Can any Texan reading this explain how these lunatic yahoos get elected? I’ve read Molly Ivins, but she hasn’t explained how normal, ordinary folk can walk into a voting booth and pull a lever for some macho pseudo-cowboy with slicked back hair and a belief that the earth doesn’t rotate, and that all atheists are actually Jews in disguise. Read it and weep.
The second most powerful member of the Texas House has circulated a Georgia lawmaker’s call for a broad assault on teaching of evolution.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, used House operations Tuesday to deliver a memo from Georgia state Rep. Ben Bridges.
The memo assails what it calls "the evolution monopoly in the schools."
Mr. Bridges’ memo claims that teaching evolution amounts to indoctrinating students in an ancient Jewish sect’s beliefs.
"Indisputable evidence – long hidden but now available to everyone – demonstrates conclusively that so-called ‘secular evolution science’ is the Big Bang, 15-billion-year, alternate ‘creation scenario’ of the Pharisee Religion," writes Mr. Bridges, a Republican from Cleveland, Ga. He has argued against teaching of evolution in Georgia schools for several years.
He then refers to a Web site, www.fixedearth.com, that contains a model bill for state Legislatures to pass to attack instruction on evolution as an unconstitutional establishment of religion.
Mr. Bridges also supplies a link to a document that describes scientists Carl Sagan and Albert Einstein as "Kabbalists" and laments "Hollywood’s unrelenting role in flooding the movie theaters with explicit or implicit endorsement of evolutionism."
Fixed Earth, as you might guess from the name, is a site that advocates that the earth is stationary at the center of the universe. That’s how low these gomers are sinking.
Look on the bright side: the pendulum in Kansas has swung back to our side–for the time being, anyway.
Personally, I think that this whole “Jewish sect” stuff is nonsense, anyway. Everyone knows that the concept of evolution was invented by the Illuminati and used as a tool for controlling the world’s scientific establishment. Duh.
What I love best about geocentrists, is how far they go to differentiate themselves from flat-earthers. After all, “those people are crazy! Everyone knows the world is round.”
Does this guy think we never went to the moon or mars?
Almost every other planet rotates… but not earth damn it!
Ow! The stupid it burns!
wow. that site nearly reaches TimeCube-level insanity.
“Indisputable evidence – long hidden but now available to everyone – demonstrates conclusively that so-called ‘secular evolution science’ is the Big Bang, 15-billion-year, alternate ‘creation scenario’ of the Pharisee Religion,”
And that evidence would be? The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, perhaps? Not that I’m detecting even the faintest whiff of anti-Semitism from that site, oh no…
As for the idea of the Earth not even rotating… Coriolis force, anyone?
It does raise an interesting question though – just how far out can you go and still get taken seriously in contemporary American politics? Is there even a limit?
On behalf of all the smart Texans, I would like to apologize. Our efforts to clean up all the stupid have been quite difficult, and we realize we’re far behind schedule.
Here in Texas there are a lot of areas that get the government representation that they deserve, due to their backward, stiffnecked, ignorant ways. There are also areas that send thoughtful representatives to the state government. The former is almost always outweighted by the latter.
These morons reject science until they suffer heart disease or some other defect other than mental illness that requires treatment based in modern science. they also enjoy driving around using the latest GPS equipment and cell phones that wouldn’t exist without science. If they are true believers they need to return to their caves and eliminate all traces of science from their lives.
Dunc, “Is there even a limit?” Not in Texas or Georgia, apparently. My condolences to Bronze Dog.
aahhhh hahahahaha!
http://fixedearth.com/geosynchronous_sa.htm
Batshit Crazy!!!!!
Holy crap.
“occult mathematics, etc.”
Well there is your problem right there. I always thought my set theory prof smelled faintly of chicken blood.
Screw this. I’m fully embracing the dark mathematical overlords that run my university. I’ll be picking up my degree in no time now…
If Austin would like to secede and become a city in Minnesota, we’d happily accept them.
