Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
Jack Cashill, intrepid columnist for the Worldnutdaily, is playing carnival barker for the Expelled movie. This is a surprise to no one. Last year, Cashill put up a column full of false claims and distortions about the Richard Sternberg situation, which I critiqued in much detail on this blog. Cashill saw my debunking of his claims; I know that because he mentioned it in another column a week or so later. He didn't bother to respond to any of the evidence against his position, but he has gone on to credulously repeat it as though it hadn't been completely shredded.
My favorite part of Cashill's latest column is when he refers to David Berlinski as "an amusingly sophisticated American living in Paris." Right. How about "a ridiculous and pompous asshole American living in Paris"? This is a man who has to live in a duplex to have room for his ego, for crying out loud. And I like this part too:
"Expelled" opens nationwide on April 18. The neo-Darwinists and their allies in the major media will do their best to kill it.
No we won't. We'll do what we've already done with the examples of alleged persecution that the creationists have created out of thin air: we'll debunk them point by point. And Cashill and his pals will do what they always do: ignore the substantive critiques and spend their time whining about how unfair the world is to them. And then we'll laugh at them. Again.
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As Richard Dawkins once comment in an article about Dr. Berlinski, "One who rejects the theory of evolution is either ignorant, stupid, insane, or wicked (but he didn't want to consider that)." Prof. Dawkins then went on to say that Dr. Berlinski was neither ignorant, stupid, or insane.
Posted by: SLC | March 7, 2008 10:02 AM
I sometimes sthink that the Expelled supporters think that there will be long picket lines a la The Last Temptation of Christ with people breathing fire and jumping up and down with lots of over exaggerated handwaving outside all the theatres.
Unfortunately for them, the people opposing their movie tend to act a little more logically and welcome the chance to shoot down all the ridiculousness that will be on display in their little film. I'm sure there will be a few well intentioned folks here and there outside protesting but overall the response from the not logically challenged will be one of reasoned debunking and criticism. Not in your face damnation, fire and brimstone.
Although, I really did like walking through those protesters at the movie theatre in Winston-Salem NC to see Last Temptation. It really did add to the experience.
Should be entertaining.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | March 7, 2008 10:04 AM
Well, if avenging quantum physicists didn't picket showings of What the (Bleep) Do We Know, then it's hardly likely the biologists will put down their butterfly nets and petrie dishes to go after Expelled, is it?
Posted by: Sastra | March 7, 2008 10:19 AM
Another thing that will be great about when Expelled comes out is that YouTube-ers like Thunderf00t, cdk007, and potholer54 can make more videos comically debunking all these "new" claims of how evolution is wrong.
Posted by: Umlud | March 7, 2008 10:30 AM
Remember, everyone, if you want to see "expelled", buy a ticket to another movie that night and sneak in.
That way you get to see the train wreck and laugh your ass off, and they won't have to touch your filthy seculatheist money.
Posted by: Jason Failes | March 7, 2008 12:46 PM
Who in the hell picketed last temptation - aren't you thinking of the Da Vinci Code?
Posted by: OMM0910 | March 7, 2008 1:02 PM
Ed Stated:
"No we won't. We'll do what we've already done with the examples of alleged persecution that the creationists have created out of thin air: we'll debunk them point by point. And Cashill and his pals will do what they always do: ignore the substantive critiques and spend their time whining about how unfair the world is to them. And then we'll laugh at them. Again."
I apologize for where I have done this to all on this site. As a Christian the Bible tells us to be ready to give an account for the hope that is within us. Whether, you believe it is true or not anyone claiming to speak for a cause, religion, or philosophy needs to live consistent with it as much as possible. My answers on specifics are not there yet. I do not know enough. I will try and correct this in months and years to come. Please do not take this as ignoring good and legitimate questions.
Posted by: King of Ireland | March 7, 2008 1:09 PM
Nope, thinking of The Last Temptation of Christ
There were massive protests over Last Temptation
Here is a NYT article on it.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | March 7, 2008 1:18 PM
Not to derail, but here is another link. You'll see Donald Wildmon is mentioned here. He's a real stand up kind of guy. Founder of the AFA.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | March 7, 2008 1:21 PM
Something tells me that they're already playing the victim card over a month before the movie's even released. Talk about setting a low bar of expectations. Of course, they will whine even though the vast majority of documentary movies come and go from the movie theaters all but unnoticed by the great unwashed.
And, anyway, doesn't this documentary, opening at around the same time, look to be infinitely more entertaining?
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/youngatheart/
Posted by: tacitus | March 7, 2008 1:39 PM
People who don't like having their beliefs laughed at shouldn't hold such silly beliefs. (h/t to The Great Beast)
Posted by: Pieter B | March 7, 2008 4:05 PM
OMM0910,
I saw Last Temptation in San Francisco--San Francisco, America's most godless city (well, except for Miami)--and there were protesting picketers.
Caught between passionate Christians on one hand, and passionate anti-Christians on the other, this semi-casual churchgoer had a miserable evening until the theater gave me two tickets in exchange for the one I'd bought if I'd go away and come back another day.
God bless Capitalism. The only ones who treated me right were the ones who wanted my money.
Posted by: James Hanley | March 7, 2008 6:05 PM
"Expelled" opens nationwide on April 18. The neo-Darwinists and their allies in the major media will do their best to (laugh and point at) it.
Fixed that for you...
Posted by: T. Bruce McNeely | March 7, 2008 10:56 PM
OMM0910: "Who in the hell picketed last temptation - aren't you thinking of the Da Vinci Code?"
No offense intended to you, but I did a triple-take when I read your question, and then chuckled. Maybe you were too young then, or just had better things to pay attention to. The "Last Temptation" brouhaha in the summer of '88 remains the gold standard for fundie screaming and fainting over a Hollywood movie. Later iterations over movies like "Dogma" and "DaVinci Code" don't come close in level of hysteria or amount of media attention. In addition to protests and an avalanche of op eds and letters to the editor, a screen was destroyed at one theater, I think there was at least one bomb threat, one group offered millions of dollars to buy the rights from the studio and destroy all copies...
I wonder if the Christianists' heads will straight up explode the day Hollywood releases a major movie that actually attacks Christianity. It'll happen, one day.
Posted by: MPW | March 9, 2008 12:30 PM
I have a feeling maybe OMM0910 may have confused The Passion of the Christ with The Last Temptation of Christ.
Maybe .. maybe not.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | March 9, 2008 2:22 PM