Earmark would put federal funds toward creationism project

WASHINGTON, DC – An earmark was recently been added to the U.S. Senate Fiscal Year 2008 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill's Committee Report that would put $100,000 of federal funding directly in the hands of the Louisiana Family Forum, an organization that has a history of aggressively sponsoring the teaching of creationism and other theories that debate evolution in schools. The funding is for a project that would allow this group to "to develop a plan to promote better science education."
"In truth, there is no controversy in the scientific community over the theory of evolution. Thus, attempting to debunk it or single it out for criticism using taxpayer money can serve no valid secular teaching purpose. Every major scientific organization and the overwhelming majority of scientists agree that evolution is the best and only scientific explanation for the diversity of species," said Americans United for Separation of Church and State in a press release Oct. 15.
The courts have consistently found that government efforts to hinder the teaching of evolution or to promote the teaching of alternate "theories" violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
"The religious tone of creationism and its proponents, including Louisiana Family Forum, makes such groups completely inappropriate recipients of federal funding for science education," the release went on to say.
To ask that this earmark be extracted from the Senate Appropriations bill, call the Senate Appropriations Committee to ask for the removal of this earmark by using the following numbers: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies: Majority staff: 202-224-9145; Minority staff: 202-224-7230.