No one should really be surprised that the Indiana state Senate is about to undergo yet another round of "intelligent design" silliness in the form of a bill drafted by the Discovery Institute and sponsored by Dennis Kruse (R-14th), who was also one of the parties responsible for Senate Bill 89 last year. As usual, the emphasis of the bill on alleged scientific doubts about the theory of evolution (just like all of the others based on the "teach the controversy" approach the DI favors) quickly took a back seat to the religious rhetoric of the sponsor:
Although the text of the bill that Kruse eventually introduces in the
senate may disclaim any intention to promote a religious doctrine, it
seems likely that in Indiana as in Tennessee and Louisiana, it will be
difficult for the legislative sponsors to avoid disclosing their true
intentions. "I'd guess 80 percent of Indiana would be oriented with the
Bible and creation," Kruse was quoted as saying. His previous efforts —
SB 89 and two similar bills he introduced in 2000 and 2001 while serving
in the Indiana House of Representatives, plus a 1999 pledge to
introduce legislation to remove evolution from the state science
standards — might also be taken as indicative.
When somebody like Kruse admits that he's playing to the crowd as blatantly as he does, you can take it as a sign that a real scientific argument for the bill is hardly an issue - he's just trying to get re-elected. One of these days, maybe his district will wise up; but somehow, I doubt it.
(Also on WTTFTG)
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