The race to become the GOP's nominee for Governor in Alabama has taken a strange, disturbing turn, as two candidates and their supporters rush to claim the title of Most Committed Creationist and paint the opponent as something akin to Darwin himself.
A mysterious ad that accuses a candidate for governor in Alabama of supporting the theory of evolution and questioning the Bible has triggered a dizzying and nasty shouting match in the state's hotly contested Republican primary race.
The ad … questions Byrne's faith and accuses him of being a "liberal."
Referencing Byrne's time on the state school board, where he was first elected as a Democrat in the 1990s before switching parties, the ad's narrator says in a quizzical voice:
"On the school board, Byrne supported teaching evolution, said evolution best explains the origin of life — even recently said the Bible is only partially true."
Now both candidates are proudly touting efforts to get creationism taught in Alabama public school science classes, this with apparently no concern for the fact that courts have repeatedly found such an approach unconstitutional.
So, both campaign efforts are arguing the other guy is not religious enough – or is the wrong kind of religious – and are urging an education platform insistent on violating the constitutional rights of public school students. C'mon fellas…. can't we at least pretend to stick to legitimate public policy issues?
