More embarrassing press for Expelled

The more these clowns responsible for Expelled get any press outside the protected confines of the fundamentalist anti-science subculture, the more desperate and dishonest they look. Now the New York Times has published an article about the whole fracas involving Orlando Sentinel reviewer Roger Moore, the absurd press conference and screening he attended where people were required to sign nondisclosure agreements, and the total harshing of the movie he eventually wrote for the paper.

Hilariously enough, the Times doesn't have to do anything other than let Ben Stein and publicist Paul Lauer speak for themselves to make them look foolish. For instance, the hilarious excuse Lauer gives for disinviting Moore to the screening is that "the film was not polished enough for professional scrutiny," ironically implying that to pass muster amongst the fundamentalist Christian audience they'd hand-picked for their screening, professional polish wasn't necessary. Hey guys, never let it be said you don't respect your audience!

The article makes it abundantly clear just what a hypocritical exercise Expelled is. While on the one hand it assaults its imaginary villain, "Big Science" (led, no doubt, by Michael Myers in full Dr. Evil getup), for disallowing "academic freedom" in "suppressing" ID, on the other hand it clearly only intends to preach to the converted, gearing its marketing solely towards a fundamentalist audience already sufficiently scientifically illiterate to lack the knowledge to know how badly they're being lied to. Keeping out critics from the mainstream media, or anyone who isn't already part of the fundamentalist camp, is something they're dead set on.

As has been remarked upon, if Stein and Lauer and the liars-for-God behind this movie really wanted a free and open exchange of conflicting ideas, they'd host numerous press screenings, not require nondisclosure agreements to be signed (talk about wanting to "control the message"!), and in fact enthusiastically encourage scientists and academics to come to those screenings and debate the film's claims. That they don't is clear indication they don't want knowledgeable people exposing Expelled's campaign of deceit, at least not before that campaign has gained a foothold and spread even more anti-science poison among a populace who's already been crippled by too much of it already.