There’s a reason we call him “Slimy Sal”


And it is so apparent on his new blog. The only reason I’ll link to it is 1) it’s always useful to highlight the awesome inanity of a YEC/ID blog, and 2) to correct a bizarre claim: “Myers is the USA’s leading voice for atheism.” All that follows is equally wrong and foolish.

Comments

  1. The Stone says

    Wow, that guy sounds like a little kid complaining about hid parents who told him to take out the trash. Except he forgot to take it out, and ate it. Now he merely belches unpleasant foul smelling air along with his complaints.

    Great pic.

    I wonder if those Christians ever pull their broom handles out of their butts long enough to relax that well? Naw, who am I kiddin? That might let oxygen into their brain stems, and there is no evidence of that.

  2. Escuerd says

    Sal’s writing invariably seems like something a young child might have written, in particular one who thinks that dropping vulgarities and out of context, superficially mathematical buzzwords makes him sound cool and intelligent respectively.

    No style, no substance. Is he actually respected among even cDesign proponentsists? I can barely even bring myself care about most of the stupid folks who comport themselves like adults as it is.

  3. says

    You mean you’re not the leading voice for atheism in the United States? Damn! Then what am I doing here? I must find the leading voice! (If only I knew the location of the Unbeliever’s Vatican!)

    (I was, however, impressed that Slimy Sal managed to spell “Myers” correctly, even if he was at a loss concerning “Madalyn Murray O’Hair”. Research is not Sal’s strong suit, is it?)

  4. says

    I looovve that the first (and so far, the only) comment on that post is from “For the Kids”, known source of smarm and ooze:

    For the life of me, I have no idea why atheists would laud and honor PZ Myers. It makes no sense whatsoever…none! This man is the epitome of intolerance, dogma, and a closed mind…which is exactly what he preaches against in his anti-religious sermons. Go figure that he has such a large atheist following. It’s mind boggling that they act in the same manner that they find deplorable in other groups of people.

    Snark, snark. “FtK” projects so well and so readily she could get a job in the cinema business.

  5. says

    Careful PZ. You might make him cry.

    Aside from that, for some reason I’ve been consigned to the dank depths of the moderation queue. So, a lot of what I say will probably be woefully irrelevant or redundant by the time it makes its way around to getting posted.

    So, I’ll just sit here with my ball of yarn…

  6. Ichthyic says

    hmm, since Slaveador Condova thinks I shouldn’t be wearing an “A” shirt, that must mean i should order one tommorrow.

    thanks, Sal.

    Sal giving atheists advice on PR…

    ROFLMAO.

    funniest thing I’ve seen all week.

    Is anybody shocked that the first commenter on that site was FTK?

  7. Ichthyic says

    projects so well and so readily she could get a job in the cinema business.

    naww, that projector would have far too dim of a bulb.

  8. Ichthyic says

    Now, to set the record straight, I happen like many of the atheists I meet. Many of the best defenders of the Christian faith were atheists. Atheists are a great recruiting ground for future ID proponents. Finally, they have been good friends of mine.

    “I’m no racist, I have friends who are black!”

    pathetic doesn’t even begin to cover ‘ol Slaveador.

  9. Robert says

    To be fair, this blog and the opinions expressed on it (as well as some of the blatant lies and dishonesty it has exposed on the other side) played a large role in me realizing that I am an atheist, and that religion in this country is too often a force for ignorance and barbarism.

    You may not be the leading voice (who the hell would be?), but your voice does carry some weight.

  10. Ichthyic says

    What exactly is a “Good Atheist”?
    One that accepts Jesus Christ as his personal saviour?

    yup.

    I bet Sal has some “Jewish” friends, too.

  11. Dutch Delight says

    Of all the comments here you’d think there were more intellectually challenging comments to try and pick apart.

    Nevertheless, PZ, I think you should write the atheist church and demand some money if you’re going to be their spokesperson. It’s the least they could do.

