Kuollut lakiehdotus Mississippissä

IDeistien laatima lakiehdotus sai aivottomuushalvauksen. Evoluutiota käsitteleviin koulukirjoihin olisi laitettu tuttu varoitustarra. Ehdotus nro 25 sisälsi mm. tällaisia sanoja:

AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO INCLUDE CERTAIN LANGUAGE EXPLAINING THAT EVOLUTION IS A THEORY IN THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF CERTAIN PUBLIC SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

"The word 'theory' has many meanings, including: systematically organized knowledge; abstract reasoning; a speculative idea or plan; or a systematic statement of principles. Scientific theories are based on both observations of the natural world and assumptions about the natural world. They are always subject to change in view of new and confirmed observations.

This textbook discusses evolution, a controversial theory some scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin of living things. No one was present when life first appeared on earth. Therefore, any statement about life's origins should be considered a theory.

Evolution refers to the unproven belief that random, undirected forces produced living things. There are many topics with unanswered questions about the origin of life which are not mentioned in your textbook, including: the sudden appearance of the major groups of animals in the fossil record (known as the Cambrian Explosion); the lack of new major groups of other living things appearing in the fossil record; the lack of transitional forms of major groups of plants and animals in the fossil record; and the complete and complex set of instructions for building a living body possessed by all living things.

Study hard and keep an open mind."

Lakiehdotuksen sponsori Gary Chism (republikaani, ylläripylläri!) kommentoi varoitustarran tarpeellisuutta: "Voit uskoa joko Genesistarinaa, tai uskot, että kala käveli maalla." Gary tiesi, että lakiehdotuksella on lyhyt tulevaisuus, mutta se ei lannista miestä. Ei Jeesuskaan luovuttanut helpolla! Ensi vuonna Gary laatii evoluution "vahvuuksiin ja heikkouksiin" liittyvän lakiehdotuksen.

Alabaman osavaltiossa on käytetty varoitustarraa jo monta vuotta. Mutta pöydälle on nostettu uusi ehdotus. David Grimes (republikaani, shock & surprise!) haluaa kouluihin "akateemista vapautta." Eli Discovery Instituten laatima sapluuna on toimitettu kaikille republikaaneille. Oklahoma, Iowa ja New Mexico saivat pohdittavaksi melkein samanlaiset ehdotelmat. Republikaanien tukemana.