Snake in the Grasz

Leonard Steve Grasz is a fundamentalist anti-science nutcase from Omaha, who has been nominated by Trump to serve on the Federal Court of Appeals. He is being heavily supported by our two GOP senators, Fischer and Sasse. The latter, at least, should know better.

In 1999, abusing his position as Nebraska's Deputy Attorney General, Grasz successfully petitioned the Nebraska Board of Education to weaken its position on the teaching of evolution. From the Skeptic, v.7, p.20 (1999)

Steve Grasz, deputy attorney general, who questioned whether the standards interfere with religious fights because they appear to require that evolution be taught as objective fact rather than theory. Grasz further questioned the standards' requirements that high school seniors be able to explain macro-evolution and the rise of mammals; investigate and use the theory of biological evolution to explain diversity of life; and develop a scientific understanding of the origin of the universe. "This particular requirement appears to exclude the possibility of divine creation," Grasz wrote.
Evolution is the basic conceptual foundation of all biological science. Despite a century long campaign of disinformation by religious fundamentalists, its remained totally sound and profoundly explanatory. No competent biologist questions it.

And using the term 'macroevolution' is a creationist dog-whistle.

Grasz is also on the board of the Nebraska Family Alliance, which opposes LGBTQA+ rights and abortion, and has published articles promoting 'conversion therapy' for gays, which is also scientifically discredited. As a result of his nutso positions, he's been unanimously rated 'not-qualified' by the American Bar Association.

In the unfortunate event he's nominated, Grasz will probably have to pass judgement on a number of scientific issues. He claims he can be objective, but he wasn't when the was Deputy Attorney General, and there is no reason to believe he's changed. He must be stopped.

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