  12. Andrés says

    Atheists are a great recruiting ground for future ID proponents.

    Wow, is he really that delusional? That single sentence shines a fully different light on the whole post.

  13. Andrés says

    Atheists are a great recruiting ground for future ID proponents.

    Wow, is he really that delusional? That single sentence shines a fully different light on the whole post.

  14. HadasS says

    “Myers is the USA’s leading voice for atheism.”

    Is there a ‘leading voice’ for Atheism in the US? If not, I’m offering PZ for the part (I live in Israel, but what the heck).

  15. Neil says

    So “A” stands for “rectum?” I see that christian anti-intellectualism is now reaching all the way back to the alphabet!
    I find it hilarious that someone claiming to be both literate and a christian had to resort to alluding to the word “asshole,” skipping right over the obvious “anus” which not only starts with an “A” but actually is the proper version of the slang “asshole.” I’m all for the rights of the mentally retarded, but shouldn’t his parents be responsible for supervising him a little more closely?

    I suppose that a mangled reference to a quote by an atheist is the closest thing to wit that Sal will ever experience.

  16. Ichthyic says

    Wow, is he really that delusional?

    oh, if you knew Sal, like we know Sal…

    er, the answer is yes… and beyond.

    perhaps the ID supporter suffering from the largest set of delusions of any of them, based on past performances.

    It’s like watching a car wreck in slow motion.

  17. Kseniya says

    I like the one about the YEC getting an A in his Physics class:

    I’m pleased to say, not one ounce of useless Darwinism was needed to comprehend the course material.

    LMAO

    I’m pleased to say, not one ounce of useless Intelligent Design “theory” has been needed to comprehend anything I’ve ever encountered in my academic or daily life.

  18. Tim says

    I made the mistake of reading many more of his posts, just to get a flavor of his thinking. I had hopes for a moment that he would at least make a fight of it, but after twenty minutes or so an unmistakable and weary pattern emerged. He presents a topic in a sentence or two, then ridicules Darwin or “Darwinists”, then signs off. Over and over and over again. One post essentially said “electrical engineers make and use equipment to record lyrebird calls, which somehow use Fourier transforms – explain that, Darwinists!” A slightly more erudite version of schoolyard catcalls. In some posts, he’s making fun of Darwin’s admitted problems understanding higher mathematics, using that to conclude that Darwin was a dope and unfit to be a scientist, unlike the brilliant Behe and Demski. Taunts, insults, and such are his only material. It’s like reading a low-temperature Ann Coulter. I just hope my short visit doesn’t cause his web analytics to go “sproing” upward and encourage him to write anything further. He’s not even entertaining, which disappointed me greatly.

  19. says

    I especially like the fact that his post is listed under ‘humor’. I don’t think he understands what that word means. Then again, he hasn’t understood anything else he’s talked about.

    Ichthyic: “I’m no racist, I have friends who are black!”

    I fully expect Sal to post a Stephen Colbert-esque picture of himself, enthusiastically pointing to a photoshopped-in atheist friend…

  20. Sickle Cell says

    An Israeli Atheist? There’s more than one?! (Cheers @19)

    oh, um, and that Scordova guy creeps me out. What I don’t get is why he’s worth PZ’s (or anyone’s, for that matter) time.

  21. says

    Zeno, not only does Salvador misspell O’Hair’s name, but he does so while linking to a Wikipedia page that spells it correctly.

    At some point stupid runs out of metaphors.

  22. says

    lol! I like how he censored Ed’s quote.

    Clock, Sal is stealing sciblogs bandwidth (see where the image is linking from). If you can, replace the image with something funny to teach him to stop stealing from others.

  23. Ichthyic says

    I fully expect Sal to post a Stephen Colbert-esque picture of himself, enthusiastically pointing to a photoshopped-in atheist friend…

    … but only if it has the sound of farting in the background.

  24. Ichthyic says

    teach him to stop stealing from others.

    not possible.

    …and actually, it’s been tried before!

