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Dover, PA Evolution Trial [daily thread for 07 Oct]
York Daily Record ^ | 07 October 2005 | Staff

Posted on 10/07/2005 7:23:15 AM PDT by PatrickHenry

To keep this all in one daily thread, here are links to two articles in the York Daily Record (with excerpts from each), which has been doing a great job of reporting on the trial:

Forrest cross-examination a rambling wonder.

About the time that Richard Thompson, head law guy at the Thomas More center and chief defender of the Dover Area School Board, started his third year of cross-examination of philosopher Barbara Forrest, it was easy to imagine that at that moment, everyone in the courtroom, including Forrest, who doesn’t believe in God, was violating the separation of church and court by appealing to God for it to please, Lord, just stop.

It wouldn’t have been so bad if there was a point to the ceaseless stream of questions from Thompson designed to elicit Lord knows what. He’d ask her the same question 18 different times, expecting, I guess, a different answer at some point. And he never got it.

Thompson, who said he’s a former prosecutor, should have known better. Forrest, a professor at Southeastern Louisiana University and expert on the history of the intelligent design creationist movement, was a lot smarter than, say, some poor, dumb criminal defendant.

Here is a summation of Forrest’s testimony: She examined the history of the intelligent design movement and concluded that it’s simply another name for creationism. And what led her to that conclusion? The movement leader’s own words. They started out with a religious proposition and sought to clothe it in science. The result was similar to putting a suit on your dog.

[anip]

Thompson was in the midst of asking Forrest whether she had heard a bunch of things that some people had said to indicate, well, to indicate whether she’d heard a bunch of things that some people had said, I guess, when the topic came up.

Thompson asked whether she had ever heard a statement by some guy — frankly, this one caught me off-guard and I didn’t catch the guy’s name — who said that belief in evolution can be used to justify “cross-species sex.”

This came on the same day that Thompson grilled Forrest about her opposition to the so-called Santorum amendment to the No Child Left Behind Act that seemed to encourage, sort of, the teaching of intelligent design. Our U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum is a friend of the intelligent design people.

He also has a strange obsession with bestiality, commenting that court decisions that uphold the right to privacy would lead to — naturally, and you know you were thinking it — man-on-dog sex.

Dover science teachers testified that they fought references to intelligent design.

Defense attorney Richard Thompson [he represents the school board] said differing opinions on whether teachers and administration worked in cooperation to create the Dover Area School District’s statement on intelligent design comes down to perspective.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; Philosophy; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: crevolist; dinosaur; dinosaurs; dover; evolution; godsgravesglyphs; paleontology; scienceeducation
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To: VadeRetro
Thanks for reminding me. Please tell Darwin Central I need an increase in my allowance.

DONE!

You may now expect to spend TWO weeks each year stranded on a deserted island with "medved", g3k, and f-dot, instead of the usual one week vacation!

181 posted on 10/07/2005 5:11:51 PM PDT by longshadow
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To: longshadow
What, pray tell, would he gain by claiming that if it were not true?

Indeed! "Intelligent design is just the Logos theology of John's Gospel" is something Dembski probably wishes now he HAD lied about but obviously didn't.

182 posted on 10/07/2005 5:13:01 PM PDT by VadeRetro (I'll have a few sleepless nights after I send you over, sure! But it'll pass.)
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To: longshadow
Hah! Last year the reservations got messed up and it was Jennifer Love Hewitt, Heather Locklear, and Kathy Martin!
183 posted on 10/07/2005 5:15:29 PM PDT by VadeRetro (I'll have a few sleepless nights after I send you over, sure! But it'll pass.)
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To: VadeRetro
Hah! Last year the reservations got messed up and it was Jennifer Love Hewitt, Heather Locklear, and Kathy Martin!

You're kidding!

Those three hotties had to spend a week on a deserted island with medved, g3k, and f-dot?????

We've gotta get a new travel office personnel at DarwinCentral......

184 posted on 10/07/2005 5:17:43 PM PDT by longshadow
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To: VadeRetro
Please tell Darwin Central I need an increase in my allowance.

Sure. The Grand Master is a reasonable man.

185 posted on 10/07/2005 5:19:40 PM PDT by PatrickHenry ( I won't respond to a troll, crackpot, half-wit, or incurable ignoramus.)
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To: longshadow
Those three hotties had to spend a week on a deserted island with medved, g3k, and f-dot?????

