Repeat business

It seems to be an inviolable rule of the universe that those who think they have something really revolutionary and important to say, cannot produce a single coherent sentence with which to say it. "I cannot understand what you say; but I will defend, to my death, your right to waffle incoherently about something you clearly do not understand..."

I insist these people are in it for the money.

I read his reply on the other thread, and his knowledge of linguistics is rather limited. It's a stretch to get from "Namaah" to the Sumerian "Namu," much moreso than it would be to get to the exactly-matching Sanskrit word "Namah," which means "I make obeisance."

Which just goes to show that the only limit to the kind of total silliness that potheads like Johnson espouse is their own ignorance of the subject matter they claim to understand so well. One could prove just about anything using these kinds of non-evidential lines of reasoning.

For instance, did you know that the word "trilobite" tells us that there used to be creatures that had three ears and big teeth? See? It all makes sense if you wear a tight enough aluminum foil chapeau.

I saw Namu at Sea World once. My memory's not what it used to be, but I think the entire Earth was destroyed.

I think what bothers the fundies most about evolution is the idea that we all have common ancestors in Africa, making us all, ahem, .......... colored. A touch of the "tar brush" in your family tree sends you to the bottom of the social pecking order.

Slime? Yes! Snake? Nope. Monkey? Aren't we all. Long live the (well adapted) mutants!

Oh yeah Garth (post #4)?? Well, I saw Shamu here in Orlando and I coulda sworn those in attendance rose upon high yea and verily did the mighty throng cuase a great raor with their voices as Shamu delievered thine very own soul a cleansing of Arctic proportions. Verily did the masses then leave to much joy and amusement and those closest to the mighty Shamu and her Arctic Cleansing strode forth upon the park and verily did they look for such fountains and lavatories as to remove the sweet savor of fish from their bodies.

Re: comment #3 from Mike O'Risal

Please don't insult us potheads. Even the worst burnout is still usually a few million brain cells richer than a creationist, and much more honest. I may see giant purple dragons when I squint my eyes at street lights in my drug induced haze, but damned if I'm calling people silly names for not pretending to see them as well!

Welp, it's easy to see why a nutjob like Browine Jr is on the prowl. I mean he's Army after all and besides the Corps, I dunno who knows the dirt more. That being said, he's a ring knocker for sure and has shed loads of bad science and seems to confuse Greek mythology with the bible, hows that possible? I'm sure Zeus is might pissed.

I just want you to know that my distaste for the crackpot has nothing to do with the fact that i'm an exsquid. GO NAVY CRUSH ARMY!!!

re: [#5]

ah, this brings back memories. My biological mother (who is, ironically, Mohawk) felt it necessary to try to convert me to her fundie faith (First Bible Baptist, because the Bible is FIRST) and in one of her lectures she carefully explained to me that darkness of skin was the mark of Cain.

I listened to the lecture, then told her that since anthropologists have shown the earliest man lived in Africa, Adam and Eve were black. I then suggested to her that the mark of Cain was WHITE skin. After totally freaking out (and a crisis of faith call to her pastor) she didn't talk to me for a week.

One of the interesting things I find with these people who come up with this stuff is that they almost always seem to have it ass backwards. Perhaps it isn't that the Bible is the source of all these truths that are incorporated into myths, but that the Bible incorporates common myths and mistakes them for truths.

I insist these people are in it for the money.

Posted by: Loc

You know, Loc, the more I read and learn about these guys, the more I'm inclined to agree. I think I sleep better at night with the notion that they are just a collection of simple con-artists rather than a vast number of screeching-mad lunatics with an unbelievable disconnect from reality.

Dishonest is bad, but crazy is scary bad.

Based only on his post, I think Robert Bowie Johnson Jr.'s myth-remix ideas are pretty interesting, and might provide a clever backstory for a Hellboy comic or something. I've got a thing for myths in general, and find it entertaining when someone puts a new spin on old stories.

But, you know, it's usually not wise to take all these stories seriously, and definitely bad to believe them literally.

my apologies, as I don't have anything to contribute except to thank Firemancarl (comment #2): Shakespeare's Julius Caesar? :-D

The man took a few minutes to write you a thoughtful comment and you blasted him as a kook, instead of answering him in kind. Shame on you PZ, we all know you're smarter than that.

BTW - speaking of being smart. Ever seen "The Privelaged Planet"? If you watch it, and can then roast it, you will have my admiration. But I don't think you can. I won't even post on the thread if you attempt such a profound accomplishment - I just want to see if you can muster a reasonable refutation of it. Give it a try, for fun. Good luck.

