(WMC-TV) – And so the national headlines read "Monkey Bill
Becomes Law," "Echoes of evolution debate return to Tennessee," or how about this
one, "Tennessee Devolving."
Who cares if the rest of world is laughing at us if we know
we're doing the right thing?
In this case, we are not.
Tennessee lawmakers passed the so-called "Academic Freedom"
bill which supporters say protects teachers who allow students to criticize
scientific theories like evolution.
Opponents say this is a poorly disguised way of opening the
door to allow Creationism to be discussed in the classroom.
We live in a world of global competition and many other
countries now routinely outdo us when it comes to math and science, and yet the
Tennessee House and Senate would rather rejuvenate our reputation as the home
of the Scopes Monkey Trial.
We've come to expect hijinks like this from them, but we had
hoped that Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam would be the adult in the room.
Instead, he allowed a bill he said he did not like to become
law without exercising his right to veto.
That's unfortunate.
That's my turn. Now it's your turn. To comment on this
segment or anything else, email yourturn@wmctv.com
or call 800-465-1210.
Copyright 2012 WMC-TV. All rights reserved.
Lee Meredith, WMC-TV general manager.
