This is hilarious. Popular blogger and science fiction writer John Scalzi was being bugged by some of his readers to go visit Ken Ham's ludicrous joke down in Kentucky, since it's evidently a very short drive from where Scalzi lives in rural Ohio. Scalzi set up a challenge; he'd agree to go to the "museum," and post a snarky report on his blog, if any fraction of his 25,000 daily readers would collectively donate a grand total of $250, which Scalzi will in turn be donating to Barry Lynn's Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. (Personally I think a donation to the National Center for Science Education might be more apropos in this context, but hey, it's Scalzi's deal, so he can run it however he wants to.)
Pah! $250? That's chump change! Scalzi has raised over $5100. So everybody's happy...except Scalzi. The AU gets a whopping enormous donation, the blogosphere is about to get one of the funniest field reports from the Kentucky Monument to Willful Ignorance ever posted...but of course, now poor John actually has to go. His response to his readers: "Hate. You. All." Yeah, fine, John. Just hurry back, won't you! I can't wait to read about the coconut-eating T. Rexes!
I personally love the idea of using the foolish activities of fundamentalist clots as a vehicle to fund-raise for groups that actually support quality science and who stand against theocracy and ignorance. I wonder what can be done in the Austin area to get some money for the NSCE or other like-minded groups? Maybe sending an atheist to a psychic fair to raise cash for the JREF, or something like that. But hey...don't look at me!
In terms of raising funds, perhaps you could do a kind of bible thumper bingo with the bible curriculum trial in Odessa. Award ten points for an out and out lie, five points for this logical fallacy, fifteen for getting caught with their pants down, whatever it is, and have people send in ten bucks with a point total and half the prize money goes to the winner and half to the godless heathen charity of your choice.
ReplyDeleteI put pretty much five seconds of thought into this so I'm sure it could be improved with actual serious thought but you gotta be able to make something out of this trial.
>I personally love the idea of using the foolish activities of fundamentalist clots as a vehicle to fund-raise for groups that actually support quality science...
ReplyDeleteIt's an excellent concept. It takes it to another level--rather than just information dissemintation, it becomes actual fund-raising. I love it.
Here's someone else's blog about their visit:
ReplyDeletehttp://crazytalk.typepad.com/bluegrassroots/2007/06/fun_at_the_crea.html