PZ Steals My Thunder

PZ Steals My Thunder

Looking through my httpd logs, I ran across this post over at Teleological Blog:

Our friends at The Panda’s Thumb are planning a re-enactment podcast of the

Dover trial and are looking for voice talent. Imagine my surprise when I
received this e-mail today from someone named Lee Bowman:

Are you a voice talent? Andrew Arensburger is looking for volunteers!
http://www.ooblick.com/pandas/

Casting director is PZ Myers (self appointed).

PZ is the “self-appointed” director. You gotta give PZ points for Chuzpah!!

I suspect that’s this Lee Bowman, simply because a person by that name is listed as a contributor to Bill Dembski’s little circle jerk.

So let’s see. I asked PZ to advertise this little project, since he has a large audience and I don’t. Bowman sees it at either Pharyngula or the Panda’s Thumb. He follows the links and looks around and finds my name, but manages to miss the fact that PZ isn’t mentioned anywhere and has nothing to do with this project. But hey, he first read about it in a post by PZ, so PZ is clearly in charge!

And then DonaldM at Teleological Blog gets mail “from someone named Lee Bowman”, doesn’t check a goddamn thing in it for himself, and proceeds to chide PZ for his chutzpah. So maybe this should really be entitled “Creationists Steal My Thunder, Drop It On PZ’s Porch”. Or maybe “ID researchers announce absence of word `gullible’ in dictionary, according to sources.” Psst! Donald! Wanna buy a bridge in Manhattan? How ’bout some Iraqi WMDs?

Anyway, just to bring this back on topic for the Pandas podcast: if you’re playing a creationist, please don’t try to play them as idiots. The script does quite a good job of that on its own.

Secondly, just to make things clear for the copro- and lithocephalics: PZ Myers has nothing to do with this project. It’d be cool if he did, but he doesn’t.

Thirdly, Lee Bowman and DonaldM are clearly asshats (drink!) who need to learn some critical thinking (not to mention reading for comprehension) skills. Seriously, guys. If you want to be taken seriously, why don’t you act like it? I hate to think ill of anyone, but you leave me no choice.

One thought on “PZ Steals My Thunder

  1. Don’t believe everything you read Andy, but thanx anyway for taking me literally! And good luck with you podcast. I really think a four act play would be better, tho. Here’s a scenario.

    Act (1), Gathering facts, and maybe letting everyone take a taste of primordial soup to really help set the mood. Act (2), Watching the facts evolve, for the amusement of the audience, and of course the genetic mutant on the bench. And don’t forget the stack of peer review books and papers, since watching the witness have to peek around it will always get a laugh. Act (3) For the finale, have the Marine Band waiting in the wings to play patriotic music as Eric Rothschild tells his epic saga of the plight for deliverance from theocratic oppression (but for g** sake, don’t have them play ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic!) Stay silent for the defense, however. Then have the audience stand up and salute as the band plays Stars and Stripes Forever as Judge gives the final accolades, and exits the room.

    After a brief intermission for refreshments and to stretch a bit, Act (4) could start off with a narrative read by an announcer offstage, while gradualistic phyletic images are projected onto the curtain. Some sound effects would be cool! When the hominid lineage arrives, have the curtain open half way, and as a spotlight falls on the judge, have him read his ‘scathing decision’, and have him do it with passion, but with pauses to half smile and make audience eye contact (ala GW style). After the show, sign autographs in the lobby, while serving little Trilobite cookies and little demitasse cups of primordial soup.

    Just kidding. The Podcast will be fine. Also, you can file this under touché.

    Best,
    Lee

  2. There’s a thin line separating humor and insults. One shouldn’t get too upset about either, since truth will out in the end.

    Over the years I’ve probably gotten a few hundred words of Ad Hominem attacks on talk.origins and ya know what? Didn’t bother me a bit, since I believed in what I was putting forth. Also, if you search the archives, you’ll see not one adhom sent by me.

    Anyway, the above scenario is again, just humor. So as they say on TV, “Where’s the beef?”

    Regards,
    Lee

  3. I like the podcast idea. I recall about a year ago I had an idea for an evolution-themed podcast and was talking about it in talk.origins a bit, but it never really attracted any interest. Looks like you’ve hit on a winning formula though.

  4. We cannot waste our time getting wrapped up around ‘facts’, we’ve got dogma to sell here, dammit!

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