Intelligent Design Theory: Science or Religion?

There's nothing I want. But as the four horses I have tipped on these threads have all won (2 Grand Nationals and 2 Derbys) how about you finding me a winner. I do like taking money off the bookies even though I have no use for it. Don't you know yet that spending money is harder work than making it? Veblen called it the "night shift".

Have you all really nothing to say about the Aphrodite/Hera/Athena trilogy? Can you not lend a hand to entertain our readers? It is entertainment after all. I bet you don't even know that there's a link to this thread with that trilogy and to Dover and to media.

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There's nothing I want. But as the four horses I have tipped on these threads have all won (2 Grand Nationals and 2 Derbys) how about you finding me a winner. I do like taking money off the bookies even though I have no use for it. Don't you know yet that spending money is harder work than making it? Veblen called it the "night shift".

Have you all really nothing to say about the Aphrodite/Hera/Athena trilogy? Can you not lend a hand to entertain our readers? It is entertainment after all. I bet you don't even know that there's a link to this thread with that trilogy and to Dover and to media.

Is there a point here?

The war began as a dispute between the mercenary armies who fought the First Punic War on Carthage's behalf, and a destitute Carthage (who had lost most of its wealth due to the indemnities imposed by Rome as part of the peace treaty) over payment of money owed the mercenaries. The dispute grew until the mercenaries seized Tunis by force of arms, and directly threatened Carthage, who then capitulated to the mercenary's demands. The conflict would have ended there, had not two of the mercenary commanders ?- Spendius and Mathos ?- convinced the Libyan conscripts in the army to accept their leadership, convinced the Libyans that Carthage would take revenge against them for their part in the conflict once the foreign mercenaries were paid and sent home, convinced the combined mercenary armies to revolt against Carthage, and convinced the various Libyan towns and cities to back the revolt. What had been a hotly contested "labor dispute" exploded into a full-scale revolution.

The proposal is that we nominate Spendi to emigrate to America and apply for citizenship there-in.

Whether or not his quotes have any meaning, thats another thing entirely.

Along the highway, I discovered that Spendius was a Yorkshireman, and there is nothing more abhorrent to a Lancastrian such as myself than a Yorkshireman.

Beebe cites rulings in clarification of comments on intelligent design
(BY JAKE BLEED, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, August 15, 2006)

Democratic candidate for governor Mike Beebe clarified Monday that while he believes information on intelligent design should be "available" to Arkansas students, court rulings against the teaching of the theory mean it can only be taught in "churches, faith organizations and private groups."

Supporters describe intelligent design as a scientific alternative to the theory of evolution. They say living organisms involve structures so complex as to be unlikely or impossible to develop by the random processes described in evolution. They say "an intelligent designer" ?- some say God ?- must have played a role in their development.

Opponents deride the theory as religion disguised as science.

Independent candidate Rod Bryan of Little Rock said Monday he's heard that "a lot of people are upset with Beebe's answers."

But he said he won't campaign on the issue, saying candidates should focus on more pressing problems. The debate over the origins of mankind, Bryan said, will continue "from now until Kingdom come."
"To me, it's not a huge issue," Bryan said. "We have so many large issues that we need to be dealing with beside that."

State Republican Party Executive Director Clint Reed criticized Beebe Monday, saying the candidate was "trying to take every side to every issue and in the process is losing credibility daily."

"Are you confused? I sure am," Reed said. "I think Mr. Beebe's political consultants have him confused as to what exactly his position is."
Beebe spokesman Zac Wright said his candidate's position "was and is clear."

Candidates for state offices were asked last week about the issue of intelligent design after a state legislator said he plans to introduce a bill in the 2007 legislative session to require the state to allow the teaching of intelligent design.

Beebe said Friday that the U. S. Supreme Court had ruled that it could not be taught in public schools at this time.

Beebe's campaign could not identify a case where the nation's highest court had ruled specifically on the subject of intelligent design. Wright pointed to rulings by the Supreme Court that dealt with state laws prohibiting the teaching of evolution or which required the teaching of "creation science."

Wright also pointed to a ruling by a U. S. District Judge in Pennsylvania late last year which dealt with intelligent design. That ruling cited earlier Supreme Court decisions on creationism, or that struck down a prohibition on teaching evolution. The Pennsylvania decision has not been appealed, and was handed down by a district judge, not the U. S. Supreme Court.

Wright said the Pennsylvania ruling; along with earlier rulings on creationism create a "canon of law" that prohibits the teaching of intelligent design in public schools. He said the judge ruled that intelligent design and creationism were "pretty much the same thing." He declined to say whether Beebe agreed with that conclusion.

Gunner DeLay, a Republican candidate for attorney general who also believes in intelligent design, said there is a difference between intelligent design and creationism.

He said that creationism teaches that "the universe, the earth, the sun, the solar system were all created by the hand of God."

Intelligent design teaches the "scientific evidence of instantaneous creation," DeLay said.

While courts have barred teaching creationism in public schools, DeLay said he believes teachers could address intelligent design.

"I think the door is open," DeLay said. "If a teacher was interested in making that course of instruction available to his or her students, I think they could at least refer them to the proper resource... without getting into legal trouble."

Green Party gubernatorial nominee Jim Lendall of Little Rock criticized supporters of intelligent design as trying to place religion in public schools.

"The [intelligent design] cult has hijacked religion and twisted it into pseudo-science. It is riding on the backs of the religious fundamentalists in order to make public schools its pulpit," Lendall said.

Lendall is not on the November ballot but hopes to be as the Green Party's nominee for governor. He has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a state law that requires third parties to collect more signatures than independent candidates to qualify for the Arkansas ballot. In the suit, he asks to be placed on the ballot.

Mathos wrote:

Along the highway, I discovered that Spendius was a Yorkshireman, and there is nothing more abhorrent to a Lancastrian such as myself than a Yorkshireman.

I see--so, you're saying that if Spurious wants to dip his headlights, he drives to the nearest lake?

Is this now become a Wars of the Roses Redux?



Can we expect that the red rose of Lancaster will prevail over its palid opponent?

You mean your a descendant from a tribe of half witted, inter- bred, red haired, goofy toothed, freckled faced jocks?