[Delacon]

I think Mr. Derbyshire is being way too harsh(I am a big Ben Stein fan) but yeah, what he said.

[DoughtyOne]

Wow, such a negative reaction. I think I’ll go see the movie.

[Alright_on_the_LeftCoast]

Great, go ahead and believe Dawkins then...that makes you an “Alien Seed”...fricken’ moron...where did the aliens come from?????

[Soliton]

Wow, he even took my barbarians at the gates statement. Nice article though

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

So what’s going on here with this stupid Expelled movie? No, I haven’t seen the dang thing.

I haven't seen it either.

Of course, I also didn't write a big article bragging about how ignorant I was concerning a documentary right before trashing it.

[wideawake]

Derbyshire has basically revealed over the past year or so that he doesn't believe in God and finds religious belief rather quaint and pointless, that he considers any patriotism that is what academics would call "uncritical" to be impossible for him, and that he essentially finds the mindset of a working-class Evangelical conservative to be embarrassing.

He is the GOP version of an Obama/Kerry elitist.

[lesser_satan]

ITT: >9000 replies, hundreds of comments removed, several bans, and epic trolling.

[Lexington Green]

‘’No, I haven’t seen the dang thing.’’

Then his words are hollow.

[Cicero]

What on earth has gotten into Nation Review and John Derbyshire? Maybe it’s just as well that Bill Buckley died when he did, so he didn’t live to see this.

Ben Stein is NOT attacking Darwin. He is taking the totalitarian intolerance of the ignorant fools who run our universities. He is not even saying that Intelligent Design theory is right, if I understand him.

He is saying that academics have gotten so bigoted and intolerant that they simply will not allow any diversity of opinion or arguments with their beliefs. And if National Review is so committed to the Darwinist theology that it thinks all discussion of the matter should be banned from our schools and universities, than I say it’s time to close NRO down. They made perfect fools of themselves during the presidential campaign, and here they are doing it again.

[xjcsa]

Derb is willing to accuse Stein of “blood libel against Western civilization” without even watching the movie? That takes some kind of balls.

[Coyoteman]

Oooooh! That’s gonna leave a mark—placemarker!

[scory]

I always ask myself two questions about atheists:

1. What effort did he/she make to determine whether God exists?

2. Was there something that he/she wanted so badly and felt was so urgent and obviously right that, when the desire went unfulfilled, he/she conceived a violent hatred for the one Being of all beings who could and should (in their eyes) have fulfilled it?

[ShadowAce]

It not pro-creationism. It's anti-evolution-establishment.

His whole point in the movie was to ask why people lose their jobs when they question evolution--not even propose creationism, but merely question evolution.

He ought to go see the movie before writing about it.

[PreciousLiberty]

I’ve not seen the movie either, and based on what I know of it have no desire to. It’s sad to see Ben Stein, who’s been very funny at times, involved with such an intellectually bereft effort.

[freespirited]

I feel the same way as Derb. Was always a big fan of Ben Stein, and then this craziness. He just believed whatever people who he wanted to believe told him without checking it out.

For ex, he fell for Carolyn Crocker, who claims she was fired from George Mason U for her scientific dissent. But she wasnt. She had a part time contract. It wasnt renewed. So where is she now? Teaching fulltime in another branch of the higher ed state system.

If Ben had tried to confirm her story, he would have found out that she was looking for a sap who would fall for her victim schtick.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Derb also said that, while believing in God would be unacceptable to him, believing in leprechauns wouldn’t present a problem for him (seriously).

[pilipo]

No, I haven’t seen the dang thing

So, darbyshire, why critique the dang thing? Easy $$$$ ? or just easy pickin's.

[San Jacinto]

Our scientific theories are the crowning adornments of our civilization, towering monuments of intellectual effort, built from untold millions of hours of observation, measurement, classification, discussion, and deliberation. ..... Simply as intellectual constructs, our well-established scientific theories are awe-inspiring.

And should , therefore, never be questioned!! -- (how UNscientific is that???)

Just two words should suffice as a critique regarding the infallibility of our "well-established scientific theories" --Global Warming

One word should sufficiently describe the esteemed writer who doesn't bother to see the documentary he pans -- Buffoon

[IrishCatholic]

Two knuckle deep nose picker lost me right here: “So what’s going on here with this stupid Expelled movie? No, I haven’t seen the dang thing.”

Everything after that means he is talking out his bum. If he wanted to write about the movie, pro or con, he should have seen it. Mr. Derbyshire is all liberal in this one. CLUELESS.

[norton]

Derbyshire's entire article is an argument in favor of Stein's premise:
a. I have not seen the movie (just guessing at the content)
b. I am sure you are a traitor, maybe a bit unhinged for perhaps writing a story that does not follow my beliefs (my beliefs need no defense other than your silence)
c. "The barbarians" are outside just waiting for something like this to sap our defenses ("they" aren't smart - but seem to be quite patient and sometimes lucky)
d. Certainly, children should not be exposed to this debased thinking, let them pay to see "Iron Man" or "Grand Theft Auto"...
e. About half the audience is totally willing to agree with my beliefs, silence the barbarian's argument, and condemn those who question as less wise than themselves.

He got one right anyway.

[wendy1946]

Yet another idiot who’s going to be unhappy when Stein walks off with film of the year for 08.