Okay did I just hear this guy claim that Bill Nye is the one that wants to indoctrinate children and keep them from "thinking critically?"
Okay I have to lie down right now because I think I am suffering from irony overload.
P.S. If you are unfamiliar with the Creation Museum here is a post describing what's inside by one of those non-believing "thinker" types.
P.P.S. Oh and before I forget here is the original Bill Nye video that pissed all over Ken Ham's cornflakes.
Why,Oh why,are we even having this conversation.....?
ReplyDeleteDid that creation place get tax dollars? Was taxpayer money used in any way to help build or open it? Are they tax exempt and if so where does the money they collect at the door go? Time to put pressure on these assholes because like they say "free speech isn't free"
ReplyDeleteYes, they did receive tax breaks for that BS.
Deletehttp://www.kentucky.com/2011/05/20/1745988/43-million-tax-break-approved.html
Goddamn.
The stoopid.... it hurts.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I'm so glad that this guy and that museum pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. Just like Jesus and Noah, they don't need any government, socialized taxpayer welfare, nothing from the rest of us non-believers.
ReplyDeleteNot like darn science and scientists. Which never create any sticking jobs compared to this USA tea taliban theme park.
(snark above, reality below).
---
http://www.kentucky.com/2011/05/20/1745988/43-million-tax-break-approved.html
FRANKFORT — A controversial Bible-themed amusement park received approval Thursday for up to $43 million in state tax incentives over a 10-year period.
The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority, which oversees tax credits for tourism and film-related projects, unanimously approved the tax credit for the Ark Encounter project, which is scheduled to break ground in August outside Williamstown in Grant County.
In addition to the tax rebate, the state may spend an estimated $11 million to improve an interchange off I-75 near the 800-acre site in Northern Kentucky
...
---
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/21/ark-encounter-kentucky-budget-tax-breaks_n_1220806.html
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) has proposed a 2012-2013 budget that includes heavy cuts to some key departments while giving a $43 million tax break to a massive creationist theme park.
In his plan, Beshear calls for a 6.4 percent cut to Kentucky's higher education department, a 2.2 percent cut to the State Police force and sizable cuts to other agencies in what he calls an effort to cut the budget to the bone.
The proposal is one of the most austere state budgets in recent history, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader, and Beshear was quick to admit it is "inadequate for the needs of our people."
Kentucky has messed up priorities, thats for sure.
DeleteThe best satire ever was Ian Murphy's punking of Ken Ham by Ian Murphy, who also punked Scott Walker with his Koch impersonation, at the Creationist Museum grand opening, This is a must read and priceless, though a little crude:
ReplyDeletehttp://buffalobeast.com/let-there-be-retards/
Gryphen, are you sure you're allowed to say 'oy vey' in a post about Ham? Just doesn't sound kosher...
ReplyDelete....groan....:-)
DeleteTouche!
Deletehahahahahahaha
This sort of thing gives me high blood pressure, and I don’t have high blood pressure. I’m glad you keep us aware of it, though.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I watched that video. The guy offers no evidence for his beliefs, just slams Bill Nye for not accepting his "historical science" viewpoint. I do, however, feel the strangest urge to look out my window for the Hale-Bopp Comet.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else?
This makes my brain hurt.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt, this guy is a doof. He is guilty of every accusation he's throwing at Bill Nye - the indoctrination, the denying kids critical thinking skills, etc. As far as I'm concerned, there's arrogance on both sides of the fence. Scientists can be just as fixated on their theories being the only right ones. Personally, I think the idea of intelligent design and evolution can easily be all part of the total sum. Why not ? I think it's a fascinating question to throw out to kids. But just not in science class. It's more of a philosophy class topic, or world religions, or sociology.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I also believe that the theory of "intelligent design" is quite different from that of "creationism". I think you can find a good number of scientists that don't mind discussing intelligent design but outside of the religious right, you'll never find one that believes in creationism / 6000 year old earth / literal biblical explanation stuff. The two ideas are not the same despite the fact that the bible thumpers try to use them interchangeably.
