Maybe they have a point. Not hard to argue that Texas legislators and educational administrators, for the most part, have not evolved at all.

And once again, that old chestnut, all sides of the question ought to be taught. Yeah, if there are sides. If you pretend that evidence, logic, and reason mean nothing, then perhaps you can pretend that "creationism" has equal stature with evolution. This is an old rightwing dodge. Clamor for "fairness," when what is really being demanded is equal status for ignoramuses with those who have spent their lives mastering the difficulties of research. I grew up with idiots like that. They damn near ruined my education. I was a Southern Baptist preacher's son, devout, and even I could see they were spouting nonsense.

Think of it this way, creationists: The expert mechanics all tell you that your car's engine runs on gas. You take a poll of your neighbors, and the majority say, no, it runs on water. You fill the gas tank with water and get mad at the mechanics when the engine is ruined.

Science attempts to describe how things actually work. How things actually work is not determined by who wins a debate. You can argue whether hell exists, but we know for certain that it isn't located under the Earth, no matter how loudly you claim that it is. Science isn't a perfect mechanism, but there are multitudes of checks, and no theory gets adopted without proving that it actually does a good job of explaining the observed facts. Every bit of any scientific theory has undergone extended and extremely thorough assault by highly qualified brains. If you really think that what most scientists are interested in is attacking your theology because the devil made them do it, you are a sad case mentally.

Texas is steadily destroying itself politically, economically, and socially. The know-nothing plague will burn itself out eventually, but when the oil goes, there will be nothing left but a vast barren expanse of bitter and resentful citizens. All the reasonble people who can will have left.

And Brightstar: Fear not. Everyone who has read your other posts knows exactly how openminded you are.

A minor point: Dogs are still dogs, humans are still humans, mammals are still mammals. Aye, but these are all descriptive categories we invented after the fact. The question is WHEN did there begin to be something we would all agree was a dog? WHEN did there begin to be something we would all recognize as a human? "Mammals" is a category of our own devising, not a universal absolute.

Agree whole-heartedly with your comments. Suspect a great many people do. Have posted these on my OS blog. They refer essentially to Geithner and Obama's disturbing behavior, though I voted for the man and respect him generally.

Just poems, as most would say, but they made me feel better. I send them to Whitehouse.gov as I do them.

5. BONUS?

The Secretary of the Treasury

paid off his friends first. Why should you be

defending this turkey? We believe in change

all right, you need a little time. Not strange.

But it doesn’t take time to begin, and you began wrong.

Same old greedy story, same old song.

I voted for you, but now you must get rid

of the “expert” crooks: We’re counting on you, kid.

6. YOU ASKED FOR IT

Listen, I hate to break the news to you,

but after the idiot self-righteous clown and his crew

did all that damage to our country, we need

a hero, a Lincoln. Don’t let it go to your head.

The heroes always have to pay a price.

It isn’t rhetoric, but sacrifice.

What’ll it be? Smooth-talking also-ran?

Or do you have the guts to be the man?

7. ON THE REVERENCE WE OWE ELECTED OFFICIALS

As far as I’m concerned, the president

is just a man, not some divine advent.

He campaigns well, and maybe, just maybe,

can throw out the bathwater but not the baby.

I’ve spent nearly fifty years on what I love,

and I’m better at it, when push comes to shove,

than he is at his job. So should I bow

and bend the knee? No way, no time, nohow.

Dear TorontoTuna--I was about to indite a long fit of praise for Bang the Drum Slowly, which is a wonderful movie and by far the best baseball movie I have ever seen, believable, realistic, and incredibly moving. Then I saw your comment. Thank you!

Porn is boring. Those guys think sex is "pounding."

As for shaving the pubes: It may be fashionable in the last ten years, but believe me, there are plenty of us males over a certain age who think it's silly. We prefer grown women, not somebody pretending to be a child.

And your real body is infinitely sexier than a surgically constructed fantasy. The pleasures of sexuality are personal, not social. It doesn't work to spend energy trying to impress others if you are depriving yourself.

Glitch83 (and probably others): Poplawski and his like are scary indeed. But they can only do damage in isolated outbreaks because their craziness has not been acted on. That's horrible enough, but it is the worst of it. Can you imagine these nutballs trying to form an army? Any group of sane people could easily outthink their broken brains. We would destroy them in combat. Then put our guns down again.

We may have to fear rightwing demagogues swaying the popular vote. But we don't have to fear armies of these creeps.