Who is South Carolina's Kristin Maguire?

I came across a great Blog "Not Very Bright" and enjoyed perusing it. What drew me to it was a comment about South Carolina's Kristin Maguire. She is the chairwoman-elect of the South Carolina State Board of Education. It was a shame to see an avowed Intelligent Design supporter in such a position. She is also the co-founder of a website "Parents Involved in Education" and from it's website her stand on Intelligent Design shows she has swallowed the whole "Teach the Controversy" marketing scheme of the Discovery Institute hook, line, and sinker. Here are my comments posted about the Not Very Bright's blog "Who is Kristin Maguire":

Kristin Maguire proves a couple of things. First the qualifications to be on a school board have nothing to do with education. The second that people will push their personal agendas, even to the detriment or our school children, in every arena.

More specifically I didn’t take Not so Bright’s comments on Ms. Maguire’s lack of engineering background as a slight to engineering. I saw the point made that she calls herself an engineer, but doesn’t seem to have done another other than get a degree. I am an educator and also work in a highly technical field and have learned the hard way that a piece of paper with a degree is nice, but in order to really be considered an engineer in any field, you need the practical experience of working in that field! I’m not talking a summer internship, I am talking working! I believe Ms. Maguire does a disservice to the engineering profession by calling herself an engineer.

I feel sorry for the people of South Carolina if she, and her PIE group, gets their hands on the science curriculum. She typifies the favorite target of the marketing department of the Discovery Institute, aka the Center for Science and Culture, loves to find. A true believer who doesn’t let fact or a lack of scientific study get in their way, in a position of power to influence science curriculum, and who can be convinced to use any tactic to achieve her personal agenda. Look how Dover PA turned out for the members of that school board who pushed Creationism and then pushed Intelligent Design!

Like Texas recently, I hope the people of South Carolina don’t fall for the “Teach the Controversy”, “Free Speech” and the recent “Academic Freedom” marketing ploys being worked insidiously by the Discovery Institute. They should recognize there is no scientific controversy, that Free Speech doesn’t mean you get to say anything you want when you want, and that academic freedom doesn’t apply to pseudo-science.

Look at not only Dover, but the reverses the Discovery Institute has suffered in Ohio, Kansas, and New Mexico to realize that when they gain some level of acceptance, eventually smarter head prevail and they get tossed back out. If not I hope South Carolina has lots of extra money they really don’t need for education to pay for the coming lawsuits!