Ignore the bluster below the fold; it’s another Catholic calling me out to the flagpole for a whuppin’.
From: wesix@insightbb.com
Subject: You’re a punk and a pussy!
Date: October 2, 2008 1:12:16 PM CDT
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X-Mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.5579I’m a sincere on fire Catholic, And I’m not a coward. Would you like to meet with me and find out exactly how un-cowardly I am? You try to prove your worth with idiotic attacks on peoples faith. you’re a joke! A clown!! A sissy, who hides behind his blog. Why don’t you do that publicly, where Catholics can get their hands on you? Are you afraid of Catholic cowards?…….You are masquerading around as an intellectual, but true intellectuals see right past the facade. A real true schollar wouldn’t attack someone’s values unprovoked……You’re not even intelligent enough to rationally ponder the consequences should you be wrong…….real smart………..
I don’t quite see how I can get more public on this — the blog is under my name, my email is not hidden (obviously) my address is easy to find (as I well know from the pile of mail here), my phone number is also easy to find (which I’ve also been discovering, to my annoyance), and I’m bouncing all around the country, announcing where I’ll be at each stop. I also happen to live a couple of blocks away from a Catholic church here in town. What exactly shall I do to be more accessible?
I’m sorry to hear that Mr Erik Stearman is “on fire”. As a civic minded, altruistic individual, I would be perfectly willing to cross the street to piss on him.
Ho hum. Another gimp howling to get his hands on me, and simultaneously complaining that I can’t make an intellectual argument.
JackC says
Well – I am not afraid of Catholic Cowards either.
Sheesh – you even have your calendar posted. I would ask “how clueless can these people get” – but that would be a waste of time and redundant.
But hey – he is on fire. Doesn’t that MEAN something? Guess he knows which direction he is heading.
JC
Platypus says
I would say get the marshmallows instead of pissing on him, but I suspect the fire might make your S’mores taste funny.
Is the smoke billowing off a burning Catholic black or white? I can never remember…
JimB says
You just gotta wonder.
If PZ was to reply (i’m sure he doesn’t, he leaves that bit of fun to us), would these idiots look up all startled and wide eyed wondering how he got their email address?
Sili says
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to register a complaint …
I have no doubt there are many fine, upstanding members of the BDSM community, and it is vastly unfair to compare these nice, kinky people to this rambling nitwit.
I remain &c &c
E.V. says
Oh my, a punk and a pussy. Take that, PZ Myers! I guess this guy has to resort to threats of violence because he isn’t “A real true schollar“…
Michelle says
You know, whenever I read the here mail you post here, I try to read it with a little South Park saddam hussein voice. It’s hilarious!
AJ Milne says
I have no doubt there are many fine, upstanding members of the BDSM community, and it is vastly unfair to compare these nice, kinky people to this rambling nitwit.
Speaking of, I worry also about the offer to cross the street to piss on him… I mean, what if he’s into that kind of thing?
Gives ‘I wouldn’t want to give him the pleasure’ a whole ‘nother spin, really.
Be safe. Be practical. Use the correct fire extinguisher. I believe the dry chemical variety is recommended for spontaneously self-combusting zealots.
Loc says
Is the fire a burning bush offering orders? Take some pictures this time if so!
NoAstronomer says
Well I for one am not afraid of catholic cowards. The others scare the sh*t out of me though.
Emmet Caulfield says
The Sincereon Fire-Catholics? Sounds like a funky new space order, much less musty than the Jesuits and the Marists.
Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT, OM says
aaaaaaaaaaaand fail
Patricia says
schollar? Nice.
Loc says
Is the fire a burning bush offering orders? Take some pictures this time if so!
cactusren says
Perhaps this “on fire Catholic” needs to learn to use spell check before writing email to a “schollar”.
Scott M says
“On fire Catholic”?
Sounds more like a Protestant turn pf phrase.
E.V. says
Sheesh. So Pascal’s Wager is the thread that catholic faith hangs by?
Scholar says
Is that any way to treat a fellow “schollar”?
OctoberMermaid says
I love how they think that physical violence is somehow a valid response to criticism of ideas.
I guess it’s all you’ve got when your ideas are silly and have no intellectual or factual backing.
“God’s gonna make you pay for mocking him! And each day he doesn’t make you pay just makes me confused, nervous and angry!”
The Petey says
apparently not being a “coward” has more to do with an actualy physical altercation than it does to being identified with what you believe in and being put on public record.
Odd how all these good catholics expect you to resort to violence and acts of vandalism….
Oh yes, it does make sense – we did have the inquisition. Apparently the desire for one hasn’t entirely died.
Alfonso says
I don’t understand.
Catholics retaliation consists of offering the other cheek. Is that what he is going to do? Walk up to you and give you the cheek to spank, I mean slap?
Lowell says
Oh my god! Pascal’s Wager? Seriously? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal's_Wager
What a tool.
Drew says
Too bad I don’t live in Minnesota. I was an 18B in the Army once upon a couple years ago. It might be fun to see if he is in fact “un-cowardly”.
Alex says
And again, let us re-visit some wisdom from Mr. Russel:
“There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths. Almost inevitably some part of him is aware that they are myths and that he believes them only because they are comforting. But he dare not face this thought! Moreover, since he is aware, however dimly, that his opinions are not real, he becomes furious when they are disputed.” [Bertrand Russell, “Human Society in Ethics and Politics”]
Why are the devout so prone to escalating a challenge of ideas to physical violence? Wow. So he who carries a bigger stick has intellectually superior ideas? Hmmm…
Hey, douche-bag on-fire myth-believer:
comprhenshun ov the enlitunmunt: ur doin it rong
Richard Harris says
A real true schollar wouldn’t attack someone’s values unprovoked……
Well, that’s for sure. But, if they don’t like it, why do the religious idiots keep provoking us?
Patricia says
It’s not even noon and you rowdies are ready to start burning bushes.
