A Science Debate in 2008

Girlfriend has a good idea every once in a while. Oh, wait: wasn't her idea.

Last month a group of concerned citizens got together to take a stand for a Presidential debate focused on science. They started an online petition at sciencedebate2008.com with a list of supporters that includes 11 Nobel laureates, multiple university presidents, business leaders, politicians and more and more concerned citizens each day.

On Jan 11th they were on NPR's Science Friday. Organizer Shawn Lawrence Otto said that they are talking to a number of institutions about hosting the debate and hope to make a major announcement about that in "the next week or two."
The group is gaining momentum. The National Academy of Science as well as the American Association for the Advancement of Science are on board and are in talks to host the event. If so, the debates would take place in Washington DC. This works out well for Vern Ehlers (R-Michigan) and Rush Holt (D-New Jersey) the two PhD physicists in Congress who are Co-Chairing the Science Debate 2008 effort. (I didn't even know we had PhD's in Congress.)

Please go sign the petition now. If any serious candidate for President of the United States denies evolution, or thinks that there were dinosaurs on Noah's Ark ('cause the earth is only 6,000 years old), and that the fossil record is god's little joke... we goddamn well need to know it BEFORE we get into the voting booth.