Gail Lowe: Perry Picks Creationist To Run State Education Board

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has chosen Gail Lowe, an outspoken creationist, to run the state's Board of Education.

It was actually the less controversial choice. Cynthia Dunbar, reportedly under consideration for the post, believed government should be guided by a "biblical litmus test" and thought public education was a "subtly deceptive tool of perversion." (She home-schooled her own children.) She has also endorsed conspiracy theories suggesting President Obama is not a natural-born citizen.

Lowe, on the other hand, thinks evolution should be taught and "kids ought to be able to hold religious beliefs and still study science without any conflict." But in 2008, she took the position that "biology textbooks which do not teach both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of the theory of evolution must be rejected by the board." She has voted against new textbooks that do not contain those "weaknesses." She is a newspaper editor, not a teacher.

Lowe will replace Don McLeroy, another self-described creationist and dentist whose reappointment was blocked by Democrats. He had been chairman of the board since 2007 and will remain a member.

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[PUROVACAT]

06:22 AM on 07/20/2009

Do not think that Rick Perry, or any Republican candidate following Karl Rove's strategy of first solidifying a carefully targeted base, has lost it.

In the last statewide general elections in Texas, Republican candidates have won handily. Perry knows he only has to defeat current U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson in the Republican primary.

Perry is George W. Bush with more intelligence and shrewder political instincts of his own, and no visible baggage from his past political or business career or military service--and Sarah Palin with a legitimate political record and big money support in Texas.

Do not be dismissive of the threat he poses.

Read Perry's book, *On My Honor*. He would like it to be the McCarthyist-John-Birch-Society 1950's. Unfortunately he is sincere in these views, and they appeal to a wide audience and not only in Texas.

This explains:

1. Perry's appointment of Gail Lowe to the TEA post (after calculating that Dunbar was too extreme);

2. his Tea Party appearances and carefully worded statements supporting states' rights (see http://www.texasobserver.org/reviews/our-own-good);

3. his initial refusal to accept Federal stimulus money in Texas;

4. his support of Sarah Palin.

None of this, regrettably, is any cause to think that Perry has lost it or is heading down a path in Texas, or even in the United States, that will lead necessarily to political defeat.

[jaqlynn]

02:13 PM on 07/13/2009

Here in Texas (Austin), we have decided that Perry has totally lost it.
First it was the embarrassing TEA screaming about seceding, then it was saying he wanted Palin to come and campaign for him. He just hit the final nail on the head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, soon we can write the book, "How To Lose An Election in Texas Without Even Trying."

[FaceReality2]

02:24 PM on 07/13/2009

Don't underestimate the stupidity of Texans. Those outside of Austin may love him even more.

[freethinkergirl]

01:59 PM on 07/13/2009

To "Rightwingmarine":

You demonstrate your ignorance of what evolution is, and an ignorance of what religion is. Evolution is two things:
Fact:DNA changes from generation to generation. Example: bacteria adapt to new antibiotics, an example of artificial selection. DNA evens changes within an organism's lifespan, as when a human contracts a Herpes virus.
It is a set of hypotheses about how species change over time. Most of these hypotheses are overwhelmingly supported by evidence. Some of these hypotheses have been demonstrated in the lab.
Just because you prefer a religious fairy tale to explain the world around you, that doesn't make evolution less true in reality. Reality moves on without you. Choosing a religious fairy tale is a childish response to the deep truth about Nature, and are |gnorant of its mechanisms.
Furthermore, Religion orders people to k|ll, it justifies their h@tred, and it has been a cause of much war and conflict throughout history.

[Raster]

02:31 PM on 07/13/2009

Trying to reason with such people is less than useless. "Reason" is at the top of their list of items rejected. We just gotta monitor their activities closely because they can pose a dire threat to an enlightened democratic society under certain conditions.

[freethinkergirl]

03:13 PM on 07/13/2009

Yes, it's like trying to talk to the wall (sorry to all walls). Agree, we must moniter these zealots, I'm looking forward to doing my small part in such.

[atexasdem]

01:32 PM on 07/13/2009

Governor Goodhair has already announced that Sarah Palin is going to be on his re election team and will be giving speeches during his campaign. Somehow this does seem consistent. To many people tend to forget that Perry was/is Bush's boy. When Bush went to DC, Perry who was hand picked by Bush became governor. Perry also has a serious opponent coming up. Long time republican senator and party faithfull Kay Hutcheson has announced she is leaving DC and running against Perry. His strategy is to appeal to the most "conservative" base he can find and paint her as a "liberal" or a RINO. He's also looking for national republican support. This split within the Texas republican party will be interesting. We Texas democrats love it.
Give us Texas democrats time, we are now within two seats of a majority in the legislature. Texas isn't quite as red as the republicans like to advertise.

