David Berlinski, part of the Discovery Institute’s evolution-denial project, recently said about evolution:
That’s not a theory. That’s just a string of wet sponges on a clothesline.
Uh huh. Here’s (1) a guy who’s not a biologist (2) criticizing a theory in biology (3) that happens to be the scientific consensus. (4) Overwhelmingly.
Slick packaging and bypassing the scientific process to sow confusion among the public doesn’t change the fact that there’s no argument here.
Wake me up when the scientific consensus changes. Until then, no layperson has an intellectual warrant for embracing Creationism.
Galileo Unchained 
How often will political and religious conservatives go to the “conspiracy” well before it finally runs dry? Everything they disagree with is blamed as part of a vast conspiracy. There are so many “conspiracies” out there that maybe the federal government should establish a cabinet-level department: Secretary of Conspiracies, to manage them all. Berlinski’s claim that academics form a native conspiracy class that will believe anything ranks right down there in the dregs of (purposely) misinformed ideas such as:
Radio frequencies can put out fires but the government doesn’t want us
to know this.
Bush and Clinton stole from the American people, and deposited in
overseas banks, 27.5 trillion (not million, not billion, but trillion) dollars.
The Branch Davidians were murdered by the government in 1993 because
they knew too much. Their compound was right next to a small airport that
was used by “Buffalo Airlines”, a secret CIA airline, to bring drugs into the
country for Bush and Clinton. The Davidians were keeping track of the flights.
Bella Abzug and Gloria Steinem were paid by the Rockefellers to create and
lead the women’s movement. This would get women out of the home and
weaken the children.
The IRS is privately owned and none of our tax dollars come back to the
country. Instead, they all go to “the Windsors”. (Presumably the English
Windsors.)
Dave (theuncommoncitizen.wordpress.com)