And the beat goes on...

Turns out the Texas State Board of Education is headed by an out-n-proud "Young Earth Creationist" who wants to put Creationism into the textbooks used by public schools in the state. News blurb here.

What is a "Young Earth Creationist" you ask? Well, it's someone who, despite ample scientific evidence to the contrary, believes that the Earth was created in a literal 6 (six) days and that the planet is a mere 10,000 years old because the Bible says so. Now, what I want to know is, who put this guy in charge of what the children of this state will learn? Why does he think it's okay to put his religious and political beliefs ahead of scientific facts?

Scary stuff. Next thing you know, the fire department will hire an arsonist to run their operation.

UPDATE: How to argue with a Creationist.

Cool stuff in Space

"The US space agency's Fermi telescope has detected a massive explosion in space which scientists say is the biggest gamma-ray burst ever detected, a report published Thursday in Science Express said." Check it!

Bored of Stupidity

I'm really surprised that I even bothered to blog about this, as one of the issues I've claimed to be really bored of is the whole creationism vs. evolution thing. Basically I, along with I think many other rational people, are just really tired of responding to people who are clearly trying to pass off religious belief as science. The Institute for Creation Research was trying to get the State of Texas to approve their master's degree in science education. Luckily, commissioners in our state have better sense than to approve something like that.

I used to have the patience to discuss this issue with people, and with the intent of being "tolerant," hold off on calling creationists "stupid." Please don't get me wrong--I am certainly not saying religion and faith are stupid, anymore than any other kind of philosophical inquiry is stupid. I feel that those are very valid pursuits for humankind, just as much as science is; and as much as one field may inspire and influence the other, most people understand that faith and the scientific method are not the same thing. Even those that dip their feet into both pools, such as myself, understand that they are two different kinds of pursuits. Including creationism in science education would be about as productive for humanity as trying to convince porpoises that they should really stop all that silly swimming around already, since they're mammals with lungs and all, so they should be on land.