Celtic_Evolution says
Another shining example of love and peace from the catholic community.
“All we want is peace for you and to love each other like Jesus did. Now respect my faith or I’ll fuckin’ kill you.”
Kobra says
I would say “Nice burn!” to the street-crossing urination crack, but I don’t think that would help the man any. :P
Alex says
Patricia,
Noon? Ever hear of wake and bake? I think Moses knew what that meant. Rumor has it he started the ritual before hiking up that damn mountain.
steve says
What is sad is these people actually have the capability to reproduce and vote. At least he admits he is a Catholic coward, as all of them are. If he was truly ‘schollarly’ (a fine ejukayshun, no doubt) he could try to provide evidence for his idiotic belief. If there are any truths in life one must surely be that such love and affection can only come from the faithful. I may not be worthy to sit in the intelligent company of PZ and most of those that comment in his blogs, but I’d be happy to add my ‘hose’ to putting out the flames of these idiots.
E.V. says
You need to update your byline PZ:
Mr Stearman has been extinguished. Donations can be sent to the Scottish Rite Burn Center for Reactionary Zealots.
Shirley Knott says
Oh, come now Patricia.
There’s at least one bunch of Bushes that’s been deserving of the flames for years now. Before or after noon.
And they would hardly be worth the bother of crossing the street to piss on.
Going for a can of gasoline, on the other hand…
no hugs for thugs,
Shirley Knott
River says
Perhaps these angry Catholics should implement a system much like this one in the writing of an email:
xkcd: listen to yourself
Just a thought. Don’t think it would work for the blindly obedient.
bernard quatermass says
… so DO some Pharyngula-folks write these clowns when their info gets posted?
I’m sometimes tempted, but I don’t want my own inbox filling up with dung.
I was just wondering.
lytefoot says
Wow… just… one has to wonder about the “on fire Catholic” thing. Is this implying that the only good Catholic is one that’s on fire? If so, how is this better than desecrating the Eucharist? I kind of got derailed from reading the rest of the email, so I only have one other comment to make.
The ellipsis consists of three dots. THREE! Any other number is an abomination! Abomination I say! Also, not ONE of those abominations is in a place where an ellipsis is called for! Several of them would be most appropriately replaced by our friend the “space”–it’s a big key, right at the bottom of your keyboard, very hard to miss. The rest look like a perfect job for Mr. Period.
And remember: Mr. Exclamation point says, “Use one of me, or none!”
Longtime Lurker says
The use of the term “pussy” as a pejorative should really be retired- unless Mr Stearman was coming on to you… the term “punk” did have a certain connotation back in the day!
Patricia says
Wake and bake? Sorry no, completely ignorant of the phrase.
Alex says
@ 33
If you really want to, it doesn’t take long to create a Hotmail account and then simply abandon it. Actually, PZ should create a new Hotmail account and post the login credentials with each of these email threads. That way we could all login to it and fire away. Then again, maybe someone other than PZ should do it.
Leon says
Unprovoked? Seems to me this all started when that kid committed the unforgivable crime of not swallowing a communion wafer, and was attacked for it. Sensible people responded to the overreaction, which just got more insane in response. Kinda like your email, speaking of unprovoked.
Also, a true scholar would be able to spell the word.
Todd says
… so DO some Pharyngula-folks write these clowns when their info gets posted?
I do. I’m a cracker salesman.
The Petey says
Patricia,
wake and bake is essentially rolling a joint with your morning coffee
woozy says
Too bad I don’t live in Minnesota. I was an 18B in the Army once upon a couple years ago. It might be fun to see if he is in fact “un-cowardly”.
Drew, would you like us to take up a collection to pay your bus fare?
Walter Tabens says
Unprovoked?
Ahem. What about the ridiculous, violent response to the poor old chap in Florida? As decent, empathetic individuals, we (atheists, humanists, all other people who aren’t bat-shit crazy) take immense umbrage when an a person/sect of Christ-eaters (Right? That’s what that cracker “is”?) berates a fellow human for benign activity.
While PZ was not directly provoked, decency and humanity were.
Alex says
“Also, a true scholar would be able to spell the word.”
should say:
Also, a true
scholarthird grader would be able to spell the word “scholar”.Grendels Dad says
Michele @ 6,
For some reason the narrator in my head for this one was more of an exaggerated, effeminate lisp. Maybe it was the part where he told us he was “flaming”. What? That’s not what he meant by “on fire”?
Oh.
Never mind.
pough says
Not that I agree with that statement, but I think it’s something of an own-goal in that it tosses a number of Christian “schollars” into the trashbin of the unreally untrue.
Alex says
“wake and bake is essentially rolling a joint with your morning coffee”
or also known as “burning the bush” by some.
Matt7895 says
Jesus would be so proud.
Ouchimoo says
Hmm another hate mail from those kind, loving Jesus folks huh?
SURPRISE!
Karatex says
@ #2:
Is the smoke billowing off a burning Catholic black or white? I can never remember…
I think it’s black smoke until a new pope is chosen, and then it’s white.
E.V. says
“Sincere on fire Catholic”… is that like “dyed in the wool Baptist”? Or is he trying to say “I’m a Catholic who is sincerely on fire” as opposed to ” I’m a sincere Catholic who is literally on fire”. The world may never know.
skyotter says
i prefer to think of it as “sacrificing virgins to the fire gods”
(“virgins” being a sinsemilla reference, of course)
E.V. says
Aaaaaaand cue the stoners.
Sarcastro says
Wooo! Wake and bake, stay stoned all day loooong!
“On fire Catholic”?
Sounds more like a Protestant turn pf phrase.
Oh, SNAP!
The Science Pundit says
An “on fire” Catholic?
The Stupid, It Burns
SBC says
“…You’re not even intelligent enough to rationally ponder the consequences should you be wrong…”
Hmmm, if PZ is wrong, we would apparently be living with the consequences (and we wouldn’t have to ponder them) and Mr. Stearman could merely point the consequences out to us.
