Double-Plus Ungood

I know it’s not a scientific poll, but I still think this is disturbing (results as of 7:21 p.m.):

Should public schools teach students about counterarguments to the theory of evolution? * 42709 responses

Yes– many Americans doubt evolution, and education should reflect widespread beliefs- 44%

No– evolution is a well-established scientific principle- 56%

Even setting aside the creationism-evolution “debate” (which really just consists of creationists howling and shrieking), who the hell really thinks the content of education should be based on “widespread beliefs?” If a lot of Americans believe Saddam was behind 9/11, does this mean we should teach this “alternative view” in history classes?

 

Comments: 45

 
 
 

Manufactured consent.

cowards.

 
 

Couldn’t agree more. From now on I plan to urge that all school curricula be based on urban legends. This will ensure that our nation’s schools systems truly reflect the widespread beliefs of mainstream Americans. Don’t you agree that this will be best for America?

 
 

I agree as well, grades should not be assigned based upon whether you have the right answer, but instead whether you have the same answer as the other students. This will sort out the non-conformists. Those people can go live in France.

 
 

As usual, the question is wrongly worded. Asking whether people want “counterarguments” to evolution suggests that scientific theories are just rhetoric, feeding into the “just a theory” nonsense. They should have just said, “Are you an imbecile?”

 
 

As usual, the question is wrongly worded. Asking whether people want “counterarguments” to evolution suggests that scientific theories are just rhetoric, feeding into the “just a theory” nonsense. They should have just said, “Are you an imbecile?”

Yeah, see, this is one of the major problems with journalism- you’ve got people writing articles on things which they know nothing about.

I mean, obviously people would be open to teaching “alternate theories” to evolution IF THERE WERE LEGITIMATE SCIENTIFIC ALTERNATIVE THEORIES.

I go to J-school. We have specific programs for Science and Business journalism where students actually have to take classes in the subject they want to report on. Whatta concept!

 
 

I like how they cast teaching creationism as the “tolerant” choice.

 
 

I continue to issue my challenge to the anti-evolutionists:

Give me a rationale for teaching intelligent design in biology class that would not also require me to teach astrology in physics class.

I’m still waiting for a response.

 
 

Give me a rationale for teaching intelligent design in biology class that would not also require me to teach astrology in physics class.

I’m still waiting for a response.

Why stop there? There’s a guy I see around Harvard Square in Cambridge who likes to take off his shirt and rant about “the Zionist conspiracy to install and Islamic monarchy in America.”

I mean, sure he doesn’t have any EVIDENCE, of this conspiracy, but I’m appalled that Harvard doesn’t at least “teach the controversy” and at least let their students know that a growing number of people (OK, one guy, but that’s more than there was five years ago) believe in a Zionist plot to bring Sharia to America.

 
 

The US will end up as a nation of Homers and Jessicas Simpsons. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

 
 

They should have just said, “Are you an imbecile?”

In fairness, I believe the poll results reflect a more accurate answer to this question than they would if it had been asked directly.

 
 

But wait, this could end up being fun! If they have to teach all theories of where everything came from and how it got to be the way it is now, then the people who believe that we are actually descended from space aliens who were the actual founders of Atlantis would finally have their platform!

 
 

I believe the counterargument is what religion is for. If a child does not want to accept evolution they have the right to disregard it and they should have the right to argue their side in any class or on a test. This is a subjective topic, generally no right or wrong. It is not math. By the way, why do they always require proofs in math, just give me the formula, I believe it.

 
 

Subvan – sorry, it is not a subjective topic. Evolution is not a matter of opinion. We have honest-to-gosh hard evidence of the earth being old and of modern life forms having evolved from earlier ones. On the other hand, creationism _is_ a subjective topic. You can believe in the Judeo-Christian orign myth, I can believe in the Old Norse creation myth. (Thor’s my guy!)

 
 

If schools want to teach creationism then to paraphrase “Jerry MaGuire”, “Show me the proof”! first.

I’m tired of evangelicals wanting to cram their beliefs as fact down everyone’s throat. Show me your facts, not ancient stories passed down, which may or may not have actually been written by very few persons who said that god talked to them; and please try to decide WHICH biblical translation is the one you use(I think there are quite a number).

