A sea sponge challenges John Thune's intelligence

A sea sponge? Or Sen John Thune's brain?

We link, you decide.



One of the arguments against evolutionary theory is that complex parts that work together could not have developed independently and certainly not placed in their complex structure naturally through time. It's a very tempting argument, especially if you are inclined to ignore the geological time scale or are amazed (you should be) by a complex structure like the human eye and also in the marvelous interdependence of entire ecosystems.

You may have heard this as the "wristwatch on the beach" argument. It's a very old and weak line of reasoning that dates back before Christianity, and was a popular criticism of Darwin in the 19th century. (Apparently no fewer than three of the current Republican presidential candidates still don't get it.)

On Newsweek's insanely great science blog this week, Sharon Begley reports on a new nail in the coffin of intelligent design theory... noting that when creationists say "but, scientists haven't found ..." they should be careful.. the truth very well be that they simply haven't found it yet.

Back to the Republicans, Gov. Mike "here I stand... an ignorant governor" Huckabee whined that the question "do you believe in evolution" wasn't relevant.

You bet your **** it's relevant!

Just as an example, our own Sen John Thune is on record against the theory of evolution. This is a UNITED STATES SENATOR who makes decisions that require scientific information to benefit or even save lives. If you can't accept the fact of evolution, what use do you have for scientifically revealed truth about, say, public health, hurricanes, climate change, or threatened species? How does someone philosophically unable to handle the fact of evolutionary theory make good governing decisions??

Oh, yeah, that's what we've seen in the last six years: they can't.

This keeps me up at night, as there are far too many people in our government (especially now) who appear to have very little understanding or even respect for science or any other form of objective truth. In this environment, governing decisions are made on the basis of politics.