Gore could care less about what they teach in public schools. His OWN children went to private schools, firmly protected by a Berlin Wall of money from the great unwashed. Gore is just expressing his boundless faith in politicos of every stripe, democrats, republicans, christians and jews, to make sure the public schools subjugate and break the spirit of children as to make future generations safe for capitalism. Ask Gore about guaranteeing Black and Hispanic parents the effective right to send their children to the very same schools his children, and those of Clinton and all the Democrats and Republicans in Congress, attended, and then you'll hear him squeal like a stuck pig.
José
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
Date: Friday, August 27, 1999 12:16 AM
Subject: Gore: creationism OK
August 26 7:59 PM ET
Gore Shocks Scientists With Creationism Statement
By Alan Elsner, Political Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Al Gore shocked scientists
Thursday with a statement from his office that local school boards
had the right to teach creationism, although he personally favored
the teaching of evolution.
``The vice president favors the teaching of evolution in public
schools. Obviously, that decision should and will be made at the
local level and localities should be free to decide to teach
creationism as well,'' said Alejandro Cabrera, a spokesman in the
vice president's office.
The statement, in response to an inquiry from Reuters, came a week
after Republican presidential front-runner George W. Bush supported
the teaching of creationism in public schools alongside the theory of
evolution.
Several hours later, Cabrera called Reuters back to clarify that
``the vice president supports the right of school boards to teach
creationism within the context of religious courses and not science
courses.''
When told of Gore's initial statement, Eugenie Scott, executive
director of the National Center for Science Education, responded:
``My God, that's appalling!''
``I understand politicians like to compromise and that faced with one
group who say two plus two equals four and another group that says
two plus two equals six, will tend to arrive at a position that says
two plus two equals five. Unfortunately, sometimes the answer has to
be four and this is one of those times,'' she said.
Bush, the governor of Texas who leads the field for the Republican
presidential nomination by a wide margin, said last week in New
Orleans he favored exposing children to different theories of how
life began.
``I believe children ought to be exposed to different theories about
how the world started,'' Bush said, in response to a question about a
decision earlier this month by the Kansas Board of Education to
delete virtually any mention of evolution from the state's
recommended science curriculum and standardized tests.
Bush's spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said: ``He (Bush) believes both
creationism and evolution ought to be taught. He believes it is a
question for states and local school boards to decide but he believes
both ought to be taught.''
Harvard University chemistry professor Dudley Herschbach said he was
shocked by the Gore and Bush statements and found them very
disappointing.
``It ought to be the birthright of our children to be taught honest
science that is not tangled up with politics and religion,'' he said.
Evolution, first set forth by the 19th-century scientist Charles
Darwin, is the theory that because there are certain similarities in
all forms of life on Earth, that all life evolved from common
ancestors.
Opponents of the theory say it contradicts the biblical account of
the creation of life by God and object to the notion that human life
evolved from a lower life form.
Francisco Ayala, a geneticist at the University of California,
Irvine, said the United States was making itself a laughing stock in
the world.
``If we don't teach our kids good science, they will be handicapped
later in a world that depends on science and technology,'' he said.
``I am disturbed at this political trend. It is potentially terribly
damaging to our children.''
Among other Republican presidential candidates, publisher Steve
Forbes and Sen. John McCain of Arizona both said the decision of what
to teach in schools should be left to local authorities and took no
position on the issue.
Conservative Pat Buchanan said he supported teaching children that
the universe was created by God, although he did not object to them
learning about evolution as a theory.
``What I do object to is to teach Darwin's theory of evolution of
human beings from animals without divine intervention. I don't
believe in that and I adamantly object to that,'' he told Reuters in
a telephone message.
Republican candidate Gary Bauer, who is vying with Buchanan for the
support of conservatives, said on MSNBC: ``Polling data shows
Americans want both ideas exposed to children. I think that makes a
lot of sense.''
Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State,
said the issue was becoming a litmus test for some conservative
Christians who were a powerful constituency in the Republican Party.
``When we have candidates saying we ought to turn public schools into
Sunday schools, we have a big problem,'' he said.
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