To the editor:

I attended Jack Krebs’ talk at Kansas University Tuesday night on the renewed controversy over the Kansas science standards. A new majority of Christian conservatives on the State Board of Education is expected to once again mess with the science education of our children. The new creationism they want to introduce is called “intelligent design.”

Intelligent design proponents are constantly calling for public debates on the issue. A debate might be a nice way to win public support (their goal), but it is not how science is established. You don’t get to vote on whether the theory of relativity, gravity, or even evolution, is valid.

A scientific theory has withstood rigorous and repeated testing over many years, and as such is accepted by the worldwide scientific community. Intelligent design has accomplished none of this. It might be a nice idea, but it is not a scientific theory.

Because science has soundly rejected the idea of intelligent design, their new tactic is to try to get it introduced into our standards through popular vote. Hence the endless calls for public forums.

So brace yourselves. The cry for “debates” is just beginning.

Kristin Brumm,

Olathe