Pro-science Republican running for TX School Board!
April 30th, 2009 RWA
With the Republican party still in disarray, various individuals, from David Frum to Meghan McCain, have been challenging its base, sagely informing them that unless they change their tune on such issues as the environment and gay marriage, they’ll be doomed to minority status for many elections to come. So far, none of these would-be reformers have called for an end to the so-called “Republican war on science” or taken on the task of trying to unshackle the creationist deadweight that has crippled the party amongst educated voters, but now, a fresh new face running for the Texas School Board may be the beginning of a sea change in this matter. Charlie Johnson (keep fighting the kooks, Charles!) has just introduced his readers to Joel Walker, a theoretical physicist and professor at Sam Houston State University. Defying all stereotypes, Joel happens to be a conservative Republican and is active in his family’s church. He’s also very concerned about where science education in Texas is headed, and so should you.
As has frequently been noted, Texas is one of the largest purchasers of textbooks in the nation, and decisions made by the state school board therefore have potentially massive ramifications for textbook standards everywhere. With biology textbooks slated to be up for approval in the state by 2011, it is imperative that pro-science legislators be on board as a majority in order to avert attempts at either approving creationist tracts as part of the curriculum, or watering them down to the point that evolution is barely even mentioned, if it all. Having an actual scientist on the Board, someone with a full grasp of both the facts and the scientific method itself, would only be a bonus. But does it matter at all if this board member happened to be a Republican? Should we support Walker’s run not just because of his scientific expertise and teaching experience, but because of his party affiliation?
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