WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- More than a dozen of the nation's leading scientists, legal scholars and clergy today announced the formation of the Campaign to Defend the Constitution (DefCon), an online grassroots movement to combat the threat posed by the religious right to American democracy, public education and scientific leadership.

In its first action, the Campaign organized leading scientists and clergy to write jointly to the nation's governors asking them to protect science education and to oppose inclusion of intelligent design in science curricula. The letter was signed by over 100 clergy, led by Rev. James Forbes of the Riverside Church in New York and Rev. Welton Gaddy of the Interfaith Alliance. Nearly 100 scientists joined them, including a half- dozen Nobel laureates -- Peter Agre, M.D., Paul Berg, Mike Bishop, M.D., Gunter Blobel, M.D., J. Robert Horvitz, and Harold Varmus, M.D.

The Campaign -- whose website is http://www.defconamerica.org -- also released its first "DefCon Alert" -- on the top ten "Islands of Ignorance" around the country where science education is under attack -- and launched a petition drive to the nation's governors to defend the teaching of evolution. The report's release coincides with the start this week of the trial in Dover, PA regarding a school board mandate to teach intelligent design as an alternative to evolution.

With a significant online advertising program and plans to run TV and print ads attacking the religious right, the Campaign is positioned to become a leading voice in efforts to curb the growing political influence of leaders of the religious right from Tony Perkins to James Dobson and Pat Robertson.