Opponents of ID are doing the very thing they decry ... they are using the law to fight against criticism of evolution ... instead of defeating ideas with ideas. The ACLU bullied Ohio into submission with the threat of a multimillion law suit as described in this World magazine article called Junk Science.
This strategy produces Pyrrhic victories at best. It will win a skirmish in Ohio, but the apologists of Darwin continue to wage a losing war in this culture ... and the ranks of public dissenters within the scientific community grows. How long till it is safe for the untenured to dissent? Once that happens, a Kuhnian shift shouldn't be far behind.
The message this sends to Americans who have doubts about pure naturalistic Darwinism (which still is the majority of Americans) is ... force is required to win this debate because ideas won't do it. Not allowing criticisms of ideas is a disastorous approach and using the establishment clause to get your way makes it even worse.
No wonder Michael Ruse has been quoted recently as telling Dennet and Dawkins "we are losing this war." He is right.
To provide a taste of what it feels like to not be able to dissent, I am disabling comments on this post. It stinks, doesn't it?