Attribution: Multiple Sources
Since our fellow humans who follow mythology seem to be a little unclear on what theories are, I thought that this was appropriate to remind them that theories are possible to test. While on planet earth there is this invisible force called gravity that keeps our collective butts on the sofa while watching TV. Anyone can test gravity, find something heavy, position it over a toe, and drop it. The pain felt post-drop is demonstrating that gravity the theory, is probably, and at least mostly, right.

What if we took a mammoth fossil, positioned it over an “intelligent design” proponent, and dropped it? That would test a few theories all at once…

Attribution: Unknown
Hope you all filed your forms appropriately! This year, in all seriousness, Turbo Tax was a life saver (and $ saver.) It found a couple of places to make some minor changes that saved us thousands. If you’re not using Turbo Tax, you’re missing the boat! No, I don’t hold Intuit shares and no, this is not a paid endorsement. Get Turbo Tax.

Candidates, let’s review, shall we? Everything you say and everything you do is now captured for posterity either on video or audio recording devices. Since our politicians seem to be a little slow on this issue, I’m going to repeat it. Everything you say and everything you do is recorded. Is that right? Is that fair? Is it relevant? Who knows.

But I, for one, would not welcome that news. Consider your own situation for a moment, how well would you endure having every waking moment recorded to be used against you at some future date? It’s amazing they do as well as they seem to do. However, with the latest tempest in a teapot boiling around the Obama/Clinton race, using this maxim that everything you do and say is recorded can be helpful.

A couple of weeks ago Mrs. Clinton “misspoke” about coming under sniper fire during a visit to the Balkans. Video promptly emerged showing that that sniper fire came in the form of a greeting and hug by an adorable local girl. Clinton’s response? I misspoke. Now, Americans may be stupid, but even stupid Americans know Clinton was lying through her teeth to gain advantage in the race. Having been on the business end of a gun before personally I can tell you it’s a very memorable experience and one that sticks with you (no, I don’t plan to elaborate.) Coming back to Mrs. Clinton, if she was caught once doing this, that would be understandable. But this is a habit with the Clinton family – an inability to recognize and/or tell the truth. Oh, and the stories about her hunting, ludicrous! Can’t wait until the film shows up on that one… The Clintons seem to share some traits with the current Executive Branch in that way.

Last week in San Francisco at a “private” fund raiser, Obama was video taped making an observation that people in the middle of the country were frustrated and bitter and that led to them turning even more to religion and guns. The Clinton campaign is now attempting to use this statement (Obama, they’re recording everything you say and do…) as a means to show that he looks down upon the salt of the earth people in the midwest. Was what Obama said a lie? I’ve been in the midwest relatively recently and I can tell you people are bitter and frustrated with their economic circumstances and more to the point, some of them are turning more toward guns and religion.

So, when that 3am call comes, who do you want in the Oval Office? A pathological liar unable to separate truth from fantasy, willing to do anything to gain access to Presidential power? Or, would you like to have someone who sees the facts and tells the truth (even if it is perhaps ill-advised to do so.)

Call me picky, but I’ll take the facts and ability to observe over lying and fantasizing any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Did you know there was a museum dedicated to creationism? Yes, of course there are churches who preach this. No, I mean an actual 65,000 square foot building with exhibits and “scientific” evidence that some supreme being created the universe. Unsurprisingly, it’s located in Kentucky, in a suburb of Cincinnati.

What does this “museum” offer? An example is a drama presenting the story of Gomer, a prostitute who marries Hosea, who is good, then bad, then saved by Hosea.

“Museum” admission: $20

Show tickets: $10

Sense that “god loves you”: Priceless

(And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that you can donate to spread the “museum’s word,” shop in the “museum store” (for Moses action figures fighting dinosaurs no doubt,) and for on-site food at amusement park prices.)

I could go on about a place I never visited, or I could enlist a visitor tell you about the museum in his own words:

Many exhibits at “world-class” museums cost between 20 and 50 million dollars. But the entire Creation Museum right outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, cost just $27 million—and it is definitely world class. On the other hand, however, it’s not world class.

Interesting that in the first paragraph, we already know the outcome: the museum is not world-class, despite spending $27M to build it.

The lobby itself rivals any full-size exhibit at a secular museum. A young child plays with a squirrel next to two small dinosaurs that watch the visitors walk under giant cypress trees.

Um, unless this is fantasy land, children, squirrels, and dinosaurs never played together. Oh, let’s not let facts get in the way of our visit report.

The Creation Museum goes far beyond mere science. It doesn’t elevate man’s intellect by using science to “prove” Scripture. Instead, God’s Word is placed first and human reason is last.

Which is exactly why visitors to this so called museum will be separated from as much money as is humanly possible during their visit to this thinly veiled church masquerading as a museum. If you don’t use your [god given] intellect, then you deserve to be fleeced, repeatedly and roughly.

Secular scientists claim that the geological strata show less complex organisms at the bottom and more complex ones as you go up, attributing this to the evolutionary process over millions and millions of years. But if we consider the order of burial during the cataclysmic activity of the Flood, it makes perfect sense that sea creatures would be buried first, followed by invertebrates and finally by mammals and other vertebrates. The placard shown here gives an example of how the sequence could have worked during the first few hours of the Flood.

OK, we’re presented with a theory. Let’s see them back it up with evidence. If the theory was valid, wouldn’t the fossil record show it during other floods? And what about that pesky carbon dating that throws the timeline off by tens of millions of years? That’s the thing about science, it’s not always right and can be proven right or wrong through experimentation and evidence. And, that’s the thing about religion, it can never be proven wrong despite the evidence and experimentation.

Somewhat surprisingly, the museum does not devote inordinate amounts of space to “disproving” evolutionary ideas or “proving” creation.

Clearly, there is enough myth to lure in the flock, so why bother with a full-frontal attack that even the dullest of minds might be able to pick apart. Are we finished with David MacMillan III’s review? Thankfully yes.

Let’s call a spade a spade. This is a church pretending to be a museum, an exorbitantly expensive church no less, using a museum-like approach to secure visitors who cling to a mythology that has absolutely nothing to do with facts or science. It exists for the sole purpose of separating people from their money. Now, if people want to believe in myths, that’s their business. If they want to pay to visit places that discuss their myths, also their business. Whatever people want to believe in for their own peace of mind/entertainment, that’s fine.

But when those myths are advanced as fact and foisted upon others, particularly as part of our political and judicial systems, that’s where the line has to be drawn. Otherwise, what’s the difference between our society and a fundamentalist society like Iran? Nothing.

Have you ever wondered who all those warning signs in the world are created to help? Well, my guess is that this guy needs them, badly. If you look closely, he’s got a cigarette in his left hand, so if the high voltage doesn’t do the trick, then eventually the cigarette will. And hopefully, he didn’t contribute to the gene pool before the process of natural selection does its work.

For those of you who are skeptical that electric current can travel through a stream of urine causing electrical shock, I encourage you to watch MythBusters who demonstrated that it is not only possible, but likely. Here’s a handy reference with the episode.

Makes you wonder when this guy will show up as a winner of the illustrious Darwin Award.