The Washington Post's Master Plan Unfolds...

Yesterday we saw the opening act of the Washington Post's master plan to discredit the right by giving airspace to Ben Domenech. Today we see the second act begin, as P.Z. Myers outs Domenech as somebody who (a) lies about the work and views of Stephen Jay Gould, and (b) is an out-and-out creationist who "take[s] Genesis literally" and believes that the "theory of evolution is a total crock":

Pharyngula: Ben Domenech: creationist: [W]e could just assume he's uninformed, and doesn't know what he's talking about--but he goes beyond that to egregious dishonesty, with a fraudulent quote-mine.

Will Saletan['s]... offhand dismissal of the reasons for teaching Intelligent Design in public schools is full of holes.... [N]o less prominent an evolutionist than Stephen Jay Gould has lent weight to the theories of Michael Behe and his brethren....

You read that, and it sounds as if Gould had endorsed Intelligent Design creationism--Mr Domenech is slinging around Gould's credibility and authority to rebut Saletan's dismissal of ID. Follow that link, though, and you won't find Gould saying supportive things about Behe or the work of the Discovery Institute: instead, it's a diatribe by one Robert Wright, against Gould, accusing him of doing such poor science that he is providing aid and comfort to creationists. Wright's article is a rather hacky hit piece, but... there's nothing there to suggest that Gould had anything good to say about [creationists], either. Domenech is blatantly misrepresenting the story.

The rest--the implication that evolution is weak because it "remains a theory", that you cannot see the evidence for evolution, and that ID somehow meets a standard sufficient to be taught in public school--is just traditional creationist stupidity. Falling back on the argument from popularity is a theme common to this guy. Like here, where he also confesses to being a creationist:

Nearly twice as many Americans believe in creationism as in evolution.... I don't necessarily subscribe to all Creationist theories, but I do take Genesis literally. And I believe the commonly taught theory of evolution is a total crock.

It's time to demand that Domenech give answers to the most pressing question of our day: Were there rainbows before Noah's flood?