MI-Gov: NEW - DeVos wants Creationism in Classrooms

For those who haven't been following closely, our local nutjob Republican is a man named Dick DeVos.  DeVos is the head of Michigan-based Amway (yes, that Amway), and is the "R" candidate for governor in this November's election.

The AP is quoting DeVos saying he wants creationism taught in Michigan's public school classrooms.

From The Ann Arbor News:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos says Michigan's science curriculum should include a discussion about intelligent design.  He says including intelligent design along with evolution would help students discern the facts among different theories.

"I would like to see the ideas of intelligent design -- that many scientists are now suggesting is a very viable alternative theory -- that that theory and others that would be considered credible would expose our students to more ideas, not less," DeVos told The Associated Press this week during an interview on education.

Intelligent Design is, of course, the latest flavor of Classroom Creationism; specifically, it's the one that was recently blown out of Dover, PA by the courts there.  Cruise on through PZ Myers' fantastic "Pharyngula" blog if you need background on ID, or on the latest science-vs-Republicans issues.

Could this be the move that pulls our beloved Governor Jennifer Granholm ahead?  Is this the self-defining moment that removes all doubt from the minds of Michigan voters about the nature of the man on the Republican ticket?

•  Of COURSE, we would insist...

  ...that Pastafarianism be taught as one of these "others that would be considered credible".

  FSM: May you be Touched by His Noodly Appendage.
  http://www.venganza.org/

  by STEVEinMI on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 10:44:28 AM PDT

  •  And the Lenape story my grandmother told me

    Creator called Turtle to come up from the ocean and stay above the water.  Creator put dirt on Turtle and things began to grow.  From one very large tree, a man and a woman sprouted and fell to the earth and these where the first people.

    Of course, it is quite possible that Creator is the FSM!

    by Rogneid on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:01:03 AM PDT

    •  sounds Huron Indian-ish

      by philgoblue on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:03:03 AM PDT

      •  Were Hurons Algonquin speaking?

        by Rogneid on Sun Sep 24, 2006 at 08:16:06 PM PDT

    •  Did you hear the Al Franken bit

      where an native american and Pat Robertson debate creation theories?  Funny.

      by Inland on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:27:41 AM PDT

  •  Ramen! n/t

    by kmiddle on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:10:20 AM PDT

  •  And of course Dick would insist

    every Michingan parent could use a voucher to pay for their child to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and learn about intelligent desingn.  The far right must be getting restless if Dick had to reveal a bit of his extremist playbook.  

    I can't say I'm surprised at all.  

    by JDalton on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:36:25 AM PDT

  •  I pledge...

    That if elected I will push for the teaching of Pastafarianism in Michigan's charter schools. There will of course be no more public schools as they will be repurposed in as detailed in my Michigan Turnaround Plan 3.9: Schools to Prisons.

    by devoshead on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:38:15 AM PDT

    •  I can tell you're not DeVos...

      ...he doesn't have a plan, remember?  Elect me, and I'll figure out the details after November.

      by STEVEinMI on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 01:28:10 PM PDT

    •  Don't forget about "IF"

      Hey Dick's Head, you can't teach Intelligent Design without also teaching Intelligent Falling.  It's very scientific, just like ID.

      by Heir to DC on Thu Sep 21, 2006 at 06:40:28 AM PDT

•  Indeed, this is good news,

  wingnuttery and honesty do not win elections in MI.  One must be a stealth wingnut.

  by wozzle on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 10:53:19 AM PDT

•  Dick DeVos defined himself a long time ago

  To call his Ponzi scam "the American way" says it all. This is just the icing on the cake.

  by tjfxh on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 10:54:10 AM PDT

•  O, the irony

  Dick DeVos calls for the teaching of intelligent design despite the fact that his very existence disproves the theory.

  by megisi on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 10:56:30 AM PDT

  •  Good one! n/t

    by Rogneid on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:02:34 AM PDT

•  Devos is crazy

  and his wife may be crazier.
  The question is whether Granholm will do what is necessary to win the election.

  I have contributed to her campaign and I will vote for her, but she is not "beloved" by me. Too much vascillation. As an educator, I find the education policies of her administration, under the direction of her personal choice Mike(I love to quote Tom Freidman) Flannagan, nearly as odious as NCLB.

  If she gets re-elected (and we are in huge trouble if she doesn't) she needs to decide if she is going to go with the progressives or with the triangulating DLC branch of the Democratic party.

  As I have said before, the sad thing is having her at the head of the ticket is dragging down Stabenow.

  by slatsg on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:18:38 AM PDT

•  There is also a more detailed diary on this topic

  http://www.dailykos.com/...

  by STEVEinMI on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:21:39 AM PDT

•  DeVos about 18 months behind the curve.

  ID has been discussed, dissected, and discarded as even more worthless than out and out creationism: creationsm per se at least has the virtue of not having to mangle the very nature of scientific inquiry as part of a fraud on students and teachers.  

  by Inland on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:26:07 AM PDT

•  Today's New Scientist:

  New Scientist - NEWS ALERT

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
  Amazing skeleton of a 3-year-old ancestor

  The stunningly complete skeleton of a young girl who lived 3.3 million years ago has been uncovered in Ethiopia. The child belongs to the species Australopithecus afarensis - like the famous "Lucy", who was discovered in 1974. The young age of the so-called Dikika child, who was discovered in the same region as Lucy, promises exciting new insights into the growth of early humans.

  So, Devos, what's up boy?

  by Asinus Asinum Fricat on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:46:47 AM PDT

•  DeVos Position on Evolution Helps Granholm

  DeVos' campaign so far has been focused on beating up the Governor and blaming her for the Bush economic disaster.

  The more the voters learn of his extremist views, the better off we will be in the election.

  The right wingers already have a home in the Republican Party.

  It is the moderate and independent voters that struggle to decide where to fit.  Those voters are not supporters of unintelligible design.  At worst they will not vote at all.  At best, this sort of issue will scare them away from DeVos and right into our camp.

  Now if we could just get the Press to run some stories on

  • how DeVos has funded the Republican attack on the estate tax (just so he can keep every penny of his family money);
  • how he is good friends with Bush
  • how he opposes public schools and supports vouchers

  There are so many issues that the voters need to learn about, but the MSM isn't covering.

  by R2 on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 01:10:37 PM PDT