Sorry to interrupt the Harry Potter discussion. It is a welcome change. However it has taken me a while to type this email. Disclaimer: This may sound like a bit of a rant, but it really is not. I am not screaming in my head as I type it and I hope if you take the time to read it, you read my words in your head as calmly as I am thinking them in my head. For what it is worth, I put this here because my wife has gotten on my case a few times recently for coming across as angry in email. Maybe I need to add more smileys. :) I also do not intend any of this to come across as an attack on any particular individual. I am simply making an observation on what some of the recent posts have sounded like to me. Without further ado, on to my diatribe: There have been a few on this list that have been spouting off now for a few days unopposed, ranting about the evils of religion and how there is a vast conspiracy by the "nasty", "evil", and "brainwashed" to steal your money, grab power, and de-science your kids. Don't you realize that you sound just like the "religious zealots" that you are trying to discredit? On their groups I am sure they say the exact same things about the Godless scientists who are just looking for opportunities to grab power and take their hard-earned tax money and use it to brainwash their kids. You talk about "logic" and "peer-review" and your high standards for critical thought and then spout off the latest conspiracy theory filled with baseless accusations and attacks on people and ideas which you for the most part admit you have not investigated in the slightest. Nobody here that I know of has read the proposed curriculum. Out of curiosity, I actually read through some summaries. It is not nearly as bad as you try to make it out to be. I personally do not care which side of the fence anyone is on. All I have asked for since the beginning is a reasoned discussion, but most of what I have been reading is high on accusation and low on reason. In particular, there have been several comments lately that have basically implied that if you believe anything religious you must be soft in the head and not have the capacity for rational thought. Many of these comments come from people on the group who claim to have a belief in God. Perhaps many of these comments were not intended as attacks, but it is hard for them to be interpreted otherwise when they use words such as "pawns", "zealots", "evil", "bad people", etc. Why don't you all hop off the conspiracy wagon, stop reading all your anti-ID propaganda (there, see, I can throw in catchy phrases to demean ideas I don't agree with and make my point seem more valid, too), and read the curriculum with an open, scientific mind. I triple-dog dare you. There is very little talk about Creation or religion in there. From what I have read all they want to do is point out the weaknesses in the theory of evolution. If you do not think there are any you are just as close-minded as the "religious right" you are so afraid of. Examining the weaknesses in current theories is good science. That is what generates new advances and discoveries. As I have stated before, I do not believe necessarily that ID is the answer to the holes in the theory of evolution. But we need to be open to new ideas. Perhaps there is a "happy medium" that will address the concerns of both sides. But if both sides just cover their ears and shout insults at the other side we will not get anywhere. By the way, I find it humorous that religious people can't be liberals. I'm certain there are many "religious left" people who are equally surprised. But I digress. My main point in all this is summed up by Lisa Z's recent post about Harry Potter (I apologize in advance for ripping it entirely out of context): "I understand not liking a certain genre, but belittling people because you perceive them as uneducated, and liking something that you believe is below you is rather harsh when you don't know the subject matter." Please lay off the random attacks and insults. I cannot see things from your perspective and you cannot see things from mine. I am OK with that, are you?