Just when you thought we'd heard the last of Utah's reigning ignoramus, State Senator Chris Buttars, President Bush's recent statements on ID seem to have brought him back to life. He's moving forward once again to root out the evils of evolution from Utah schools, and in the process he pretty much gave away that little secret that the IDers try so hard to hide:
"I love it," Buttars, R-West Jordan, said of the president's statement. "I believe the president believes exactly as I do. I believe he believes in God, and the story found in the scriptures: We are children of God and created in his image. We didn't wait for some ape to evolve."
Gosh, I thought ID backers just wanted the "evidence against evolution" taught and that this had nothing to do with religion but was just an attempt to find evidence of "design" - don't mention a designer, please - in nature. And if you believe that, I've got some oceanfront property in Buttars' home state to sell you. And Buttars seems intent on making himself sound as stupid as he possibly can:
"This really bugs me," Buttars said. "I don't want it taught, the evolution of humans, as fact. It's not fact, it's a theory, with holes you can drive a truck through. The missing link's still missing, and so's the rest of the chain."
I think we just may have August's Robert O'Brien Trophy winner already.
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Would "butthead" have worked better in the title?
To be fair to Utahians ... Utahites ... Utahopians ... whatever they call themselves, The idiotic statements of Butters is counterbalanced by the reasoned position of state curriculum director Brett Moulding -
But he [Moulding] says intelligent design has no place in the state core curriculum.
"Evolution is one of the fundamental principles around which biology is organized. It's necessary students understand those concepts in order to advance in the sciences," Moulding said. "We're entering an increasingly global society, and the economy that has sprung forth requires doubling numbers of individuals with backgrounds in science . . . and they need to be taught science."
Meanwhile, Rick Santorum of PA is kinda sorta backing AWAY from ID:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050804/ts_nm/politics_evolution_dc_2
Raging Bee-
Santorum is just parroting the Discovery Institute's preferred line at this point. They don't really mean it and neither does he.
Funny that the gloves come off when someone of influence says what they all really think.
How has the DI handled this, by the way? On the one hand they want to declare victory that the president supports their cause but at the same time they want to distance themselves from the "creationism" language he used.
I'm glad the Utah senator is able to memorize his lines so well. He needs to learn a few new ones, though! Here's a classic from the same group that brought you the "missing link is still missing" statement:
From a blogger comment:
"You evolutionists believe that life evolved from nothing, but i've never seen a rock turn into a dog cat or anything"
Another brilliant blogger:
"... as for molecular biology, you cant SEE DNA or genes so how can you be so sure you are correct"
Henry Morris of the Institute for Creation Research, Science, Scripture, and the Young Earth, page 6:
"The data of geology, in our view, should be interpreted in light of Scripture, rather than distorting Scripture to accommodate current geological philosophy."
Huh? "geological philosophy"? Man, I missed that course in college.
Gregg Wilkerson, co-founder of Students for Origins Research and former young-earth creationist, at the 1990 International Conference on Creationism:
"Creationism by and large attracts few to the gospel, but it turns many away."
Amen, brother! This is not a stupid quote, but a truthful one.
Now, here are some doozies from Kent Hovind, who is a creationist evangelist, who apparently is so insecure in his own faith that he has to prove it through an endless stream of false statements. You can read 300 such ones here: http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Pier/1766/hovindlies/A.html
Here are some beauties:
Hovind: "The continents were not separated until 100-300 years after the Flood (Gen. 10:25). The people and animals had time to migrate anywhere on earth by then."
Oh, and the duckbilled platypusses just decided to go this way, and certain insects just decided to hop for crawl that way. Sure, makes perfect sense to me.
Hovind: "The pre-Flood people were probably much smarter and more advanced than people today."
Uh, yes I think these quotes prove that point.
Hovind: "Evolution is a religion. It is not science."
Oh, thanks for clearning that up Dr. Hovind! So, who does an evolutionist worship? Charles Darwin?
Hovind: "Adolph Hitler said, If you tell a lie long enough, loud enough, and often enough, the people will believe it. The secret to get someone to believe a lie is constant repetition. Just tell it over, and over, and over again."
That Hitler quote is probably a lie itself, but, regardless, I think the plank's in Hovind's eye here.
Hovind: "I teach physics. I know about the invert square law, particle attraction acceleration due to gravity"
Dude, it's the "inverse" square law. You 'aint no physicist.
I think we just may have August's Robert O'Brien Trophy winner already.
I second that, and Bush gets an honorable (dishonorable?) mention. You can almost hear Burt Parks: "In the event that Mr. Buttars is unable to fulfill the responsibilities of the Idiot of the Month, Mr. Bush will step in..."
I suppose that, next, these people will want the pre-Rutherford theory regarding the structure of the atom to be taught, also.
And why stop there?
Let the students decide? Why? Most of them don't have any background in the evidence.
Oh man, I could sure go for some plum pudding right about now.
Let the students decide? Why? Most of them don't have any background in the evidence.
I think that's the idea. Since high school students are hopelessly ill-equipped to decide such issues (that's kinda one of the reasons we send to school in the first place, to give them that background) they'll just pick the easiest way out. Which is easier, learning something really complicated like evolutionary theory, or claiming a designer did it (keeping in mind we conveniently needent know anything about the designer other than that they exist(ed))?
I'm just sittin' here watching the apes go 'round and 'round...
"We didn't wait for some ape to evolve."
If I was wanted to be snarky, I would have suggested the state senator perhaps jumped the gun a bit, and might have been better off waiting a little . . .
Geez - why can't these folks look at the science? I mean, they could repair these misunderstandings with a single page written on a 5th grade reading level . . .
Yes, I know, I know . . . they either don't know and/ or more likely don't care. I know. But still!!
I'll just remind you that Utah is the home state of cold fusion
Don't put too much stock into what comes out of there. Take it with a huge grain of salt.
I live in Utah and this guy Butters needs to be fired for such outlandish claims. WHAT an ASS! But just for fun tell him youself...
Salt Lake D. Chris Buttars
9241 S. Lisa Ave.
dcbuttars@utahsenate.org
West Jordan, Utah 84088
Home (801) 561-0535