And isn’t it a little presumptuous to base something so meaningful to you on such little “evidence” as taking the word of a person you know vitually nothing about because they say that god talked to them? At least you can get bios on Dobson, Robertson, et al. Tell me all about Paul and Peter and Company.

Just because YOU EVANGELICALS want to believe something doesn’t make it true.
Just because YOU EVANGELICALS want to believe something doesn’t mean I have to.

Do what you want in your own church; stay out of my life.

 
 

Actually, these numbers are encouraging. According toone recent poll, 35% believe in evolution, while 45% believe in Young Earth Creationism.

 
 

Also, I support “Teaching the controversy,” so long as the `controversy’ is portrayed accurately–i.e. a bunch of loons versus the entire scientific community, and it is taught outside of science class.

 
 

oh goody! I think it is time to solidify the national chapter of the Flat Earth Belief Soc. and demand entre into schools. I am so glad that in these times of free market beliefs, Flat Earth Beliefs can compete and stand its ground against those nasty encroachers from the Satanists and the Intelligent Design-ers.

 
 

Ummm, “subvanpatent” in response to above:

This is a subjective topic, generally no right or wrong.

It is not math. By the way, why do they always require proofs in math, just give me the formula, I believe it.

because biology is chemistry
chemistry is physics, and
physics is math.

they require “proofs” in math because that way they know you posess the critical thinking skills and logic neccesarry to proceed in a math or science career.

you would get a “B.S.” vs. a “B.A.”

but hey, it’s all greek to me.

 
 

a good scientist can back up the conclusions drawn from their experiments from the final copnclusion to why they chose a particular brand of petri dish or microscope.

a good creationist can not, when challenged, give an explanation any deeper then why they chose a particular chapter and verse from a book that has been translated and copied more times than those “Andre the giant” posters.

It would be JUST like teaching phrenology.

and it’s why Hubble is being allowed to die.

 
 

You whine about those nasty anti-religious scientists, but what about those nasty anti-religious geographers? I demand eat qual time in the schools for my own religion’s theory of geography! See, we Tuxologists believe that the world is a flat disk carried on the backs of four elephants facing in the directions of the compass, all of whom are standing upon the back of Great A’Tuin the World Turtle as he swims through the sea of stars. We insist — nay, DEMAND — that these evil elitist Geography teachers give equaal time to our theory! After all, it’s just as valid a theory as that silly “round earth” theory, right? (I mean, c’mon, if the Earth was round, the only place you wouldn’t fall off of it would be at the North Pole!).

– Badtux the Snarky Penguin

 
 

If a lot of Americans believe Saddam was behind 9/11, does this mean we should teach this “alternative view” in history classes?

Do you really want to know the answer to this question, if you were to ask it of the average Rethuglican?

Sadly… no.

 
 

Pave the planet!

 
 

Great blog, there is so much diversity here.

 
 

hi,

my name is zuma & i have a little personal message board on my site that is getting spammed to death. my access logs led me here of all places, this very page. but i see no links to my message board’s page that led me here…

216.203.250.25 – – [29/Nov/2005:14:51:03 -0800] “GET /fora/messages/107.html HTTP/1.0” 200 20660 “http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/001314.html” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ICS)”
216.203.250.25 – – [29/Nov/2005:14:51:05 -0800] “POST /fora/wwwboard.cgi HTTP/1.0” 200 704 “http://zuma.theprawn.com/fora/messages/107.html” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ICS)”

there was another IP, also from phoenix, that did the same thing, in extremity, the other day. man, cleaning up is a pain…

130.13.107.152 – – [29/Nov/2005:10:16:46 -0800] “GET /fora/messages/107.html HTTP/1.0” 200 20660 “-” “Mozilla/3.0 (compatible)”
130.13.107.152 – – [29/Nov/2005:10:16:46 -0800] “GET /fora/messages/635.html HTTP/1.0” 404 – “-” “Mozilla/3.0 (compatible)”
.
.
.
130.13.107.152 – – [29/Nov/2005:10:16:51 -0800] “GET /fora/messages/446.html HTTP/1.0” 404 – “-” “Mozilla/3.0 (compatible)”

i’d like to talk to th webmaster… brad@sadlyno.com??

if no one here knows about any of this, i hope they’d at least want to.

