What’s wrong with this? Teach the controversy! » « Tangled Bank #115

Here we go again

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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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? 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.

What’s wrong with this? Teach the controversy! » « Tangled Bank #115

Comments

  1. 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

  2. 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…

  3. 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?

  4. Sili says

    Ho hum. Another gimp howling to get his hands on me

    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

  5. 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“…

  6. 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!

  7. 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.

  9. NoAstronomer says

    Well I for one am not afraid of catholic cowards. The others scare the sh*t out of me though.

  14. cactusren says

    Perhaps this “on fire Catholic” needs to learn to use spell check before writing email to a “schollar”.

  16. E.V. says

    You’re not even intelligent enough to rationally ponder the consequences should you be wrong..

    Sheesh. So Pascal’s Wager is the thread that catholic faith hangs by?

  18. 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!”

  19. 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.

  20. 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?

  22. 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”.

  23. 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

  24. 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?

  26. 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.”

  27. says

    I would say “Nice burn!” to the street-crossing urination crack, but I don’t think that would help the man any. :P

  28. 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.

  29. 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.

  30. E.V. says

    You need to update your byline PZ:

    Evolution, development, and randomintellectual biological ejaculations from a godless liberal punk pussy joke sissy clown scholler

    Mr Stearman has been extinguished. Donations can be sent to the Scottish Rite Burn Center for Reactionary Zealots.

  31. 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

  33. 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.

  34. 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!”

  35. 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!

  37. 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.

  38. Leon says

    A real true schollar wouldn’t attack someone’s values unprovoked

    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.

  39. Todd says

    … so DO some Pharyngula-folks write these clowns when their info gets posted?

    I do. I’m a cracker salesman.

  41. 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?

  42. 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.

  43. Alex says

    “Also, a true scholar would be able to spell the word.”

    should say:

    Also, a true scholar third grader would be able to spell the word “scholar”.

  44. 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.

  45. pough says

    A real true schollar wouldn’t attack someone’s values unprovoked…

    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.

  46. Alex says

    “wake and bake is essentially rolling a joint with your morning coffee”

    or also known as “burning the bush” by some.

  49. 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.

  50. 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.

  51. skyotter says

    “wake and bake is essentially rolling a joint with your morning coffee”

    or also known as “burning the bush” by some.

    i prefer to think of it as “sacrificing virgins to the fire gods”

    (“virgins” being a sinsemilla reference, of course)

  53. Sarcastro says

    Wooo! Wake and bake, stay stoned all day loooong!

    “On fire Catholic”?
    Sounds more like a Protestant turn pf phrase.

    Oh, SNAP!

  55. 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.

  56. 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.

  60. 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…

  62. 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.

  64. 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?

  65. Leon says

    “Also, a true scholar would be able to spell the word.”

    should say:

    Also, a true scholar third grader would be able to spell the word “scholar”.

    Nice one, Alex. I stand corrected.

  66. 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.

  68. 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.”

  69. 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?)

  71. Sui Generis says

    Does an on fire Catholic smell like burnt cracker?

    Only on Southern Plantations.

  72. 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?

  73. 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.

  75. 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.

  76. 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

  77. 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.

  78. 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.

  79. 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!”

  81. 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.

  83. says

    varlo | October 2, 2008 3:54 PM

    “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.

    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.

  89. 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

  90. 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.

  91. E.V. says

    Consuming actual Jeebus blood and flesh all those years has proven to be toxic for poor Erik. He has dane brammage.

  92. 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!!!!

  93. 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.

  96. 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.

    Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, using the Insight Broadband Internet Service Equipment or the Service to:

    i. undertake or accomplish any unlawful purpose; this includes, but is not limited to, posting, storing, transmitting or disseminating information, data or material which is libelous, obscene, unlawful, threatening, defamatory, or which infringes the intellectual property rights of any person or entity, or which in any way constitutes or encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any local, state, federal or international law, order or regulation;

    ii. post, store, transmit or disseminate any information or material which a reasonable person could deem to be objectionable, offensive, indecent, pornographic, harassing, threatening, embarrassing, distressing, vulgar, hateful, racially or ethnically offensive or otherwise inappropriate, regardless of whether such material or its dissemination is unlawful;

  98. Lago says

    “Is the smoke billowing off a burning Catholic black or white? I can never remember…”

    Hahaha..

    Thanks…I liked that one.

  99. 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?

  101. cicely says

    Sven DiMilo @ 78:

    Folks, we were supposed to ignore the Catholic love.

    I thought we were supposed to laugh and point?

  102. 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?

  103. 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.

  107. 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?

  108. 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?

  110. FlameDuck says

    So Pascal’s Wager is the thread that catholic faith hangs by?

    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.

  111. bunnycatch3r says

    I’m a sincere on fire Catholic

    Think about how much more dreary his life would be if he was merely an insecere “on fire Catholic.” Oh, the pain!

  113. 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.

  114. 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.

  117. 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.

  118. 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.

  119. 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.

  120. 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?

  123. stan says

    save it, Alex — Evolution is a joke. As far as your “example” — show me the mutation, brotha! LINK?

  124. 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.

