Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
…and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
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No doubt some of your cousins and great-uncles died in childhood, but not a single one of your ancestors did. Ancestors just don't die young!
Richard Dawkins
Development, medicine, and evolution of the neck and shoulder
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« The Church of Hate | Main | Did you take the “blog readability test”? »
Category: Carnivals • Open Thread
Posted on: December 9, 2007 12:15 PM, by PZ Myers
Cruise the web starting with these most excellent entry points.
Revere's Sunday Sermonette — there hasn't been enough outrage at the unconstitutional vileness of Romney and Huckabee.
Now tell me something I don't already know.
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Comments
Catholic priest defending Romney claims that the religious right didn't start the culture war: they were just standing their minding their own business and these atheists just ran up out of the blue and suckerpunched em!.
Posted by: Bad | December 9, 2007 12:19 PM
If there is a God, I pray to Thee that Thou shall correct my embarrassing mistype of "their" and "there" by smiting Thine Mighty Hand into the Seed severs and cleaving the electrons holding this mistake in twain.
Ayeah.
Posted by: Bad | December 9, 2007 12:22 PM
Now that would be a miracle.
Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | December 9, 2007 12:31 PM
Posted by: SEF | December 9, 2007 12:55 PM
"Now tell me something I don't already know."
My favorite flavor of ice cream or pie is blueberry.
My cat's fur is rippled-brown-and-black.
(Say when to stop.)
Posted by: Pyre | December 9, 2007 1:53 PM
SEF @ 4: So, when summonses can't be delivered, and there's no response to a published notice in the papers, the judge issues a bench warrant for arrest, and the gods become fugitives from justice. Any funds kept in their names are subject to confiscation in order to hamper their escape, and when police show up at the temples to carry out the arrests, the priests are obliged to declare that the gods are not present there. At which point the worshipers start to wonder why they themselves bothered to come.
Now what was the downside of this?
Posted by: Pyre | December 9, 2007 2:14 PM
PZ, I know you weren't big on the whole "Presidential Debate on Science" but it has gained a surprising amount of momentum (including a NY Times endorsement).
Even if it doesn't happen, I think it's something worth trying for.
Posted by: Chris Bell | December 9, 2007 2:22 PM
Radical Russ gets email too.
Posted by: Mena | December 9, 2007 2:25 PM
SEF @ 4: But seriously... this being a civil (not criminal) case... what is going to happen when the gods don't show up is that "they" forfeit "their" claim to the land.
Which is good because... how could "they" fulfill the other obligations of a land-owner? If the land held public hazards, how could "they" be compelled by law to remedy the problems? Held in contempt of court? Bailed out? Paroled? Held in violation of parole when "they" failed to report to "their" parole officer?
It would be worse than dealing with corporations....
Hey, now there's an idea. Allah, Inc.; YHVH, Inc.; Hanuman, Inc. -- with addresses on record, legal officers, boards of directors,... and the possibility of legal dissolution as a "death penalty" should worst come to worst, the law terminating "their"
incorporationgodhood.Has anyone else noticed that corporations, as "persons under law", share some traits with gods? Like, uh, not actually being persons? And being damned hard to hold liable? (Since the case you cite is in India, I present Union Carbide for your consideration. Were Kali and her Thuggees really any worse?)
Posted by: Pyre | December 9, 2007 2:30 PM
Gunman kills 2 in missionary center
in Arvada, Colorado
Posted by: Reginald Selkirk | December 9, 2007 2:37 PM
Maybe I should have submitted this one to the Carnival of the Godless, based on the line about "Christian charity".
Posted by: Blake Stacey | December 9, 2007 3:07 PM
"Has anyone else noticed that corporations... share some traits with gods?"
Oh, I should have thought a moment before asking.
Of course, the Japanese business world has, long since!
Having employees start every workday with a hymn of praise to the corporation -- what could be clearer?
Posted by: Pyre | December 9, 2007 3:23 PM
When the cat eats mice and chipmunks, he starts at the head
Posted by: khan | December 9, 2007 5:50 PM
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/episcopal-diocese-secedes-from-church/20071208173309990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
The conservative Diocese of San Joaquin voted Saturday to split from the liberal-leaning Episcopal Church, becoming the first full diocese to secede from the denomination in the debate over the Bible and homosexuality.
Posted by: khan | December 9, 2007 5:56 PM
This post at the Denialism blog: http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2007/12/odonnell_on_mormonism.php#comments
is worth it just to see Pat Buchanan yell that "Christianity condoned slavery for over 1500 years" and "Mormons didn't bring slavery to America, Christians did!"
Posted by: jdb | December 9, 2007 7:02 PM
If only the archbishop was giving up being a religious twit (and advising others to do the same - and on a permanent basis) and not merely making a hollow gesture while actually continuing with conman business as usual.
Posted by: SEF | December 9, 2007 8:08 PM
Following on from one of the links in #4, it looks as though some of PZ's (and his students') zebra-fish experiments would be illegal in Ohio (#19). Is Ohio devoid of fishy research? Is there a special exemption if you are only drugging the fish in order to mutilate it? That certainly wouldn't normally apply to human victims.
Posted by: SEF | December 9, 2007 8:46 PM
It turns out abstinence only sex education is failing. For the first time in 15 years, the teen pregnancy rate is rising rather than falling. STD rates are up to.
Yet again another triumph for wackodoodle ideology over common sense and reality. These clowns really don't care how many lives they ruin as long as they can make their wrongheaded points to their pea brained followers.
Posted by: raven | December 9, 2007 9:28 PM
Great site you have!
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Posted by: Steve | December 9, 2007 10:26 PM
Someone sign Steve up for a free cockpunch.
Posted by: Efrique | December 9, 2007 11:12 PM
You know that story out of the UK about the guy who reportedly faked his death and has suddenly shown up after 5 years? Of course, you've noticed that his name is John Darwin, right? I've been wondering when some rightwingnut is going to write something about this guy's lack of morals and the fact that his name is Darwin. Anyone want to get a jump on them and do a parody of such a screed?
Posted by: Gerry L | December 9, 2007 11:38 PM
There has already been an awfully tempting headline for the creationists to quote-mine: "Police charge Darwin with fraud". However, the Independent article on which I originally saw it is currently returning an error (though it's still visible in the Google cache and Google also shows other instances of it).
Posted by: SEF | December 10, 2007 4:55 AM
Romney's Renaissance
From liberal Massachusetts where Romney campaigned on what the electorate wanted to hear, i.e. religious and social tolerance re gays, abortion, etc, to Philadelphia, thoughts of enlightenment heralding reason and science were the philosophical backbone of a great new country.
Voltaire on hearing Romney's new mantra invoked in his "Freedom requires religion" line sat bolt upright. Actually he bumped his head which vexed him all the more.
"Theese Romney fellow is such a slut" he said. "He makes the liar, Karl Rove, seem pristine and chaste in hees willingness to throw the Constitution under the tumbrils."
Labels: enlightenment, flip flop, religious freedom, romney
Posted by: cognitorex | December 10, 2007 8:15 AM