A Letter to President Bush

Here is such a good letter that speaks to the crackpots in Kansas, Washington, and elsewhere, who would now re-define science to fit their religious beliefs. Thanks, Didi.

Dear Mr. President,

I am shocked and saddened that the Kansas Board of Education has decided to allow the teaching of "Intelligent Design" as an explanation for the evolution of life.

It would be appropriate if you, as a prime supporter of "Intelligent Design," would give a lecture to the American people explaining what exactly "Intelligent Design" means and how it explains living things. Clearly, the last twenty years have demonstrated that the great advances of molecular biology and DNA studies have placed Darwin's Theory on a much more solid scientific foundation. As a matter of fact, DNA studies have demonstrated the close relationship between the human species and the apes. It is totally "unintelligent" how a great country as ours has fallen victim to the nonsense of "Intelligent Design."

Examples of evolution are playing a major role as we speak, namely; the potential pandemic that is unfolding in Asia. As you probably have read in the papers and been briefed by your staff, the present crisis that we face with the Avian Flu is predicated on the scientific theory that the existing strain of the flu might "mutate" into a strain that can become contagious in humans. Are the supporters of "Intelligent Design" dealing with this fact or are they advocating some type of religious Armageddon driven by "Intelligent Design."

The history of science and the well-being of the human race have been held back in the past by religious, Communist and Nazi distortions. In the 16th century, Galileo went on trial for advocating a heliocentric theory of the planets. In the early part of the 20th century, a courageous teacher in Tennessee was brought to trial for teaching Darwin's Theory in a public school. In the 1930s the field of genetics was destroyed in the Soviet Union because it did not conform with the Marxist theory of Historical Determinism. In the Nazi era, Einstein's theory of relativity was dismissed in Germany because it did not conform to the racial edicts of the Third Reich.

What is history going to say about America in the 21st century? "A bunch of fools tried to fool themselves and everyone else."

America deserves better that these charades.

Sincerely,
Jed Solow
NYC