Alex says
@ 50
Good point. He starts off saying he is sincere, but he doesn’t close his opine with a “sincerely”. Those darn religious folk, always saying one thing and doing another.
WDM says
I am new to your site, and I applaud your work here. The vast majority your writings are entertaining AND informative. But…
When did feeding a troll become interesting? Was it slow news day :-)
Anyway, thanks for the other 99.9% of your articles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)
Alex says
Funny, my troll-meter is pretty quiet on this thread. Perhaps I missed it.
E.V. says
I picture the inquisition, a la Joan of Arc, actually.
Jason A. says
“I’m a sincere on fire Catholic, And I’m not a coward. Would you like to meet with me and find out exactly how un-cowardly I am?”
That turn-the-other-cheek business runs real strong, eh?
“A real true schollar”
Hah!
“You’re not even intelligent enough to rationally ponder the consequences should you be wrong…….real smart………..”
Pascal’s Wager groupie…
The Barefoot Bum says
@#47
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34
Jay says
Wow. All that repressed sexual frustration. “On fire”, “meet with me”, “get their hands on you”, “masquerading”.
Sounds like someone needs to go to confession again.
Glen Davidson says
To be available as they wish, you’re supposed to be hanging on a cross, PZ. They like that.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7
Sceptical Chymist says
Perhaps it’s just his pants that are on fire? Wait a minute now, wasn’t it the Catholics themselves who used to set people whom they disagreed on fire, but then had to give up those particular “Acts of Faith” when things got too hot for them?
Leon says
Nice one, Alex. I stand corrected.
Patricia says
Petey – Oh! That herb. Nah, I don’t smoke. We do snake oil made out of the stuff mixed with some other herbs that we sell to snooty high dollar Naturopathic doctors in Portland.
varlo says
Six munce ago I cutnt evn spel schollar, and now I r one.
Alex says
So I want to make a T-shirt that says: “I’m religious. Don’t criticize my religion or I’ll beat you like a rented mule.”
E.V. says
Ah yes, the “better safe than sorry” validation for belief. It lacks in the sincerity department but wins the scared sheep’s vote. Funny how easily God can be deceived into letting the merely prudent into heaven.
(Ever notice how close the words scared and sacred are?)
Tabby Lavalamp says
Does an on fire Catholic smell like burnt cracker?
Sui Generis says
Only on Southern Plantations.
Larry says
Why is it these xtian freaks always feel the need to defend their god’s honor with violence. In the bible, the sky pixie was always smiting this or smoting that. I’d figure if he was pissed off enough, he’d take care of things his own self. He certainly wouldn’t need ass-hats like this clown to deal with these kind of issues.
What about it, wesix? You afraid your god is too much of a pussy, clown, or sissy to take matters into his own hands? Or is it you think you were anointed to handle these matters yourself?
The Petey says
Patricia, I don’t either – unless i just really want to go to sleep and feel like crap the next day.
Some snake oils work, though. I have had good success with St. John’s Wort for SAD.
Fellow A says
I’m wondering whether the “Erik Stearman” in question is the one from Louisville, KY?
Amazon profile and “insight broadband” service are consistent with this, as is this post on a religious site under “Erik B. Stearman”:
http://couragetotremble.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/pope-benedict-xvi-authorises-special-indulgences/
7111 Austinwood Road?
(502) 749-3464
(502) 366-8310
varlo says
“I don’t quite see how I can get more public on this”
Surely, PZ, there is some nice Catholic publication with a low advertising rate. I’ll chip in to pay for your ad there if the others will. I would hate for them to miss you. It keeps them off the street and away from proselytizing others.
scooter says
PZ Myers said I don’t quite see how I can get more public on this — the blog is under my name, my email is not hidden (snip), and I’m bouncing all around the country
OOOO gimme a BREAK. YOU are just HIDING behind you’re Phone number, and you’re, e-Mail adress, and you’re house, and you’re B-log. Why don’t you come over here, if you thimk your so tough. C’mon PROFFESOR, lean into the computer screen, I DARE YOU, come up real close, I’ll show you whose tough, you COWARD!!
You never come out in the Real Public, you just hide out in geeky places, and stoopid meetings in Liberal, atheist Strpngholds like SPRINGFIELD, where the fuck is SPRINGFIELD, I never heard of a place called SPRINGFIELD.
Why don’t you go someplace real, like on a map somewhere, where we can find you, like a really BIG place, like the fucking Queen Mary, why don’t you go on the Queen Mary, where we can find it and talk some shit, tough guy Mr bigg shot PROFFESOR, I DARE you.
-Eric
patrickhenry says
This is all very strange. I take the Pythagorean theorem quite seriously. But if someone “desecrated” it — how would he do this? — by smashing a right triangle to bits and then tossing it into the trash, how would I react? I’m not sure, but I’d probably just laugh.
Sven DiMilo says
Folks, we were supposed to ignore the Catholic love. PZ only posts these because he has the little gray box full of teeny-tiny 6-pt type on the sidebar that sez he reserves the right to do so. Walkin the talk.
Rey Fox says
Yeah, “on fire” sounds more like a born-again thing, I’m fairly sure I’ve heard it bandied about. Being “on fire” with The Spirit, or what have you. A conviction that is unassailable and off-limits from criticism because it is held with great fervor.
We could use some emotional armor ourselves. “Evolution made me a better person!” “I’m ON FIRE with the spirit of the medical consensus of the non-link between vaccines and autism!” “Global warming is a hoax? You’re a BIGOT for saying that!”
Capital Dan says
Hooray for the flaming Catholic cowards!
Longtime Lurker says
I was an 18B in the Army once upon a couple years ago.
Now you are a Keyboard Kommando in the Doughy Pantload Brigade, 1st Cheeto Division.
