]

To her credit, she does state that she would be open to teaching BOTH.

Frankly, I would be in favor of that. It would show kids just how insane creationism is when compared to evolution.

My question is, why hasn't anyone discussed how the way she was nomination will affect Palin's political career for the rest of her life?

http://longshotpolitics.wordpress.com

[spiderbucket]

Are you KIDDING ? Once they get Creationism in school just imagine how it will be used to discredit evolution. Imagine Fox News style teaching, son. You don't think both will get equal time do you ? Our schools will be turned into Taliban style re-education camps.

[Mellenbal]

I agree, it is insane to think creationism can be taught other than in an historical context, ala the Scopes Trial and the Dover Kansas School Board fracas. The Dover School Board story is a cautionary tale that every parent of reason and good judgment should pay attention to.

As far as her political future... hard to say. No doubt, she has conservative evangelicals wetting themselves over her selection right now, but if she survives the next 66 days of media exposure and still remains the VP choice, I think she may be through on a national level after November 4. Alaska may love her, but Alaska's state political condition is rife with scandal and she herself is under investigation. I'm going to bet that her political career will have a short shelf life.

[muffler]

She belongs to a club that supports there own no matter how bad they are for everyone else. So her future is good within her club since she is a good soldier for christ. Otherwise time will tell, but this is more of the same to me.

[suecr]

Heres a noval idea...wha­t about teacher your children how to read & write-and get a high level of education so they can compete in this world...Yo­u really are going backwards with this choice.
Are you truly going to allow this government & party to keep you hostage-its like home grown terrorism.­..I am going to be interested to see how this country is going to spin how this is going to make their country stronger & make them a leader in the rest of the world...So will Palin be sent to deal with Iran...she can bring the milk & cookies---what is going on around the world is no joke--Mr. McCain is treating it like it is...He has proven he does not care at all about his country-he is more concerned about being elected & getting what is due to him for being a POW...he has been laughing at you all along...th­is is a very bitter man, who has still not come to terms with his imprisonment-he needs our help, and that is not by giving him the Highest office in the country.

[LorettaSingbiel]

WELL SAID!

[LorettaSingbiel]

"Frankly, I would be in favor of that. It would show kids just how insane creationism is when compared to evolution.­"

BAD idea! Biblical BRAINWASHING works!

[muffler]

Credit? Keep drinking the kool Aid! Children need to form the ability to analyze the world scientifically. By introducing a faith concept into schools is bad. In fact in places where religion holds sway, evolution will be minimized and ridiculed and public schools will become religious. This is the christian equivalent of a madras. Doesn't anyone see the similariti­es... we are doomed if we teach this stuff and avoid real science.

[icapricorn]

Well, yes, a Republican and an Evangelical -- we expect her to be misinformed. Her support of creationism taught in science classes gives most educated people a good chuckle and does no more than disqualify her from any serious discussion of the subject. It is her opposition to stem cell research that is the more egregious example of religious dogma oppressing scientific inquiry.

Similarly, religious dogma, rather than real-world evidence, is behind her opposition to compassionate assisted suicide, as well as health-care benefits for gay people. (These right-wingers are so nuts! Do they think they have the authority to delegitimize human nature? Do they think they can reverse the now prevalent view that gay people are in fact human? Sarah, that ship has sailed!)

As for abortion? Am I the only one who thinks that carrying a Downs Syndrome child to term in order to be politically pure is ethically suspect, if not cruel and cynical?

[cog1000]

Moderate Voice had a weird bit about her son with Down Syndrome actually being the child of her daughter not her own child. Her daughter has been out of school for months with "mono," and supposedly her staff were astonished to hear she was pregnant. Hard to believe she could fake a pregnancy while governor though. Apparently, she has enemies in AK sending Moderate Voice people emails with photos.... She is so extreme that it's hard to believe McCain really thinks she will draw anyone but the evangelical base. The whole pick is just so BIZARRE and a scary example of McCain's "judgment.­" Can't get past that initial reaction.

[muffler]

Like all other rumors... we should see some proof otherwise they are rumors.

[syzito]

Love the way left wing loonies believe everything they hear and read.

[herrick]

Love the way right wing loonies believe everything they hear and read. So there.

[JoeLib]

Really... I dont love anything about the Right Wing Loonies... especially when one gets picked to run for VP of the United States, and wants to teach my child that the Grand Canyon was made during Noah's Flood, and women popped out of a man's rib approximately a week or two after the earth was pulled out of a magical old invisible bearded man's ass.

[Mellenbal]

Hello, pot? Meet kettle.

[mainmonkey]

You mean like believing that Saddam Hussein had anything to do with 9/11 or Al Qaeda?

[aragornking]

no...we question and think...wh­at's really wrong with you?

[mtrue]

Creationism is the sort of doctrine that does not pass the smell test of observation of natural phenomena. While it would be possible to hold th view that EVOLUTION was divinely inspired, it is not possible to validate creationism. Long live those conservatives who believe in fiscal responsibility, individual freedom, protecting the environment and in small government with strong regulation of big business. This is not the policy position of McCain, Bush , Cheney or Palin.

[scooterliberal]

The Bible is a collection of parables and fables and many of the Old Testament stories are actually ones that have been around for many thousands of years. Read "The Jesus Mysteries" for a compelling argument of this. It is even somewhat doubtful that an actual person named Jesus Christ walked this earth and more likely that his story is a composite of several people.

There is no way that America is dumb enough to be swayed by this choice of VP pick. All they will do is pick up the people who were going to vote this way anyway.

The biggest problem we have here is that the media is almost completely controlled by the right wingers so they will downplay anything real. I didn't see anything in the media that conveyed the energy of the Convention for instance. They are going to be giving McCain all the free passes this fall, fall all over themselves in front of the beauty queen and continue to give fleeting coverage to anything important.