  25. says

    The chickenshit only allows comments from registered users. I have noticed that about a great many creationist blogs; they seem to be afraid of controversy.

    And I have the “A” shirt because I thought it stood for Aromatic.

  26. RedMage13 says

    Alright, everyone, let’s put our satire caps on.

    The reason I would discourage Atheists from wearing of the scarlet letter “A” is that some Atheists are such bad apples, the bad atheists have given even the good atheists a bad reputation.

    Because obviously, hiding in shame is really the only way to turn these negative stereotypes really, Darwinists. JEEZ.

    These bad apples have caused the general public to form a stereotype in their mind that atheists are mean-spiritied amoral people like Madeline Murry O’Hair.

    Damn Commies for attempting to protect her son from ostracization and violence?! And trying to enforce the separation of church and state? How dare her. Also, ID has nothing to do with the Bible. No, really. Why are you laughing?

    I realize that Ed, being a fan of sodomites,

    What is that a baseball team? Wait a minute…

    Bonus Schrodinger vs. Darwin edition!
    http://www.youngcosmos.com/blog/archives/142

    Schrodinger’s insights led to huge breakthroughs in physics, engineering, and biology. That’s because Schrodinger was real scientist, unlike Charles Darwin.

    Merely doing science doesn’t make you a scientist! You have to do science, and not tread on religion’s precious hypotheses. In other news, screw Copernicus.

    I attempted mathematics [at Cambridge University ], and even went during the summer of 1828 with a private tutor (a very dull man) to Barmouth, but I got on very slowly. The work was repugnant to me, chiefly from my not being able to see any meaning in the early steps of algebra. This impatience was foolish, and in after years I have deeply regretted that I did not proceed far enough at least to understand something of the great leading principles of mathematics; for men thus endowed seem to have an extra sense. But I do not believe that I should ever have succeeded beyond a very low grade.

    Charles Darwin
    Autobiography (p. 58 of the 1958 Norton edition)

    Ironically the Darwinists are whining that the US is falling behind in math and engineering education and that if we don’t teach more Darwinism, the country will fail. Acually, it is apparent from Darwin’s own writings we should not follow in Darwin’s footsteps if we wish the USA to excell in math and engineering.

    You know what, this is too stupid to even satirize.

    So, the founder of our (biology) theory wasn’t very good at math. (Il)Logically, we should ALL want to be bad at math, right? Wrong.

    Just sayin’.

  27. Elin says

    It says something about the strength of Sal’s case that the best attack he can come up with is “Evolutionists are mean.”

  28. dogmeatib says

    “Bad apple” atheists are giving the good atheists a bad name? Isn’t the fact that most Christians use “Atheist” as a slight/insult enough of a sign that they consider it derogatory in the first place? Isn’t the fact that a political candidate who openly admits to being an atheist, hell even suggests that they might even question the existence of their sky-sugar-daddy, unelectable proof enough that short of burning down orphanages while eating kittens and puppies, atheists couldn’t do anything to give themselves a bad name with most Christians?

  29. Bastian says

    I thought PZ was America’s leading voice for Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment.

    I’m so confused.

  30. Rupert says

    This impatience was foolish, and in after years I have deeply regretted that I did not proceed far enough at least to understand something of the great leading principles of mathematics; for men thus endowed seem to have an extra sense. But I do not believe that I should ever have succeeded beyond a very low grade.

    Charles Darwin
    Autobiography (p. 58 of the 1958 Norton edition)”

    and

    “Acually, it is apparent from Darwin’s own writings we should not follow in Darwin’s footsteps if we wish the USA to excell in math and engineering.”

    Is it too much to hope, that creationists can maintain an argument even within a single post? Here we have Darwin keenly aware of the importance of mathematics and regretting that he didn’t have those skills, because the passage of time and experience has shown that importance to him, and then that exact quote used to argue that he is thus a very poor advert for the importance of mathematics.

