If you want to know why education is important

Check out these percentages:

Charles Darwin, who invented the theory of evolution, was born on Feb. 12, 1809. Marking the 200th anniversary of his Darwin’s birth, Gallup has a new poll out showing that “only 39 percent of Americans say they ‘believe in the theory of evolution,’ while a quarter say they do not believe in the theory, and another 36 percent don’t have an opinion either way”

And then watch NOVA: Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial.

And start to worry about returning to the Dark Ages....

Burying the opposition in facts and logical reasoning

It's no wonder why some people hate science. Ed Darrell takes on Vox Day's claim:

Vox Day wishes to make the claim that Darwin is responsible for the evils of the Soviet Union. Apart from the prima facie absurdity of the claim, Vox has a dozen highly tenuous links he wishes to torture into supporting his claim, despite their refusal to do so.

If you want to see the way to utterly destroy a badly structured argument, read the entire beautifully laid out treatise.

Sadly, we know from past experience, facts and the truth will not impress those who have made up their tiny minds. For the longest time I assumed we just needed to be more clear, that finding a more succinct way of presenting the truth would change the minds of the fundamentalists/ Loyal Bushies/ Neocons/ rabid Republicans.

No.

There has been no need for argument nor discussion. The truth is what they have decided it must be.

No wonder they are so threatened by the scientific mind.

Michael Medved resents the question about evolution

That the Republican presidential candidates had to answer. Trifecta of New Pairodimes takes him apart. Trifecta's responses are italized:

In the midst of the fierce campaign for the Presidential nomination, why did the Republican candidates choose to make an issue of the theory of evolution? In truth, none of the candidates ever emphasized this dispute, until Chris Matthews of MSNBC asked the ten contenders in the first debate if any of them rejected Darwin.

Our batshit insane candidates wanted to paper over their views that Jesus rode on a brontosaurus when a donkey wasn't available. Leave it to the liberal media to make them talk about their views.

When three candidates – Huckabee, Brownback and Tancredo – duly raised their hands, the media began focusing on creationism vs. intelligent design vs. evolution, as if the President of the United States got to make curriculum decisions for every local school board in the country.

No, the President gets to appoint 24 year old snot nosed kids to NASA to edit scientists work that mention things such as global warming, and to suggest that they push intelligent design. God don't make junk, and since we are created in his image, it's unpossible for us to foul the air with toxic crap.

Which brings me to another series of questions I'd like to ask these candidates:

If you don't believe in evolution, does that mean you believe the world is only 6 thousand years old?

Or do you believe that we've always been what we are today, but the world does evolve?

If you don't believe in evolution, do you believe in continental drift and plate tectonics?

Do you believe the stars are billions of years old?

If you don't believe in these things, do you believe in science? Facts?

Would you support space exploration?

The Hubble?

The International Space Station?

If you don't believe in evolution, can science teach us anything?

If you don't believe in evolution, and don't believe in the facts that science teaches us, do you believe in the Rapture?

Would you assist the Second Coming if you could?

Just a few questions to hone in on what would really drive a Republican president who doesn't believe in evolution.