Tales From The Travels

I recently responded to some individuals that commented on one of my postings concerning a simple experiment to prove the greenhouse effect. These postings culminated in the third response to my global warming skeptic challenge. I was a bit rough on this guy, even to the point of violating the Wiccan Rede (As you harm none, do as ye will). It could be said that it was rather un-Wiccan of me to say some of the things I said.

Yes, and it bothers me some. Not because I feel bad about what I said, but because there is a bigger issue here, the issue that some people are working hard to advance civilization, while others are working hard to drag us down. As a scientist, I find myself tied up with trying to convince these people they are wrong. I will give them the scientific evidence. I will show them how experiments have been done and the results support the scientific theories. I will show them how their theories are flawed and why. I will direct them to references to support everything I say. They, on the other hand, are unable to do any of that (see my $1000 challenge to global warming skeptics as an example). Then, after that, they are unfazed in their beliefs.

The only thing I accomplish is to waste my time on them when I could spend it on more productive issues. The reason I do is to try and keep other people from falling in the same trap.

That is why I am so rough on these guys and why I feel it would actually be un-Wiccan for me to do otherwise. These believers are afflicted with an incurable disease. The only thing I can do is to try and reduce the number of people that get that disease. If being rough on them will help, then that’s what I’m willing to do.

We have very serious problems that must be dealt with. Dealing with these people is hurting that effort. Worse, this small community has the effect of causing the scientific community to spend its time fighting this bunk instead of the real problems. We are fighting a fight to keep us from falling backwards instead of working to move us forwards.

And that is why I call these people Al-Qaida in America (AQA).

AQA is simply, all of those people that subscribe to some impossible belief and insist on dragging the rest of down with them. Its OK if you want to believe in something weird, that’s your business. But, when you start believing in something that cannot be supported by any science or logic and insist that everyone else must conform to you, then there’s a problem. These people all have one thing in common – they are trying to drag us back to the 12th century before there was any modern science. Hence the name.

Example of people that are in AQA are creationists, global warming skeptics, face on Mars advocates, alien abduction advocates, Nostradamus fans and 2012 believers. I came across another one last night that I had almost forgotten about – people that believe ancient astronauts were responsible for basically everything.

I watched part of this show on the History Channel about the claims by some people that we were visited by ancient aliens. This show illustrated perfectly why I call this whole group of people Al-Qaida in America. Several statements just stood out.

For instance, this one guy that publishes a magazine devoted to the idea stated that if you look at all the evidence the only conclusion you can reach is that there were ancient astronauts. The real truth is, if you look at all the evidence you cannot possibly reach that conclusion.

I read Chariots of the Gods in the early 70s when it first came out and several other related books. They were very fascinating and I really enjoyed them. However, the more I learned the more I realized they are complete bunk. They, and other similar books, make these claims that amount to “I don’t know how it was done, therefore it had to have been done by aliens.”

In the show last night they were talking about the carvings on Easter Island. These carvings have been positively proven to have been done by the islanders. There are even unfinished carvings in the quarry and remnants of the tools they used have been identified. The show made a big deal about how similar they are to carvings in Bolivia. Well, duh! It has been shown that the islanders in Easter Island came from South America. Thor Hyerdahl showed without doubt that you could take the kind of boats they used back then and drift westward to the islands. Modern genetics has shown the people there originated in South America. So, the reason they look so similar isn’t because they are modeled after the same aliens, but because the same group of people made both.

The topic of pyramids is another perfect example of this line of reasoning. It has long been claimed that the great pyramids were made by aliens. This is despite the fact that there are copious records concerning the construction of the pyramids, there are hundreds of pyramids (not just three), and we find examples showing how they had to adjust their construction techniques. There is an extensive history of the pyramids and there is no doubt at all that the pyramids were constructed by hired workers (not slaves).

The list just keeps going on and every one of their claims have been conclusively shown to be false. But, they really don’t care about that. They have decided aliens were responsible for just about everything in the ancient world and no amount of evidence will ever alter that opinion.

This illustrates the whole problem. They will look at the evidence and totally disregard anything that does not fit their preconceived notions. No possible amount of scientific evidence can ever convince these people that they are wrong. Worse than that, it is not even possible to convince them that they are not considering all of the evidence. This is the true hallmark of some kind of psychosis. There is certainly something wrong with someone when you can show them, without question, that their conclusion is wrong on a topic, yet they insist on just going their merry way as if nothing ever happened without even addressing what you showed them.

Then, they aren’t happy in their delusions by themselves. It is their mission to convince everyone else. In this way, they drag down the gullible and tie-up the scientific community. Instead of working on advancing science, we are stuck with the task to keeping us from falling back into the pre-Renaissance state of civilization.

The History Channel really has become the Crackpot Channel.

Besides, it is both arrogant and demeaning to suggest all of these things were done by aliens.

First, they suggest we are never clever enough to figure out anything for ourselves. This is kind of like the parent that always does everything for their kids because they don’t think the kids are smart enough.

At the same time, its rather arrogant to think the aliens are traveling vast distances to come and do things for a bunch of dumb cavemen. What’s their motive for that? (Hey, Galactic Congress! I would like you to give me a cazillion quonots so that I can fly across the cosmos and carve stone figures on the shore of a little island!)

So, I enjoyed the book and still enjoy the discussion. But, now I enjoy it because it causes me to think objectively. Its a good mental exercise to hear this arguments and to find the flaw (or usually, flaws) in their logic.

So, if you believe in one of the beliefs I cited above and are feeling offended that I classify you as an enemy of modern society, too bad. And, if you are offended that I have bunched your belief in with other beliefs that you find offensive, then I suggest you take a critical look at your beliefs. Maybe the reason you are being bunched with the others is because you have so much in common with them.

As both a Wiccan and a scientist, I cannot, in good conscience, sit by while this group of people work to undermine modern society and not do something about it.