Take care, ol' buddy.

Ok I misspelled it because I'm an idiot. It's the "Privilaged Planet". Watch it anyway.

Isn't Privileged Planet one of those ones which argues that, since life on earth is amazingly well adapted to this planet, the planet must have been designed for this kind of life?

LOL - it's "The Privileged Planet". My only regret is that I got here before you did. I would blame it on the single-malt but that would be alchohol abuse. Cheers!

Yes something to that effect; it deals with the certain conditions necessary and their relative chance of occurance, for carbon-based lifeforms.

Here you go, I'll make it easy:
http://www.illustramedia.com/tppinfo.htm

Alright, enough from me. Sorry for the spamming - again with the single malt.

Papillion ( comment 12). I just made that up. I was trying to get to sound like one of those increadibly detailed biblical passages that makes one wonder if the writter (god?) had been smoking something! ;-)

"Anyhow, most of what I am saying is new, so to refute it, you should become more familiar with it."

Yeah. I'll be sure to do that.

I waste enough time trying to debate religion with marginally credible, relatively sane theists, without spending hours of my life that I'll never get back digging into the ravings of someone who thinks Noah's son married Athena.

Sweet jebus, Jester, you were actually impressed by the tepid drivel in The Privileged Planet?

Guess what: I watched the movie, I read the book. It was a collection of cosmic coincidences inflated into illusory significance by pious twits.

Well, you were mostly fair in your critique. But when you made the observation about being born 100 miles below the earth or somewhere in the stratosphere, I think your arguement hit a low point. I noticed you didn't get too in-depth in your critique although I recognize it isn't necessarily your field of expertise.

And I'm pretty sure at least a couple people interviewed weren't creationists, but that's an aside. I do agree, however, that the CGI were pretty glitzy!

there should be better ways to indicate laughter in these threads, especially in instances like "the privileged planet". I'll try...hahahahahaHAHAHA! hm

anyways, I've been having to deal with "The Secret" in my office lately. My otherwise rational boss believes a ton of gibbery nonsense like "if you wish for it, it'll come true!" I try to gently abuse him, but he's my boss and i can't get away with too much.

@ #8 above (firemancarl):

Navy rules for gunplay:
1. Send in the marines.
2. Go to sea.
3. Drink coffee.

My old chief sent me that one this week. 'Bout died laughing. Anyways, my 2c.

Jester: "I think your arguement hit a low point. I noticed you didn't get too in-depth in your critique although I recognize it isn't necessarily your field of expertise."
Are you trolling, or do you have some expertise to which PZ and us lackey's show cede authority to? I mean scientific, evidenced based authority. Revelation and books based on it are lacking in authority.

I'm absolutely not buying that slime snake monkey mutant appelation. It has possibilities but it is way too wrong for a biologist.

It's got to be slime fish monkey mutant or
slime reptile monkey mutant or nothing.

I'm voting for slime fish monkey mutant on poetic grounds. It just sounds better.

SSMM. More of the same Bush propaganda. Don't you guy's get it yet? This is more from the Religious Right who think they have the right and duty to inform and educate all of us into the lies(myth) of Xianity. This guy is just plain stupid and does not deserve any form of monetary employment.

I answer to Algaxolotlemurobot, thank you very much.

Kseniya (#28)

...but we can call you Al, right?

"It seems to be an inviolable rule of the universe that those who think they have something really revolutionary and important to say, cannot produce a single coherent sentence with which to say it"

Quite right.

We have a few examples on sci.geo.geology

STuart

Well, you were mostly fair in your critique. But when you made the observation about being born 100 miles below the earth or somewhere in the stratosphere, I think your arguement hit a low point. I noticed you didn't get too in-depth in your critique although I recognize it isn't necessarily your field of expertise.

This is a textbook example of the courtier's reply.

And you know full well why.

A Deadwood fan, PZ? :-)

#24*** Jeffox,

Tahst was a damn bit funny. Whats funnier is that my first boat was a "gator frieghter" LSD 38 USS Pensacola. Our job was to haul Marines around, drop 'em off, and go back to sea and drink coffee.

Well, you were mostly fair in your critique. But when you made the observation about being born 100 miles below the earth or somewhere in the stratosphere, I think your arguement hit a low point. I noticed you didn't get too in-depth in your critique although I recognize it isn't necessarily your field of expertise.

This is a textbook example of the courtier's reply.

And you know full well why.