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From today's WaPo, a stunning article on the growing attack on science around the nation.

Two highlights:

"If you believe God created that baby, it makes it a whole lot harder to get rid of that baby," Fox said. "If you can cause enough doubt on evolution, liberalism will die."

That approach appeals to Cindy Duckett, a Wichita mother who believes public school leaves many religious children feeling shut out. Teaching doubts about evolution, she said, is "more inclusive. I think the more options, the better." "If students only have one thing to consider, one option, that's really more brainwashing," said Duckett, who sent her children to Christian schools because of her frustration. Students should be exposed to the Big Bang, evolution, intelligent design "and, beyond that, any other belief that a kid in class has. It should all be okay."

If there was ever proof that our system of education needs serious help this is it. Presumably both of these people were educated in U.S. schools. And yet both of them have no understanding whatsoever of what the concepts of "liberalism" and "science" mean.

"It should all be OK"? So if, for example, a child believes that man has descended from cyborgs made of cheese who traveled in spaceships made of rice across the galaxy from the planet Cephalyx 127 years ago that should be taught in schools? Are we just going to completely discard the concept of truth and return to pre-enlightenment understandings of reality?

The economic strength of this nation was built over the course of the 20th century on science, science by and large funded by the federal government. Science quite literally has built the nation we live in today. And yet... this?

"Truth advances and error recedes step by step only; and to do our fellow-men the most good in our power, we must lead where we can, follow where we cannot, and still go with them, watching always the favorable moment for helping them to another step." --Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Cooper, 1814.

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