Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is on the defensive; his far right social agenda has been soundly rejected by voters, and his popularity has imploded as the public understands exactly what Jindal has been trying to pull. And yesterday he gave an interview that made it even clearer: despite his talk about “moderation,” Bobby Jindal is just as much of a religious fanatic reactionary as any other Republican: Jindal Defends School Vouchers in NBC Interview.

I believe this is the first time Jindal has come right out and said he’s in favor of teaching creationism in public schools, although it’s been obvious from his political agenda. This is the GOP “reformer” — just another anti-science caveman.

In a way I’m glad to see him finally dropping all the pretense and openly admitting what his voucher program is intended to do: put right wing religious mythology on an equal footing with modern science, and instill government-sanctioned ignorance in the children of Louisiana. It’s nauseating, but at least it’s now out in the open.

Jindal also said he has no problem with creationism being taught in public schools as long as a local school board OK’s it. Since the state is committed to national academic standards, he said, as long as schools are teaching evolution they should be allowed to teach other theories as well. “What are we scared of?” he said. “Let (students) debate and learn … give them critical thinking skills.”