Intelligent Design *is* Cretinism. Just ask yourself this; who is the "intelligence" that "designed" life?
Deleteunlike religion, science welcomes contribution and rigorous review. it is not true that scientists are "fixated on their theories" -- they have shown over and over that the theory WORKS on this planet. see the difference?
Deleteintelligent design is exactly like creationism and together serve only as a perversion of logical thinking.
Anon 6:42AM,
DeleteI agree. Intelligent Design, or Newton's Watchmaker Theory (as some call it) is a far cry from the view of biblically literal creationists such as those at the (rather ironically named) museum. One has to torture any sense of material world continuity (THE key tenet of science) to think the world is but a few thousand years old.
I'll, however, add that Bill Nye's concern is, in my view, misdirected. US freedoms of religion and speech have always allowed fundamentalists of varying degrees of silliness to preach their views. Yet, it is only recently that US competitiveness in science/technology has been a problem. I'd lay the blame, not on the religious, but the financial fundamentalists. Our best and brightest are finding their way to Wall St. rather than other, far more humanly productive fields. More teachers (and scientists and engineers) fewer bankers, I (a physicist who ended up on Wall St.) say.
Science deniers frustrate the fucking hell out of me. I wanted to scream at my screen at least 6 times while suffering through this drivel. Bones don't come with labels on them? Not literally. But they are buried in different strata of rock that are easily dated.
ReplyDeleteFucking religious zealots. Believe whatever you want but keep it to yourself.
Evolution is way more than bones- for example, there's evidence in DNA. But that stuff is haarrrd, like science, y'know? It's got math an' everything.
DeleteMy favorite all time Onion on this subject
http://www.theonion.com/articles/national-science-foundation-science-hard,1405/
Aw, bless their hearts. They just do don't know no better. It's best just to smile and nod at them and pretend you're deaf if they start talking. You can always laugh at them later.
DeleteThey aren't going to listen so they'll never learn a thing if you try to explain it to folks that aren't curious about science. It may seem impossible to be nice to ignorant people, but most of us have done it before and can do it again. Now I don't want to blow an afternoon trying to talk sense into someone, but I can tell them that there is a lot more new information that I'll point them to in they're interested.
At this moment, I'm just glad Ham chose the folks in KY to grift off of instead of TN. Cuz these people here would've ate that shit up until the bill came in and the finger-pointing started.
Sarah is missing on Fox .. maybe she wants to debate Bill Nye.
ReplyDeleteWhen Sarah loses the Fox gig she will be toast.
Sarah is out scouting locations for a mooseum as we speak. Lots of money to be made by professional grifters in states that can't even afford to pay their current bills.
DeleteKen Ham's just an idiot and he really makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteken ham lost any ounce of credibility years ago and it seems he is attempting a "come back tour" by picking intellectual fights with people he cannot hold a candle to.....IMHO.
ReplyDeleteHam for brains
ReplyDeleteReThug Party put out message that change of venue for Obama's speech is because of lack of interest.
ReplyDeleteI see the stunned & stupid and alive and living in their heads. Freaking idiots.
Now you have their pundit mouthpieces spewing that there was no talk about economy and jobs at the DNC.
Really?? Last night's DNC speeches trumped and stomped all over the RNC 3 days of Bull spewed by the stunned & stupid. All the RNC speeches that their disinterested delegate attendees paid no attention to were speeches promoting themself. As it has been said by many -- their Keynote Speaker - FatBoy -- took over 11 minutes to even say the name of Romney.
Rethugs are spinning their wheels again -- those hampster wheels that live in the area that should be consumed by a brain -- but isn't.
There is no comparison of Michelle's speech to Ann's. Michelle's speech trumped Mitt's -- Ann's was like a crumb fallen from a slice of bread -- small -- that which Ann made herself appear when she neglected to recognize there are many people of voting age that are single, unmarried, not yet mothers. A whole focus group she was uninterested in. Ann made herself look 'small', out of place, out of touch and totally out of her league.
Go home Ann -- play the Stepford wife and STFU. She says she's educated -- fooled me.