[kingmadison]

01:00 PM on 07/13/2009

As a native Texas, yellow-dog democrat, liberal, free-thinker, and very familiar with Gov. Goodhar's university, what do you expect from a former yell leader who--like most of the athletes--did not attend class very often? He has about as much education as Palin (and it shows). I can assure you he never took an anthropology class. Science? Forget it. His $$$ base is with the ultra-right "Christian" conservatives. They guy has no clue as to what education children really need; he really wants to get rid of public schools and have all of the children attend for profit charter schools run by "non-profit" religious institutions. Privitization is his montra. While the current power in Texas is still held by those rich white guys who keep 10 or more guns, the demography is changing and the state is actually becoming more liberal in some ways. Give us time and we may be welcomed back into the union within the next decade--Perryless hopefully.

[waverly]

12:51 PM on 07/13/2009

Isn't this one of the Fundamentalist's 7- step program toward a New America?

Reclaim and Change :
1. Government
2. Education
3. Media
4. Arts & Entertainment
5. Religion
6. Family
7. Business

The Republican party have subversion policies in place to undermine our constitution to transform America into a theocracy. Bush, with his arrogance for our laws and his overwhelming reach of power, have placed key players in state departments at the federal level. Others are following his lead at their state level.

We need to stay firm with our commitment to stop them from their task. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE....our founders fought this in the past.

[wolfmason]

12:47 PM on 07/13/2009

"Biology textbooks which do not teach both the scientific strengths and weaknesses of the theory of evolution must be rejected by the board." Here here! Furthermore, it's time we stop giving gravity, germ theory, plate tectonics, extrasolar astronomy, and other similarly unproven "theories" a "free pass", and refuse any text book that does not treat science as one big ambiguous pile or maybes and half-though suppositions. After all, if there's one thing that kids respond well to, it's an absolute lack of concrete facts and structure in schools.

[rocketdog56]

12:31 PM on 07/13/2009

Governor Perry and intelligent design is the same sentence..hmmm talk about an oxymoron

[leftypower]

12:28 PM on 07/13/2009

It seems that the conservatives in America are not concerned with competing with India and China in the gloabal marketplace. Rather, they are more interested in one-upping the Taliban.

[Cherokeebandit]

02:27 AM on 07/15/2009

You must not have to listen to Perry's blitherings.

[expired]

12:28 PM on 07/13/2009

It took a black man getting elected to unearth all the crazy, bigoted,hypocritical, sexist, politicians in our government. These people scare the $hit out of me.

[OneSkeptic]

12:17 PM on 07/13/2009

The latest iteration of creationism is Intelligent Design. What's so intelligent about it? Our species has risen to the top (er, rather, it was there from the beginning?), and we have all but destroyed the planet. Most of our planet is barren or covered by salt water. We have earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes and tornados. In Gov Perry's homeland, there are mosquitoes the size of small cargo planes. Disease is everywhere and takes the most awful forms imaginable. If this is Intelligent Design, I'd like to register a complaint with the creator.

[afgail]

12:15 PM on 07/13/2009

Why do Republicans deliberately confuse faith and knowledge? When you rely solely on faith to deny knowledge you kill any hope for democracy. Texas is grooming their citizens to accept a dictatorship. Only the ignorant do not understand what is in their own best interest. Politicians who say they are running for office because God selected them are a real danger to our country and our constitutional rights.

[The Meek]

01:14 PM on 07/13/2009

Republican leaders deliberate confuse faith and knowledge because there is money in it for them. They know that money is the root of all good. It probably says that somewhere in the bible.

[Agent420]

12:09 PM on 07/13/2009

Let's take a vote to kick Texass out of the union. They clearly do not have the same objectives as the rest of the country. BTW, take some of the other idiotic states with you. If you took all the gulf coast states, that would be a good start. And don't let the door hit you in the widest part of your body.

[The Meek]

01:33 PM on 07/13/2009

Please don't kick Austin out.

[PVHurt420]

01:39 PM on 07/13/2009

Hey, just oust the Gov & his buddies!! I've lived in TX for over 25 yrs and most of everyone I've known or that is related to me, is pretty damn liberal & doesn't agree with anything Perry is doing!!!

Turn TX Blue in 2012!!

[Cherokeebandit]

02:29 AM on 07/15/2009

I'm right there with ya! except it shud be: Turn TX Blue again in 2012

[me again]

11:55 AM on 07/13/2009

Perry has just made himself irrelevant.

[serecovery]

11:50 AM on 07/13/2009

We may have to start another Berlin Airlift for Austin, TX.