  125. John Sconz says

    I remember in an AP high school calculus when a student said, “Calculus is stupid.” He dropped.

  126. 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.

  127. 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.

  128. 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?

  129. E.V. says

    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.

    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.

  130. 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

  132. 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.

  133. 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.

  134. Owlmirror says

    show the evidence that natural selection adapts populations genetically,

    Go to the antarctic and dance naked with the fucking penguins, Lysenkoist.

  135. stanning says

    “Go to the antarctic and dance naked with the fucking penguins, Lysenkoist”

    show me the evidence, you dope.

  136. Owlmirror says

    Chicken

    … says the fucking clown who never ever ever puts his biology where his mouth is.

  138. windy says

    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.

    *scratches head* How does he think computers are built, if “no one could know” how they work? :D

  140. Owlmirror says

    show me the evidence, you dope.

    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.

  141. Ompompanoosuc says

    Longtime @81
    LMFAO, however I don’t know what an 18B is.

    18B = Ass Kicker Extraordinaire?

  142. 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

    Doo doo head.

  143. 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…

  146. sttttttannn says

    hahhahahahahaahahahahaahahahahahahaahahahahahaha…you dopey know-nothings. Adios, suckers!

  147. says

    owl, just shut up and prove to me that ramdp, mutations add mew strictures.

    Someone didn’t pay attention in Biology class, or third grade English, for that matter.

  149. 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?

  150. says

    You’re not even intelligent enough to rationally ponder the consequences should you be wrong…….real smart

    Totally. That’s why only stupid people don’t believe in leprechauns. Smart people know better than to risk losing all that gold.

  153. 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.

  155. 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”.

  156. 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?

  157. David Marjanović, OM says

    Somebody just got signed up for a whole lot of Satanism mailing lists…

    ROTFL!

    show the evidence that natural selection adapts populations genetically, fartknocker. I want the experiment’s scientist’s name and link.

    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.

    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

    I prefer to play “Dance, trollboy! Dance!”.

  161. 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?

  163. 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.

  165. 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.

  170. 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]

  171. mikeg says

    “un-cowardly”, uncowardly, unc-owardly, uncow-ardly”… wow! i wait patiently for the email reply…

  172. says

    Kel, your “new feature in the lab” has no mutation associated with it….why are you propping that up as some sort of evidence of evolution? How can you have evolution without genetic change?

    Are you Casey Luskin?

  173. 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

  175. 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.

  176. Memoriam says

    Awww, poor little stanny-boy got killfile’d. That’s too bad, keep in touch, bye-bye.

  177. 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.

  179. Sven DiMilo says

    ah, supersport I recall.
    Somebody needs to post the troll taxonomy…these self-splitters are hard to keep track of.

  180. E.V. says

    you ilk are all ready up to numbnuts, fartknocker and doofus.

    Let’s get the name calling score right:

    Ilk -“Doofus” “nunmbnuts”
    Troll-:”fartknocker”

  182. Bride of Shrek OM says

    you ilk are all ready up to numbnuts, fartknocker and doofus.
    Let’s get the name calling score right:
    Ilk -“Doofus” “nunmbnuts”
    Troll-:”fartknocker

    Let’s not forget that “Ilk” got in a “doo doo head”. FTW.

  183. 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.

  185. 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.

  186. 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.

  187. 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.

  188. 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.

  190. 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

  191. 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?

  192. 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.

  193. 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?

  195. SEF says

    Sometimes you merely have to be a woman to offend religious people and get them to show their religion’s “love”.

  196. lytefoot says

    “mew strictures”… strict restraints on the ethical behavior of cats, perhaps? I’ll admit, random mutation does not appear to produce these.

  197. 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?

  198. says

    Is it just me, or do these wacky Catholics who constantly threaten Professor Myers worship the Eucharist and not Jesus Christ?

  199. 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.

  200. 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.

  201. 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?

  202. E.V. 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?

    In the incapacity of the believer to process reality and logic.

  203. 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?

    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.

  204. 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?

  205. Ilkka Pyysiainen says

    Arguing rationally is being sissy? Real intellectuals prefer beating their opponents up? Is that what you mean?

  206. 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

  208. 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.

  210. 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…

  211. 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).

    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

  212. 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

  213. 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.

  214. 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-

  216. 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.

  217. Pierce R. Butler says

    Meanwhile, in other crackergate news:

    Host Desecration Videos Back on YouTube
    America Needs Fatima outraged

    SPRING GROVE, Penn., Oct. 2 /Christian Newswire/ — Host desecration videos originally pulled from YouTube have been reposted. The America Needs Fatima campaign is sickened by this blasphemy and has collected 18,201 signatures on a protest petition in just 7 days.

    The 40 separate desecration videos — originally posted in mid-August — showed the Host being flushed down a toilet, stomped on and fed to ducks, among other sickening spectacles.

    In response to the America Needs Fatima petition, the desecration videos were pulled from YouTube on October 1, but were reposted the same day. … ANF is a project of The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP), which was founded in 1973 by a group of concerned Catholics to lead an intellectual resistance to liberalism, socialism and communism, as well as to affirm the positive values of tradition, family and property.

  219. 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.

  221. 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.