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Posted
Monday, October 22, 2007 4:19 PM
| By
Chadwick Matlin
Michael
Skok, a 58-year-old retiree from New York, asked me this today: "I
would argue with you that Republicans have evolutionists in their
party. So why can't the Democrats have a creationist in their own
party?" Skok believes the Earth is 6,000 years old, that America will
cease to exist within eight years, and that we need to send a man to
Mars. That's why he's running for president.
Undeterred by his 18-vote tally
in New Hampshire's 2000 primary, Skok is back in the race for the
Democratic nomination. Not that he's on the trail, exactly: He can't
afford to head out to New Hampshire just yet, having spent much of his
campaign budget on the $1,000 registration fee for the state primary.
His family doesn't like that he's running: "They said it's a waste of
money. I tell them I'm trying to save the country." Here's the plan:
Restore the country's Christian values: Skok wants to stage a modern-day Scopes Trial
via a nationwide debate between the country's best creationists and
evolutionists. "We're becoming a nation that's godless with no
morality," he said. He's puts his faith in the creationists, partly
because the books on evolution he has read have been "confusing."
Find alternate sources of energy: To
ease America's dependence on the OPEC states, Skok wants to put solar
panels in Earth's orbit and then somehow get that energy back down to
Earth. Also, expect the Skok administration to put solar collectors
along the freeway and invest in wind turbines.
Fix America's trade deficit: Skok
is convinced that in eight years, there will be no such thing as the
United States. Instead, the EU is going to annex the U.S. because the
dollar will be so weak and so many industries will have been outsourced
to China.
Advance America's science and technology sectors: Sending
an astronaut to Mars, he said, would help strengthen America's position
in the world. This, coupled with Skok's desire to send solar panels
into orbit, made me wonder how his creationist beliefs jibe with his
scientific interests. "I'm using science to find out if the Bible is
true," he told me.
Skok said he can't imagine voting for any
other Democrat but that Fred Thompson had caught his eye because he
wanted to restore Christian values. If Fred's performance continues to
underwhelm, maybe Values Voters can find their candidate across the aisle.