But... but... ANN LOVES WOMEN!!!! What about that don't you get? ;)
DeleteIt's so bloody obvious when you listen to what they say:
Deleteneither Ann nor Mitt Romney has ever punched a clock in order to earn a paycheck in their life. They haven't a clue what it's like to work for a living - they don't - they can't relate to the working class.
so why would anyone that has to earn a living vote for Romney/Ryan?
Typical bagger...what an idiot....blame someone else for what you yourself are doing.
ReplyDeleteI think Boeing otta contact Mr. Ham and kick some tushy. It's called slander, and this fool seems to think it's Ok in making his points. Who's his contributor Airbus?
ReplyDeleteHistorical science?
ReplyDeleteThe dishonesty displayed by creationists is insulting. One can only conclude that they are on a search for ignorant, delusional people they can easily manipulate.
Here we find them once again attempting to employ semantics to disguise the lie they insist, and persist, on telling.
Science is based on proof. Religion is based on a lack of proof - you have to "believe" an otherwise unbelievable story. Conflating the two as "sciences" simply will not work; religion is anti-science.
The lie remains the same, and these feeble attempts to repackage it are demeaning to all of us.
It just proves that someone can deny the truth as long as it's profitable to remain ignorant. It burns my ass when it's public money of any kind that is spent for something this stupid and wasteful. The fact that it actually exacerbates the problem of under-educated low-info people makes the burden even greater on their community.
DeleteAnd we wonder why our country is falling behind in science and math. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteHey!!! I've been to the Creation Museum--and I wrote about it. Take a look--those folks are crazy stupid.
ReplyDeletehttp://unit499.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/what-in-creation/
I homeschool so I meet a lot of "these" type of people. Ken Ham is lying when he says that creationist are open to teaching their kids about evolution. These type of homeschoolers put their kids in a creationist science bubble and teach them that evolution is a lie of satan. ( http://www.zazzle.com/evolution_t_shirt-235979973518923165 )
ReplyDeleteThey also severely restrict the kids access to reading material in case they come across non fundamental chirstian ideas. One woman told me that she hesitated to let her daughter read Call of the Wild because it contains evolution.
Ken Ham is so extreme he even got uninvited to a homeschooling convention.
http://www.thatmom.com/2011/06/03/ghc-and-ken-ham-continue-homeschool-civil-war-with-called-off-mediation/
Ken Ham is making money off this creation science nonsense. He sells curriculum to homeschoolers and he has his creationist science museum. It is all about money.
Mel68
It's all about making a dollar. My sis homeschooled my nieces and told me all the stories of the fundies. They lived in a bad school district and my sis was a HS algebra & trig teacher who decided to teach them at home rather than pay private sch tuition for the 2 of them once they reached middle school. Many, a little more than half, of the other kids in the area were fundies. But I understand that it was a pretty polarized group as in half were for the advanced academic side and the rest were basically creationists. My nieces and her friends were all very smart with 30+ ACT's and got several dual enrollment college credits in English, Math & Chemistry and Biology with their high school credits. Both my nieces finished their BS in Nursing in 4yrs and under. But I think a lot of the other kids who had more creationist based curriculums ended up at junior colleges and Bible colleges. From what I hear, their exposure to higher thinking and problem solving in the applied sciences and math was lacking. Ignorance is always expensive, IMHO.
DeleteYou can't cure stupid.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of "science guys", I saw Neil deGrasse Tyson on Book TV last night with a talk he presented on 3/15/2012 regarding his newest book. It was an excellent presentation, and may be (?) re-broadcast.
ReplyDeleteIf so, it is well worth the time spent to see and hear him speak.
Again, my problem with creationists is this: they insist that people who accept and believe in evolution 'prove it.' Absolutely prove evolution. Find the missing link.
ReplyDeleteBut, creationists are never asked to prove creation. Why? Why are they given this break and are not held to the same standard? Prove your 'theory' of creationism. Then we'll talk.
The bible says man is made of dust.
ReplyDeleteBill Nye knows we are made of star stuff.
