The husband of the women (Sally Kern) who introduced that OK legislation himself is an avid creationist/theocrat (and yes, he’s in the religion business.)

From yesterday:

Scientist and pastor debate “intelligent design” at OCCC

Should the theory of “intelligent design” be taught in public school science classrooms?

That was the topic of discussion Thursday night at the “Second Annual Hot-Button Debate” held at Oklahoma City Community College and sponsored by the Oklahoma City Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church & State.

Last year, at the inaugural debate, conservative pastor Steve Kern and the Rev. Bruce Prescott debated the issue of whether America was founded as a Christian nation. We reported on that debate here.

This year, Kern took up the challenge again, this time debating whether “intelligent design” should be taught in public schools, something his opponent - Abbie Smith, a doctoral candidate in microbiology and immunology at the University of Oklahoma - disagreed with.

After introductions by the Rev. Jim Shields of the Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma, Kern kicked off the debate by giving a rather rambling opening statement that, among other things, had him proclaiming “neo-Darwinism is a dying theory” and that “education is about having other points of view.”

“Since removing God from the schools, public education has suffered,” Kern said.

[…]

When Smith concluded her introduction, Kern sarcastically congratulated her and explained that children are not taught the difference between microevolution and macroevolution and how the former “is the ability of species to make chamges within the limits set by the parameters encoded in the DNA of specific species” while the latter is the “unobserved process of one species changing into a totally different species.”

Noting a bill that his legislator wife, State Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City) has pushed, addressing “academic freedom,” Kern said all it would do is “allow teachers to point out discrepancies” in scientific theories, such as the theory of evolution.

At this point, Kern then got startlingly emotional, asking Smith and the audience, “Why are they upset about children learning about God?” He then added, “You can’t compartmentalize your faith, your education … they are all things, that are part of who you are.”

Kern also said the theory of evolution was a “lie … (they) have been teaching and preaching and proselytizing for 70 years …”

He wrapped up his statement by saying, “I stand for the truth!”

“Whose truth?” asked an audience member.

[…]

Said Smith: “I use evolution in the lab to make our lives better.”

Kern, meanwhile, wasn’t having it.

“If evolution is true, why are so many people asking about its validity,” asked Kern.

[…]

Read the whole thing. Derpitude at an intense level.