Comments on: A bit of confusion, but all is good

By: MadScientist

MadScientist — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:44:51 +0000

I’ll believe it when I see it. Just because the guy says he thinks the bill is dead doesn’t mean he isn’t looking into more versions of the same garbage. Don’t turn your back to him.

By: S.Scott

S.Scott — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:59:24 +0000

Oooh! Phil Plait commented on teh blaaag!! (I’m a bitof a groupie!) Yay!:-)

I hope it’s over - but I’m with Eric on this one … we need to keep our eyes open.

By: Eric Perlman

Eric Perlman — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:28:55 +0000

I can definitely sympathize with your confusion, Phil, but (speaking as one of the people who helped write the FAS’s statement) it’s still dismaying to see how the press can twist things around (as the Tampa Trib clearly did) and then good scientists like you and PZ can get the story wrong because you’re not on the ground. Good on you for correcting yourself as soon as possible.

I caution everyone: just because the FAS put out a statement, does not mean it will be taken seriously by everyone. Some of these people quite honestly think they know their science better than we scientists do, and take Ben Stein’s piece of crap as actual fact. We will still have a fight ahead this year, I guarantee it.

By: James F

James F — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:04:55 +0000

To celebrate, I give you: Mr. Elvis Costello!

By: Egaeus

Egaeus — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:42:26 +0000

Umm…apparently, I had the privilege of a quality Florida education judging from my spelling…

By: John Pieret

John Pieret — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:39:10 +0000

The updated story mentions that House members are limited to introducing six bills each. It’s nice to know that, given the state of the economy and all, that Florida legislators can actually think of six more important things than screwing up childrens’ educations.

By: Egaeus

Egaeus — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:38:54 +0000

You mean we’re not going to have the privelige of hearing Alan Hays babble about the lack of a half-mosquito, half-monkey fossil? Oh, darn!

By: mirshafie

mirshafie — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:33:37 +0000

@ Bjørn Østman

Exactly. Why single out evolution? If you don’t believe in fossil dating, then you must have a problem with modern physics. So perhaps these creationists should come clean and propose that students learn how to analyze scientific statements critically; an effort that I would strongly support.

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More rudely and off topic, an image that has been fermenting in my mind for the last few days regarding creationists is one of chimps with Ipods. See, you can design a machine to do the bidding of an animal, say a lab rat. The rat does not in any way need to know how the machine works, because it has been designed for a stupid rat. It will drop cheese every time the rat punches a big red flashy noisy button.

It seems that some of our fellow humans like the idea of easy-to-use technology, but at the same time have no curiosity at all for the basic principles of how this technology works. It’s obscene, the fact that people are so ready to accept “red buttons” into their lives if it enables them to post videos of themselves on the internet (!), to image their bones in a hospital (!) or just having some healthy broccoli for dinner (oh yes, that was created by man too!). At the same time these people deny the principles that have enabled us to explore our universe and create all of these things. Yes, obscene is the right word.