I’ll forward that info to my brother, PZ.
“Where have you gone, Thomas Jefferson / A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. . . .”
As many of you have already noted in the past, the fundie fight is not just against evolution, their ultimate battle is against materialism, as the Wedge document details. Astronomy, geology, genetics, physics, etc, etc, etc, all under attack to conform to the latest fundie version of the bible. Changing evolution is only the camels nose under the tent for them, they want us back in pre-enlightenment days. Gimme that ‘ole time religion!
BTW, I am just now reading Richard Dawkin’s “God Delusion”, OUTSTANDING book, highly recommend it to all who want a breath of lucidity and common sense in their day.
These morons reject science until they suffer heart disease or some other defect other than mental illness that requires treatment based in modern science. they also enjoy driving around using the latest GPS equipment and cell phones that wouldn’t exist without science. If they are true believers they need to return to their caves and eliminate all traces of science from their lives.
When I see a televangelist — just one! — urge his flock to fix their TeeVees by the laying on of hands, I’ll admit that they aren’t all running a big, government-condoned fleece-the-rubes scam.
“Without alleged billions of years there would be no evolution “theory. Period.
NASA and its global Space Agency Clones now supply those billions of years.
Obesity, Madonna, and UFO’s are examples of the boundless Evolution Promoting Circus.”
I love this. Too much good reading all on one site. I’m sure I’ll be doing no work today…
Oops. That was supposed to be in italics up past ‘Evolution Promoting Circus’…
lol Sorry
Maybe the Texas lawmaker was circulating that, so that he and his friends could poke fun at it. I’m thinking of getting a copy and circulating it too.
Jewish Kabbalah? Sagan, Einstein, and Madonna?
BTW: crank.net rates fixedearth.com as “crankiest.”
i’m trying, but i can barely read that FixedEarth site. between the clashing background colors, changing font styles, utter lack of writing ability, and the super-duper time-release decongestant i’m on, it’s just a giant mess of words.
i feel sorry for the poor guy who put that together. dude needs some psychiatric help.
First time commenter, long time lurker, and I for one, humbly welcome our new Kabbalist evolution conspiracy overlords.
My other theory about Texas is that most people are just apathetic. My relatives in East Texas don’t know or care about the individual platform of a candidate – they just vote for the Republican.
Course, they would support this anyway, if they paid attention. Fire and brimstone baptists. I hide from them in hippie-Austin.
Did you come from Slashdot, Dan?
Ptexan Ptolemist and Georgian Geocentrist combine cranial contents to combat kabbalist cabal.
Crazy, cranky christians? You don’t say?
Here I didn’t think I was religious and it turns out I’m a Pharisee! Move over Madonna…
Lesee. Religious hysteria and poorly-veiled anti-semetism? Sounds par for the course.
The idea of Sagan as a Kabbalist is laughable (though I’d love to hear him do numeric analysis in that awesome voice of his). I love how NOW scientists who are quite obviously atheist and don’t believe in common supernatural explanations are being re-branded as secret cultists.
I’ll need to watch http://www.fstdt.com to see if this makes it into the larger fundieverse.
I wonder if your U.S. Medicare could save money by asking people if they believe in the power of prayer to heal; and if they say yes, asking them to sign a statement to that effect and then de-listing them from medical services. Of course, the list would be made public and searchable on the Web. They could start at the top, with those most public in their religiosity, and work their way down. Better yet, ask them if they’d sign a statement saying they don’t believe in the power of prayer to heal, if they want to remain insured. Then members of the “flock” could see who put their money where their mouths are.
Is there any way thia person can be removed from public office on the grounds of insanity?
I would have thought insanity, which this clearly is, disbarrs one from office …
What are the ruels in Texas, and the USA generally?
(regarding fixedearth.com)
I just can’t….no it can’t be true….
I….no….
