I haven’t seen the film “Expelled”, but from what I’ve read it’s just anti-science, creationist propaganda. Considering that I’m in school to become a scientist, this really annoys me. If you’ve considered seeing the film, be sure to at least also check out the National Center for Science Education’s website debunking the film: http://www.ExpelledExposed.com/.
I subscribe to the National Center for Science Education’s news letter, and finally read the latest issue (September 28). One of the articles described how Sen. David Vitter (R-La) is trying to earmark $100,000 to fund a creationist group to degrade the science curriculum in Louisiana. I don’t live in Louisiana, but I am a U.S. citizen. As such, Sen. Vitter is in fact spending my tax money. I decided to write Sen. Vitter to get an idea of why he feels it necessary to hurt our country’s standing in the world in such troubling times as this. Here is the message I submitted via his web site:
First of all, I should say that I am not one of your constituents. That said, you are spending my tax money, so I figured contacting you is appropriate.
I have read that you are trying to give a Christian group $100,000 dollars “to develop a plan to promote better science education.”
To quote you further:
“This program helps supplement and support educators and school systems that would like to offer all of the explanations in the study of controversial science topics such as global warming and the life sciences.”
I wanted to let you know that there is no controversy in the science community about these topics. All you are doing is helping in the demise of U.S. technical leadership by supporting groups who don’t like science.
If that is what promoting better science education is to you, I think you need more than a better explanation of what you are doing with this $100,000. You need to explain why you feel that it is necessary to waste tax payer money on activities that clearly violate U.S. citizens’ right to freedom of religion and hurt our national competitiveness while we have record deficits, declining enrollment in science and engineering education, and are engaged in two costly wars abroad.
I will be posting this message to my blog at www.muffinspawn.com/blog. Feel free to respond there or through my email address. Thank you.
If he doesn’t respond directly here, I will be sure to post any response I get via email.