Dr. Bill Heller (D-Dist 52), "HB 1483/ SB 2692 The Academic Freedom Act";

Dear Mr. Klenk,

I thank you for your e-mail and am glad to respond to your question.

My three grandchildren are all now adults, one is an ex-marine and in college, one is an attorney in Washington DC and another is a sophomore at the U. of South Dakota.

All three attended public schools and at no time were they ever indocrinated with any given point of view. They received, like I did in my public school education, an open education that enabled me to make choices. My teachers, like theirs, enjoyed as most teachers do, academic freedom. I am a former teacher and not once in my 40 years of teaching either in the public schools or a public university have I ever NOT enjoyed academic freedom. Academic freedom is not absent in our schools -- quite to the contrary it is what makes our public schools places where all points of view are respected and valued.

All of my grandchildren attended church regularly as well as school. They are well educated in my judgment and I'm very proud of them and thankful for the education they received in the public schools they attended.

Again, thanks for your contact. Best wishes.

Bill Heller

RE: FL's "HB 1483/ SB 2692 The Academic Freedom Act";

     I called your office yesterday and today to confirm that you have 3 grandchildren in public schools and that you were opposed to any 'relevant scientific evidence which evaluates, critically analyzes or challenges the scientific theory of evolution'. A position that demands that evolution be taught as a scientific fact.
    In light of the 'letter to the editor' below that itemizes some obstacles to evolution. Please note the word 'impossible'. I would like you to write me a letter describing how you explain your dogmatic position to your children and also what you told your grand children to their faces regarding your position on evolution in their public school.
    It appears that you are cooperating with government schools to make them stupid.

EVOLUTION
Philosophy, not science (ref: http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/8469.article )

I worked for years in the aerospace industry and helped engineer the Mercury and Gemini space programs. While I am a born-again believer and a creation scientist, the following 10 statements discuss only scientific problems with evolution theory.

1. No one has ever seen anything Darwinian evolve (macro-evolution).

2. The fossil record shows no intermediate forms.

3. Living species show no intermediate forms.

4. Natural selection removes rare mutations.

5. The Law of Biogenesis proves Darwinism is impossible.

6. The DNA Code Barrier proves Darwinism is impossible.

7. Gene Depletion proves Darwinism is impossible.

8. The First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics proves Darwinism is impossible.

9. Mathematical probability says Darwinism is impossible.

10. No one has ever seen nature add new and beneficial data or information to an existing gene pool.

It is sad that so many modern scientists do not attempt to prove paradigms or theories like evolution wrong. They merely interpret their data in terms of the paradigm. Evolution for them is a philosophical starting point, not a scientific observation.

It is unconscionable in the tax-supported public schools of our pluralistic democratic society to indoctrinate our young people in an unproven evolutionary theory while denying them the opportunity to even consider the evidence for Creation Science that thousands of scientists have found to be compelling. This results in a denial of academic and religious freedoms, indoctrination in a materialistic, mechanistic philosophy that encourages belief in atheism and agnosticism, and is poor science and poor education.

Jerry Forsythe
Palm Coast

Sincerely,
RE Klenk, -

"Every Executive Order, Judicial Decree or Law is a line drawn in the sand. On one side is Right on the other side is Wrong. This is the DEFINITION of morality. It follows that the Character of those who draw the lines in the sand is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT !" - If you don't vote your values, they will make evil legal.- rek