The success of the stealth creationist bill promoted and signed into law by Governor Bobby Jindal in Louisiana is encouraging creationists across the country to launch similar efforts. The latest Republican legislator to try to pull this stuff is Sen. Stephen Wise, who has introduced another Orwellian “academic freedom” bill in Florida: Wise to introduce bill on intelligent design. Warning: reading Wise’s “explanations” may cause a drop in IQ level. And notice that Wise doesn’t just want to allow the teaching of pseudo-science—he wants to require it.

State Sen. Stephen Wise, a Jacksonville Republican, said he plans to introduce a bill to require teachers who teach evolution to also discuss the idea of intelligent design. …

Wise, the chief sponsor of the bill, expects the Senate to take it up when it meets in March. He said its intent is simple: “If you’re going to teach evolution, then you have to teach the other side so you can have critical thinking.”

Wise said that if the Legislature passes the bill, he wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a legal challenge.

“You just never know. They use the courts all the time. I guess if they have enough money they can get it in the courts,” he said. “Someplace along the line you’ve got to be able to make a value judgment of what it is you think is the appropriate thing.” …

Wise acknowledges it’s a controversial subject. “I got a lot of hate mail last year,” he said. “You’d think I’d never gone to school, that I was Cro-Magnon man, that I just got out of a cave or something.”

Notice that Wise is well aware his bill is likely to end up costing the state of Florida millions for legal defenses if they pass this bill, and it will almost certainly be struck down as unconstitutional. But that doesn’t even faze him.

And it’s not just in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. Another “academic freedom” stealth creationist bill was introduced this week in Iowa.