Utter IDiots
<p>Leon H. at RedState writes in <a href='http://www.redstate.org/story/2005/12/21/113454/58'> Intelligent Design (The Debate Isn&#8217;t Helping)</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>
In other words, my feeling about Krauthammer, Derbyshire, et al is<br />
basically this: if you wish to denigrate ID and insult its proponents,<br />
go find an ID discussion board (they are legion) and do so there &#8211;<br />
don&#8217;t use the pages of NR or your token space in the WaPo to do it<br />
in. What possible benefit to the cause of conservatism could come<br />
about by you propounding your opinion on a topic which is neither your<br />
calling nor your area of expertise, and which will insult a<br />
significant portion of the Republican coalition?
</p></blockquote>
<p>What a load of disingenuous crap this is!</p>
<p>I&#8217;m not a conservative, myself, and dislike conservatism for many reasons that I have <a href='http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=153'>written about elsewhere</a>. But I can sympathize with conservatives who desire to put distance between themselves and the ID movement, which combines purblind stupidity with dishonesty about its actual aims in a way I&#8217;ve previously only seen in gun-control proponents.</p>
<p>The ID movement&#8217;s claim that it&#8217;s not about end-running the First Amendment and turning schools into instruments for the propagation of Christian dogma is <em>just</em> as transparently specious as most gun-grabbers&#8217; claims that they don&#8217;t aim to render the Second Amendment a dead letter.  Both gangs are enemies of liberty and the U.S. Constitution, and for precisely the same reasons.  It&#8217;s hardly startling for anyone, conservative or otherwise, to want to avoid being associated with any movement that lies wholesale about its objectives.</p>
<p>And that&#8217;s before addressing the numerous gaping logical holes in the &#8220;intelligent design&#8221; argument.  U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones, deciding Kitzmiller vs. Dover on December 20th, nailed many of these in his <a href='http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/educate/ktzmllrdvr122005opn.pdf'>opinion</a>.  To actually buy the ID argument requires either a complete inability to do critical thinking or a zealot&#8217;s refusal to exercise it.</p>
<p>&#8220;What possible benefit to the cause of conservatism&#8221; he asks. Maybe&#8230;just maybe&#8230;Krauthammer and Derbyshire would like to demonstrate that there are some conservatives who are neither liars, religious zealots, nor plain-and-simple idiots.</p>
