The Corpus Callosum

Their sub-headline: GROUP CLAIMS CANCELLATION OF "DARWIN'S DILEMMA" RESULTED FROM ORGANIZED EFFORT BY SCIENCE CENTER TO SUPRESS [sic] DISCUSSION.

I'm not sure what the implication is of the allegation that it was an "organized effort" by the Science Center.  I supose that makes it a more heinous matter, than if it had been a disorganized effort. 

I'm not a lawyer, as the saying goes, but the suit seems as trivial as one could imagine.  They allege that "the museum officials were fearful of having intelligent design discussed in any context."  Even if true, so what?  They go on to say "It is Orwellian when a public institution tries to suppress particular ideas it deems unsavory. It can be likened to a public library removing certain books from its shelves because the librarian disagrees with the viewpoints expressed in them."

No, it is not comparable.  The resources involved in putting a particular book on a shelf are not at all comparable to the resources that would have to be devoted to screening a movie.  Furthermore, the mission of a public library is to provide access to a wide variety of viewpoints.  The mission of a science center is, presumably, to provide access to scientific information and scientifically-oriented educational material. 

The go on:

The pro-evolution film, "We Are Born of the Stars," was meant to provide balance to a discussion about life's origin. The other film, "Darwin's Dilemma: The Mystery of the Cambrian Fossil Record," argues against evolution by questioning the absence of any fossil record predating the Cambrian period. When the screening was cancelled, the AFA scrambled to find an alternative venue and was forced to cancel the screening of "We are Born of Stars" in the 3D IMAX format.

The lawsuit alleges that CSC officials conspired to drop the event because they did not want the museum to be viewed as legitimizing intelligent design as a scientific theory. It alleges that the museum's CEO/President, Jeffrey Rudolph, was pressured to cancel the event by colleagues at the Smithsonian Institution, the University of Southern California, the Huntington Library and elsewhere. The complaint further alleges that because the CSC is a state agency, it violated AFA's First Amendment right of free speech by attempting to suppress legitimate discussion of the controversial topic.

This is nonsense.  It is not a conspiracy unless two or more persons colluded to do something wrong.  You have to prove wrongdoing before you can say there was a conspiracy.  The allegations that the CEO was pressured by others is irrelevant. 

The only part that might have some merit is the bit about the Center being a State agency.  But is access to an 3D IMAX theater a necessary part of freedom of speech, and are all state-operated IMAX theaters obligated to rent out their facilities to anyone who wants to use such a facility? 

The AFA "About Us" page describes their activities:

The organization promotes networking, activism and education in the following six areas:

• The Islamic penetration of Europe:  View the content  and video recordings of  AFA' s famous 2007 international conference  The Collapse of Europe?  held at Pepperdine University, the Identity Crisis  International Conference held in Rome , the AFA International Fellowship Program, the European Freedom Alliance Website and more.
• Academic freedom: View  the content and video recordings of  AFA's acclaimed 2008 international conference  How Free Is the University? held at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and find resources you can employ to advance academic freedom.
• Media Bias:  View  details of AFA's 2009 International Conference  Is the Real News Dead?  held at Pepperdine University in Malibu  and discover resources you can use to promote balance in the media.
• Missile Defense: Visit the website for the EMPACT America National Conference:  Permanent Continental Shutdown and obtain links to the website for the International EMP Council ( IEC). 
• AFA Programs: Learn about  AFA's monthly programs  The Literay [sic] Cafe, Cinema Gateway and Annual Lecture Series.   And its weekly  programs  The Western Word Newsletter and Western Word Radio.

Notice that they mention that there are six areas, then list only five.  Whatever.

Anyway, say that they wanted to use the Science Center's theater to show a film about "The Islamic penetration of Europe."  Would the Center be obligated to show it?  Of course not.  It has nothing to do with the mission of a Science Center, because it has nothing to do with science.  Likewise, "Darwin's Dilemma: The Mystery of the Cambrian Fossil Record," has nothing to do with science.  It is propaganda, nothing more. 

It might be possible for the AFA to argue that they are merely promoting honest discussion, if it turned out that they simply were uninformed about the topic.  But they list their "Vision" as follows:

The American Freedom Alliance aims to build a national alliance of people of faith  and which involves writers, academics and thinkers from around the world , who will  join together through seminars, conferences, publications and activist networks, to promote and protect moral values, democracy and freedom.

It is not clear what this has to do with American Freedom, but there it is, for what it is worth. 

I agree with Bora Zivkovic, that All Science vs. Religion Conflicts are Essentially and Primarily Political Conflicts.  The idea is that this is about power, not truth or anything else.  Previously, I have argued that the Discovery Institute in particular is exploiting this false "dilemma" as a means of making money.  But this, in Bora's view, is a subset of all power struggles: money is useful only as a source of power.