Patricia says
Longtime Lurker – That made me hang over the side of my chair laughing. ;o)
Capital Dan says
That would be AWESOME!
We could even quote mine PZ to twist his words into a few pro-Catholic blurbs on the ad, and then slap it into some publication to provide an eye (and hopefully mind)-opening experience for the Catholic visitors.
On the other hand, unfortunately, those Catholics of shaky faith who could be swayed by PZ aren’t likely to be reading Catholic publications.
Damn… I guess we’ll just have to settle for working those flaming cowards into corners.
garth says
i went here:
http://www.insightcom.com/help-bb-7259.htm
and sent in a note complaining about their servers being used to send threats. dunno. probably won’t matter. maybe he’ll think it’s teh gawd slashing the tires of his internet truck!
scooter says
Fellow A @ 74 this post on a religious site under “Erik B. Stearman”:
http://couragetotremble.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/pope-benedict-xvi-authorises-special-indulgences/
HOLY CRAP, did you see the first line in his post???
ROFL
“Scripture does support the “concept of pugatory”…”
I guess that’s some sort of Catlick tough guy boxing reference.
E in MD says
So ‘on fire’ is wingnut speak for “Asshole”?
E.V. says
Related article on diagramming absurd sentences, specifically Sarah Palin:
Zar says
Somebody just got signed up for a whole lot of Satanism mailing lists…
scooter says
Rey Fox
Yeah, “on fire” sounds more like a born-again thing, I’m fairly sure I’ve heard it bandied about. Being “on fire” with The Spirit
I was thinking maybe he had the clap
JStein says
These people are amazingly stupid. He talks like someone who has never read anything about atheism and got angry because Bill Donohue told him to.
E.V. says
Consuming actual Jeebus blood and flesh all those years has proven to be toxic for poor Erik. He has dane brammage.
the petey says
@#90 JStein
These people are amazingly stupid. He talks like someone who has never read anything about atheism and got angry because Bill Donohue told him to.
Jstein – I really don’t mean this as an attack on you at all, but…
DUH!!!!
Bride of Shrek OM says
Great, I read that he was “on fire” and now I can’t get that friggin Springsteen song out of my head and I hate Springsteen.
Thanks mate, you just chalked up Reason Number 347 to hate the Catholics.
Skepdude says
He said “schollar” , right after he mentioned the “intellectuals”. I just find that hilarious.
Blake Stacey says
“On fire Catholic” isn’t quite as good as Jim Gaffigan’s “Shi’ite Catholic”.
K. Signal Eingang says
@84 – well, if they’re abiding by their own terms of use, that guys’ account should be gone any minute now then.
Rob says
@74:
That IP is apparently in Louisville. So the chances are high.
Lago says
“Is the smoke billowing off a burning Catholic black or white? I can never remember…”
Hahaha..
Thanks…I liked that one.
stan-o-wagon says
Evolution is stupid. There are no scientific experiments proving natural selection adapts populations genetically, there is nothing in the way of evidence that random mutations create new structures or new parts of structures…..what’s wrong with you kooks?
Armchair Dissident says
Two words: Fire extinguisher. That should solve that problem right away.
cicely says
Sven DiMilo @ 78:
I thought we were supposed to laugh and point?
Fellow A says
Why don’t we offer to meet up with him at the Doss High School playing field, right around the corner from the address listed above?
Patricia says
My old god bothering sect would look at it this way – if god wanted PZ sent straight to hell, he would send him there post haste. Since he hasn’t, then PZ must ‘secretly’ be right with the lord in his heart. Then we would smugly conclude that because PZ doesn’t witness his faith to others, he’s going to hell anyway.
Sven DiMilo says
Well, that works too.
Rik. says
Well, since this guy’s on fire, at least he won’t be caught by ninja’s.
…
Sven DiMilo says
I refer (#104) to laughing and pointing.
CJO says
Evolution is stupid. There are no scientific experiments proving natural selection adapts populations genetically, there is nothing in the way of evidence that random mutations create new structures or new parts of structures…..what’s wrong with you kooks?
You are stupid. How would you stop natural selection from adapting populations genetically? What is your explanation for new structures? And of course there are many such experiments and observations, and a great deal of evidence. Asserting that evidence doesn’t exist when it’s readily available in a multitude of books, journals, web pages, etc. makes you look like… well, a kook. What’s wrong with you?
Sven DiMilo says
You know, what with the rabid anti-vaxers and outraged cracker-worshippers that have been infesting this place recently, it’s kind of refreshing to see a nice, simple, old-fashioned ignorant creationist troll like stan-o-wagon (#99).
Hi, stan! You don’t know what you’re talking about, did you know that?
Blargh says
English, please?
FlameDuck says
Well in that case they can all burn in hell. As I’m sure we’re all aware, Pascals Wager is a logical fallacy, and Christians in general, and Catholics in particular are apparently living in denial.
By the reasoning of Pascals Logical Fallacy, since the Christian God, is kind, benevolent and forgiving, the Islamic God at least tolerant of other religions, and the Jewish god being of the vindictive and hateful variety, smart money would be on the Jewish God.
At least the Christian God would forgive you for your misguidedness, if he turns out to be the real deal.
The Islamic God of Abraham, would probably deny you 72 virgins, but you could probably get along with just your wife, if you really had to, so no big deal there either.
The Old Testament God? The one who punishes his own creations to suffer drowning, because they don’t do as he says? That’s the fellow you’ve got to worry about being real, and if you look around at all the death, destruction and suffering in the world he seems to be the most likely.
So yeah. Pascals wager only works for Jews. Everyone else will be either forgiven, or treated indifferently, as most other omnipotent beings aren’t nearly anthropomorphic enough to have character flaws that are considered sinful in mere mortals.
bunnycatch3r says
Think about how much more dreary his life would be if he was merely an insecere “on fire Catholic.” Oh, the pain!
cicely says
stan-o-wagon @99:
Let’s see….experiments, natural selection, adaptation….here we gohttp://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn14094-bacteria-make-major-evolutionary-shift-in-the-lab.html . And also (new to me), http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKTRE4907AN20081001?sp=true .
