Dispatches from the Creation Wars

I just saw this posted at the Panda’s Thumb. Look at this article.

A man waving a brick barged into Monroe Middle School and ranted about the teachings of evolution before being arrested by police Tuesday morning…

Monroe police reported the man walked into the school office and immediately headed down a hallway toward the principals’ offices. When stopped by employees, he began yelling at them asking if he looked like a monkey.

They then noticed Mr. Wood was holding a brick. A teacher, an assistant principal and a secretary tried calming the man down, but he continued his rant about teaching evolution in schools and asked if the employees thought he looked like an ape.

“He had a brick in his hand and started shaking it in the air,” Mr. McLeod said. “The police were called immediately.”

That’s just disturbing.

Comments

#1 merle
October 30, 2006

this man is like a lot of us out here in the red states, tired of people like you telling us what to teach our children, how to worship, which god if any to believe in.

he simply was fed up and lost it.
#2 Flying Fox
October 30, 2006

A brick is normally an impractical weapon because of the weight. Anyone wielding a brick that way should raise a double alarm because they are either like Jayne Cobb from “Firefly” or completely irrational which is still plenty dangerous if not more. This guy sounds like the latter. Personally, I’d rather go up against Jayne. His sort can be reasoned with. This trogloydyte must not have known there are places were people can go to complain about evolution.
#3 Stogoe
October 30, 2006

I mean, really. At least Jayne listens to money.
#4 T. Bruce McNeely
October 30, 2006

merle:
You mean scientists telling the schools what science is and what should be taught as science? Well! We can’t have that, can we?

Actually, he looks like an ape…because he is!

Signed,
Ape and proud of it.
#5 raindogzilla
October 30, 2006

Why does Mr. Woods’ outburst remind me of this?
#6 gwangung
October 30, 2006

this man is like a lot of us out here in the red states, tired of people like you telling us what to teach our children, how to worship, which god if any to believe in.

So, basically, he threw a tantrum and threatened people?

Um, right.
#7 Martin Grant
October 31, 2006

Besides Jayne is a hero. The hero of Canton!
#8 Turcano
October 31, 2006

Well, at least he chose a weapon that has the same IQ that he does.

Zing!
#9 Simon
October 31, 2006

I think the irony of his ape-like behaviour may have passed him by. Religious types don’t get irony.
#10 Robert
October 31, 2006

The messed up part is, he DOESN”T even have children in the school. He’s ranting and raving about what he thinks is appropriate to teach other people’s children!
#11 Crimson King
October 31, 2006

Funny how difficult it is to imagine someone running through a Catholic school screaming about how only evolution should be taught and waving a brick. And Jayne Cobb rocks.
#12 csrster
October 31, 2006

I’m guessing Michigan isn’t one of those redneck right-to-bear-concealed-weapons states? Otherwise, presumably, he’d have been shot dead on the spot.
#13 Ginger Yellow
October 31, 2006

Jayne wouldn’t use a brick. He’d use the chain of command.
#14 Jay Ray
October 31, 2006

I don’t know if he looked like an ape, but he sure acted like one. Ah, the perils of cognitive dissonance…
#15 Kate
October 31, 2006

Nah, Jayne would just bust out Vera… so it’s lucky that he can at least be reasoned with, unlike our friend with the brick (what did he think he’d accomplish with a brick? I mean, there were many people around… what can be done with a brick that can’t be stopped or reported by one of the many people?)
#16 Rev. BigDumbChimp
October 31, 2006

I picture him in classic Homer Simpson style throwing a hissy fit, arms above head, waving the brick around. Very ape like.

I say they’re probably lucky he wasn’t also flinging poo.
#17 Pokerwolf
October 31, 2006

Isn’t it great that weapons aren’t allowed on school property? I bet those people really felt safe and secure!
#18 Rev. BigDumbChimp
October 31, 2006

Isn’t it great that weapons aren’t allowed on school property? I bet those people really felt safe and secure!

So that’s what you got out of the story?
#19 Steve Reuland
October 31, 2006

this man is like a lot of us out here in the red states…

Then you’re all a bunch of fucking loons.

