"An undeniable correlation"

Former St. Petersburg councilman Bill Foster set off a firestorm with his letter to the Pinellas School Board, in which he suggested that Darwin's theory of evolution and survival of the fittest emboldened haters like Adolf Hitler to feel superior.

Taken aback by the angry reaction, Foster - who is considering a run for mayor in 2009 - sent a letter to the St. Petersburg Times, noting he had been feted as his term ended and wondering, "What could I have done to cause such a rapid descent from grace?  Did I break the law?  Did I cause harm to someone?"

No, he wrote. He simply sent a letter to the School Board raising concerns about the science standards. He then further explained his position. Here's an excerpt:

One could say that Hitler twisted science and Darwinism to justify his abuse of religion.  Darwinism appeared to support Hitler’s disdain for the "unfit," so he  twisted Darwinism to fit his case. Both ideologies devalue human life, and make the "fittest" superior over the weak.  In my opinion, there is an undeniable correlation.

To see his full letter, read on.

Letter from Bill Foster to St. Petersburg Times:

On January 2, I spent my last day as a St. Petersburg City Councilman.  I was heralded by my colleagues, and received a Key to the City from the Mayor.  After almost ten years of service to the City, I was forced out of office due to term limits.  Many nice things were said about me, and I received many cards and letters thanking me for my thoughtful years of service.  By January 12, area bloggers declared that I was "an idiot, a has been, dangerous, a moron, unintelligent, a disappointment, ashamed, not mayor material, not human material, I shouldn’t work, shouldn’t have a job, shouldn’t have friends, etc."

These were not happy people, and tar and feathers were the theme. In the span of ten days, what could I have done to cause such a rapid descent from grace?  Did I break the law?  Did I cause harm to someone?  Was I caught in an immoral act, bringing shame to those around me?  None of the above.

I simply sent a letter to my local school board.  As a concerned parent and citizen, am I not entitled to voice an opinion to the very body which I support as a taxpayer?  True, I pointed out the deficiencies of Darwin's teachings.  Much to the public's chagrin, I even used a few lines from Dr. James Kennedy as I made a connection between Darwin and Hitler.  Mind you, I never said "No Darwin No Hitler".  What I did say was that the major assertions of Darwin contributed to the idea that certain people were superior (had greater social value) over others.

In "Mein Kamph", Hitler expressed a warped view of religion and creationism by mentioning "the almighty creator" and the "sin of racial poisoning".  One could say that Hitler twisted science and Darwinism to justify his  abuse of religion.  Darwinism appeared to support Hitler's disdain for the "unfit", so he  twisted Darwinism to fit his case.  Both ideologies devalue human life, and make the "fittest" superior over the weak.  In my opinion, there is an undeniable correlation.

What is also undeniable is that there is growing dissent in the scientific community, and there are literally hundreds of leading experts in a multitude of scientific disciplines who are "skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life".

Let me be clear - I do not want a public school teacher teaching religion in the public school.  This would be a clear violation of the First Amendment, and contrary to an abundance of case law.  In addition, faith and religion are not science, and therefore should not be taught in a science classroom. However, there are other school venues where a tolerance of alternative theories is appropriate, and where a dialogue on these theories should be allowed. Social Studies comes to mind.  Present the history of religious persecution which led to the founding of America.  Allow a discussion on why our forefathers penned the words "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".

Were these writers of the Declaration of Independence merely delusional?  Present the fact that as we speak, there are millions of people who believe in Creationism and an Almighty God.  Allow the kids to bring in their Torah, Bible and Koran, to merely express themselves freely about what they believe, and to permit some dialogue as to why their beliefs run directly counter to what they learned in science class.  One singular view (evolution), especially one so divisive and inconclusive, without any debate or dialogue on opposing views, is confusing to our kids.

If I have learned anything from history (Crusades, Inquisition, Communism, Nazism, etc), persecution or public shame for an opposing viewpoint is dangerous.  Stifling of debate is dangerous.  Unchecked ideology, whether scientific, political, religious, or otherwise, is dangerous.  This is America people. Sure, I touched a nerve, but I appreciate healthy debate, and I truly respect opposing viewpoints.

Comments

[Tom]

Oh, Mr. Foster, by the way, the book that Adolph Hitler wrote is Mein Kampf, not Mein Kamph...

Google the terms, he so used the lines.

Anyway..."other theories" makes my ears bleed. What. Other. Theories?

You won't say, will you, Mr. Foster? Because you KNOW that there are no other scientific theories. You KNOW that you will be called out for not knowing what a scientific theory is. You simply want to cloud this discussion with maybes and what ifs and nothing definitive.

It's disgusting.

Why isn't the Times looking into this plagiarism charge?

[Brian]

So...we've established that a politician is a moron, a liar, and a thief.

Where's the news?

In his letter, Mr. Foster said - "Much to the public's chagrin, I even used a few lines from Dr. James Kennedy as I made a connection between Darwin and Hitler" (taken from Mr. Foster's letter to the St. Pete Times)

It's surprising he doesn't understand why such a big deal is being made out of that fact. Using a "few lines" from someone is fine and dandy provided you give them the appropriate credit. Failure to do so is plagiarism.

You would think as an attorney, he would notice the little (c) at the bottom of the page from the website where he took those "few lines". Bad boy, Mr. Foster.

[Tom]

You know, Mr. Foster, the thing that disturbs me the most is that you are a member of the bar, yet you are choosing a path that has been determined to be unconstitutional by federal courts all the way to the Supreme Court.

Again, don't you have any experience working with case law? Any move to put creationism/ID into schools is bound to go down in flames, wasting precious taxpayer's money on a personal crusade. That is a classic example of malfeasance - using public funds to further your own beliefs.

I'm sorry your feelings were hurt, but you need to know that the idea of pushing the school board to violate the establishment clause of the first amendment is loco.

I'm not sure I want a mayor who pays this much attention to bloggers in the first place. Get a life Foster. There's nothing for you to see here.

I'm not sure I want a mayor who pays this much attention to bloggers in the first place. Get a life Foster. There's nothing for you to see here.

[Chris W]

So he was surprised by the angry reaction? He shouldn't have been. In a long, long battle with creationists (who are *entirely* to blame for evolution being "divisive" and who keep outright lying about it being inconclusive) we have explained over and over and over again what "scientific theory" means, and that there really are transitional forms, and that when you build a genetic evolutionary tree it is nearly identical to the one you can build using comparative anatomy and paleontology, and so on. We could be trying to teach table manners to a monkey, for all the good it does. You can't explain facts and logic and reason to someone who is hell-bent on not understanding them.

Creationists can't win on science; they don't know how, and even if they did know how their "faith" wouldn't let them take the risk of being unsupported by the evidence. So they do the only thing they can - they try to cheat by generating a phony controversy where on one side is 150 years of tested and vetted scientific research, and on the other is nothing but hot air and temper tantrums. (It's like dealing with a bunch of two-year-olds dressed in lab coats and waving Bibles.)

Then they point to the "controversy" and bleat about "divisiveness" and try to steer education toward a mushy middle ground. And later on they'll talk about how public school science education doesn't work, without owning up to their interference being the *reason* it doesn't work. You can't develop sharp scientific minds in your students when you have to constantly worry about which stupid and oversensitive creationist you're going to offend.

Mr. Foster, you apparently haven't learned anything from the Crusades, the Inquisition, Communism, or Nazism. If we ever get TypePad to fix their comment filters, we can get into this at greater length.