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

[Gebby]

people like palin are against the constitution and they dont even know it. it is absurd to teach creationismi in school. she is a very shallow thinker impressed with her own powers of ambition. good luck america.

[JoeBlough]

She's very conservative. Most creationists say the earth is 6,000 years old. She says 5,000 years old.

[yallkiddn]

Well, since she's not a POW, she should not be allowed to get away with inaccuracies.

[Mellenbal]

LOL! Love it! :-)

[LorettaSingbiel]

"Well, since she's not a POW, she should not be allowed to get away with inaccuracies."

But she commanded Alaska's National Guard as governor, and has a son in the military! ... So doesn't THAT qualify her (AND the POW) as "foreign affair expert" Commander-In-Chiefs?

Think about how he picked a woman to be a heartbeat away from a war presidency who hadn't even thought much, by her own admission, about the Iraq war as late as 2007. Think about how he made this decision barely knowing the woman.

It's JOHN MCCAIN who represents the risky choice, while it is BARACK OBAMA who offers cautious, steady, predictable governance!!!

OBAMA/BIDEN '08!
HOPE & CHANGE!

[mergina]

it's BACK TO THE FUTURE Part 3. We are just about to get rid of Biff. Yikes!

[muffler]

Nope - More like Miss Congeniality - Part 3.... Queue Sandra Bullock!

[SeanOcali]

There's nothing noble about not having an abortion because your unborn baby has down syndrome. She found out in the 5th month. You can't even have abortions that late. I actually find it disgusting that she would pat herself on the back for this. For the record, I have an autistic brother.

[DAE]

I give up.

[ElPerro]

Dana Quayle

[Old time Dem]

Much, much worse than dan quayle....let's hope the Republicans can correct this mess and nominate someone else next week at the convention...

If this is the way McCain is going to make decisions for our country, we all need to be voting for Bob Barr......................

http://www.bobbarr2008.com

I'm going there to make another donation to be sure bob is on the ballot in every state in Nov. we are going to need him.

[LorettaSingbiel]

"Dana Quayle"

I believe Rachael Maddow nick-named her "Danielle Quayle".

I like yours also!

[Thebaxter25]

I think that public schools should have a separate curriculum solely for Religion. Not just Christianity, but like a whole World Religions program.
After all, whether you are religious or not, religion has had, does, and will always have a HUGE impact on our culture and society.
As for Creationism in the science room. Why not leave it up to individual school districts to decide? Just throw it in there along with all the other theories.

[thepoliticalcat]

The Constitution requires a separation of religion from the state. Why the hell should my tax dollars support teaching a bunch of outmoded superstitions in which I do not believe? Nothing that even smacks of religion should enter the publicly funded classrooms. If parents want to teach their kids religion, they are free to do so without interference from the state.

If you want creationism and religion in the classroom, then you should give equal time to atheism and the creationism debunkers. Do you want to go there?

[psychmaj323]

Well, you know it really isn't about proselytizing, it's about showing different perspectives on how the world was created. If you're so sure that there isn't a God, a healthy debate wouldn't hurt. It's very lopsided and makes those who are of Christian faith feel ostracized and disregarded.

[TumaraBaap]

thepoliticalcat, that is exactly where I'd like to go. Critical thinking is never addressed in our education. Most people do not know what role the advent of secularism and freethought played in bringing about the enlightenment, challenging the bible blessed institution of slavery, and in sparking voting rights, dignity, and the option to use anesthesia during childbirth for countless women. Most people cannot elaborate on why the scientific method never took root in other civilizations with advanced math and astronomy among Greeks, Indians, Egyptians, Chinese, and Mayans (something to do with dualism... belief for which you have evidence, and just as strong a belief for that we cannot see, measure or comprehend). The situation is so grave, there are dimwits in 21st Century America who cannot see why religious fables in a science classroom undermine the very foundation of science and erode Western enlightenment. I'm curious if they'd be so inclusive of Shiva and Ra in a science lesson, or for that matter astrology, alchemy and tarot card reading. By the way, since freethought and atheism are not religions, there is no constitutional bar to teaching them in public schools.

[Mellenbal]

Want to learn about creationism? Go. To. Church. Last time I checked, that's what it's there for.

I am of a particular faith, but I don't want my tax dollars appropriated for public schools to teach about God and faith in a manner that I have no control over. Can you imagine the whack jobs and control freaks on a school board trying to come up with a curriculum for this? Imposing their personal beliefs on my kids? No. No way.

This is another matter of personal responsibility. If parents want their kids to have religion in their lives, then send them to church or synagogue or whatever. Leave the public schools out of it.