    If he’d said “Pshaw. Maths? Load of nonsense. Don’t bother with it.”, and if there was a body of people who said “Darwin is the most important figure in biology, and what he says is beyond criticism, and we must teach his writings as those of a great prophet”, and if science was about cults rather than facts, then perhaps there’d be a scintilla of strength in that.

    But none of these things is true. It they were, how come modern evolutionary biology is so full of mathematics – even a source of new mathematical thinking?

    There must be a term for a straw man where even the straw is fictitious.

    R

  31. H. Humbert says

    There must be a term for a straw man where even the straw is fictitious.

    Yes, it’s called a steaming pile of horse…well, you know. The stuff between Sal’s ears.

  32. Wobert says

    Some christians should have t shirts with a great big C printed on them,the dearly demented Pat Robertson and his ilk.

    As for the self proclaimed leadership of the various YECk cults,they should have STUPID tatooed on their foreheads.

    (contemptuous mumble)In this day and age,in a first world scientifically advanced country such as the USA, how people can believe the Earth is 6000 years old is totally beyond me.And no amount of education is going to change the views of these asshats.

    On a happier note, I hope you all over indulged these past few days and feel like I do. Hindenburgesque

  33. says

    PZ, I think Sal has a little schoolboy crush on you.

    He’s merely projecting his jealousy over the friendship that you and Ed have. Sal, I think, wants you and he to be More Than Friends….

    You’re his little Atheist pet project and he fantasizes about sitting on a bearskin rug with you, trying to teach you the beauty of design. Shirtless, natch.

    You should be flattered that he is so obsessed with you and your actions.

  34. Pineyman says

    Unfortunately, I also read some of his old blogs and came across his “Billy, Jonny & me are smarter than Darwin” entry. He tries to work some elementary algebra and totally $#%#s that up. He skips some steps, arrives at the wrong answer based on what he claims and hurts your brain with his convolutions with what he has.

  35. Doc Bill says

    Double-barreled rectum?

    Where can I get me one of those!

    Wouldn’t that be cool to have TWO alimentary canals? One to stuff “real” food down and the other for pizza, hamburgers and beer!

    Stay thin and indulge. I think Sal’s on to something. Either that or “on” something.

  36. says

    The reason I would discourage Atheists from wearing of the scarlet letter “A” is that some Atheists are such bad apples, the bad atheists have given even the good atheists a bad reputation. These bad apples have caused the general public to form a stereotype in their mind that atheists are mean-spiritied amoral people like Madeline Murry O’Hair. O’Hair regularly courted criminals as her cronies and was punished by God through cruel death. But I know for a fact there are many atheists I would have no problem offering praise for and befriending….

    The reason I would discourage Christians from wearing of crosses and crucifixes is that some Christians are such bad apples, the bad Christians have given even the good Christians a bad reputation. These bad apples have caused the general public to form a stereotype in their mind that Christians are lying, amoral people like Cardinal Bernard Francis Law of the Boston Archdiocese. Law protected pedophilic criminals as his priests and was punished by the religious community through, well, the religious community protects its own. But I know for a fact there are many Christians I would have no problem offering praise for and befriending….

  37. Chayanov says

    I don’t know which was funnier: cdesign proponentsist-wannabe Sal with his head firmly up his rectum or rectum kisser FtK correcting him on his use of rectum instead of ass.

  38. Pierce R. Butler says

    “Slimy” would seem a complimentary term, coming from the USA’s leading voice for cephalopodophilia.

  39. says

    So. The first thing that comes to this guy’s mind when he hears the term “asshole” is gay anal sex? Really? What an interesting unguarded moment!

  40. Sastra, OM says

    The gentleman must not have gotten the memo: nobody can qualify as the “leading voice for atheism” till they turn deist and make noises as if they were supporting Intelligent Design. Only then do they turn out to have been the #1 Grand Poobah Lord God Emperor Holy Trumpet of Godlessness.