This kind of thing is happening to me a lot lately ...

186 posted on 10/07/2005 5:19:46 PM PDT by VadeRetro (I'll have a few sleepless nights after I send you over, sure! But it'll pass.)
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To: PatrickHenry
Did the white Persian cat die? :(
187 posted on 10/07/2005 5:20:40 PM PDT by VadeRetro (I'll have a few sleepless nights after I send you over, sure! But it'll pass.)
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To: VadeRetro
This kind of thing is happening to me a lot lately ...

"Say 'goodnite,' Gracie....."

188 posted on 10/07/2005 5:22:47 PM PDT by longshadow
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To: longshadow
It isn't even ten o'clock yet! OK, never mind. "Goodnight, Gracie!"
189 posted on 10/07/2005 5:24:18 PM PDT by VadeRetro (I'll have a few sleepless nights after I send you over, sure! But it'll pass.)
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To: VadeRetro; js1138; Michael_Michaelangelo
Science can be wrong for decades.

In the case of Darwinian macro-evolution, it's been just over 100 years. It's nice of you to recognize that evolution may be wrong. Maybe we're getting somewhere.

Isn't that the entire point of the trial in Dover; that there is at least one competing idea about how life came to be?

Why are evolutionists so afraid of competing ideas?

190 posted on 10/07/2005 5:25:26 PM PDT by connectthedots
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To: connectthedots
Isn't that the entire point of the trial in Dover; that there is at least one competing idea about how life came to be?

No, the trial at Dover is about the Wedge Strategy.

191 posted on 10/07/2005 5:27:40 PM PDT by js1138 (Great is the power of steady misrepresentation.)
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To: connectthedots
Isn't that the entire point of the trial in Dover; that there is at least one competing idea about how life came to be?

What is science class about? It isn't just anything. It should really be science, or it shouldn't be in there.

There is no theory competing with evolution within science to explain the origin of the diversity of life on Earth. If your idea of a science class has a steeple on it, your mileage may vary.

192 posted on 10/07/2005 5:29:15 PM PDT by VadeRetro (I'll have a few sleepless nights after I send you over, sure! But it'll pass.)
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To: VadeRetro
Here's a link I have stored under Feathered Dinosaurs still working as of 7 Oct. It isn't just Archaeopteryx anymore.

Thanks for the link. That Liaoning, China site is a huge find.
193 posted on 10/07/2005 5:49:50 PM PDT by microgood
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To: microgood
That Liaoning, China site is a huge find.

Yes. Apparently, there were a number of Mt. St. Helens-style volcanic events which created some exquisitely preserved fossils.

194 posted on 10/07/2005 6:14:48 PM PDT by VadeRetro (I'll have a few sleepless nights after I send you over, sure! But it'll pass.)
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To: VadeRetro
Have you seen this website? Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History.
195 posted on 10/07/2005 6:30:30 PM PDT by PatrickHenry ( I won't respond to a troll, crackpot, half-wit, or incurable ignoramus.)
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To: connectthedots

I have a better question. What the heck is macro-evolution?


196 posted on 10/07/2005 6:32:45 PM PDT by b_sharp (Free Modernman and SeaLion from purgatory)
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To: b_sharp; connectthedots

" He's been told this before. He's been shown the evidence for higher-taxa transitionals a number of times."

I know, and I never seriously expected an answer. I just think it needs to be addressed every time it's said, for the lurkers at any rate.


197 posted on 10/07/2005 6:33:03 PM PDT by CarolinaGuitarman ("There is a grandeur in this view of life...")
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To: PatrickHenry

Illustrations by E. Christman? That's scary.


198 posted on 10/07/2005 6:36:04 PM PDT by js1138 (Great is the power of steady misrepresentation.)
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To: CarolinaGuitarman
"I know, and I never seriously expected an answer. I just think it needs to be addressed every time it's said, for the lurkers at any rate."

As does the fact that we've done our job and informed him many times.

199 posted on 10/07/2005 6:37:34 PM PDT by b_sharp (Free Modernman and SeaLion from purgatory)
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200?


200 posted on 10/07/2005 6:42:07 PM PDT by PatrickHenry ( I won't respond to a troll, crackpot, half-wit, or incurable ignoramus.)
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