Notes: NOVA's Judgment Day: I.D. on trial

This was a retelling of the dramatic legal suit filed in 2004 against the school board members of Dover, PA who had tried to insert “intelligent design” into the science curriculum. Here are just some of my impressions and reactions.

THE HYPOCRISY OF SO-CALLED CHRISTIANS
I found it shocking (but not too surprising) how un-Christian these so-called Christians in Dover, PA can be – from making shameless death threats against other people (the plaintiffs AND the Judge), destroying school property, and lying under oath. Creationists were caught trying to get around the Constitution and circumventing Supreme Court rulings – and rather ineptly, as it turns out. While zeal can be a great thing, a lack of restraint can also make you forget the most basic teachings of your religion. If we let this happen, then we are no better than the “religious” people who flew planes into buildings on 9/11. Or, at best, we will look like damn fools.

LET THESE MORONS BUILD THEIR FANTASY WORLD...AND GO EXTINCT.
I feel so sorry for these people. In a time when Americans desperately need to stay competitive in an increasingly global economy, these idiots are handing out death sentences to their children. Unless these kids catch on to the errors of their parents (like that one reporter who fought with her dad), they will never have access to professional careers in medicine, agriculture, chemistry, or any field that requires a recognition of the validity of the biological sciences – not to mention science in general. So they will keep on fighting this ridiculous “war” while their children find themselves unable to find decent jobs in the real world. In turn, succeeding generations will be even less educated, and so on, caught in a downward spiral of ignorance. Already the show revealed signs of their pitiful lack of intellect, in their pathetic attempts to get away with perjury and rationalize such actions. So in the end, it is exactly their self-imposed, destructive ignorance that gives me comfort. These guys are correct about one thing: In the end, the truth indeed will prevail, and these deluded people will simply get left behind while the rest of humanity marches forward as it always has. Isn’t it ironic, that natural selection would be the very downfall of this moronic sub-species?

EMBARRASSING AMERICA WHILE THE WORLD WATCHES
It struck me that a descendant of Charles Darwin himself was present at the trial, watching along with the rest of the world – watching Americans make asses out of themselves. This was one rare moment when I felt ashamed to be associated with this country. While the rest of the world flies toward the future on the wings of science, they must be laughing at us Americans for being so backward and ignorant.

INTERESTING: INTELLECTUAL MODESTY OF SCIENCE
Another thing I found striking is a huge world of difference between creationists and scientists in terms of humility. While the scientists repeatedly admitted that there is so much that they do not know, the creationists strongly believed themselves to have all the answers, placing themselves as intellectually superior over science teachers, scientists, and of course the judge who ruled against the creationists. How anyone could get fooled by these pathetic losers is simply beyond me.

REFUSAL OF FUNDAMENTALISTS TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR LINKS TO NATURE
I’m beginning to see a possible common thread in the attitudes of fundamentalists towards nature, and it is this: In general they seem determined to disavow any close link between humanity and the natural world. I have always felt it spiritually uplifting to realize our commonality with all life – life that God had created and called “good”. This concept is sickening to these fundamentalists, and frankly I will never understand why. I don’t know where they got the idea that acknowledging such intimate connection to other living things makes us less human, less rational, less moral, or less ethical, although I can guess that it might come from the ignorant notion that animals are all mindless and “savage”. Sadly, I think this might explain their refusal to support environmental conservation (even if their food supplies are threatened), and, more seriously, their refusal to acknowledge the possibility that humans could cause global warming. It would be consistent with their denial of our interconnectedness with the rest of nature. Ironically, it is recognition of this interconnectedness that underscores God’s charge that humans be responsible stewards of all creation, while turning a blind eye to the reality of human’s ecological footprint totally shirks this duty. One can only hope that there will never be enough of these idiots to tip the balance towards environmental collapse. It may be tempting to go ahead and let their ignorance destroy their part of the world, but our connectedness to them will mean destruction for everyone – this interconnectedness is actually the point.

SCHOOLS YOU SHOULD NOT SEND YOUR CHILDREN TO:
The episode mentioned the schools where these ID proponents are faculty members. If these institutions have any concern for their reputation, they would can these idiots:
• Lehigh University (Michael Behe)
• University of Warwick (Steve Fuller)
• University of Idaho (Scott A. Minnich)
• UC Berkley School of Law (Phillip Johnson – the founder of ID: a lawyer! He’s not even a freakin scientist!!)

THE GOOD NEWS:
The judge (who was appointed by conservatives) ruled against the creationists, and the citizens of Dover have successfully elected an entirely new school board, and not one member supports the introduction of ID in the science curriculum; basically ID has no more chance of infiltrating the school. So even though Pat Robertson has condemned Dover to eternal damnation, Dover High might actually be an OK place for science education, precisely because of this crucible they went through, and may end up producing young people who will continue advancing the human quality of life – a quality of life even the creationists probably could not live without.