Matt says
So is this guy just now finding out what you did to the cracker, or is he just really slow to react?
It never ceases to amaze me how unchristian christians are.
spgreenlaw says
“You’re a punk and a pussy!”
PZ Myers, Riot Grrrl.
On a more serious note, I hate it when people use slang for female genitalia as a stand in for wimp. It’s a sure sign that whatever is going to follow is very likely to be maddeningly stupid. In this case, it was completely on the mark.
bunnycatch3r says
It’s only fair that he now can laugh at me.
perdurabo says
A pussy eh? Well, you are what you eat!!!
stan-o-meter says
“You are stupid. How would you stop natural selection from adapting populations genetically?”
Any adaptive genetic changes are internally-generated within each organism…that’s how. Show me otherwise, hotshot.
the PC apeman says
People. People. The more enlightened policy is to let these fires consume all the “shrub”-like fuel and die out on their own in contained areas. It prevents larger, more catastrophic fires in the future.
Alex says
“Evolution is stupid. There are no scientific experiments proving natural selection adapts populations genetically, there is nothing in the way of evidence that random mutations create new structures or new parts of structures…..what’s wrong with you kooks?”
Hey numb-nuts, Evolution is REAL.
Follow the link for information about a multi-decade experiment that witnessed an e-coli strain evolve the ability to metabolize a substance that its predecessors were unable to – and thrive.
That’s just for starters. There’s a whole bunch of other information on the subject, but most of it is safely hidden in books.
stanwich says
can anyone show me a mutation that creates/adds any new structure — big or small? Can you show me that this stupid theory is any better than a kick in the nuts?
Dave Wisker says
This reminds me of the Parable of DaveScot and the Clown.
Alex says
stanwich:
reeding blog postz: ur doin it rong.
stan says
save it, Alex — Evolution is a joke. As far as your “example” — show me the mutation, brotha! LINK?
Pyroclasm says
Don’t feed the troll. He just wants attention and affirmation. Leave him alone and he’ll either leave for more fertile grounds or starve to death.
John Sconz says
I remember in an AP high school calculus when a student said, “Calculus is stupid.” He dropped.
Boomer says
So a kick in the nuts is the new creation theory – you learn something new every day!
Really Stan… if you aren’t willing to look things up yourself, why should we do it for you? There’s this thing called Google that is really useful in finding out answers to your questions, if you are sincerely interested in finding them.
Crazy Fitter says
I can still remember nearly crapping my pants as an 10yo as my father and grandfather looked down on me claiming I’d make a good priest after a sermon pleading for more alterboys as a start towards the priesthood. If I lived in the US I’d happily stand by this guy and stop you lot pissing on him as I confiscate all fire extinguishers.
Owlmirror says
stan! You blithering jackass, when are you going to jump in the ocean and sprout gills? When? When?
What is taking you so fucking long to perform a simple and obvious experiment to demonstrate your magical Lysenkoist biological theory?
E.V. says
This past summer my Mother in law’s best friends from England came to visit, charming and reasonably bright people in their mid seventies. Albert and I were discussing current technology when he asked me to explain how some facet of computers worked – although I will be the first to say my grasp of computer tech is somewhat tenuous. He rejected my rudimentary answer saying that no one could know. I was puzzled by this and then dumbfounded when he declared, you know they still haven’t explained how signals are sent in the ether.
He was still locked into the dogma of the science class of his boyhood some 60 years earlier. He was using new technology but not given an updated understanding of the science behind it.
Stan-o wagon, you are waaaay behind the times. Catch the fuck up doofus.
stanway says
“Don’t feed the troll. He just wants attention and affirmation. Leave him alone and he’ll either leave for more fertile grounds or starve to death”
Chicken
Alex says
Hey stan, go to post #119, click on the word “REAL”. Stoopit. Srsly.
Nic Nicholson says
A burning Catholic?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t they the ones that LIGHT the bales of hay?
I think this guy’s got it backwards…
I bet it really pisses them off that they can no longer burn heretics.
They’re still among us, folks, and I think this guy’s one of ’em.
stanley says
“Stan-o wagon, you are waaaay behind the times. Catch the fuck up doofus.”
show the evidence that natural selection adapts populations genetically, fartknocker. I want the experiment’s scientist’s name and link.
Owlmirror says
Go to the antarctic and dance naked with the fucking penguins, Lysenkoist.
stanning says
“Go to the antarctic and dance naked with the fucking penguins, Lysenkoist”
show me the evidence, you dope.
Owlmirror says
… says the fucking clown who never ever ever puts his biology where his mouth is.
AlanWCan says
I especially liked the sign off though: “Feel free to reply, but let’s remain charitable”
What a fucktard (I’m being charitable).
windy says
*scratches head* How does he think computers are built, if “no one could know” how they work? :D
Brownian, OM says
Google the term ‘population bottleneck.’
Owlmirror says
You’ve been here a zillion times, and have been pointed to the evidence, and you always come back with the same fucking garbage.
You don’t read, you can barely even think, and you don’t give two shits in a sewage farm about the evidence anyway.
Ompompanoosuc says
Longtime @81
LMFAO, however I don’t know what an 18B is.
18B = Ass Kicker Extraordinaire?
Pyroclasm says
Chicken
Doo doo head.
strangest brew says
These dip shits, and there are an awful lot of retards in every religion but the RC tend to extremes, are just sexually inadequate and incompetent to plead,they also know it and get frustrated at an intolerant world…boo hoo!
They are working at the base level of human emotion…and think that macho posturing is a godly gift and proves they are manly…methinks it proves they are just ignorant morons but what ya gonna do?…the RC Church are incapable of educating them to be Christians and just hope that no one will notice.