Putting aside the fact that the guy most likely has mental problems, I really think that the ID/creationist movement has to take some responsibility for this kind of thing. Their over-the-top and irresponsible rhetoric is exactly what sets off disturbed people like this. We can see here that one of them actually defends this guy on the basis that his hysteria was apparently warranted. What next?
#20 David Heddle
October 31, 2006

Steve Reuland,

I really think that the ID/creationist movement has to take some responsibility for this kind of thing. Their over-the-top and irresponsible rhetoric is exactly what sets off disturbed people like this. We can see here that one of them actually defends this guy on the basis that his hysteria was apparently warranted. What next?

That’s a bunch of crap. There are loonies who will co-opt anything. If some bozo blows up a church because he hates religion and believes that religious parents are child abusers, do you think Dawkins (or PT or PZ) should take some responsibility? I don’t.
#21 SteveA
October 31, 2006

“Why yes, you do, and stop threatening to hurl your poop at people!

oh, what? its a brick?”…
#22 Raging Bee
October 31, 2006

There are loonies who will co-opt anything. If some bozo blows up a church because he hates religion and believes that religious parents are child abusers, do you think Dawkins (or PT or PZ) should take some responsibility? I don’t.

That would depend on what, exactly, Dawkins, PT, and/or PZ said over a period of time that might have incited such action. And while Dawkins, at least, has said a lot of really stupid, false, illogical and insulting things about people and beliefs he clearly doesn’t understand, I see (so far) not quite the raving, unhinged, OTT/Coulteresque rhetoric I’ve seen from creationists who blame “evolution” for just about every form of human vileness they can name — including pedophile priests, the Holocaust, and the shooting of those Amish girls in PA. At least Dawkins is trying to appeal to sane people, in something like a sane tone, while the creationists are a LOT less discriminating.

Also, we would have to see after the event how many people are willing to excuse or justify such an atrocity, as merle just tried to excuse the brick incident.
#23 Rev. BigDumbChimp
October 31, 2006

If you go take a gander at Merle’s I’m betting you’ll see he’s satire. If he’s not it’s damn funny anyway.
#24 David Heddle
October 31, 2006

Raging Bee,

I can’t believe you or anyone else is taking Merle seriously. Dollars to donuts he’s a fake. For crying out loud, his name is Merle Jennings, a combination of two famous country singers. He couldn’t possibly fit the red neck bumpkin stereotype more, which should raise a red flag. And though he tries and generally succeeds in sounding stupid, you see hints of knowledge of which a person as dumb as he pretends to be would be oblivious.

As for you response, it’s generally along the “but that’s different” party line, which is what I would expect.
#25 Ed Brayton
October 31, 2006

Merle is clearly trolling. And now, he’s going to have to troll somewhere else. He ceased being amusing quite some time ago.
#26 KeithB
October 31, 2006

Yesterday Stephanie Miller read a letter she received from some guy named “socks” something. He basically hoped that “someone would put an AK-47 up the glory hole” of people like Stephanie and the “Peace Mom” lady.

While he repeatedly said that *he* wouldn’t hurt them, he wished that someone would and that he was going to give their names to “people with certain credentials”

The boob put his contact info on the letter and Stephanie called him on the air. An older gentleman comes on claiming that he wrote the letter, that he didn’t remember exactly what he wrote, but that he didn’t threaten anybody.

I am pretty sure that this stuff is on the website if you are interested….
#27 Peter Bjørn Petlsø
October 31, 2006

Well, he probably FELT like monkey.
#28 LouisMorelli
November 1, 2006

A brick is a Weapon of Mass Destruction; this man would be condemned as terrorist!
Note: I mean “a weapon for mass encephalic destruction”. Isn’t it the same thing?…
#29 Big Gay Al
March 28, 2007

I’m guessing Michigan isn’t one of those redneck right-to-bear-concealed-weapons states? Otherwise, presumably, he’d have been shot dead on the spot.

Posted by: csrster | October 31, 2006 05:21 AM

Actually, Michigan IS a “redneck” Right To Carry (also known as “Shall Issue”) state. But even with a permit, it’s illegal to have a concealed pistol inside a school building. Really makes you feel safe don’t it, knowing only police and criminals can have guns in a school.
#30 Coin
March 28, 2007

Actually, Michigan IS a “redneck” Right To Carry (also known as “Shall Issue”) state. But even with a permit, it’s illegal to have a concealed pistol inside a school building.

This is the case in all concealed carry states as far as I’m aware. It’s certainly the case in Texas.