What you can do

The big issue is to stop Rick Perry, and his ID insanity. But how? Well, first and foremost, you can hook up with the Texas Freedom Network and Texas Citizens for Science. Both of these groups are working to keep the religious right from taking over our schools and government and imposing their own narrow, fundamentalist view on everyone else.

Secondly, and more directly, you can vote for candidates opposing Perry to show him that this polarizing issue will hurt him more than it helps. Taking it a step further, contribute cash or volunteer to help out the campaigns of those candidates opposed to both Perry and intelligent design:

Democrat front-runner Chris Bell has a history of opposing ID. Last November at the University of North Texas he called ID "A load of crap," and has said "Things we teach kids in science class should have a scientific basis. Based on everything I have seen and heard, I fail to recognize the scientific basis for intelligent design."

Another Democrat candidate, Bob Gammage gave the Austin American-Statesman the best quote on the matter: "There is a difference between physics and metaphysics, and I believe that we should teach the first in schools and the second in church."

Independent candidate Kinky Friedman also speaking to the Statesman, had pretty much the same sentiments: "I'm agin it; there's nothing intelligent about it."

Notably absent from this list is our current state comptroller, the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent candidate for governor, Carole Keeton/McClellan/Rylander/Strayhorn. That grandstanding opportunist is suddenly nowhere to be found, ducking this particular issue and trying to play both sides against the middle. Typical. Don't give her jack--she's a waste of space, and would be as bad a governor as Perry, if that's at all possible.

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