Florida columnist and NY Times see through the BS

Bill Maxwell, columnist for the St. Petersburg Times, draws a clear line between personal faith and public education, and admonishes state Sen. Storms for crossing it.

With state Sen. Ronda Storms officially joining the debate over the teaching of evolution in Florida’s public schools, reasonable residents should be wary and should contact their legislators today.

…

Why, I keep asking myself, do we have elected officials, including House Speaker Marco Rubio, and so many average citizens who are amenable to keeping our children ignorant of scientific principles?

…

The adults in our lives had common sense. The Bible had its place. That place was not in science instruction.

…

Again reasonable people should ask lawmakers in Tallahassee to keep Florida moving toward enlightenment by tossing out Storms’ backward-looking bill.

If passed, it will permit the teaching of creationism and intelligent design in our science classes.

And the New York Times has a few things to say, too:

Although some supporters of teaching evolution grouse that the standards were watered down, they actually look more airtight with the revisions. The standards make it clear that a “scientific theory” is well supported by evidence, not a mere claim, and that evolution is no different in this respect than many other widely accepted “theories.”

Some anti-evolutionists are now pushing Florida’s Legislature to step in and allow the teaching of alternative explanations of biological origins. The alternatives that they have in mind would almost certainly not be deemed “scientific” and would have no legitimate place in science classes.

If the standards are strictly followed, Florida may finally be on the way toward improving the quality of its science curriculum and the subpar performance of its students in national assessments.