Project, project, project...that's the Teavangelical way! The misguided lack them thar critical thinking skills useful in understanding that Jesus didn't ride a "show dinosaur" (that's opposed to a "work dinosaur") and the Flintstones aren't a reality show. The pseudo-Xtians love their fairy tales--they come in handy to help explain why they're here, where they're going and why things are never their fault--no thought involved, that's for Commies and Pinkos who conspire with Satan. Anyone who wants to challenge the Righteous, including the great Bill Nye, is the dark half of their daily good/evil coin toss.
ReplyDeleteBTW, my mom always used to use "oy vey" when she was totally exasperated. It's best said with a huge, shoulder-lunging sigh. It's the easiest way to cope with the continuing inanity on the "other side." As the stomach turns!
Hmmmm, I wonder if the show dinosaurs could dance?
DeleteReligionists try to equate their fantasies with the scientific method. It is part of their self-delusion.
ReplyDeleteAttacking the messenger... how christian of him.
ReplyDeleteDo you need an E-ticket to get into this carnival they call a museum?
It has now been twelve straight hours without power.
ReplyDeleteI cannot access Blogger so your comments are currently in blogger limbo.
Once they finally restore the power I will publish them. And oh yes, I DO realize I left off an "s" in my headline.
My husband is kind of a devil's advocate type so he listens to right wing radio all day and then comes home and argues the right wing talking points with me. Last night I (don't even recall what talking point we were discussing) I simply said to him, "Whatever you hear on that radio station just realize the opposite is the truth." We are in some kind of weird twilight zone right now where what is up is down and what's down is up. I think a big shift in social order is on the horizon and I hope it shifts in our direction, that's for sure!!
ReplyDeleteWow. The stupid hurts. Where to begin... Well, first off engineers are scientists. For this guy not to realize that boggles the mind.
ReplyDeleteEngineers practice "applied science" and are not the folks who make the scientific discoveries. Two different things, really.
DeleteIt must be nice to live in such a one dimensional world - ironically without soul, art or philosophy. . . or terrifying. No wonder they are so angry and afraid that our half-black half-white President will put us in 1,000 years of darkness.
ReplyDeleteThey are reporting that power may be returned to most Anchorage homes and businesses tonight or early tomorrow. Apparently my area of town was one of the hardest hit.
ReplyDeleteFor someone like myself whose dog often ate my homework all through jr hi and hi school up until college, at which time my imaginary cat started to walk on my keyboard and delete my papers, I can sympathize with having to make up excuses like windstorms or hurricanes to CMA after taking a couple of sunny days off to go to the beach or just drinking because the day of the week ends with a "Y", again.
ReplyDeleteBut after a couple of days, when you finally show up and your shirt is inside out, fly unzipped, and you smell like both a brewery and a perfume factory, just don't apologize for being 2 hours and 59 minutes late because you had to run a marathon. Unless Sarah was jogging right alongside you, you didn't run that marathon, G.
Enjoy your downtime. Drink, don't run. You can always lie later and say how far you ran and how fast. Somebody will believe you. After all, it worked for Sarah.
Sorry to hear about your power issues- we went 8 days (which means no water, also too) last year. Little House on the Prairie fun ended after about day 3.
ReplyDeleteAs for those nutty creationists...there was an irate letter in my local paper tonight, pointing out that evolution is a "theory". Well, so is gravity, bud.
WIkipedia: A scientific theory is "a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment."[
Yeah. I teach philosophy of science. The problem is people not understanding basic logic, and that inductive (i.e scientific reasoning and repeated experimentation) yields probability, never certainty. The great philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell explained it very well a century ago. But, probability approaching certainty, at which point, it's pretty fruitless to keep acting as if the .000000000000000000000000001 of uncertainty will happen or is the case.
DeleteThese creationists are like the fool who doesn't bother to get a job because they buy a lottery ticket for the BIG jackpot".
Gryph,
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you're without power! Thanks for keeping us updated and letting us know you're OK.
The world of a creationist is a world of imagination and fantasy. It is fruitless to argue with them. They live in a La La land where flights of fancy and science are equivalent.
