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 Texas politician believes in "fixed earth"
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard

USA
3739 Posts

Posted - 02/19/2007 :  10:15:20  Show Profile  Visit marfknox's Homepage  Send marfknox an AOL message Send marfknox a Private Message
Texas house rep believes sun revolves around earth and that the earth is "fixed" and does not move, written about on the Daily Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/2/16/114553/289

Amazing that such people can get elected anywhere in this country. And frightening.

"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong

Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com

leoofno
Skeptic Friend

USA
346 Posts

Posted - 02/19/2007 :  11:25:34   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send leoofno a Private Message
Um, I didn't see anything in the memo circulated by Warren Chisum that discussed a "fixed earth". The memo was only about getting feedback on a possible way to attack the teaching of evolution in the schools (and a really stupid sounding one I might add). Fixedearth.com was just where a generic Bill could be found for introducing the anti-evolution legislation.

Unless there's more to the story than I can see, this is only a case of creationists grasping at really stupid anti-evolution straws.

"If you're not terrified, you're not paying attention." Eric Alterman
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moakley
SFN Regular

USA
1888 Posts

Posted - 02/19/2007 :  12:20:07   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send moakley a Private Message
Seems like Georgia has a bigger problem since the representative who originated the memo was from there. Trying to make a case that evolution is a religion and the proof you provide are three links all to the same web site. It doesn't seem to be an unreasonable assumption that both Bridges and Chisum support a fixed earth. The site is anti-Copenicum and anti-Darwin. Nuts anyone?

Life is good

Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned. -Anonymous
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filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 02/19/2007 :  13:00:36   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send filthy a Private Message
What, it's not a spoof?!

I suppose not; I've been wondering about it for some few days now, and no one seems to be laughing but me.

I've also had the thought that, if Chisum & friends are serious (hehehe-snort), it looks like he's grasping a straw in a flood. The creationists are really getting desperate if they're using this sort of addled reasoning for support of their -- is it still an adgenda? -- yes, I guess it still must be (hahahaha-sxnysxzx) -- they are getting really desperate.

No, no, None but the most idiotic of the True Believers (tm) would buy into such bilge. Really, not even the departed Hovind; not even the blithering Ham or Dobson, or some other of the even more mindless of the apologists would try to get this one by anyone outside of a Home for the Terminally Confused.

In a way, this might be a good thing. It is said that a drowning man will grasp at any straw that floats by; and if this ain't grasping at a very soggy straw, I don't know what is.

I (hehehe-hahahaha-harharharharhar-ohgawdmysideshurt!) love it! Mods! Move this thing to Humor where it belongs, please!




"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres


"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!

Edited by - filthy on 02/19/2007 13:05:17
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leoofno
Skeptic Friend

USA
346 Posts

Posted - 02/20/2007 :  08:03:26   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send leoofno a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by moakley

Seems like Georgia has a bigger problem since the representative who originated the memo was from there. Trying to make a case that evolution is a religion and the proof you provide are three links all to the same web site. It doesn't seem to be an unreasonable assumption that both Bridges and Chisum support a fixed earth. The site is anti-Copenicum and anti-Darwin. Nuts anyone?

(bolding mine)

It opens the possibility, but I would need to see some extraordinary evidence for such an extraordinary claim. I am reminded of the saying: "Politics makes strange bedfellows."

"If you're not terrified, you're not paying attention." Eric Alterman
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R.Wreck
SFN Regular

USA
1191 Posts

Posted - 02/20/2007 :  18:31:06   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send R.Wreck a Private Message
Looks like Mr. Chisum caught some flak for the anti-semetic content at the fixed earth site. Link.

quote:
House Appropriations Chairman Warren Chisum said Wednesday that he's "willing to apologize" for giving colleagues a document that contains what the Anti-Defamation League called "outrageous anti-Semitic material."

"The stuff that causes conflicts between religious beliefs, you know, I'd never be a party to that," Mr. Chisum said. "I'm willing to apologize if I've offended anyone."

Mr. Chisum's comments came after he learned that the Anti-Defamation League, which works against anti-Semitism and other forms of hate, was demanding "a repudiation and apology" in a letter to his office. He said he hadn't seen the letter late Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Pampa Republican distributed a memo written by Georgia GOP Rep. Ben Bridges to Texas House members' mailboxes. The memo advocated that schools stop teaching evolution and contained links to a Web site that warns of international Jewish conspiracies. It also directed readers to the group that created the Web site – the Atlanta-area Fair Education Foundation.




There's evidence that Chisum may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer:

quote:
Mr. Chisum said he hadn't looked at the Web site and didn't realize that he was distributing that type of material. He expressed chagrin that he didn't vet the material more carefully.




In more ways than one:

quote:
He said he believes creation and evolution should both be taught in schools, and he separated himself from what he called "goofy stuff" on the Web site.




As opposed the the "goofy stuff" that has apparently infested his brain.

The Constitution forbids a religious test for holding office. I think, however, that we need an ammendment requiring an intelligence test.

The foundation of morality is to . . . give up pretending to believe that for which there is no evidence, and repeating unintelligible propositions about things beyond the possibliities of knowledge.
T. H. Huxley

The Cattle Prod of Enlightened Compassion
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