I know, I know… I’ve been a posting powerhouse this week. I hate pushing one doubtfully-interesting post down the page for the next. But I had to give all y’all some links for the newest developments on the intelligent design front.

First up, the Kansas Board of Education has voted in favor of adding anti-evolution/pro-intelligent design teachings to science classes. The kicker is that they have actually re-defined science to get this to be legal. Can this be any scarier? On the plus side, voters ousted all 8 of the incumbent candidates for the school board in Dover, Pennsylvania, who voted to allow intelligent design to be taught in their schools.

For your reading pleasure, here are articles from NewScientist and The New York Times.

For an interesting summary with some great links, check out an article in, of all places, Ars Technica. One of the interesting things this article mentions is the Catholic Church’s support of evolution. Interesting!

In reaction to the impending Kansas decision, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Teachers Association used copyright law as a weapon, keeping science education standards manuals out of the hands of Kansas schools. On the surface, it sounds like a great tactic, but Jennifer Granick at Wired has a wonderful argument against it.

Of course, we’ve already had lively discussion here on The Wren Forum. Read “Intelligent Bullshit” (and the infamous “dickhead” comment that caused great strife) and “Evolution NOW!”

See what happens when you mix both religion and politics? Well, amidst all the drama, it’s good to know that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is still a viable option for crackpot metaphysical junkies, ex-Catholics included.

Thanks (morbidly) to Darren yet again.

While I am loath to post such a morbid link after the fun of the chocolate post, I have to proliferate this article from Daily Kos (a site I really should read regularly).

Iraq is an unnessecary war. Wars bring unspeakably horrific deaths to innocent people. The U.S., as the instigator of this war, is the cause of bringing these wartime atrocities to Iraq in the name of “freedom.” Is it better to have your child’s skin melted off in the name of freedom, or in the hands of Saddam? You might answer, “Freedom.” But when the “freedom” is as bad as the forced subservience, when the “freedom” was forced upon you by a nasty, violent conflict by an uncaring, egotistic superpower (yes, that’d be us), what’s the difference?

Really, the more that comes to light, the more George and all his merry band of evildoers make me physically ill.

Read the story. But be warned, it’s not pleasant.