Todd Akin Blames Bill Nye for Hurricane
Missouri U.S. SenateÂ candidateÂ Todd AkinÂ has deepened the controversy surrounding his candidacy today by claiming that science educator Bill Nye is to blame for HurricaneÂ Issac - the deadly storm currently menacing New Orleans. Akin - who has already attracted outrage with recent statements regarding rape and homosexuality - says that Nye has angered god with a Youtube video in which he claims creationism "hurts kids." In a town hall meeting held in a PresbyterianÂ church in Chesterfield, MOÂ AkinÂ explainedÂ to the audience that natural phenomenaÂ cannotÂ beÂ separatedÂ from theÂ spiritualÂ realm: "I think its pretty clear if you study the Bible that natural disasters are no accident. GodÂ destroyedÂ Sodom andÂ GomorrahÂ becauseÂ theirÂ people had sinned. And now we have an American city facing a similar fate. " Mardi Gras,Â MercrediÂ Noir Akin then argued that God has taken notice ofÂ America's corrupt moralÂ cultureÂ and has punished that nation in accordance with scripture: "Look around us. We have gays in theÂ military. Lesbians on the Supreme Court.Â PromiscuityÂ in Hollywood and in music and on the streets. And now we have this guy ...what's his name...Bill Nye...we have this guy Bill Nye going around saying we can't teach the word of God to our children!" "Is it any wonder we got an ungodly storm off our shores?Â How dumb do you have to be to think that's just aÂ coincidence?" Phonecam video from the incident shows some in the crowd of churchgoing Christians jumping to their feet and singing Â "amen". The Eye of Nye Meteorologists tend to disagree with Akin's description of how weather works. Todd Wallace, a leadingÂ researcherÂ at Washington University in St. Louis says "There is simply no evidence that religiousÂ beliefsÂ affect weather patterns. Storms like Issac hit the U.S. frequently and extreme weather isÂ prevalentÂ on everyÂ continent, regardless of the creed of its inhabitants." But that hasn't stopped some of Akin's followers from demanding accountability from Nye, a figure beloved by millions of Americans forÂ his Bill Nye the Science Guy series of educational videos. Former Arkansas governor and Chick-Fil-A eating contest winner Mike Huckabee expressed hisÂ beliefÂ that Nye should repent on his radio talk show: "Frankly I think it might do some good if Bill Nye got on his knees and asked for forgiveness. The storm isn't over yet. Maybe the good lord will let up if he gets a little contrition from him." The Daily Currant has reached out to Bill Nye for comment, but his representatives could not be reached at this time.