Noted Science Guy Continues To Be Completely Flummoxed By Human Nature

From The New Republic:

Thanks to Bill Nye, Creationists Raised Enough Money to Build an Anti-Science Theme Park

The science guy won a debate—and subsidized the enemy

BY JERRY A. COYNE

I’m not saying “I told you so” (in fact I am, of course), but the main upshot of the Bill Nye/Ken Ham debate appears to have tipped the final balance in favor of Ham.

The debate, as you’ll recall, was held in Kentucky’s Creation Museum, was on the validity of creationism as a model of biological origins and diversity, and the proceeds from the DVDs went to Ham and other creationists.

Now, according to the Guardian and other venues, Ham has announced that proceeds from the debate have apparently revived the dormant “Ark Park” project, which will contain a “life-sized” replica of Noah’s Ark.

This is precisely what I predicted in a pre-debate post on January 5, “Ark Park near collapse; will Bill Nye help finance it?”...

Mr. Coyne goes on to report Bill Nye's reaction to having walked right past all the big, neon, "Danger!  Do Not Enter!" signs and straight into his role in Ken Ham's fundraising scheme as --

,,,“heartbroken and sickened for the Commonwealth of Kentucky” after learning that the project would move forward. [Nye] said the ark would eventually draw more attention to the beliefs of Ham’s ministry, which preaches that the Bible’s creation story is a true account, and as a result, “voters and taxpayers in Kentucky will eventually see that this is not in their best interest.”

-- because some Liberals are really stupid like that.

And in the name of "debate" or "engagement" or "fairness" some Liberals will go right on being stupid like that.  They simply cannot wrap their heads around the fact that the Right is not interested in debating them. That the Right no longer even recognizes the concept of "debate" anymore.  To Conservatives, a "debate" is just another venue for another round of whoop de poo flinging and laughing at those po', dumb Libruls who keep flying into the same fucking bug zapper over and over again.

For more on this story, we turn to the late Steve Gilliard from January of 2005:

...There's a tendency for liberals to try and be fair, to consider other viewpoints, so we get baited by them in debates on terms that they set. I'm going to act on the following: I don't care what conservatives think. The NRO Corner thinks I'm a racist, I don't care, their opinions on race are meaningless.

Instacracker doesn't like what I say?

That's the purpose of the exercise.

I want conservatives to read this site and come away steaming. I don't want them to think they will like a word I will say here. I don't want them to think I will consider their opinions or viewpoints. I want them to think: boy he doesn't like conservatives and really, really doesn't care what we say.

I'm tired of people acting like these people can be reasoned with or talked to. They don't want to talk, they want to drive us away into a corner and ridicule our ideas.

I'm not writing to make conservatives happy. I want them to hate my opinions.

I'm not interested in debating them.

I want to stop them.

And for even more, we turn to the late Steve Gilliard from March of 2005 (emphasis added):

...The Bible Thumpers will always be with us, and after a while, people get sick of them. They did in the 20's and they will now. The GOP has one fucking thing holding them together, power. In 2007, a lot of fiscal conservatives are going to find their nominees for president are a high grade of wacko, like Rick Santorum. People who are too crazy to win, but because the Jesus freaks control the GOP street game, they will have to decide what to do. Just like we listened to Jim Carville four years too long, the GOP will curse the name of Karl Rove for letting the Jesus freaks think the GOP is God's Own Party. Personally, I plan on handing them anvils and watching the fucking bubbles hit the surface.

And about the media: subvert it where you can, provide alternatives when you can't. We have to challenge them when they are wrong. We can't let them get away with bullshit and then whine about it. And we have to start picking friends and enemies. No law says you have to talk to the Weekly Standard or NRO and I wouldn't bother. Let them say what they want, racist thugs, the lot of them. We don't have to make their job easier.

The GOP worked the refs to the point that they shit themselves. It's time to do the same. Someone ought to be deconstructing David Brooks and sending out PR releases highlighting his fucking errors and sexism weekly. This is not a game to win on defense...

As to that list bit, Steve, all I can say is, I've been trying.

Almost since the day you kicked me out of your comment section and I started this blog.

Right on through the end of The News Blog.  Through the rise and fall of The Group News Blog.  Through the rise and fall of The Fighting Liberals.

And I'll go right on trying awhile longer.

But after nine years, as far as I can tell, while a few of my peers are now playing my ragtime, ain't nobody upstairs listening.