the modern debate over intelligent design . . . is really about neither science nor religion, but the American constitution, which has kept religion out of schools.

Before Intelligent Design the Religious Right used other anti-evolution tacks to ram against the church and state wall.

First they tried to simply outlaw the teaching of evolution altogether. Some of these attempts worked for decades until, in 1968, the Supreme Court struck down Arkansas's statutory prohibition against teaching evolution (Epperson v. Arkansas).

Next, they used statutes requiring teachers who taught evolution to give "equal time" or a "balanced treatment" to teaching the Biblical version of the creation of species (i.e., that God created them all in 24 hours), until the 6th Circuit stopped that with its Daniel v. Waters ruling in 1975.

Next, they basically did the same thing, but with different language-using statutes requiring teachers to give equal time to "Creation Science" or "Scientific Creationism." Happily, the Supreme Court in 1987 saw that these concepts weren't science just because they called themselves such, and ruled in Edwards v. Arkansas that such statues violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.

But the creationists didn't (and never will) stop.

Next, they basically did the same thing yet a third time! Having cooked up the concept of "Intelligent Design," a.k.a. "I.D.," and funding seemingly scientific institutions, like the Discovery Institute, that would promote Intelligent Design, they demanded that teachers give I.D. equal time. But in late 2005, Judge Jones of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District) saw through the charade and stopped that, too.

Yet they persist.

A new tactic is trying to statutorily force teachers to "teach the [evolution] controversy." What that means is that teachers have to teach that not all scientists believe in evolution. Of course, the vast majority of scientists do believe in evolution. By one count, only 0.15% of 480,000 U.S. earth or life scientists accept creationism. Similarly, there are some who argue that the moon landing didn't happen. Yet physics, history, or science teachers aren't required to teach the "moon landing controversy" are they? That's because there is no genuine controversy as to the reality of the moon landing, just as there is no genuine controversy within the scientific community as to the reality of evolution.

Now, finally, to the heart of the matter--

Something you can do in this arena: Join the National Center for Science Education. The NCSE is a religiously-neutral non-profit dedicated to defending the teaching of evolution in public schools.

Something else you can do:Join or visit, or both, a natural history museum  near you, and here are lists of U.S. natural history museums, organized by state.

Defending in this arena is particularly important for two additional reasons: 1) the Religious Right in this arena needs to be not only challenged but unmasked; they claim to be making scientific objections, when in fact they are engaged in an assault on the separation of church and state, and 2) this involves children's education. America's children deserve to receive a science education, not charlatanism.