More of Laura Carder’s Wackiness

I was perusing Ms. Carder’s site and found a bit more she had to say on creation “science”. For anyone unfamiliar with her she is currently running against Rocco Treppiedi for Spokane School District (District 81) board of directors, position 4.

"Apparently, the writers to Spokesman-Review and the left-wing tabloid Inlander have a problem using "Creation" and "Science" together. Instead, they call it "Creationism", a term I seldom use. I'm merely suggesting that if Evolution is being taught in our public schools, so should Creation Science, and let the students choose what to accept. No one knows all the answers. So why the paranoia? Those of you who think I'm a nut-case or a lunatic because I think differently from you, are merely showing off your ignorance and intolerance. Do you think our founding fathers, like Thomas Jefferson who wrote in the Declaration of Independence, "they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights", were lunatic nut-cases too? If so, I'm in good company. Then there's Hitler and Stalin who believed in evolution. Whose company do you prefer?

Evidently, my response to the S-R Oct 18 stirred up a hornets nest and the hornets are buzzing around with their stinging remarks. My hope is that those of you who have seen them will merely consider the source, and vote for me, because we agree that students should have the right to choose. Remember, there are 4 other members of the board, and I will be facing a steep learning curve. I will not be a school dictator. I won't even be president of the board anytime soon, as is Rocky. I will know better what can be done and what can't. Whether I win or lose the election, at least the message is out there, and many intelligent people agree with me."

The most important thing I need to point out to Ms. Carder is that Jefferson died 33 years before Charles Darwin published "On The Origin of Species". So of course he didn't accept evolution, how could he? He also probably didn't believe in cars, planes or Pluto (the ex-planet, not the dog).

I think the problem with referring to creationism as a type of science is that their main tenet, that "god did it", is not falsifiable. Evolution is falsifiable, go find a couple of human, horse, rabbit, etc. fossils that date to 100s of millions of years ago and voila, evolution disproved.

She again argues that we should teach both and let the children decide. The problem with that is that there is no evidence for creationism and literally mountains of it for evolution. Also that begs the question as to whether or not we should teach kids that the earth is flat, that it is the center of the universe and that the Holocaust never happened.

She is right (shocking, I know) that we don’t know everything. Scientistd are constantly gathering more evidence, conducting new experiments and learning new things. Maybe one day evolution will be proved false, seems unlikely with all the evidence, but it’s possible. Right now though everything we know about the world tells us that evolution occurred and that Darwin’s theory of evolution was pretty spot on. So that’s what should be taught.

Another tidbit about Thomas Jefferson, he also said “State churches that use government power to support themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths undermine all our civil rights…Erecting the ‘wall of separation between church and state,’ therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.” See I can throw around quotes too.

I get a little tired of people holding up the founding fathers as the ultimate moral beacon. Yes, they did a great and brave thing when they founded this country, but they were also slave holders and misogynists (not all, but enough). Hitler also probably liked ice cream, does that mean it’s evil?

And because throwing around quotes is fun “I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jews, I am fighting for the Lord…I would like to thank Providence and the Almighty for choosing me of all people…” Adolf Hitler

At the end she stoops to that classic anti-argument “…many intelligent people agree with me.” Which proves absolutely nothing. I’m sure you can find plenty of intelligent people on both sides of every issue. There are actually some very intelligent scholars who are also Holocaust deniers. Just because a morally bankrupt person supports a theory does not in anyway detract from that theory. Only the data/evidence can do that. Science is NOT a popularity contest.

I really hope everyone gets out there and votes against Ms. Carder, let’s be honest, kids already receive a poor education, no reason to add kooky ideas and superstition to the limited time they have in school.

The Rise of Atheism Convention

I wanted to take a second to promote the upcoming Rise of Atheism – 2010 Global Atheist Convention.  It’ll be taking place in Melbourne, Australia running March 12-14.  There will be some great speakers including, but not limited to, Richard Dawkins, PZ Myers, Catherine Deveny and Phillip Adams.  Don’t think I’ll be able to attend, but sure wish I could.

Could Not Resist

From Tom Scott over at Stuff.

Faith and Freedom Network

Most people are probably already familiar with this group of small-minded people, but I’ve been reading over their website and feel the need to mock them after seeing the idiotic tripe they promote.

My biggest problem with them is their opposition to Referendum 71. Here are their 10 Reasons to Reject R-71:

1. "At the founding of our country we made the conscious decision to promote marriage between one man and one woman above all other legal unions because of its inherent value to children and society." -State Representative Matt Shea

The founders also made the decision to allow slavery and to keep women subservient. Does Matt Shea want to continue with that also? What an idiotic argument. I don’t deny that the founders of this country were great men and accomplished something amazing, but to pretend that because of their deeds they somehow should be considered the ultimate authority on morals is ridiculous

2. “Those who think they can sit this battle out because they believe their values and their children will be safe in a private school or homeschool, need to think again. If the homosexual extremists are allowed to continue down this path, under expanded civil rights and hate crime laws, it will soon be illegal to speak out against homosexual marriage or the dangerous homosexual lifestyle. Please protect the time-honored tradition of ancient and modern society - one man, one woman in marriage. Protect the rights of children to have a mother and a father.” -Pastor Ken Hutcherson, Antioch Bible Church

The awesome part about this guy is that he’s black. You know we’ve come a long way as a society when the formerly repressed start to repress other minority groups. Makes me feel warm all over. I also like that according to this asshole demanding equal rights makes you an extremist. Apparently he thinks homosexuals are dangerous. Yea, when I walk through a bad neighborhood at night I’m constantly on the look out for gangs of homosexuals.