Prob is more folks are starting to realise that a Christian upbringing does not garantee a Christian outlook…an out look yes.. but it has now’t to do with Christianity…
They are sad and frightened…and ever so butch about it the poor lambs…
Let ’em burn I say’s…no point in extending their misery…
stannn says
owl, just shut up and prove to me that ramdp, mutations add mew strictures.
Alex says
Thanx for the background Owlmirror. Talk about blatant trollifying.
sttttttannn says
hahhahahahahaahahahahaahahahahahahaahahahahahaha…you dopey know-nothings. Adios, suckers!
pyroclasm says
Someone didn’t pay attention in Biology class, or third grade English, for that matter.
Kel says
*cough*WebsterCook*cough*
CJO says
“You are stupid. How would you stop natural selection from adapting populations genetically?”
Any adaptive genetic changes are internally-generated within each organism…that’s how. Show me otherwise, hotshot.
Oookay, tough guy. But you didn’t even try to answer the question, which says nothing about where “adaptive genetic changes” are generated, it asks how do you stop adaptive genetic changes from spreading through a population. Is it lost on you that organisms reproduce, and that the environment limits the size of a population?
Brownian, OM says
Totally. That’s why only stupid people don’t believe in leprechauns. Smart people know better than to risk losing all that gold.
Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT, OM says
wow.
Anyone else get the feeling stanley thinks that species sprout new arms from one generation to the next?
Blake Stacey says
Wait, stan the morpher hasn’t been plonked yet?
Ompompanoosuc says
Hey PZ,
Always remember the tenets of the Gus Roberts school of flagpole fisticuffs. They are as follows:
1) Don’t wait for him to hit you first. It sounds “high-road heroic” but really it is just stoopid.
2) There is no such thing as fighting dirty because fighting IS dirty.
3) Never put your fingers in your opponents mouth.
You know, in case you are going to do it.
the PC apeman says
Mew strictures can be foundhere .
Ompompanoosuc says
Can you show me that this stupid theory is any better than a kick in the nuts?
Stan, lets find out. First the nut kicking, are you ready? Here’s a pencil to bite down on, spread your feet apart a little more.
I’m feeling a little violent today. See post #153 for the “rules”.
Sven DiMilo says
Ha! Ha! I see what you’re doing there with the name-variation thing, stanmeister.
Here’s a quick summary of some recent examples of evolution by natural selection. One of them summarizes this paper in PNAS. And a related study.
Note the evolution of the cecal valve–a “new structure” for this family of lizards.
Now, you may object that I cannot identify the specific mutations or even genes that increased in this population. But that’s simply because our knowledge of how genotypes map to phenotypes is still rudimentary. The necessary tools for figuring out this kind of stuff are very new, and with a bit of time we’ll have the whole story, from gene mutation to protein to “structure.” But nobody–not even, I dare say, you–denies that phenotypic variation is caused by genetic variation, even if the detailed mechanism for each trait is still unknown.
People have only been thinking about evolution by natural selection in a serious way for 150 years, and most adaptive evolution withing populations almost certainly takes thousands of years. Fortunately, as Mick Jagger put it, time is on our side.
The thing is, though, given what we know–we know–about genetics and differential reproduction within populaitons, there is simply no way that evolution by natural selection could not happen.
Your “internal generation of adaptive mutation within each organism” idea sounds interesting, though…how might that work mechanistically? Brutha?
David Marjanović, OM says
ROTFL!
Hey, our old friend Morphing Lowercase stan! Hooray!
You got the link. Click on it, and you’ll find all the names.
And then go learn what gene duplication is, and what it leads to.
I prefer to play “Dance, trollboy! Dance!”.
Jay says
I remember in CCD class I said, “Catholicism is stupid”.
I dropped.
the PC apeman says
Of course that was funnier before my link to http://icanhascheezburger.com/ failed. (Sigh)
Kobra says
Is this going to turn into another 1,000 comment thread?
druidbros says
#133
Posted by: stanley | October 2, 2008 5:20 PM
“Stan-o wagon, you are waaaay behind the times. Catch the fuck up doofus.”
show the evidence that natural selection adapts populations genetically, fartknocker. I want the experiment’s scientist’s name and link.
Like you would be able to understand the study even IF we provided you a link. Do you still live at home and does your mother still dress you funny?
Kel says
Are you asking how evolution can add new information?
If so, the process is called gene duplication
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/02/dr_michael_egnor_challenges_ev.php
New feature observed in the lab
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/06/historical_contingency_in_the.php
Sven DiMilo says
Huh, so stan-o-morph has been by before? How was it that I missed him? Now I want the time back I spent typing comment #156.
Artoo45 says
That would be “sincere on-fire Catholic”. What a schollar!
ThatOtherGuy says
Oh I LOVE when people resort to threats of violence; that’s how you know you’ve won :p
When you can reduce someone to a blustering ball of threats and bravado, you know you’ve hit a nerve.
MikeM says
Would you rather be on fire, or have a knife in your head?
MikeM says
That was supposed to have a link in it. How come this site does this once in a while?
Test.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24429264-912,00.html
PZ Myers says
I think you’re right, Blake. Stan needs some jail time.
TSC says
Quantum schollar fields of tardensity.
staaaaan says
Kl, yr “nw ftr n th lb” hs n mttn ssctd wth t….why r y prppng tht p s sm srt f vdnc f vltn? Hw cn y hv vltn wtht gntc chng?
Nxt tm d wht I skd — prsnt m n xmpl f rndm mttn tht dds nw strctr r nw prt f n xstng strctr…cn y twrps mng tht?
[don’t bother replying. Staaaaan has been baaaaanned. -pz]
mikeg says
“un-cowardly”, uncowardly, unc-owardly, uncow-ardly”… wow! i wait patiently for the email reply…
Kel says
Are you Casey Luskin?
