PZ did a radio debate with a creationist Intelligent Design advocate Teach The Controversy!-ist called Geoffrey Simmons - incidentally, from the Discovery Institute, that noted scientific research laboratory. You can listen to an MP3 recording of the debate here.
Just so you aren't too surprised - Simmons turns out to be as pathetically ham-fisted as is to be expected from creationists, about as learned on scientific matters as a used pretzel. Why even bother listening to a creationist get an intellectual denunciation from a scientist? Well, what did it for me was the adverts for the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Focus on the Family (including lunch with Dr. James Dobson!), as well as the faux bonhomie that evangelical broadcasters always adopt during these debates. I guess they hope that the very fact that they are hosting the debate is supposed to make them look good.
PZ also pointed to some other amusing news from the Discovery Institute, surely the greatest living collection of scientists to ever walk the earth. Apparently, they have time in their busy schedule of ID research to trawl YouTube and issue DMCA take-down notices to their obviously misguided critics.
In other news from the ignorant, I got my first threat of physical violence over something I'd written yesterday. I was on a forum explaining exactly why conspiracy theories about One World Governments and New World Orders are inane and pointless. My argument is very simple against these people. Firstly, if the world is being run by a secret conspiracy who are slowly poisoning their own people, flying planes into buildings to bring about mass panic and fear and mercilessly suppressing dissent, why exactly do they allow conspiracy theorists to flourish? I mean, it'd only be a matter of flipping the switch on their websites and message boards and, oh, releasing some deadly nerve gas during conspiracy meetups (sadly, these people congregate in real life to exchange information about how the world is just a puppet on the string of the real masters! etc.). Secondly, these people are rightly concerned about personal freedoms and civil liberties. But their reaction to these issues isn't effective. While normal people who are concerned about this do things like write to their elected representatives, lobby, protest, sign petitions, contribute to lobby groups, try to push their political parties to change their views and try to do outreach to their fellow citizens and the media, what do the conspiracy theorists do? Make videos about how the Bush administration masterminded the September 11th attacks. This leaves one's credibility wavering somewhere in between that of young earth creationists and child molesters, which is hardly the best state of affairs if one is trying to push for change on civil liberties issues. In fact, the sheer idiocy of these people almost makes one have to consider the possibility that conspiracy theorists are simply a plot by authoritarians to make those people who support civil liberties seem like fringe wackjobs in order to push their agenda. Oh, wait. Maybe we should look for some evidence first rather than looking for the Secret Puppetmaster.
