Evolution in the South

Hi Everyone, I wanted to make a personal post today. As you may know, I am a Southerner, born and raised in Alabama. The South is making progress toward accepting evolution, but we have a way to go. I went to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, and was surprised to hear this comment from one of the speakers talk about the Whale Shark: He said that he would like to tell us why the whale shark isn't really closely related to the whale, but he gets in trouble every time he says the 'E' word. It is ashame that speakers cannot feel free to tell children about the most fascinating fact of Biology. While we were at the aquarium, I pointed out to my younger sister that whales move their bodies vertically to swim, and so do otters. I told her that it was because they were related: Whales come from land mammals, so they swim like land mammals. Her face lit up, and I could tell it made sense to her. Later on, I was reading "Origin of Species" in the hotel we were at, and my sister asked, "That's by Charles Darwin, Isn't It?" I told her it was, and she responded, "Oh yeah, we learned all about him and the Galapagos Finches in school." I may have told this story before, but when I was in school (PUBLIC School, mind you) I wasn't taught evolution (In a Botany and Zoology class, no less) but that I should be careful when I get into college not to let my professors sway my faith. Outrageous, isn't it? I am glad that my siblings will get a better education, and that the other small town children are being exposed to a view different from the creationist propaganda.