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June 30, 2005

And We're Living Here

... in Stupid Town (dum dum dum dum).

Some knuckle-dragging intellectual troglodyte politicos in Pennsylvania are hitching their slopey-brows to the ID bandwagon.

In Pennsylvania, experts on both sides have had their say in a debate over whether public schools should teach "intelligent design" as an alternative to evolution. A state House subcommittee heard testimony last week on a bill that would allow local school boards to mandate that science lessons include intelligent design.

One of the sponsors of the intelligent design bill, Representative Dennis Leh, feels school children need to be taught an alternative to evolution to ensure they are receiving a balanced science education. School children "need to realize that evolution is only a theory. It's not backed by sound science," he says, "and there are many, many scientists -- [including] bio-scientists and physicists who do not believe in evolution."

Ah, it's always refreshing to see the "just a theory" canard, isn't it? Odd how they don't seem to have much of an issue with all those other "just theories" in science (you know, like gravitation).

Given that Representative Leh doesn't even understand what a scientific theory is, I'm not so sure I want to trust his estimation of whether something is based on "sound science." I'm personally surprised he knows "pants first, then shoes."

Finally, we have that old time favorite of "many, many scientists," most of whom apparently don't have names, but they're out there. Honest.

"Personally, I am a creationist," the Pennsylvania lawmaker says. "I don't hide that, and I certainly don't apologize for it. I think it takes far more faith to believe in evolution -- that things just appeared out of nothing -- than [to believe] they were created by an intelligent Creator, in the Christian sense."

First, who says things appeared out of nothing? I realize we humans have this cause-effect pattern for which we search, but that doesn't necessitate a "first cause" any more than our appreciation for the clarity of relativity makes quantum mechanics nothing more than voodoo hocus-pocus.

It certainly takes more faith to believe the universe has always been around, in some way, shape, form, or other cliche, than to believe the universe was created by an unknowable deity who has always been around in some way, shape, form, or other fashion made up by ignorant goat-herders in the Middle East. Yup, lots more. Uh huh.

All that aside, please, pass this law and dumb down the children of Pennsylvania; it'll be less competition for my daughter later on.

Extra-special Superduper Bonus: Read all about it! Intelligent Designer deemed "incompetent!"