  41. Mono Ape says

    This buffoon seems to have found himself a whole bunch of ‘atheist’ friends who have not have read The Atheist Manifesto – page 1: “We atheists hold no belief in god(s)”.

    Slimy Sal’s ‘atheist’ friends defend Christianity, are receptive to Idiotic Design and generally fit right in with his Bronze Age delusion.

    I skimmed through a few of his posts … now I feel like I need a shower.

    P.S. He evidently has as much clue about anatomy as he does anything else – ‘asshole’ is, of course, ‘sphincter’.

    P.P.S. There appears to be no means of registering to post comments or any published email for contact. Stupid *and* cowardly … all normal … standard issue religitard.

  42. says

    I’ve got a response written to this as well. Sal has revealed himself to be a major league piece of shit.

    I wouldn’t say revealed himself as, it’s more reinforced himself as.

  43. Ichthyic says

    why would you wear an A shirt, what is the point of putting out there that you are atheist.

    to get people like yourself to ask that very question.

    …and then respond by citing countless examples of the horrid overusage of symbolism utilized by the religious, for example. Ask the next xianbot you see why they slapped a fish symbol on their bumper, or have a plastic Jeebus on their dashboard.

    or maybe point out that atheism shouldn’t be a “closeted” issue, and it’s about damn time that those of us who espouse an actual rational viewpoint make that an open statement.

    there are as many answers to your question as there are threads on Pharyngula.

  44. wombat says

    “These bad apples have caused the general public to form a stereotype in their mind that atheists are mean-spiritied amoral people like Madeline Murry O’Hair. O’Hair regularly courted criminals as her cronies and was punished by God through cruel death.”

    Wait wait, so what he’s saying is that God used an ex-con to kidnap and murder not just Madalyne, but 2 of her children as well. This is Sal’s sick god. Almost as disgusting as he is.

  45. Phy says

    Geez, you’d think America’s leading voice for atheism would have attracted a better class of enemy than titty babies like that.

  46. Ichthyic says

    … and FTK lovingly approves of Slaveador’s “logic”.

    I do ask PZ to recall that the next time she shows up here.

    close the door on that dungeon cell he set up for her once and for all.

    these people are sick, and giving them voice just spreads their disease.

  47. Rjaye says

    Oh, now, teh gay sex could be what sets S free, especially with two rectums…

    Bless his heart. I wonder if cognitive enhancers would help him.

  48. Neil says

    re: Ichthyic #59
    I have to disagree. If the trolls constantly disregard the rules of the forum, then trolls Begone! Otherwise, they provide a needed counterpoint to the rational discussion at hand. A lot of people from a variety of perspectives visit this site. If you eliminate ALL of the bullshit troll comments, there is no real sense of contrast, and a slightly disinterested reader will disengage. No one wants to listen to smart people talk about how smart they are. I’m not advocating Monster Truck Sundays on Pharyngula; but in a thread with hundreds of great comments, the non-rational response becomes a lesson. Keeping control of your forum is one thing. Censorship is best left to those who feel the need.
    In particular, FTK is a goldmine. When dealt with properly, people like this do more damage to their own cause than anyone else ever could. Ignore it, respond to it, or just bask in the glory of rational thought coming out ahead for once, even if it only happens here.

  49. Flasherjack says

    To be pedantic, your arsehole, or to use the American distortion “asshole” isn’t your sphincter but your anus.

    The sphincter is the clever little ring of muscle that keeps your arsehole or anus shut, lets farts out but keeps the shit in. (ever wonder about that?)

    Your rectum on the other hand is the section of gut behind your anus which keeps your shit saved up until you’re ready to get rid of it, and also removes some remaining fluids from the shit.

    Does this guy’s lack of understanding of this very basic anatomical fact reflect the rest of his understanding of biology? If so he’s coming to the argument from an extremely ignorant position.

    Bit of a ringpiece I’d say.

  50. Wobert says

    If people like For The Kids had their way,it would be more like Fuck The Kids.Condemning them to a life of ignorance and stupidity.