3. “Please defend marriage by Rejecting R-71/SB 5688. SB 5688 was presented as a bill about benefits, yet a day after it was passed, those who sponsored the bill told the Seattle press that it was really part of a long term strategy to re-define marriage and legalize same-sex ‘marriage’. The Seattle Times editorial board agreed and said homosexuals should also be given the name 'marriage’ as a result of the passage of SB 5688. SB 5688 is the final step. If this bill is allowed to become law, partnerships will be elevated to the level of marriage with no legal difference. The Washington State Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) will be declared irrelevant and same-sex ‘marriage’ will be imposed on Washington State through the courts.”

“SB 5688 is an attempt to deconstruct marriage as it has existed throughout all human history. This unique and exceptional relationship that connects a man and a woman to a child, genetically, is the cornerstone of every successful society in human history and is the master plan of the Creator. There is no other relationship that meets this criteria for marriage. Only natural marriage provides generational sustainability. Please defend marriage by REJECTING R-71/SB 5688” -Gary Randall, President, Faith and Freedom Network and Foundation

Anytime you have to invoke the supernatural (god, fairies, unicorns, et. al.) you know your logic is a bit shaky.

4. SB 5688 is bad legislation for marriage, children, the public schools and the economy. It's a back-door way of legislating homosexuality marriage without the name--which will be next. That step would legitimize immoral behavior-- forcing many families and their children to leave the public schools, and costing the state millions of dollars on a crazy social experiment. People are free to live with anybody they want--but they don't have the right to change the bedrock of society--marriage--between a man and woman, producing, protecting, and nurturing children. We need to honor and strengthen marriage--not re-define it.” -Ron Boehme, Director, US Renewal

He claims this referendum will lead to destruction but he doesn’t explain how or why. Making arguments with no data to back it up is a common way for idiotic people to debate. You get to make a point and no one is able to refute the evidence because you provide none.

5. “I heartily endorse the work of Protect Marriage Washington and the R-71 campaign. If homosexual ‘marriage’ becomes legal in Washington, every public school will be forced to teach that homosexual relationships and marriage are perfectly normal. This will greatly harm our schools and drive an irreconcilable wedge between the public school curriculum and the values and moral code of hundreds of thousands of parents. Those parents with deeply held convictions on this matter will have no choice but to remove their children. It is time for all of us to stand up for marriage in Washington State.” -Dr. Bruce Craswell

Zeus forbid that children should be subjected to other cultures and ways of thinking. If that happened they might not grow up to be as bigoted as their parents and who would want that.

6. "A domestic partnership diverts rights and resources from a family to an unrelated adult. These include benefits for dependent children, end of life decisions by older children for elderly parents, and inheritance rights of all surviving family members, just to name a few. The homosexual community emphasizes the fact that they have biological children, yet no child is ever produced by a same sex relationship. There is always an opposite sex partner involved and they can lose their rights as well." - Senator Dan Swecker

7. “In 2006 the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the legislature's right to ban same sex marriages. The passage of Senate Bill 5688 this year makes same-sex Domestic Partnerships equal to genuine marriage in every practical way. It's passage has essentially overturned our Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and thus diminishes the value of traditional marriage between one man and one women.” -Senator Val Stevens

8. “Marriage has been defined historically, culturally and morally as the union of one man and one woman. It is an undeniable truth that families led by both a father and mother provide the best structure and support for children and communities. The recent hostile acts of redefining marriage by state legislators and Governor Gregoire have set the stage for Referendum 71. Their assault on marriage in Washington State must not go unanswered. Marriage is ground that cannot be surrendered and we urge every citizen to rise up and defend marriage.” -Cindy Honcoop, Director, Washington Eagle Forum

9. SB 5688 was packaged and presented to the legislature as a Domestic Partnerships expansion of benefits. In truth, it will demolish the state's historical understanding and definition of marriage as Washington will immediately become subject to litigation by same-sex partners demanding the courts overturn our state’s Defense of Marriage Act and impose "same-sex marriage" (as happened recently in California prior to Proposition 8). By REJECTING R-71/SB 5688, we will bring this society changing measure before the people of Washington State and let them make this monumental decision in November.” -Larry Stickney, President, Washington Values Alliance

10. “SB 5688, together with other domestic partnership laws in Washington, represent the most radical rewriting of the statutory scheme in this state since the Code of Washington was first revised. R71 is your opportunity to reject the legislature’s attempt to overthrow traditional marriage in Washington.” -Stephen Pidgeon, Legal Counsel, Protect Marriage Washington

You’ll notice I didn’t comment on the rest. All these people have a tendency to say the same thing over and over.

Bigots on Wellesley and Division

So I was taking a look at that disgusting website Protect Marriage Washington and it looks like the bigots/fundamentalist wackos will be on the corner of Wellesley and Division on Friday October 30 from 4-6pm.  If anyone is available please come out to oppose these immoral people.

Freedom From Religion Foundation Convention

The Freedom From Religion foundation will be having a convention in Seattle November 6-8.  Ron Reagan (President Reagan’s son) will be speaking along with Ursula K. Le Guin, Daniel Everett and Jennifer Michael Hecht among others.

Unfortunately I recently attended AAI’s convention in Burbank and also am planning on checking out skeptrack at Dragon*Con next year so my convention budget is blown.  But if anyone goes maybe send me an email on how it went so I have something to post.

Here’s a link to the convention site for all the details.  FFRF

Great Letters in Response to Laura Carder’s Ridiculousness

I’ve been reading over the Spokesman Review recently and their have been some great responses to Ms. Carder’s craziness.  I suggest everyone gives them a read.

Make Room For Monsters

No Shortage of Theories

Faith, evolution compatible

Evolution not a matter of luck