'Tard of the Week - Congressman Paul Broun

The despair built up until my head exploded. Messy.

A direct quote from the good Congressman, who happens to be a member of the House Science Committee:

All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell. And it’s lies to try to keep me and all the folks who were taught that from understanding that they need a savior...You see, there are a lot of scientific data that I’ve found out as a scientist that actually show that this is really a young Earth. I don’t believe that the Earth’s but about 9,000 years old. I believe it was created in six days as we know them. That’s what the Bible says."

This kind of mind-numbing stupidity is why when I hear people complain about how the United States is in decline economically, scientifically, technologically, I can't help but think - we totally deserve it. This chucklehead is claiming to be "scientist" (he's an M.D., which in my experience is not necessarily synonymous with "scientist") while simultaneously denying almost every scientific discipline in favor of his non-historical spiritual text. The amount of intellectual dishonesty required to maintain this level of cognitive dissonance is simply stunning. And not only do we continue to elect him and his ilk to positions of responsibility, we give them and their crazy-ass ideas a place at the House Science Committee table.

Really, America? Really? Perhaps the 'Tard of the Week shouldn't be Representative Broun, but the constituents who voted him into office.

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H/T to Bad Astronomy and Outside the Beltway. Or perhaps I should give them a smack, instead, for raising my blood pressure so early on a Saturday morning.