PEOPLE CANNOT BE THAT STUPID!!!!!!!!!
They even believe that everyone at NASA is lying to the whole world, to spread Anti-God propaganda…
I vote we send them to the ISS, then throw them out into the space that they think is revolving around the earth…
Heliologue,
No, I don’t remember where I found Pharyngula, it was back in the fall. It might have been reddit. why do you ask?
Can anyone find me a link to a copy of this actual memo? I have to see this for myself.
As a native Texan, I used to laugh right along with everyone else at the caricatures of Texas tycoons, cowboys, and rubes. When traveling, it was fun being “from Texas”. Since about 2000 it has been a whole lot less fun, and I too apologize for the escape of one of our village idiots.
And you are right PZ, Austin is different. Come see us.
Why is it that those kinds of sites are always crap looking. They are what my kid made 9 years ago on her own, using the available technology of the time. Just curious, as I find Blogger easier to use as well as to look at.
I’ve been reading this amazingly entertaining “fixed earth” website. I’m not quite sure I understand his premise (Yes, I know, I’m trying to understand the insane.)
Is it only the Earth that is fixed, and the rest of the universe rotates around it? Or is everything fixed, and the motion of the heavens that we see some kind of trick? I haven’t read that far as yet.
You see, I have this “fixed crankshaft” hypothesis. The crankshaft in my car is fixed, and my car (along with the rest of the Earth and heavens) rotates around it.
Think I can get a Texas Representative to endorse me?
I know people who aren’t half as hysterical as some of the born-again baptists, and they’d probably STILL vote this guy over a democrat, even knowing he’s a complete loon. Apathetic is right, nobody in Texas researches candidates. Straight-party freakin’ tickets.
Because the same utter berk is responsible for content and presentation, I’d imagine.
Your first clue is the “R-Pampa” line. Pampa is in the panhandle – dry, dusty, very windy, isolated. The kind of wind and isolation that drove early settlers crazy. Unfortunately they reproduced and past along those genes.
Pampa is also very close to Oklahoma and Kansas.
That is so frightening. These people believe things that are totally irrational. That’s a clear sign of mental illness. These people should be kept away from children and encouraged to participate in counselling.
The Georgia contingent of the looney tunes is not only a State Reresentative but is a retired Captain in the Georgia State Patrol.
I’m never driving to Florida again.
Could it be an accident that Rep. Bridges represents White County?
Monado said: “I wonder if your U.S. Medicare could save money by asking people if they believe in the power of prayer to heal; and if they say yes, asking them to sign a statement to that effect and then de-listing them from medical services.”
Make sure you’re sitting down, and get ready for a dose of truth-is-stranger-than-fiction: Medicare *pays for faith healing.* I work for a U.S. health insurer that sells Medicare supplemental insurance, and by law we have to pay deductibles and coinsurance on claims for this stuff.
If you were getting up, get ready to sit down again. Who’s the fundie lunatic who got *that* through the U.S. Congress? Yep, your first guess was right: Ted Kennedy. (By sheer coincidence, Massachusetts has a sizable “Christian Scientist” [ see http://www.tfccs.com] population.)
Sorry to double post but I just caught the “evolution promoting circus = obesity*, etc…” Gonna have to run that one by my doctor at my check up in two weeks, “Ya’ see doc, my obesity is caused by those evil evolutionists so get off my case!”
*Note: this is not a dig – I really do fall into that category plus being an evil Episcopalian evolutionist.
MReap you appear to be arguing for a Lamarckian mechanism to explain fuck-witttery in Pampas TX. I wonder if there aren’t more parsimonious explanations.
The Bible teaches that the Earth is stationary and immovable
at the center of a “small” universe with the sun, moon, and stars going
around it every day. All observational and experimental evidence–and
non-occult math, i.e., true science–supports the Bible teaching.
ROTFLMAO
Ron White the Texan comedian got it right when he did the routine “You can’t Fix Stupid.”
