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Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)

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The Death of IDEA Centers

Posted on: December 30, 2008 9:09 AM, by Ed Brayton

Allen MacNeill has an interesting post about the IDEA center, the pro-ID group on high school and college campuses that was founded by DI boy wonder Casey Luskin. He quotes a Dembski essay from shortly after the Dover ruling saying, in essence, that the ruling doesn't matter because the ID meme had been unleashed and could not be contained now. He cites the existence of a few dozen IDEA centers as proof of this.

But as MacNeill points out, those centers appear to be pretty much gone now. Most of them haven't updated their sites or held any events in years. The beast seems to have contained itself.

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It's hard to find someone more disingenuous and weaselly than Dembski and immersed in lying to themselves and others for Jesus, but Luskin fits the bill. I especially like Casey's bleat that they have recently opened "about 3 new IDEA Centers". Comedic gold Casey.

And this is a good excuse to re-post a Golden Oldie about the IDEA Clubs from earlier this year on atbc:

Design Man, there's no need to be smart.
I said, Design Man, try to pick science apart.
I said, Design Man, 'cause you're a big liar
Your allowed to lie for Jesus.

Design Man, when you ain't got no proof.
I said, Design Man, when you're short on the truth.
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Irreducibly Complex can spin out your lie.

It's fun to stay at the I-D-E-A.
It's fun to stay at the I-D-E-A.

They have everything for you kidz to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys like Behe...

It's fun to stay at the I-D-E-A.
It's fun to stay at the I-D-E-A.

Posted by: J-Dog | December 30, 2008 10:46 AM

Just shows that any claims of a "grassroots ID movement" is a load of nonsense. Time and again, their efforts founder as soon as the initial impetus from the ID central -- the Disco'tute -- peters out.

Posted by: tacitus | December 30, 2008 10:54 AM

Hmm so IDEA clubs have gone extinct, eh?
Another example of Darwinian selection in action! -DJ

Posted by: DingoJack | December 30, 2008 11:53 AM

Awww...too bad about those IDEA clubs going belly up. Reminds me of those ID 'journals' that starved to death for lack of anything to say. That's a problem when you're position is built solely on denying another position and has no positive content of its own. People get bored and it withers away. Especially since it has proven useless in the only potential way it could be useful, as a way to sneak creationism into schools. It's no great loss though, they'll just change the name ('academic freedom' anyone?) and pretend they were never really all that interested in ID in the first place.

Posted by: Dave S. | December 30, 2008 1:54 PM

I just don't get how they lasted as long as they did. ID has no content or utility. What the hell do you talk about, as a student? Bad SLOT arguments only take you so far. "Of Pandas and People" is only 170 pages.

Not a lot of material to cover.

Posted by: Spidergrackle | December 30, 2008 4:33 PM

Man proposes, God disposes. Must have been some sort of evolutionary dead end.

Posted by: Scott Hanley | December 30, 2008 4:57 PM

There's some justice in the world when a pseudo-scientific doctrine disappears from America's college campuses. I.D. of course, was just creationism's latest trojan horse (I think their current tactic is to claim they're being denied "academic freedom" if their religious dogmas can't be taught in biology class.) Other battles are ahead, but for the moment, score one for our side, and I.D. good riddance!

Posted by: Raymond Minton | December 30, 2008 5:00 PM

Design Man sung to the music of YMCA by The Village People. May not be obvious to some. I'm slow. It took me nearly a full read to figure it out.

Posted by: angst | December 30, 2008 5:14 PM

IDEA Clubs are not dead: they can still appear in intellectual backwaters like South Dakota. There is a new club (http://ideachaptermadisonsd.ning.com/) that just appeared in Madison, SD. Oh wait, looking at their website it appears that they only have four members (including the founder) and that one of the members is standing up for evolution.

Posted by: marty | December 31, 2008 9:54 AM