Ms. Kristin Maguire strikes

I have posted a little on Ms. Maguire before and of the upcoming South Carolina school board meeting where they will be decided about a recommendation on two textbooks under criticism by Creationists. What I didn't know is apparently Ms. Maguire set this up! Read here. She contacted two Young Earth Creationists (YEC) to do their own review, links to their review are in the article. Apparently since the textbooks deal with Evolution and not YEC they have objections. What a surprise! Apparently Ms. Maguire isn't to ashamed to do her best to stack the deck in favor of her personal beliefs.

My question is to the people of South Carolina? Is this the direction you want to go? Ms. Maguire and friends are re-treading the direction other states have tried and failed, sometimes in embarrassing and expensive ways. Do you want your Biology teachers teaching religion to your kids? Do you want a narrow fundamentalist Christian viewpoint from determining the contents of your textbooks? Do you want to star the process of removing science from your curriculum?

I am not a South Carolina resident, although I do have many memories of visits. One of my favorite places is Sesquicentennial State Park in Columbia. I remember a Park Service Intern named Debbie who introduced us to some of the local flora and fauna. I would be very surprised if Debbie didn't have an understanding of evolution based on her lecture to all of us. I certainly hope South Carolina sends the critics away disappointed and sooner or later send Ms. Maguire her walking papers. I believe anyone who resorts to such tactics cannot be trusted in determining curriculum for our children. Her point of view is to focused on her own personal religious beliefs and not on the welfare of ALL of South Carolina's children.