Didn’t mean to appear Lamarckian! :-)
I meant that the wind and isolation didn’t kill off or drive away a subset of settlers. They reproduced and created new generations who were exposed to the same cazy making locale. Crazy comes with the territory out there.
“If Austin would like to secede and become a city in Minnesota, we’d happily accept them.”
Of course we would have to change the music festival to “North By Northwest” which could cause some confusion if a Hitchcock Festival was running at the same time. Transplanted Austinite Texans would also need to start eating Spam, and lots of it.
I just bought my child a great book called “Invasion of the road weenies”. It’s a set of short stories that is almost like Twilight Zone for 4th graders. In one of them, a kid finds out that if he makes a wish after getting dizzy, it’s granted, but every time he has to get more and more dizzy for the wish to come true. He rides a super roller coaster, and when he comes off accidentally blurts “I wish the world would stop spinning!” Oops.
Somehow I think this story would be lost on Warren.
Texas GOP platform: “The Republican Party of Texas affirms the United States of America is a Christian Nation …”
http://www.theocracywatch.org/texas_gop.htm
I forget the names of the politicians and wealthy backers of the Dominion movement in Texas, but it’s very powerful and instrumental in advancing Republican candidates. The voters don’t get a lot of choice in who runs.
That’s a reason, but not an excuse.
TW
“Einstein, and Madonna?”
No, Einstein’s probable one-night stand was with Marilyn Monroe.
“occult mathematics”
No, he’s confusing Theomathematics with Theophysics. Theomathematics is emphasized in the biblical book Numbers, except the differential equations and tensors were kept proprietary and edited out of the bestselling edition for the same reason that there’s just one equation in Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time.” And Hawking is, by Texas standards, an orthodox Jew?
“Pharisee Religion”:
Genesis 1, King James Version, Pharisee Subversion:
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the dark matter, and the dark energy, and hid His 11-dimensional handiwork from unbelievers, as He rolled up 7 dimensions too small for men to see, unto Calabi-Yau manifolds, and those 7 dimensions were called “6 days of creation and 1 day of rest” in the mainstream edition.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And those waters were from comets that crashed unto the earth, carrying water from the outer regions of the protoplanetary disk.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And the light was decoupled from baryonic matter, with the right fractal distribution, and appropriately polarized. And neutrinos. And gravity waves…
“All observational and experimental evidence–and non-occult math, i.e., true science–supports the Bible teaching.”
It’s funny, funny I say, how they still have to call it “science” to legitimize it. Where is these people’s faith?
And where do I learn this Black Math? Should I ask Jack White?
Are we 100% sure fixedearth.com is for real? (If so, someone’s got a lot of time on his hands.) The thing that get me (I posted on it a while back) is the idea that the earth is “hanging” in space, held there by, um, something or other, which thus … prevents it from falling? So which way is “down”? South? (*snicker*) Reminds me of Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th century, where he goes a certain number of turbo-miles in a certain direction, i.e. “due Up”.
I dunno man. On that fixedearth site, he reassures us that “this is no idle claim”. So.. maybe’s there’s something to it.
If you like fixedearth, you’ll love http://www.geocentricity.com/
This site is devoted to the historical relationship between the Bible and astronomy. It assumes that whenever the two are at variance, it is always astronomy — that is, our “reading” of the “Book of Nature,” not our reading of the Holy Bible — that is wrong. History bears consistent witness to the truth of that stance.
excuse me PZ, I have no interest in living in MN. At least the rest of Texas has some charm. When was the last time you visited?
-austinite
Fixed Earth was defeated by Time Cube in one of the greatest online battles of buffoonery.
Read more here: http://ravingatheists.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=79189#p79189
Warren Chisum dignifying this site is the equivalent of a politician bringing a poorly photocopied pamphlets handed to him by a crazy homeless person in the street and demanding immediate action on this startling research.