    In the days of a global economy, where my kids don’t just compete with kids down the road for a job,but also against kids on another continent,the way these people think is simply ludicrous.

    Woops forgot something!!!!!!!!

  51. says

    The writing part of Mr Cordova’s brain doesn’t seem to have been designed with any intelligence.

    As for his arguments, I’d say commentators have rectum.

  52. Prazzie says

    I am glad that it is so difficult to post a response on that silly little blog. Listening to the two lone voices echoing in that dank little cave of comments amuses me greatly.

    Ftk: “Ooh, they’re coming for you! I’m scared, they always have such excellent points that it makes it very difficult to continue wallowing in self-delusion. I’m retreating to the bunker.”
    Other guy: “Hehe, I’m so popular now! Free advertising, wheeee! Hello?”

  53. Tom says

    Did anyone catch this right at the beginning?

    “Many of the best defenders of the Christian faith were atheists. Atheists are a great recruiting ground for future ID proponents.”

    I’m sure those two statements are entirely unrelated.

  54. Kseniya says

    And so it came to pass that one day, as he wandered, he spotted a shiny object on the ground between his feet. When he bent way over to inspect it closely, he saw behind him a most fearsome creature, which had the appearance of an upside-down eyeless elephant with the legs of a man and a strangely toothless and puckered mouth.

    “What strange manner of beast is this?” he cried, and to his great surprise the monster spoke, asking: “Which creature in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?”

    “Hah, hah!” he laughed. “Only a Darwinist would come up with such a stu-” But before he could finish, the creature swallowed his head.

    And ever since that day he has walked the earth thus – like a spare tire with arms and legs, unable to see or hear, communicating only through the awkward and seemingly arbitrary movements of his fingers.

  55. eewolf says

    This impatience was foolish, and in after years I have deeply regretted that I did not proceed far enough at least to understand something of the great leading principles of mathematics; for men thus endowed seem to have an extra sense. But I do not believe that I should ever have succeeded beyond a very low grade.
    Charles Darwin

    Acually, it is apparent from Darwin’s own writings we should not follow in Darwin’s footsteps if we wish the USA to excell in math and engineering.
    Sal

    What Sal misses completely is the humility in Darwin’s statement. I wonder why.

  56. Greg Peterson says

    Perhaps too obvious to merit comment, but that plea for atheists not to wear the “Out” scarlet A has the sincere ring of, “Please don’t throw me into the briar patch.” Because the fact is that vast majority of atheists are NOT assholes at all. Certainly anyone who has met PZ in person might describe him as direct and uncompromising, but also even-tempered and courteous–never an asshole. In which case it is important for Slimy that there be only two kinds of atheists–the ones he can demonize, and the ones who are invisible. Because if word gets out that many of the nice, ethical, friendly people one sees every day are atheists, then religion really does lose a recruiting tool. I watched the “48 Hours” (or whatever) TV show on the “mystery of Christmas,” and it opens with a little girl in a Christmas play saying that the Jesus myth has to be true or we would “sin all the time and couldn’t love each other.” This is precisely the sort of evil lying bullshit that keeps people ensnared in idiotic faiths, that helps prevent them from facing reality and appreciating the people, place, and times of the one and only life they will ever have, here and now. And making sure that people are never aware of all the positive role models that exist among atheists is a crucial part of that program. So if you’re going to wear the “A”–and I think we should, or something like it–the most subversive thing you can do is tip big, open doors, help change flats, give blood. Shut the fuckers up by shattering their little world.

  57. says

    Oh well, something that low, wooden, clumsy, and scatological, can hardly cause any harm to anybody, except among (to?) those who still think Sal has some credibility left.

    In fact, linking to it not only defangs the baby teeth out of this puerile maggot, it should be good publicity for both atheism and for PZ. The guy has completely failed in all of his “arguments,” and unfortunately for him, he’s no good at a muck-raking contest.

    Looks like farts and rectums are about all that occur to these curiously homophobic wretches.