[Drewkowski]

Amen! Keep creation out of my school, and I will keep rational thought out of your church!

[gerrydoyle]

" As for Creationism in the science room. Why not leave it up to individual school districts to decide? Just throw it in there along with all the other theories."

Why not? Because it's not a theory and it's certainly not science. Creationism is a bedtime story to make the hard-of thinking feel better about the strange, confusing and scary world in which they live.
I have no problem with peoples superstitions so long as they don't impact on the rest of us, unfortunately when people like Palin and other members of her 'flat earth society' get involved in politics they have a tendancy to force their infantile hoodoo down the throats of the rest of us,
Let's not forget that we're blowing people up in Afghanistan for their antisocial religious beliefs. Being a member of the PTA doesn't make a fundamentalist any more appealing.

[muffler]

Correction - You CAN'T teach anything else - author

[TeriMcCarthy]

That is a problem, Creationism is not provable by any means, therefore is not considered science. Theory's are provable with experimentation, like Gravity, like the laws of thermodynamics, like evolution (there are no gaps) Creationism is taught already in English it is called Mythology.
Individual school districts that decided creationism is science are teaching children mythology, but it isn't science. Our children already struggle in competing with the rest of the world in science and engineering, we cannot allow it to infiltrate the public school system.

[Mahi Joe]

To teach creationism or even religion at the grammer school level is nothing short of proselytizing . If creationism/religion should be taught, then let it be taught at the college level where it is NOT mandetory and the student has enough intellect to understand the concept.

[NorthernCross]

I see nothing wrong with a healthy fact-based debate. If leftists are so confident that observable facts support evolution, then they should have no problem with children being taught about the merits and flaws of all sides of the debate.

[thepoliticalcat]

There are no merits to the creationist debate. If you want a fact-based debate, stick to the facts. You can't bring in a lot of nonsensical mumbo-jumbo that cannot be proved as fact.

[NorthernCross]

"There are no merits to the creationist debate."

Says who? You? The purpose of a debate is to allow differing sides on an issue to present their ideas before other people so that they can make informed decisions. Who are you to deny others the opportunity to learn about issues? The arrogance of secular leftists is astounding.

[DAE]

Yea. Let's devote precious class time to a thorough discussion of the evidence that the earth is flat and the center of the universe.

[NorthernCross]

"Yea. Let's devote precious class time to a thorough discussion of the evidence that the earth is flat and the center of the universe."

Yes, the historical development of scientific thought includes a review of ideas that had preceded modern astronomical knowledge. What's wrong with that?

[scooterliberal]

Public education is not about teaching critical thinking. It's about indoctrination.

[Mellenbal]

There is nothing scientifically factual about creationism, my dear. Nothing. It is merely belief, and theory (which is NOT simply "a guess") carries more scientific weight than belief.

[TumaraBaap]

In common parlance, evolution is a fact and not a theory. Admittedly, it is a *scientific* theory. A scientific theory ties all known facts and evidence for a coherent explanation. A hundred years from now, when our knowledge of established scientific facts is many times that it is now, there will still be scientific theories that enjoin those known facts to give an elegant explanation. A scientific theory by its nature is at the apex of body of knowledge. Some scientific theories are so robust that the only conceivable adjustment is to gather more facts to refine and bolster the case. One such scientific theory is the theory of quantum electrodynamics. Another is the scientific theory of gravity. And another the scientific theory of evolution. For all practical purposes, they are facts.

[freerider]

There is no debate. Period.

This "teach the controversy" tactic is nothing more than a political stunt forged by the evangelists at AIG in order to slip creationism into the classroom via so-called "intelligent design"

Let me repeat myself again. THERE IS NO CONTROVERSY. THERE IS NO DEBATE.

Evolution is a FACT. Natural Selection is the mechanism that explains evolution and is backed up by more evidence than any other scientific theory in the history of mankind. It underpins almost every aspect of the natural sciences and without it we would not have modern medicine AT ALL.

[Nychsa]

The flaw is that evangelicals don't understand evolution. Evolution is nothing but the study of how biological systems change over time. Evolution makes no postulations about how these biological systems came to be. In essence, the entire debate about evolution versus creationism is comparing apples to organges!
If evangelicals wanted to pick a fight with science, the fight would be with physics and not with evolution. Theoretical physics (in it's various sub-fields) hypothesizes about the orgins of the universe/life etc..
I believe, however, that theology should be taught in school - but in reference to ALL religions. In addition, I think we would benefit greatly from a robust study of philosophical thought such as Plato and Aristotle. That should be combined with a robust study of world history such that students can put relgions into their respective historical context.

