My old Kentucky home
It has been eighty-five years since the State of Tennessee prosecuted John T. Scopes for the crime of teaching evolution in a public school, and it was only days ago that the Commonwealth of Kentucky, my native state, demonstrated how little we have advanced.
Ark Encounter, a creationist theme park, is scheduled to open in a couple of years in Grant County. It is a joint venture of Ark Encounters and Answers in Genesis—the latter being the nonprofit organization that operates the ludicrous Creation Museum in Boone County.* This enterprise has the blessing of the Hon. Steve Beshear, governor of the commonwealth, because it will create jobs. And the project is apt to be doubly blessed with tax incentives.
One Dr. Robert Bevins of Georgetown College in Kentucky wrote to the governor protesting state support for “an ethically bankrupt amusement park.” His letter is quoted in full, with comments, on a Facebook page operated by one Ken Ham, and you might find it instructive to read the comments and gauge the tone that Christian supporters of the enterprise bring to the discussion. (Hint: Doesn’t sound particularly Christian.)
I, for one, back the First Amendment and unequivocally support anyone’s right to take the opening chapters of Genesis literally as a scientific and historical document. And if believers should inculcate such an understanding in the madrassas they operate for their children, that, too, is constitutionally protected, however much it may leave the little ones ill-fitted to live in the current century.
But, as a Kentuckian born and bred, I wince.
*Treated at some length in Charles P. Pierce’s Idiot America.
Comments
There is always someone who tries to make money out of religion by disguising it as entertainment. You can find these people the world over: don't weep for Kentucky. Tackiness, however depressing, will always surface.Ignore it.
Posted by: Pataricia the Terse | December 9, 2010 5:02 AM
I MISS BILL
CLINTON PRAISE-WITH PLEASURE
GDP--rose from 6300 to 11,600
NATIONAL INCOME-5,000 to 8,000 Billion--took 20 years to grow 2500B before Clinton
JOBS CREATED--over 22 million--record by far
AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS--$360 to $478
AVERAGE WEEKLY HOURS WORKED--never hit 35.0--hit that mark 4 times in 80's
UNEMPLOYMENT--from 7.2% down down down to 3.9%
WELFARE TO WORK—11,533,710 on federal roll in 1996 and 3,880,321 in 2007.
MINIMUM WAGE--$4.25 to $5.15
MINORITIES--did exceedingly well
HOME OWNERSHIP--hit all time high
DEFICIT--290 Billion to whoopee a SURPLUS
DEBT----+28%---300% increase over prior12 years
FEDERAL SPENDING--+28%---80% under Reagan- who da true conservative?
DOW JONES AVERAGE--3,500 to 11,800 all it's history to get to 3500 and Clinton zooms it
NASDAQ--700 to 5,000---all of it's history to get to 700 and Clinton zooms it
VALUES INDEXES-- almost all bad went down--good went up in zoom zoom zoom
FOREIGN AFFAIRS--Peace on Earth good will toward each other---Mark of a true Christian--what has Bush done to Peace on Earth?
POPULARITY---highest poll ratings in history during peacetime in AFRICA, ASIA AND EUROPE even 98.5% in Moscow--left office with highest gallup rating since it was started in 1920's.
STAND UP FOR JUSTICE--evil conservatives spent $110,000,000 on hearings and investigations and caught--- ONE--- very evil man who took a few plane rides to events.
BOW YOUR HEADS--Thank you God for sending us a man of Bill Clinton's character, intelligence, knowledge of governance, ability to face up to crises without whimpering and a great leader of the world.
liberalslikechirst.org/aboutClinton.html—list of 114 great things
THANK YOU GOD FOR THE GOOD TIMES THE CLINTON YEARS.
clarence swinney burlington nc
olduglymeanhonst
Posted by: clarence swinney | December 31, 2010 11:40 AM
I can go the rest of my life without another example of idol worship of Mr Clinton. If you'd not noticed, Mr Clinton can't go a single day without saying something in front of a television camera. Eight years of the Clintons' - ( both of them ) narcissism were eight years too many for me. I believe le bon Dieu had little to do with anything that happened in his administration. Get over it.
Posted by: Patricia the Terse | January 1, 2011 1:12 PM