    Glen D
    http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7

  58. says

    Of course this was precious:

    Atheists are a great recruiting ground for future ID proponents.

    Oh yes, the future, when ID will do science, convince atheists, and usher in God’s Kingdom. Nothing now, of course, thanks to Satan and evil Darwinists who stop them from doing science, but you know, God always wins, and atheists will in the future be ID proponents. Sort of takes care of the problem that virtually no non-theists find ID credible (Berlinski’s a strange Platonist, not agnostic as we’d understand that term, and DaveTard has certainly never been a real agnostic, though no doubt his dithering and ignorance were mistaken for agnosticism by him).

    The fact of the matter is that ID really is a subset of evangelical millenialism. They know that ID isn’t saving any lives, doing any real science, or explaining anything, but that’s just how their religion is, it has never actually produced anything. But it will be science, it will convince the godless sometime in the future, and all of the ridicule of the IDiots ignorance will cease, and Slimy will have the inside track, the right-hand seat next to Dembwit.

    That is, future successes are what actually make ID into science, and what makes its claims to be making inroads the “truth”. It’s not a lie in their minds so much as it is the prediction that ressentiment inevitably makes, the ‘truth’ of which is safeguarded by God. The psyche of ID comes out of nothing but religion and ressentiment, for only those are able to suppose that ID can be the absolute truth, even though it has no successes outside of its spawning grounds at all, and not even a hint of how it could become science. For its success is up to God, who is not only the Designer, but also is the Author of ID.

    Glen D
    http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7

  59. H. Humbert says

    Wow! Did you see the tripe Sal quoted for how to deal with ID critics?

    How shall we respond to [criticism of ID]? As I noted, the temptation here is to engage in a war of words, justify intelligent design, recapitulate its program, lay out its research agenda, or, perhaps, even complain that the critic is being unfair. Stop and think. The critic will be satisfied at no point, deny every claim that supports intelligent design, ask for endless detail, throw in countless red herrings, and, whenever possible, turn the tables and accuse you and your program of the very faults that you are raising against evolution. So, our job is not to try to justify to such critics why intelligent design has a right to exist, but rather to justify to the outsiders listening in on our debate why intelligent design has more going for it than the hardcore critics are willing to concede.

    The proper answer to the critics’ zero-concession policy is therefore a there-might-be-something-to-it-after-all policy. In other words, it is enough to indicate to nonpartisans listening to the debate that there’s more going on here than meets the eye. (bolding mine)

    D’jall get that? The “temptation” is to justify ID by laying out its research agenda, but don’t fall for that trap. No. Just leave it at a wink and a nod. Just nudge the audience in the ribs and imply that ID has real scientific merit, just stop short of stating what that might actually be.

    Un-freaking-believable. How can there be any person alive who still thinks ID is anything more than PR and rhetoric dressed up to look like science? How is anyone still fooled by these used car salesmen?

  60. Doug Rozell says

    Out of curiosity, and at risk to my mental health, I followed a trail to “ForTheKids”. Most posts have 0 comments; of those >1, the 1 is some innocent talkimg with the blogmaster. Here’s a f’instance:

    By “evidence” of a Creator, you mean actual physical evidence that is amenable to scientific study?

    Let me add that I’m genuinely curious about this. /BOLD I can understand the YEC position, as it’s consistent nonsense. /OFFBOLD But I can’t really understand the non-YEC ID thinking, as it strikes me as internally contradictory in many ways. … ”

    Inference: as this is only the second of a sample of two dingbat blogs it’s hard to say, but each has been comparatively devoid of interest to the blogosphere, and each has been between the blogger and one respondent. So much for claims to represent mainstream opinion. (Chi-square statistical test, even with the attendant horribly wide confidence interval, warrants this preliminary inference.)

  61. Janine says

    Here is more proof the Sal knows not what he talks about. He fails to recognize that PZ is posing with the distinguished Professor Steve Steve.