Please tell me Fixed Earth is a joke. My fragile sanity can take only so much.
If Austin would like to secede and become a city in Minnesota, we’d happily accept them.
Does that mean we would also get the Minnesota winters? If that’s the case, I’m not so sure…
Texans are an interesting bunch. I have two friends, both staunch liberals, both gay, and both from small towns out in the wilds of west Texas. One of them refused to move to California with his boyfriend because he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Texas, and both of them have a deep affection for their home towns, despite all the conservative craziness they experienced while growing up there. (And believe me, it’s crazy stuff.)
I believe the creator of King of the Hill, Mike Judge lives in central Texas, and small-town Texas life is wonderfully observed on that show. A few years ago I was waiting in line at Austin’s airport for my tickets when I heard not one, but two, Boomhauers talking behind me. I’d always thought that Boomhauer’s speaking patterns had been exaggerated for comic effect. Turns out I was wrong.
Mind you the Texas GOP is one of the crazier outfits there is. Just try reading their Party Platform document some time:
http://www.texasgop.org/site/DocServer/2006_Plat_with_TOC_2.pdf?docID=2022
PZ says:
I figure if we secede, it would be smarter to join Canada, and get the Queen’s protection. ;-)
Tenspace said: “Fixed Earth was defeated by Time Cube in one of the greatest online battles of buffoonery.”
Had a look at Time Cube. Freaky how much it reminded me of Dr. Bronner’s soap labels.
OH MY GOD. I twas linked to earlier in the comments but Ill link to it again because something needs to be pointed out:
http://fixedearth.com/geosynchronous_sa.htm
Click on this link and look at the font and italics and bold and coloring. Holy sheeeeeeit! There is a plethora of bolds, fonts, italics, underlining, and color changes in almost every sentence. The author of that page REALLY wants to EMPHASIZE almost EVERY POINT he argues.
Fucking batty.
I’d apologize on behalf of Kansas, but it’s really a plot to get all IDs in the same place so we can put them through intense remedial therapy. Really. Just send them our way.
I can’t read this site without being ill. Not only is it ignorantly racist
“…law that was passed shortly after the Jewish-dominated Communist government came to power in Russia almost ninety years ago.”
ok, just plain ignorant
“Since that question has long been considered settled–and especially since Einstein’s relativity rescued Copernicanism from 20 years of deep trouble it was in–little thought if any is given to whether these satellites rotate geosynchronously with a rotating earth below. There they are right in the same spot any time you look. That is an observable fact. And we all know, don’t we, that the earth rotates; so, there can be only one conclusion, namely, the satellite revolves with it, right?
Wrong! The only fact in that concept is that the satellite is always overhead. We know this is a fact–a scientific truth–because we can see it.”
but the guy can’t even make a real argument.
If you want to send him our way we’ll lump him in with the IDs and give him an extra 3 weeks (equivalent to 3 years, or so I’ve been told) of intensive rehabilitation.
ahh, the wonders of computer-aided Gerrymandering.
Okay, i tried and tried to read Mr. FixedEarth’s page. I was in the mood for a laugh, but MAN is that thing unreadable.
I do have to say that I like how he points out inconsistencies in Kabballa, the says, basically, “See! This proves that modern science is wrong,” without every establishing this supposed connection between Kabballa and science.
It’s funny/scary to see that such backward thinking still exists in the 21st century, but it sure does get old fast!
Here in Utah (part of the USA … mostly), similarly bizarre beliefs are considered religion, not insanity.
I’ve seen that site before through another source (I think some kind of list of concentrated crazy on the internets?). Pretty horrifying that this is actually making its way into state legislatures…
By the way, I would recommend reading the bill itself, and what it’s asking for.
It’s saying that teaching that the Earth rotates or goes around the Sun in a public school should be ruled unconstitutional.
Well Aaron… obviously if a satellite can stay over one spot then the planet MUST be staionary. Common sense. Duh.
