Some article updates

Here is a short update linking a few articles that have come out over the past few days and earlier today in case you haven’t read them.

Here is some more welcome editorial opinion in the Salt Lake Tribune. Just letting us know just how extra worthless this bill is.

I mentioned this Deseret News article in my previous post, but I wanted to highlight a few things. Rep. Steve Urquhart is definitely showing himself to be one of our more thoughtful representatives:

House Majority Whip Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, said Tuesday that he cannot support the bill because it does not clarify those competing theories, especially regarding evolution. At the same time, he doubted that those other theories could be clarified because there is only one, intelligent design, which fills the gaps in evolutionary theory by crediting a higher power.

"God has no argument with science, and science does not have an argument with God," Urquhart said. "For many of us, each explains the other."

While the bill does not mention religion, creationism, intelligent design or God, Urquhart said he does not see how it could not be intended to bring those elements into a scientific discussion. But if it truly is a bill devoid of religion, then he wants the scientific explanations.

"The backers of this bill are saying this bill has nothing to do with faith or religion," Urquhart said. "If that's the case, and we're only dealing with this on the basis of science, this becomes a very easy decision: There's only one scientific theory regarding the diversity of the species. That theory is evolution."

Gayle Ruzicka proves she is less thoughtful:

Utah Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka said that religion is not an element of the bill and that anyone who reads it will find that there is nothing to dispute. In fact, the bill only requires that "as long as it's scientific, they can talk about it," but teachers do not have to discuss religious viewpoints.

"We talking about the origins of life," she said. "Some say that we started with monkeys, others say we climbed out of the slime — if you look at everything that has been said, all you can do is point out that there are competing theories."

Slime and monkeys… just another theory… one among many.

Another article in the Deseret News the other day notes that many folks making the decisions up there in the capital don’t really know what this bill will really do. But one thing we do know – Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, gave his thoughts on what this bill will do, “I don't think it does a whole lot of anything”. But for some reason that didn’t stop him from voting for it.

Of special note, those funky creationists over at Answers In Genesis (you know, those guys who have found evidence that some dinosaurs were domesticated animals) well, they have taken notice of our little quarrels as well.