c’mon by some time,
http://zuma.theprawn.com/fora/wwwboard.html

john farwell
okc, ok

 
 

lost my comment when posting…
figgers.
130.13.107.152 phoenix qwest
216.203.250.25 also from phoenix

got a spam problem…

216.203.250.25 – – [29/Nov/2005:14:51:03 -0800] “GET /fora/messages/107.html HTTP/1.0” 200 20660 “http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/001314.html” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ICS)”
216.203.250.25 – – [29/Nov/2005:14:51:05 -0800] “POST /fora/wwwboard.cgi HTTP/1.0” 200 704 “http://zuma.theprawn.com/fora/messages/107.html” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ICS)”

130.13.107.152 – – [29/Nov/2005:10:16:46 -0800] “GET /fora/messages/107.html HTTP/1.0” 200 20660 “-” “Mozilla/3.0 (compatible)”
130.13.107.152 – – [29/Nov/2005:10:16:46 -0800] “GET /fora/messages/635.html HTTP/1.0” 404 – “-” “Mozilla/3.0 (compatible)”

john farwell
okc, ok

 
 

Same as zuma, my site has been referrer spammed with this page. What’s thet deal?

 
 

same here

 
 

Happening on my site as well.

 
 

Same here…only 2 hits with a referrer though. Seems to follow what zuma posted, right down to the user-agent of “ICS” (whatever that is). The run:

68.164.210.162 – – [03/Jan/2006:10:43:01 -0800] “GET /index.php?p=153 HTTP/1.0” 200 13187 “http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/001314.html” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ICS)”
68.164.210.162 – – [03/Jan/2006:10:43:02 -0800] “POST /wp-comments-post.php HTTP/1.0” 302 0 “http://tim.cexx.org/index.php?p=153” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ICS)”
68.164.210.162 – – [03/Jan/2006:10:43:04 -0800] “GET /index.php?p=153 HTTP/1.0” 200 13187 “http://tim.cexx.org/index.php?p=153” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ICS)”

68.164.210.162 – – [03/Jan/2006:23:08:57 -0800] “GET /index.php?p=153 HTTP/1.0” 200 13187 “http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/001314.html” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ICS)”
68.164.210.162 – – [03/Jan/2006:23:08:59 -0800] “POST /wp-comments-post.php HTTP/1.0” 302 0 “http://tim.cexx.org/index.php?p=153” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ICS)”
68.164.210.162 – – [03/Jan/2006:23:09:02 -0800] “GET /index.php?p=153 HTTP/1.0” 200 13187 “http://tim.cexx.org/index.php?p=153” “Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; ICS)”

My guess is that 68.164.210.162 is running a comment spamming bot, which fakes a referral from another random blog in an attempt to look more legitimate (see how it immediately dives for a comment post in both cases, then re-loads the original page, probably to see if the post was successful). I’m pretty sure sadlyno.com isn’t involved and doesn’t know any more about it than I do, but now my curiosity is piqued.

 
 

Got spam? I do too. One of many. Is there a solution? Sadly, no! Why is the ‘no’ in this site’s title capitalised after a comma? Is this some sort of new grammatical theory they are teaching now too?

 
 

Hey Guys,

Check out this site, http://www.intheirownwords.ca. It quotes prominent conservatives saying things they wouldn’t want repeated right about now

Rocco de Giacomo

 
 

Hrm. My logs are showing 27 referrals from this site, but I can’t seem to find a link to me anywhere. Perhaps this is somehow related to whatever other issues are going on. Though, this is definitely the kind of topic I’d be discussing on my site.

Very odd.

Wacked: Because it’s what’s referred to as a “title”. In a title, you’re allowed–even encouraged–to capitalize the first letter in every word except, usually, conjunctions. Might want to go back to wherever it was that you learned your “grammatical theory”.

 
 

Yeah, for some reason I get a LOAD of referrals from this site, but no links on here for mine.

Weird.

 
 

greetings all.

as an update;
i’ve since PW protected my BBS and that has worked.
but my logs show ‘the spammers’ regularly keep hitting it, no matter that it’s PW protected and they never get in.
seems like bot behavior to me.

 
 

fuje abnm qtvho ivdeflsa vneolhfj dnzkxrwbs xdjhlicwp

 
 

Great .Now i can say thank you!
, , , , ,

 
 

Very nice site!

 
 

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