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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
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« Jesus was a dirty hippie | Main | We “naive” atheists »
Category: Creationism
Posted on: September 23, 2007 10:33 PM, by PZ Myers
Wesley Elsberry covers the contemptible David Vitter's stealth funding for creationism efforts. Vitter's a devious little sneak, and it's good to see him exposed.
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Comments
He making a speech in the Senate about Iraq the other day. His public speaking skills are about on par with Bush's! I swear, C-Span beats Comedy Central hands down sometimes.
Posted by: Mena | September 23, 2007 11:00 PM
Wesley Elsberry quotes the Times-Picayune as spelling it 'Vitter' not 'Vetter' .
Posted by: llewelly | September 23, 2007 11:15 PM
His name is Vitter, not Vetter.
Posted by: Dave | September 23, 2007 11:15 PM
Vitter, bitter, twitter; it's all the same to me. :) :) :)
Posted by: jeffox backtrollin' | September 23, 2007 11:31 PM
Wesley Elsberry quotes the Times-Picayune as spelling it 'Vitter' not 'Vetter' .
Probably because it IS "Vitter".
http://vitter.senate.gov/
Geez, it's not difficult.
Posted by: Calton Bolick | September 23, 2007 11:38 PM
PZ, you ignorant slut! It's "i" before "e", except after "c". (NOT "v", Dammit!)
Posted by: Divalent | September 24, 2007 12:07 AM
HEY! PZ's not ignorant!
Posted by: Hans | September 24, 2007 12:32 AM
Go easy on him; spelling is hard.
Even Einstein, the smartest man in the world managed to get "i" before "e", except after "c" wrong twice in his own name.
Posted by: John McKay | September 24, 2007 12:33 AM
John McKay | September 24, 2007 12:33 AM
This was actually very funny.
Posted by: raj | September 24, 2007 4:06 AM
OT: Athiests get the hell out of America : http://picsyard.com/ATHEISTS_GET_THE_HELL_OUT_OF_AMERICA
...
Posted by: Non US Athiest | September 24, 2007 5:08 AM
John - you don't mind if I steal that, do you? Repeatedly?
Bob
Posted by: Bob O'H | September 24, 2007 6:47 AM
Non US Atheist
That is astounding, good to see the usual level of religious tolerance.
Posted by: badchemist | September 24, 2007 7:03 AM
The sneaky thing about this (and other) laws, is that they actually sound reasonable! I read the links, and they sound fine to me. I wonder how many regular people read them and thought they were OK. It's only after you do some digging that you find out they're a front for the fundies.
SG
Posted by: Science Goddess | September 24, 2007 8:39 AM
I think the internet needs a LOL-cats style site with lions called "I can haz a Christian."
Freakin' eh! That Dave Vitter is an odious little bastard isn't he? These idiots don't even try to hide their contempt for the Constitution anymore, do they?
Posted by: Dan | September 24, 2007 8:45 AM
Kristjan Wager shows once again that Europeans have their eye on you America, and can see your insanity clearly.
http://kriswager.blogspot.com/2007/09/another-anti-science-politician.html
That link to "Atheists get the hell out of America" has at the moment too many hits for their server to handle.
Posted by: sailor | September 24, 2007 9:08 AM
It's i before e except as in Euler's identity: e^i2pi+1=0.
Posted by: Christian Burnham | September 24, 2007 9:09 AM
I really liked this part:
Praise be! Glory!
Posted by: Bob | September 24, 2007 9:11 AM
As a Canadian I haven't read all of it but a major problem with the U.S. Constitution seems to be it doesn't spell out any penalties for breaking it. How about adding a section with mandatory hanging for anyone who violates the separation of church and state.
Posted by: Bad Albert | September 24, 2007 9:13 AM
"I can haz a Christian."
No, no. Has is always spelled properly, it's the object that has alternate cat spelling. One has to use correct lolgrammar.
Posted by: Carlie | September 24, 2007 9:19 AM
Ahh... Thank you very much, Carlie. I can has a Christian it is then.
Posted by: Dan | September 24, 2007 9:36 AM
What's noteworthy about the present Bush theocratic regime is how brazen the corruption is. I've long since lost track of how many officials have been arrested for corruption but whatever the number is, it is undoubtedly a small fraction of the perpetrators.