[OneAngryDwarf]

What scares me about this is that if the Republicans win another term it is very likely that they will be able to appoint one or two more supreme court justices. Not only would that be bad for something like Rove v. Wade, but it might affect the teaching of creationism in the classroom.

Of course I could be wrong, it seems like a lot of times the Repubs are just using the evangelicals for political gain and the RW Political crusaders just haven't figured it out yet.

Nothing says Taliban like teaching superstition to the children. Lets hope it doesn't happen.

[BertrandRussell]

"Nothing says Taliban like teaching superstition to the children."

Well said.

Just think of the psychological damage done to young children when they are taught that they are, through no fault of their own, filthy and unworthy of goodness and they must ask for forgiveness to be redeemed... when they have done NOTHING wrong.

Teaching Christian doctrine to children is child abuse!

[Ninja]

Well said.

[muffler]

Conservatives = Taliban without guns

[Mellenbal]

Amen, my friend.

[Trittydi]

If I knew nothing else about her - this would be enough to stop me - and almost every person I know - from voting for her.

Secular Values Voters webpage ~
http://election08.secular.org/
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[Trittydi]

Ooooooops - I put this on the wrong post below . . . .

If you visit the web site - take the poll at the bottom of the page ~~
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[Bambleweeny57]

McCain and his party cannot win on record, issues, intellect or temperament
so they're gonna turn this into a culture fight again.

Now we have two months of setting themselves up as defenders of small-town, heartland values.
No elite librul is gonna get away with slandering America's new precious beauty queen's values,
just because she's "not qualified", and not from some high falutin' big city, no siree!

We now have our female, folksy, George W Bush, who the media will soon be telling us that everyone would like to have a mooseburger with.

And by constantly running her video footage in t-shirt with an M16,
half of next weeks convention can leave their viagra at home

[SteveInChicago]

In an interview Thursday, Palin said she meant only to say that discussion of alternative views should be allowed to arise in Alaska classrooms:

“I don’t think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn’t have to be part of the curriculum.”

She added that, if elected, she would not push the state Board of Education to add such creation-based alternatives to the state’s required curriculum.

Members of the state school board, which sets minimum requirements, are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature.

“I won’t have religion as a litmus test, or anybody’s personal opinion on evolution or creationism,” Palin said.


Seems like she's lived up to this promise...

[thepoliticalcat]

But she feels free to force her narrow, bigoted opinions on gay people's right to medical coverage for their partners and women's right to choose what happens to their bodies on everyone else. That's not a very healthy attitude in this day and age. Let her stick to governing a state largely populated by moose and mosquitoes. That's about her speed.

[muffler]

I don't buy this at all. Wolf's in Sheep clothing. The Fundies love her... makes you stop and think. The fundies got us into our current situation..... more of the same to me.

[Nymtoc]

What's the matter with all you people? This was a GREAT Saturday Night Live sketch. I laughed so much, and I was trying to figure out who the actors were, because they weren't from the regular SNL cast. Wait a minute. What's that you say? OMG!!!!!

[CJ1]

Hahaha! Yeah, can't wait to hear Bill Maher's reaction!

[PhDiva]

He said something along the lines that McCain will tell us, "If I should happen to die, this nice stewardess will take care of you." Yes, sexist, but hilarious.

[SeanOcali]

That skit where McCain picked Tina Fey as his VP. It was hilarious!

[muffler]

LOL... Tina Fey must have hand cramps by now with all the writing she is doing today!

[CarlyShitson]

Q & A with Sarah Palin. Good interview! She is intriguing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/08/29/DI2008082902052.html

[Trittydi]

If you visit the site - take the poll at the bottom of the page ~~
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[Trittydi]

My mistake - this comment was intended for Secular Voters link above.
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[PhDiva]

Is intriguing a new word for pretty but amateurish and unqualified?

[thepoliticalcat]

Intriguing is not the word that I would associate with this talentless political hack. Unless, of course, you mean "intriguing" in the sense that disease can be intriguing.

[MizLiz]

This was a crass cold-blooded grab. He wanted to pick up those diehard Hillary idiots, plus keep the religious nutcases on his side. Now we all have to pray he survives his first term if by some horrible chance he wins the election. Can you imagine the chaos this country would be in with such a lightweight woman as President? it sure wouldn't be like that TV show with Geena Davis. Instead, we'd have all the Karl Rove types swarming out of the woodwork to start exerting pressure and pulling strings.

[JLee]

That's my nightmare scenario, too. The Geena Davis character was well-versed in foreign affairs and had a spine of steel. Palin? Ehh, not so much.