Regrettably, no. Chisum is the same jackass who tried to have gay men and lesbians disqualified as foster/adoptive parents during the last legislative session. This provoked the ire of every legitimate child advocate in the state, who quite rightly pointed out that this would further reduce the already insufficient number of foster/adoptive families available. The bill died in committee, btw, as does most of his legislative flatulence.
Chisum is a conservative, Baptist fuckwit from a tiny Texas dirt patch. He’s dumb as a post and would probably fall for the “biblical value of pi” hoax if we tried it. I’m sure he believes everything on that website. He’s a source of much ridicule here in Austin, but I think he’s probably very representative of what you get in Pampa.
Damn you PZ, you just made me miss Miz Molly even more. She’d have read this, rubbed her hands together and written a real ripsnorter.
Oh the irony!
Read this review of Fixed Earth by some creationist goon at Answers in Genesis.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v15/i2/geocentrism_review.asp
“Geocentric gobbledegook”, eh?
Are you sure its not a comedic site and the legislator fell for it? It’s SO absurd.
It’s really hard to tell the difference now-a-days between people who are throwing out ridiculous arguments, and believe them or to make fun of them…
I’ll admit, PZ, it does have a certain ring to it.
Wes,
thanks for the link. I was almost happy with the merciless shredding of the referenced “fixed earth” book, right up until the last paragraph, containing this gem:
:-o
Oh, man, Ben Bridges. This guy from Cleveland – a nice enough little town, even if it did produce Cabbage Patch dolls at one point – entered a bill into the Georgia legislature to prevent the teaching of evolution because, as he said, “it’s only a theory taught as scientific fact”. Sure, sure, but the funniest part to me was the claim that, as a lad in rural Georgia, he was taught evolution as “undeniable fact” all week in school, but come Sunday and the Bible, well, it got him all confused.
Now, even if we believe that rural schools in Georgia – which, historically, had laughably bad school systems – in the ’30s and ’40s taught an evolution-heavy science course all through school*, his main complaint against education was that he’s too thick to get it. This was, by the way, just after the Georgia leg. went 40-or-so extra days over at the cost of something $40,000 a day to balance the budget AFTER spending two weeks of a barely three-month legislative period arguing about gay marriage and genital piercings on women, both of which were important enough to ban.
These people are just…I don’t know, man. I grew up in Mississippi, where you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a dozen “Fergit, hell!” type guys, but this state continually blows my mind. This is on top of living in Florida for six years. Still crazier in Georgia.
* Which I don’t believe, by the way. I went to a rural Mississippi school in the ’80s and they were still tip-toing around the two-weeks in eighth grade and tenth grande (if we took biology, which we didn’t have to**) we were taught the damn thing.
** I took chemistry because, at the time, it was much, much cooler. Please forgive me, but in my defense, the biology class was taught by the basketball coach who didn’t, and I know this for a fact, give a damn if anyone learned anything.
God. I’m a agnostic jew, and a texan too boot, but this is too stupid. The way these people get elected is money, and the fact that they appeal to the lowest-and i do mean lowest-comman denominator. I’ve seen pol ads in texas that try and get the homeless to vote for them.
Try it.
I’m completely serious.
Try it.
I’m completely serious.
Hey, it was a Georgia legislator who sent the petition. Not all the crazies are in Texas.
But our crazies are the most crazy!
In a nearly serious vein, this shows the background against which the next textbook approval battle will be fought in Texas, in a year or so. Last time around Texas’ Nobel winners quietly campaigned behind the scenes for real science. Some may have been afraid to anger state legislators who have some say over their labs’ funding. One internationally-known scientist begged me not to mention his name when I cited his research, for fear the locals in his town would rise up in arms.
I hope Molly has some influence up there, because God knows we need it now.
The Dust Bowl wasn’t the only thing that drove Woody Guthrie out of Pampa.
