[NHCOLL-L:1962] Re: Fwd: Re: Ironic Quotes from Bioscience

[David Richman]

Dear All:

At a recent meeting of the NSCA in Berkeley I brought up another reason
that politicians might target us, or at least not be in any rush to fund
natural history museums- many of them do not like the idea of
funding people who are "lowering the moral standards" of the United States
by preaching evolution (not my words but an only slight paraphrase from a
statement on the teaching of evolution after the Columbine massacre by a
now high positioned legislator). If you believed that the earth was
created in six days six thousand years ago why would you want to throw
state or federal money at an institution that pushes the view that the
earth is several billion years old and that life evolved on this planet,
rather than being specially created? Surveys show over 40% of the American
public do not believe in evolution and that even at a major university
the figure was 30%. If this is not a problem, somebody
tell me why it is not.  

Another problem is that many people associate biodiversity (often pushed
by natural history museums as a reason for their existance) with federal
regulations on endangered species and see it as a threat to their way of
life.  

Add to this the current short-falls in state and federal budgets, the
perception that museums are irrelevant in an age of genetic engineering,
and general inertia associated with any state institution, plus occasional
arrogant statements from individual "speaking" for science, and we have a
recipe for disaster. 

We, of course, need to make collections relevant to the average citizen
and at the same time we may have to get our funding less from government,
as was just mentioned.  It is odd that administrators are rearly, if ever
cut, which may be a result of one or more of the reasons I mention above
or more likely just the more well connected protecting themselves better.

My opinions are my own and not necessarily those of my institution.

David B. Richman
Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM 88003