ReplyDeleteI found this in the comments section of a New York Times article on the complexity of 'junk DNA.'
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/science/far-from-junk-dna-dark-matter-proves-crucial-to-health.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
I swear this is not mine, but I quote: "What would Sarah Palin say? If all of this gene staff doesn't support creationism, then it's certainly not worth federal money to support it. We'd be better off studying bear scat, something that she knows a lot about."
It caught me off guard, but it's so true. Anti-intellectualism is Palin's trademark. And it's germane to the creationism topic.
WWSD is the new antithesis of critical thinking. She's a measuring stick, which is fitting, the old bag of bones.
DeleteDamn Gryphen, I didn't know you were way out in the middle of the wilderness like the Palins claimed they were in that trial. You know, four days via horse and buggy to the nearest Crunch Wrap dispensary. Stay safe and vigilant.
ReplyDeleteI hope it is over soon. Unseasonably early wind storm? Hurricane-force winds? Stay safe and well.
ReplyDeleteAnd to think some folks _still_ don't "believe in" climate change...
DeleteKen HAM? How appropriate - brined and smoked - and that's just the condition of his brain.
ReplyDeleteOutage update.
ReplyDeleteI drove over to a nearby Starbucks to publish your comments as my power has not yet returned.
On they way I ran into some Chugach Electric workers who told me I should have electricity in less than two hours. I certainly hope they are right.
When it returns I will start posting again.
On the upside I did catch up on some of my reading. Gotta love that Calvin and Hobbes!
Bill Nye is a mechanical engineer (undergraduate) & actor, not a scientist
ReplyDeleteEngineering is applied science.
DeleteMel68
Gryphen, when you get power back, you've GOTTA watch Clinton's speech!
ReplyDeleteCan we get these folks to stop using cel phones and computers because they're based on electronic theory?
ReplyDeleteMusic because of music theory?
I'm not certain we can do much about gravity, but I'm sure many of them believe the Earth will quit rotating once Armageddon comes, so we can leave that one in their hands.
That Ham dude and his ilk are holy fools. After watching this painfully ignorant video, one of the recommendations was this clip, it's a bit long, but it refutes "Creationism" and explains "belief" from an atheist pov quite well.
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/5wV_REEdvxo
Thanks for updating us, hope your power comes on soon, not just for the blog, but to catch up on the convention. Bill Clinton just gave a stellar speech, and was greeted by Our President. What an amazing convention!
Where's Sarah? Did FOX muzzle her again?
ReplyDeleteSorry your power is out Gryph and look forward to your return. I just watched Clinton's powerful, well laid out and wonderfully inspiring speech at the dem convention and texted my kids this:
ReplyDeleteThis year at christmas we are only spending half of what we usually spend. The other half we donated to the Obama Grassroots campaign!
-Colleen
I starting watch Bill Nye with my school kids when he was just on KCTS, Seattle. I'm not changing sides now. Bill Nye rules!
ReplyDeleteI think this is part of a right wing backlash against Bill Nye who had the gall, the utter gall, last week to say that parents shouldn't teach their kids creationism. He said parents were doing the kids an injustice by not sticking with the facts.
ReplyDeleteHe wouldn't even go along with the host who said he thought all kids should be taught both creationism and evolution.
Bill was a guest on the overnight talk show Coast to Coast last week and made that comment and the show's been slammed since with emails basically wanting him hanged from a tree after first being burned at the stake.
Coast to Coast covers topics others won't (for good reason) and is popular with the aluminum foil hat types. But they also have some very reputable science people on once in a while. Thus Bill Nye, who does not play well with "the world ends Dec. 21, 2012" people.
The show has more than 500 affiliate stations and is about to eclipse Rush in terms of listeners, so it draws a LOT of night owls. The creationist museum guy could just be hoping to get mentioned on the show so that his website will get a lot of attention.
-- Sign me a night owl who does not wear a tin foil hat and who fully expects the world to be just fine after the Mayan calendar ends 12/21/12.
Missing you Gryphen- I know this has got to be driving you crazy.