JackC says
For all interested: Army 18B – Special Operations Weapons Seargent
Frankly, I would want this dude on my side in a dark alley.
I have a friend that has SpecOps history. A few months back, he was “assaulted” by some kid locally. The kid hauls back and right-hooks him and basically my buddy’s head made one of these 30-degree to the side movements.
I had to ask him if the kid lived. He said yes, but wasn’t really sure what happened after he swung. The kid basically woke up on the ground.
You really don’t want to mess with these guys – even if they have been out munching cheetos for years.
JC
Owlmirror says
Well, it was a while back. See here, for example:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/01/was_that_fun_or_what.php
and here…
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/02/happy_darwin_day.php
and here….
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/06/dr_who_dr_dawkins.php
( stan also uses the aliases supersport and guzman )
Sven DiMilo says
*sigh* stan-o-merkin just entered my life minutes ago, and already he is listed in the Pharynguladungeon. Easy come, easy go I guess.
Memoriam says
Awww, poor little stanny-boy got killfile’d. That’s too bad, keep in touch, bye-bye.
Patricia says
Sheesh I leave to buy apples for a pie, and you ilk are all ready up to numbnuts, fartknocker and doofus.
Shut up you idiot catholics. All True Christians know you are going to hell. Gawd doesn’t love you altar boy buggering, idol worshippers. Cracker slobbering poltroons.
Owlmirror says
(following up on #174)
Oh, and also here:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/02/can_your_respect_for_geoffrey.php
Sven DiMilo says
ah, supersport I recall.
Somebody needs to post the troll taxonomy…these self-splitters are hard to keep track of.
E.V. says
Let’s get the name calling score right:
Ilk -“Doofus” “nunmbnuts”
Troll-:”fartknocker”
E.V. says
PoT
Bride of Shrek OM says
Let’s not forget that “Ilk” got in a “doo doo head”. FTW.
Keith says
Christians are certainly not as quick to kill as they once were. It’s been months since this Crackergate thing hit, and nobody’s wounded or dead yet. But, man, a few of these fellows still seem to really wanna see it done by someone else or do it themselves (almost certainly the former). They want to break right through that first commandment of theirs that they claim to love so much (at least I think it’s the first; there were hundreds of those things back in the day) and hurt someone because they pointed out how ridiculous their nonsense is. Sad. Typical.
Patricia says
Doo doo head! Oh anything but that! *swoon*
Nerd of Redhead says
It was good seeing nomenmorpher disemvoweled and banned. Disgusting egotistical idiot and a repeat offender. Good riddance. I have to applaud PZ for putting up with all the nonsense, including the above threat, with mostly good humor.
Silver Fox says
Celtic #26
“Another shining example of love and peace from the Catholic community”*
*Causal fallacy of hasty generalization
*Fallacy of conclusion from limited representation
Generally, your post represents, rhetorically, style over substance.
Farb says
The following almost goes without saying, but the most explicit exposition of Christian virtue, the Sermon on the Mount, says the following:
Luke 6:27-29
27 But I say unto you that hear, love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, 28 bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.
29 To him that smiteth thee on the (one) cheek offer also the other; and from him that taketh away thy cloak withhold not thy coat also. (ASV)
I think further comment is basically unnecessary here.
Marc Abian says
My expectations of these people are so low I was pleastantly surprised that he said “you’re a punk” instead of “your a punk”.
Also, PZ’s reply was one of the greatest burns ever.
Also, stan is supersport? That guy is practically a seperate category over at fundies say the darndest things http://www.fstdt.com
Also, I like the word also.
Kristin says
What a charming young fellow he must be!
/sarcasm….
Silver Fox says
Steve @29
“He is a Catholic coward as ALL of them are”
Again, Fallacy – hasty generalization from limited sample -unless, of course, you know ALL the Catholics.
“He could try to produce evidence for his idiotic belief”
It sounds like you are suggesting that the absence of proof means the belief is false and perhaps that the contrary belief is true. No, it simply means that, absent evidence, the belief has not been proven
Pierce R. Butler says
NoAstronomer @ # 9: Well I for one am not afraid of catholic cowards. The others scare the sh*t out of me though.
Is it the other cowards or the other catholics that move your bowels?
——
Re: the departed troll “Stan”-the-ever-morphing: was it his mission to distract attention from (or cause to look better by comparison) one Mr Erik Stearman?
Will you remember “Stan” in your prayers tonight, mr erik STearmAN?
Pierce R. Butler says
Keith@ # 183: Christians are certainly not as quick to kill as they once were. It’s been months since this Crackergate thing hit, and nobody’s wounded or dead yet.
An event was reported in which someone at the University of Central Florida (where the Cracker™ saga began) was “kicked and punched many times”, but for some reason declined to press charges.
Monado says
E.V. [#59]and all, I have a question: When G. K. Chesterson wrote in an essay (“A Piece of Chalk”?), “Virtue is something flaming, like Joan of Arc,” do you think that he was being facetious? Or was that just a thinko?
Monado says
Sorry, I meant “G. K. Chesterton.”
SEF says
Sometimes you merely have to be a woman to offend religious people and get them to show their religion’s “love”.
lytefoot says
“mew strictures”… strict restraints on the ethical behavior of cats, perhaps? I’ll admit, random mutation does not appear to produce these.
Pat says
I think that PZ should reply to each of the emails from catholics and cc: the pope on each of them. Each and every one of them. BTW, his email address is benedictxvi@vatican.va.
Is being on “fire” the same as being flaming?
Stanton says
Is it just me, or do these wacky Catholics who constantly threaten Professor Myers worship the Eucharist and not Jesus Christ?
E.V. says
Monado@#193
I have no idea what Chesterton meant by that statement. I know he was a polymath known for his wit as well as his preoccupation with the metaphysical. I’ve read little of his writing and that was years ago. I like his drawings. Sorry, nothing else I can add.
