Apparently not to the IDers, who describe timespans of that magnitide as "an instant" -- thanks for confirming for us that they really don't care about any kind of accuracy whatsoever when they're spinning their false propaganda.
I think that what this argument is really about is adherents to mainstream science are upset with what they perceive as heretics making waves in established fields.
Horse manure. Mainstream science *loves* "heretics". They give them Nobel Prizes and other awards. Few things are as exciting to a scientist as a new, unexpected paradigm that opens up new avenues of discovery.
What science does *not* appreciate is liars. Scientists care very much about accuracy and honesty, because those are necessary ingredients of being able to obtain the most reliable results and information. Liars *really* tick off scientists for that reason.
And liars who pretend to have scientific backing for their lies p*** off scientists even more. You know how you get ticked off when some Michael Moore wannabee says, "science shows that..." in order to prop up their bogus crap? That ticks off scientists ten times as much -- because not only is someone lying about their garbage, but they're dishonestly piggybacking on science's good name to do so, *and* because such crap makes the public wonder if the *real* scientists are equally careless about the truth in service to some political agenda. That kind of stuff unfairly damages the reputation of all *real* science.
And *this* is why the ID folks get such a harsh reception. They're liars, pretending to have scientific backing for their religious beliefs, when they do not.
Mainstream media is being challenged,
By liars and propagandists.
(Your reply) By liars and propagandists.
Ichneumon, I think you didn't quite get my meaning here. The most obvious challenge to the MSM is the conservative media: talk radio and bloggers. In short, US.