The bright side. I'm sure most or all of that $100 K will disappear into someone's pockets without passing go. We are talking Louisiana here, this is normal for them. This isn't so much government funding for an attack on science (the text) as payback for political allies (the subtext).
Posted by: raven | September 24, 2007 9:40 AM
Maybe they should earmark money for the "Canal Street Madam" to visit the classrooms of Louisiana and tell the boys and girls all about David's extra-curricular activities.
Teach the controversy!
Posted by: CalGeorge | September 24, 2007 9:52 AM
#12:"That is astounding, good to see the usual level of religious tolerance."
Oh but it is religious tolerance; she will tolerate any religion, but since atheism is not a religion, religious tolerance does not apply! [wow]
I see this as a corollary to an effect Hamilton predicted in one of the last of the Federalist Papers. Because the Constitution gives* you freedom of religion, it must only apply if you actually have a religion.
It boggles the mind that one does not recognize the fact that freedom to choose a religion includes the freedom to not choose any religion.
(* the USC doesn't actually give rights, it just enumerates which rights the government must protect)
Posted by: SteveM | September 24, 2007 9:58 AM
That's right. Larry Craig solicited a cop because there was an atheist in the bathroom next door. No wonder so many Republicans are being caught committing crimes. It's how we Destroy them! Their efforts are futile! muhahaHaHaHA!
Posted by: llewelly | September 24, 2007 10:01 AM
FYI, David Vitter's brother is the Dean of the College of Science at Purdue.
I wonder what the Purdue Biology Dept thinks about the Dean's brother's attempts to fund anti-evolution teaching?
Posted by: Pablo | September 24, 2007 10:35 AM
"I wonder what the Purdue Biology Dept thinks about the Dean's brother's attempts to fund anti-evolution teaching?"
I would imagine that the attempt doesn't sit well with the department, but no more than that made by any other wingnut. Suggesting that it would somehow be offensive to them as a department because it's the dean's adult brother is just silly.
Posted by: BG | September 24, 2007 11:50 AM
hm. first Olga and Siegfried Vitter join hands with Thabo Mbeki to sell their toxic antiretroviral-substitute Virodene to Africans, then this guy pops up... i wonder if it runs in the blood.
L
Posted by: Lepht | September 24, 2007 12:19 PM
Well done to her!
Posted by: dwarf zebu | September 24, 2007 12:22 PM
"I would imagine that the attempt doesn't sit well with the department, but no more than that made by any other wingnut. Suggesting that it would somehow be offensive to them as a department because it's the dean's adult brother is just silly. "
I think it would be more than usual. They could, for example, ask him to exert a little influence on his brother, for science's sake.
You don't have that opportunity with every wingnut.
Will Dean Vitter confront Congressman Vitter about it? What is the level of his dedication to science teaching? Can he legitimately say, "I don't get involved in politics"? Does not his brother respect his views on science teaching? I mean, the guy is only the Dean of Science at a prestigious public institution?
This is an opportunity like few that come along.
Posted by: Pablo | September 24, 2007 12:32 PM
OT: Athiests get the hell out of America :
Atheists have caused the ruin of this great nation...
But if it's a ruined nation how is it great? If it's a great nation then haven't the atheists participated in getting us there? Head hurts.
Posted by: jimmiraybob | September 24, 2007 3:09 PM
That is astounding, good to see the usual level of religious tolerance.
people have short memories.
that's a cut-and-paste job that's been reprinted dozens of times in dozens of different newspaper opinion sections for at least the last 5 years.
do a google search on:
alice shannon soldotna
not saying the "love it or leave it" response isn't a common one in the US, but this particular instance is fake.
Posted by: Ichthyic | September 24, 2007 3:49 PM
Here we go:
http://kscakes.com/LolCats/Detail.aspx/i-can-has-kristyin/
Posted by: BT Murtagh | September 24, 2007 11:23 PM
His name happens to fit the German orthography perfectly, though, even though that's not required of German names. You see, "ei" and "ie" are never pronounced the same in German.
Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | September 25, 2007 5:45 PM