[Antoninus]

The intensity of attacks that an ID proponent faces from DE people is exactly comparable to the fury evoked by any other religious debate.

I think that macro-evolution is the best explanation of how and why animal species came to be as they are today. However, I have no problem with people questioning this premise in any way. That's how we advance in our scientific knowledge.

But for some people, evolution is a key part of their "belief system." As Ann Coulter said, the theory of evolution is an atheist's creation myth.

[tacticalogic]

The intensity of attacks that an ID proponent faces from DE people is exactly comparable to the fury evoked by any other religious debate.

Indeed. ID promises to provide an opportunity to look at the data from a new perspective, and a potential to drag the debate into chaos squabbling over the Designer.

[steve-b]

However, I have no problem with people questioning this premise in any way.

People who question the premise without advancing any solid evidence against it, or in favor of an alternative, are equivalent to people who rant about Bush and Cheney and Halliburton without offering any plausible alternative strategy for dealing with Islamic Fundamentalists. In both cases, they have a right to express their opinions, and everybody else has a right to ignore them (and sensible people excercise the latter).