Thursday, April 21, 2005
The Wit and Wisdom of Kathy Martin
Kathy Martin, the Kansas Board of Education member from District 6 in Northeast Kansas, is one of the three Christian conservatives who will conduct the star chamber inquisition into evolution teaching in the science curriculum this May.
She -- and fellow creationist board members Steve Abrams and Connie Morris -- are doing their absolute level best to follow the playbook laid out by the Discovery Institute in Seattle. They really are. Even so, the sailing isn't smooth because things keep popping out of Kathy's mouth that must be giving Discovery's Stephen C. Meyers fits right now.
You see, Meyer's Discovery Institute decries the charge that Intelligent Design is nothing more than a Trojan Horse designed solely for the purpose of getting religion into the schools. Perish the thought, says Meyers. Why, we don't even want to teach ID, we just want to "teach the controversy" over evolution.
In fact Discovery recently got the Associated Press to print a correction for writing that the Scopes II hearings, "will have as many as 23 witnesses speaking in support of teaching public school children intelligent design alongside the theory of evolution."
Here are a few of Kathy's recent utterances that just might not have been in Discovery's game plan, at least not in the early innings:
She -- and fellow creationist board members Steve Abrams and Connie Morris -- are doing their absolute level best to follow the playbook laid out by the Discovery Institute in Seattle. They really are. Even so, the sailing isn't smooth because things keep popping out of Kathy's mouth that must be giving Discovery's Stephen C. Meyers fits right now.
You see, Meyer's Discovery Institute decries the charge that Intelligent Design is nothing more than a Trojan Horse designed solely for the purpose of getting religion into the schools. Perish the thought, says Meyers. Why, we don't even want to teach ID, we just want to "teach the controversy" over evolution.
In fact Discovery recently got the Associated Press to print a correction for writing that the Scopes II hearings, "will have as many as 23 witnesses speaking in support of teaching public school children intelligent design alongside the theory of evolution."
Here are a few of Kathy's recent utterances that just might not have been in Discovery's game plan, at least not in the early innings:
- "Evolution has been proven false. ID is science-based and strong in facts."
- "Of course this is a Christian agenda. We are a Christian Nation. Our country is made up of Christian conservatives. We don't often speak up but we need to stand up and let our voices be heard."
- "Why shouldn't theology be taught in the classroom? Morality ought to be taught in every class. Prayer ought to be allowed. Whenever a child wanted to pray in class, I prayed with them. All children believe in God. Even little children whose parents don't take them to church believe in God."
- "We are not going to give up until the standards say what we want them to say."
Discovery, I think we have a problem.
