Tornado Alley (PROG)

[Alex G]

Texas Creationist Don McLeroy: Rejected!

http://sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/texas-creationist-don-mcleroy-rejected/

THE Texas senate voted today on the nomination of creationist dentist Don McLeroy, whom Texas Governor Rick Perry had appointed as chairman of the Texas Board of Education (BOE). It was McLeroy — a young-earth creationist — who presided over the Texas Science Chainsaw Massacre.

The Austin American-Statesman reports: Senate rejects McLeroy confirmation as SBOE chairman. Here are some excerpts, with bold added by us:

The Texas Senate on Thursday refused to confirm Don McLeroy as State Board of Education chairman after an impassioned floor debate. The 19 to 11 party-line vote was not enough to get McLeroy across the required two-thirds threshold. Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, abstained from the vote.

That’s the good news For the bad, let’s read on:

McLeroy, a Republican from Bryan, was first elected to the board in 1998 and will remain in that position.

So we’ll still have Don McLeroy to kick around. What happens next?

But Gov. Rick Perry will now need to appoint another leader from the 15-member board.

That should be interesting, considering how many other creationists are on the board. Here’s more:

Critics said McLeroy’s nearly two-year tenure as chairman has been dysfunctional and divisive.

[...]

But his supporters said there was an anti-religious tinge to the opposition because McLeroy is a conservative Christian who does not believe in evolution.

Well, that’s the way it goes. But we wish rationality weren’t a partisan issue in Texas.

[Our relevant articles can be found here: Anti-Science Activity: Texas ‘09.]