JABbering Stooge

You know, when I initially sat down to write about the P. Z. Myers getting expelled from Expelled debacle, I considered mentioning this post by Canadian creationist twit Denyse O’Leary, for fairly obvious reasons. I eventually decided against it, because I didn’t think that I could add anything to the commentary on the post that hadn’t already been said, more articulately, by others.

But then I noticed this gem in one of the updates:

9:05 am Meanwhile, science journalist Chris Mooney argues that Myers’ getting the bum’s rush out of the theatre will probably help Expelled. [links as is in original post — Ed.]

Notice the link associated with the word "help." Instead of going directly to Mooney’s post (the thrust of which is that Drs. Myers and Dawkins should STFU — a sentiment I disagree strongly with), O’Loony’s link points to a comment that says the exact opposite of the sentiment she’s trying so desperately to glom onto as if she’s some two-bit Norma Desmond:

Put me in the group who thinks that Mathis and Stein aren’t going to like the lingering effects of this incident. This reads as "UNFAIR" to any but IDC cheerleaders.

Think that message isn’t getting across? The answer isn’t to spike the story.

If Mathis had recognized Myers and proceeded to make sure that he and his party got good seats and complimentary refreshments, sure, they’d have gotten blog posts on Pharyngula blasting the movie content, but they’d have stayed in character for the role they are claiming via the film as being advocates for an exchange of ideas. The combination of predictable xenophobia and incompetence in the screening fiasco demonstrates that all that was just an act.

"Expelled" is already being used to attempt to influence the politics of antievolution. In Florida, they had a limited private screening aimed at legislators considering two Discovery Institute-derived "academic freedom" bills that would empower teachers — and students — to interrupt science classes discussing evolutionary science to bring in "weaknesses" (in other words, all the usual tired, bogus religiously-motivated antievolution arguments) without repercussion. Trying to pretend that the movie doesn’t exist is not the answer. Impeaching the content and the producers goes some way toward reducing the ill effects it may have. The "Expelledgate" event gives us a good tool for that purpose.

As has been noted, we’ll know within a couple of months whether that actually works out for us. I’m more comfortable with having been active and failing than I am with having done nothing and failing. [Italics in original — Ed.]

Now, granted, that’s a pretty innocent mistake that even blogging gurus could make on occasion (albeit, more rarely than the average blogger). It certainly wouldn’t be worth mentioning, had it not been for two things:

• O’Leary’s original post is being used as a repository for all the updates latest spin on "Expelled-from-Expelled-gate." Certainly, she should’ve noticed by now that her link didn’t go exactly where she wanted it to and fixed it.

• Her "innocent mistake" has been replicated elsewhere in the Expelled apologia choir:

  He [Chris Mooney] knows exactly why I want to give PZ and his crew a group hug.

Both points illustrate the glaring lack of both situational awareness and critical-thinking skills common to much of right-wing activism in general and the neo-creationist movement in particular.

Sidebar: The link to Kevin Miller’s above inanity came from Mike the Mad Biologist over at ScienceBlogs, by way of Chris Mooney. I’d suggest checking out Mike’s take on the subject of "framing" the evilution-cretinism debate — it’s entertaining and makes very good points.

Oh, but it gets better! In the latest update to her post on "Expelled-from-Expelled-gate," O’Leary has introduced a new line of spin as to the curious sudden cancellation of several pre-screenings of the movie: they’re worried about "piracy"! That’s pretty funny considering that they let the Mall of America screening go ahead with little more than a threat of a $250,000 fine for anyone caught with any recording devices whatsoever, and given the fact that they’ve been caught pirating video clips for use in the movie, themselves! 

And speaking of piracy, it seems that that particular genie is already out of the bottle. Apparently, there’s a copy of the movie available for download via bittorrent floating around t3h intarwebs somewhere! (I won’t direct you to any specific URL to find it, but I assume you know how to use T3h Google™.) 

Oh, and a word of advice to Denyse: lay off of linking every single use of the word "expelled" to the movie’s website. Google doesn’t work that way, and frankly it makes you look like one of those low-grade pr0n websites from the early days of the Internet that would spam the meta tags with vulgar slang for various sex acts.

Some days, the incompetence just leaks out all orifices to such a degree that it becomes a flood of comedy gold!