IP: DEVOLUTION: WILL NO ONE STAND UP FOR DARWIN? From Whats New (Physics)

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

1. DEVOLUTION: WILL NO ONE STAND UP FOR DARWIN?  True vertebrate
fossils first appear in the Middle Ordovician some 500 million
years ago.  It's not clear just when the spine began to disappear
among presidential wannabes, but little trace seems to remain.
Last week, when WN asked Gore's campaign office for his reaction
to the Kansas School Board action, his spokesperson dodged behind
local control (WN 20 Aug 99).  This week, Reuters posed the same
question: "The Vice President favors the teaching of evolution in
public schools," a spokesperson replied.  He should have stopped
there.  "Obviously that decision should and will be made at the
local level, and localities should be free to teach creationism
as well."  Gasp!  The Supreme Court ruled that unconstitutional
in 1987.  Informed of that, the spokesperson called Reuters
several hours later with a clarification, "The Vice President
supports the right of school boards to teach creationism within
the context of religious courses and not science courses."