ReplyDeleteSister Simone Campbell Remarks at 2012 Democratic National Convention- truly pro-life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw-m8Hfj4rw
The more we give idiots like Mr Ham time and places to speak, the sooner the world will realize just how vacant their shallow philosophy really is.
ReplyDeleteHope you are back soon and all is well.
ReplyDeleteWell I woke to find that me Internet provider had STILL not managed to recicer from the windstorm. They apparently been have unable to get their company up and running.
ReplyDeleteThis is especially frustrating as I have one of those "bundles" which means I am currently without Internet, cable tv, and phone service.
If it does not come on soon I will head over to that coffee shop and use their wifi to publish messages and make a few posts.
We miss you Gryphen. Get back soon!
ReplyDeleteO/T
ReplyDeleteOne of the greatest speechwriters of modern times, Bob Shrum says: “Words are a useful and persuasive engine. Eloquence has power.”
Michelle Obama said, ‘When you walk through that door of opportunity, you don’t slam it shut behind you,’ Shrum says you just didn’t hear those words, you could see that image.
Now go to Sarah and Bristol and their doors, they are always plowing them or taking opportunity for themselves for their own gain.
"You know, I have -- faith is a very big part of my life. And putting my life in my creator's hands -- this is what I always do. I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door. Show me where the open door is. Even if it's cracked up a little bit, maybe I'll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it, but don't let me miss an open door. And if there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door." SP
Sean Hannity asked Bristol, “Ever think about running for politics?” [Laughing] “Not anytime soon,” she responded. That “means the door’s open,” Hannity queried. “Yeah, I don’t think I’d shut it completely yet,” she answered. “I’m only 21, but, not anytime soon.” And didn't she blog about kicking Gino out of her car and being depressed and whatnot and that's when she got the door opening call from producers from DWTS to come back on the show? When questioned by tv critics as to why she'd subject herself to criticism from DWTS fans again, she bristled, "Do I like to provide for my son? Yes, I do.”
That's the difference between a progressive and a conservative, it's about community vs. I-GOT-MINE mentality. So, who do you think puts country first?
On the upcoming DWTS All Stars, Ballas on Palin:
ReplyDeleteWhat if you got someone you didn’t want?
You really shouldn’t sign a contract if you aren’t up for it. That’s part of the job. We are here to help people have a good time. You are not always going to get someone who can really move, who is really coordinated.
How are you feeling about your chances this season?
She looks amazing. She’s lost weight and she is getting in shape. She might be more confident, ready to get out and shake it. We’ve been through this process before. I told her to do some homework, re-watch all of our dances. She has to bring it out even more this time. Last time, it came out moderately. She’s a sexy girl. She looks great dressed up. She has to own it, to not be shy. This show is about taking you out of your comfort zone and owning it.
http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/08/31/dancing-with-the-stars-bristol-palin/
Hasn't Marc realized that the Palin's idea of research and studying is by teh Google? It's not going to improve her dancing, or her effort. Even if she is thin again.
Gabby Giffords is in Charlotte!!
ReplyDeleteWould love to see her introduce President Obama!!
It's not known from what I have found whether she will appear on stage.
Just checking in Uncle G., hope are OK and you get reestablished soon. Miss your great posts. I had to have coffee this morning without my favorite blog. :(
ReplyDeleteI'd like to suggest that Mr. Ham lay all those airplane pieces on the ground and read to them from the bible. Wonder how long it would take for the pieces to truly believe they are a plane and fly off into the heavens?
ReplyDeleteThis totally sucks. I'm going into a serious withdrawal.
ReplyDeleteAll sciences are now under the obligation to prepare the ground for the future task of the philosopher, which is to solve the problem of value, to determine the true hierarchy of values.
ReplyDeleteO/T: just schnorked when I read this comment on a "get a good night sleep" article at Huffpo:
ReplyDelete"Also, smoke a joint and take double the recommended dose of Nyquil and masturbate right before you're ready to turn the lights off. And try to forget that Sarah Palin exists."
Ken Ham addresses critics:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/06/creation-museum-founder-decries-vicious-secularist-attack-after-criticizing-bill-nye/