In last nights republican presidential debates, John McCain was asked point-blank whether or not he believes in evolution. His answer, yes.
The Politico's moderator then asked for a show of hands from the ten candidates as to who didn't believe in evolution. One would have expected a no show on that one, it being the 21st century and all...
But, three of the ten candidates raised their hands, claiming they didn't believe in evolution. What??? They have got to be kidding, right? What has happened to America? Have we hit a cultural speed bump? The three candidates, for your information, are Sam Brownback, Governor Mike Huckabee, and Tom Tancredo.
Now, I just have to say, because this is really disturbing. I think we need a new rule about who can and who cannot become president of the United States. If you discount scientific theories because they go against your beliefs, you shouldn't be able to become president. Its very simple, really. We wouldn't allow believers of The Great Flying Spaghetti Monster or the tooth fairy to have high public office, so why believers in creationism? No evidence exists for it, but people believe it, regardless. It is truly perplexing.
It's fine that people believe as they want, but it isn't OK for someone holding high public office to not understand basic scientific theories, and the scientific method. After all, even the staunchest believers enjoy the fruits of the scientific method, so it is just hypocrisy when they claim to believe in creationism while standing in front of a Boeing 737. It is science, after all, that has given us these modern conveniences.
Update: Crooks and Liars has the video up, check it out.
1 comment:
I am not advocating creationism or evolution. Though I do assert that science is a belief system as well. Objectivity is of course over emphasized, not necessarily with malice but due to our observational circumstances. There are leaps of thousands of years in the fossil record, and leaps of faith. Evidence is isolated by space and time and in the end a set of bones. If you were to take the whole of time the period spans and fill in the entries its so scant as to make one squint. Do I think that excuses Republican candidates from assenting to a widely held theory, no but acknowledgment that the solidity of the theory is also full of faith is fair. :)
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