Currently biting my tongue, as someone posted how excited they are about this idiocy opening on one of my homeschool lists. Wanted SO BADLY to say "Yep, I'm planning a group tour as well, but we'll bring our own guide thanks. An actual scientist who can go exhibit by exhibit and point out exacty how STUPID this entire waste of money is."

But I didn't. Don't want to start a flame war. Or do I? *sigh*

I just have so very little patience with this sort of shit. It costs us - homeschoolers - a lot of credibility. Makes me nuts. I may go and reply to her about a group outing when I'm calmer, but my knee jerk reaction is to ask "Did your mother take drugs to make you that stupid, or were you dropped on your head as an infant?"

Probably not a helpful comment. *sigh*

Please, though - be sure to write in to the paper and give them your opinion on what the cover should have said. They do print them, if they're articulate and not cursing.

Well, now I see I spoke too soon. Go you!

And how sad is it that we NEED to let scientists in a SCIENCE museum know we're not nutjobs upfront?

*sigh*

Maybe I just need to get some tshirts off thinkgeek.com or somesuch about evolution, and all that. Walking advertisements probably wouldn't hurt either.

LOL I like your rewrite!

But I kind of want to see this museum just to see what it has in it... if it's free. I am not paying for that.

It is pathetic that the Enquirer chose that headline though...

http://borgman.enquirer.com/weekly/daily_html/2007/05/052007borgman.html

Borgman's cartoon about the Creationism museum. *g*

OMG!!! What?? Did we suddenly travel back in time to when people were stupid enough to believe that... oh wait, that's today. :(
No, people did not walk with dinosaurs! Dinosaurs weren't on Noah's Ark!! Apart from the religious significance, think of the physics of fitting 2 of every dinosaur on a 300 cubit boat made of freaking wood!! Give me a break!

And I also love how that creation museum is in little bitty northern Kentucky but they're trying to attach themselves to the much more popular big city of Cincinnati.

Just showed George the cover of the paper... he said "They'd be the ones that framed Spiderman."

So... we need to do a tour. My kids are all excited now to learn about evolution - more than the basics they know already, that is - so they can go to this place and play "Spot the Stupid." True wants to read more about it before we go so she can show you how much she knows. LOL!

What's your schedule like? Is there any way we could do a day trip? I'll email you too....

Heeee! I like your version much better. Says it all, really. Succinct. Elegant. BIG RED LETTERS.

Short and simple answer.

...and I suppose radioactive isotopes that can accurately date the origins of dinosaur fossils back millions of years are just red herrings placed in the rocks by Satan to lead people off the path to true Salvation?

Also, has anyone considered that if there was a velociraptor on Noah's Ark? It would have eaten Noah.

I love you rewrite, though. *giggles*

...well. I'm just gonna go and hit my head against my desk now.

Yeah, I wish your version was what the paper had printed, as it is I think it's rather sad that they're giving that place even that much credibility.

BTW, I'm back in Cincy:).

I figured your head was gonna exploded when you saw that. I know mine did. It's bad enough the fucking thing exists, but for the Enquirer to not only cover it, but give it a huge front page spread is ludicrous.

If they gave the Museum Center that kind of coverage, maybe it wouldn't have such financial difficulties.

Grrrrrr.

Why don't you? You are an excellent writer, you certainly know the topic, and you know the enemy well. I'm not saying that you should speak for the Museum Center, but there's nothing that says you can't express your own opinion as a student of paleontology.

"Welcome to the 10:00 news. First up, did man walk among dinosaurs? A new study shows that-No, they didn't. Diane?"

I can't help but wonder how difficult it would be to sell them a set of poorly grounded lightning rods for the roof?
Would the Enquirer run an equally large, front page article reading "Creationist Museum Struck by Lightning, Burns to the Ground"?

Creationists say it is wrong to believe only parts of the Bible, or to use it as allegory.

Oh for Godde's sake! (Literally.) And I suppose these people avoid cotton-polyester blends and shellfish, keep slaves, and believe that intercourse constitutes marriage? I suppose they all give all they own to the poor, take up crosses, and follow Jesus in a literal fashion? I suppose they would subject disobedient children to death? That if their right eye offends them, they cut it out?

Every single person on earth who calls him or herself a Christian picks and chooses which parts of the Bible to believe literally, and which allegorically. Every single one. To claim otherwise is bloody-minded hypocrisy and wilful blindness.

Oh, heck yeah! I know I've seen a few blogs where folks go point by point refuting the mythology, but they're aimed at adults. I'd love a few resources aimed at kids... esp. sources I won't have to go back and correct.

That's one thing I remember about all the history I was taught in school.... they start with one thing, then next year say "Well, that wasn't entirely the truth, but THIS is..." then the next year, the same thing over again...

I'd like to get the "college" version of things into them, so they don't waste all the time I did trying to get over the crap they taught in lower grades.

A five-page PDF suitable for printing out and passing out.

http://www.defconamerica.org/creationmuseum/creation_museum_guide.pdf

Hope you don't mind me using your image (at e-st.net/blog) (i linked it to here, so you shouldn't :) I won't if you don't allow that kind of thing though.

Keep spreading the truth!

Hi there-- I got to your lj via a link in Pharyngula's Creation Museum Carnival, and wanted to say hello. If only the Enquirer were as succinct as you made it..

I used to live in Cincinnati, and was a volunteer in the Museum of Natural History and Science at CMC. I only worked in the paleontology lab briefly, but spent a lot of time guiding people through the Cave, Ice Age, and Dinosaur halls. Unsurprisingly, we had visits from creationists-- including those specifically affiliated with AiG-- quite frequently. They passed out flyers explaining their "origins alternatives" and told my coworkers that they were going to hell. Interestingly, there was a lot of disparity in how our museum supervisors told us to respond. While the Youth Program directors encouraged us to politely turn the conversation away from evolution, my supervisor at the paleontology lab told me to as bluntly and flatly disagree with the creationists as I liked. Those were always entertaining arguments.

I've since moved to Portland, Oregon for college, where I find there are a lot fewer rabid lunatics in general circulation. I won't be visiting Cincinnati again until December, but when I do, hopefully there will be an opportunity to visit the Creation Museum and pass out a few flyers.

Good luck staving off the creationist hordes.

nutjobs. Apparently I lose all ability to type at some point in the evening.