The town has a history of making inclusive decisions with a progressive zeal. *cough*
/Austinite
http://www.clock.org/~fair/opinion/molly-ivins.html
“Sufficiently advanced scientific theory is indistinguishable from blasphemy.”
Can’t we just lop off every thing south of the Mason-Dixon line? There seems to be a big ol’ black hole of stupid down there.
I have it on pretty good authority that the folk who vote for bigots such as this are the same folk who’ve benefited from FDR’s civil works projects to bring them “heathen horrors” like electricity.
Even within a state like Texas, which gave us our Beloved Fearless Leader, there are still plenty of progressives within the cities.
“Even within a state like Texas, which gave us our Beloved Fearless Leader…”
I would like to apologize on behalf of the Lone Star State by saying, and I can’t stress this enough, George W. Bush is not a native Texan.
I deny George W. Bush.
PZ Myers wrote:
Is there no end to the man’s powers?
Thanks for the link Ian!
I’ll have to edit that in somewhere. PZ must be God.
Chisum contrite over memo:
Yeah, because it’s not like creationism is “goofy stuff” or anything like that, ;-).
Did you guys see the HB 179 bill that is on that fixedearth.com site? Here is some of the text from that bill. I have a very hard time believing that someone with an IQ > 80 presented this in a state legislature…even if it was in the deep South:
It has it all: paranoid delusions, attacking mathematics, indicting NASA…even the capitalization of improper nouns! What a bunch of loons.
Sorry to post the same request again, but I am still searching for a link to a copy of the actual memo. Anyone have an idea where I could find it?
Daniel Morgan, there’s worse, much, much worse:
Sagan, E.T. (of phone home fame), Gould, Eisner, Goldin, all kabbalists conspiring to Take Over the World!
Are there any forums (virtual or real) where frustrated (intellectually), THINKING Austinites can get together and celebrate the fact that we are indeed NOT representative of the rest of our pathetic state? We are thankfully an island here in the capitol. And it’s too damn cold to move to Minnesota.
Chisum is a known asshat in the Texas House. (Not that there are no others, mind you…) On this sort of thing, the smarter Republicans in the House (they do exist) will nod, say “sure thing, Warren,” and ignore it.
“Sufficiently advanced scientific theory is indistinguishable from blasphemy.”
That is actually a good quote. I might use that somewhere.
This is over the top for a Jewish Conspiracy Theory even for the Lone Star State. Kinky Friedman is wishing he was dead so he could start rolling around in his grave.
(.. Kinky Friedman is still alive, isn’t he?)
As a Texan biomedical scientist, I officially apologize for the high stupidity quotient of our legislature.
As someone who’s been to both Austin, TX. and Austin, MN (I live in the former and some of my wife’s family lives in the latter), I’ll stick with the Texas variety. I was in Austin, MN for a wedding and had to drive to another town to get my shirt dry cleaned since the dry cleaner in Austin, MN wasn’t open on weekends and had odd limited hours. There’s also a slight size difference between the two. Mike Haubrich’s comment indirectly, but astutely points out that Austin, MN is home to Hormel and, of course, Spam.
As others have pointed out, Chisum proposes all kids of worthless fundie legislation. Nobody can possibly take him seriously, and if they start, I’ll have to walk over to the Capitol and begin the smackdown. I love that he didn’t even read the site and had to apologize.
I think the problem is more that us atheists are clearly following the WRONG Jewish sect. Or do christians still get tetchy when you point out the roots of their 2000 year old ‘cult’?
That is actually a good quote. I might use that somewhere.
Oh, do feel free, but please attribute it to me, with sincerest apologies to Arthur C. Clarke. ;-)
This blog has a scan of both Chisum’s memo, and Georgia Rep. Bridges’ letter.
Wow, creationists make awful web designers!
Stupid design.
Stupid design.
Peter Backus: At least it isn’t in their “Illucid” category. (I believe the religious would say: “Thank heaven for small mercies” at that, though.)