E.V. says
Stanton,
For Catholics: eucharist=Jesus…literally. Since most protestants who celebrate communion see the rite as purely symbolic, this point is usually lost on them.
Nerd of Redhead says
Since Jesus is supposed to be a god, that makes the cracker omnipotent. So no way could a mere mortal do anything to hurt it. Where’s the problem?
E.V. says
In the incapacity of the believer to process reality and logic.
Kel says
Jesus has always been suseptible to nails, it’s his one weakness. The roman’s exploited it, the jews in the middle age exploited it and now PZ is exploiting it.
Badger3k says
I think “on fire” catholic is code for the Larry Craig variety. Perhaps he wants to give your a$$ a whuppin, all right.
re #203 – Of course a few iron nails could stop Jeebus – if his Dad and Self could be stopped by iron chariot wheels, surely less could stop his earthly incarnation. Say… I wonder if this is where the vulnerability of many fantasy creatures to cold iron originated? You know, if it was good enough for YHVH, surely it’s good enough for a few stinkin’ elves?
Ilkka Pyysiainen says
Arguing rationally is being sissy? Real intellectuals prefer beating their opponents up? Is that what you mean?
Rog says
Dunno if it’s a language think (I suspect it is), but when I read that PZ is a “punk and a pussy”, I pictured him as a tabby cat with a mohican haircut !!!
Thanks for publishing these mails, PZ – every time I read them, my dislike for these religious fools increases.
Rog
Ragutis says
On fire?
Long walk. Short pier. Problem solved.
Masks of Eris says
At #203: “Jesus has always been suseptible to nails, it’s his one weakness. The roman’s exploited it, the jews in the middle age exploited it and now PZ is exploiting it.”
Wait. Are we onto something big here? Jesus’s weakness is nails, presumably iron nails. His daddy can’t beat iron chariots. Ye Olde Deuteronomy tells this about a neighbor of the Israelites — one of those that didn’t get slaughtered, that is:
“Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.”
Now, this certainly suggests that having a hulking bed of iron for your nights is the way to keep the old man of the burning bush away. (This is not euphemistic medical advice for your crotch.)
Is God allergic to iron? Are the various retro-neolithic ways of the Christians actually less about culture and morals, and more about… icky metals?
Heh heh.
Kel says
The only conclusion we can draw is:
iron age technology > bronze age myth
Pikemann Urge says
You see how what you did was futile (not to mention unnecessary)? The actual point you were making went completely out the window (not that anyone expected the religious to understand).
So one fanatic will tell another etc, etc. It’s going to be e-mail after e-mail, letter after letter for quite some time by the looks of things. Oh well, I guess you don’t mind the extra work…
Kel says
While the point was missed, the event has brought so many people in to discuss the idea of what is sacred and why we should hold it so. It’s done a lot more than people give it credit for tbh
John C. Randolph says
This guy doesn’t sound like any Catholic I’ve ever met. His rhetoric is rather more baptist in nature, IMHO.
-jcr
Nick Gotts says
I love how they think that physical violence is somehow a valid response to criticism of ideas. – October Mermaid
It’s a revered Catholic tradition. One of the main reasons Christians hated Julian the Apostate in the 4th century CE was that he insisted they should discuss their theological differences peacefully rather than murdering each other.
Nahomi Dhinakar says
Hi,
I got this nasty comment directed to my blog too, in connection with a post about the Pope announcing indulgences. I wonder if it is some kind of spam comment. I find my blog mentioned by someone called Fellow A in one of the comments above. I have also got scores of visitors to my blog from your post, which may be a waste of their time while also making my blog stats less reflective of the number of interested readers.
Thanks
-n-
Dave says
I made him an offer to meet in your stead, since I’m sure you’re busier than I am.
epsilon says
Sorry if this is kind of long, but for some reason I decided that I should waste some time, so I wrote this guy an email:
Dear fellow “schollar”,
It has come to my attention that you combusted not too long ago, and I hope that you survived without severe injury; but, the real reason that I am writing to you is to suggest that you take some grammar and spelling classes, or at least learn how to use spell check. An acquaintance of mine received an email from you that was full of mistakes that greatly lessened the import of what you were trying to say. How effective is it when you try to call someone stupid and can barely form coherent sentences and misspell simple words such as scholar?
Also, it appears that you need to acquire some critical thinking skills. If the beliefs you hold are based on evidence, then there is no reason that you would ever need to resort to physical violence of any kind when your ideas are criticized. You can simply show your evidence instead. That being the case, I can only assume that you have no evidence whatsoever for your belief that a cracker turns into Jesus. Now, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that this cracker can indeed turn into Jesus. Isn’t Jesus omnipotent? Hence, he could probably take care of himself, and if he did not want PZ Myers (or anyone else for that matter) to drive a nail through him, he could stop him. That means we are left with the conclusion that Jesus did not want to stop PZ. Why do you think that you know better than Jesus in this matter? If PZ is to be punished, it most certainly is not up to you to do that, but God. If he isn’t to be punished, why are you trying to punish him? It seems that you have not thought about your actions and their consequences, because in either case your actions scream “I know how to handle this better than Jesus,” and I’m sure that is a sin.
If you have any questions or would like some more pointers on thinking critically, don’t hesitate to reply.
Pierce R. Butler says
Meanwhile, in other crackergate news:
ASOC says
#108
18B – Special Forces Weapons NCO
Tom L says
Wow. This takes the whole cannibalism thing to a whole new level. Even better if they’re unconsecrated; that way the things being consumed are still completely and utterly crackers — just like this guy.
Tom L says
By the way, isn’t “Catholic on fire” the definition of the word “heretic?”
LP says
The jackass can’t spell “scholar”. I’m glad I’m not a “schollar” either because it’s probably something bad. Now a scholar, that’s good.
mike L says
On fire already, fantastic! I see Bonfire Night has come early this year, we normally wait until Nov. 5th to burn catholics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night
affiliate network programs says
Wht nc phrs