The young (20) anticreationist activist Zack Kopplin, highlighted in a post this morning, will be debating the Clown Duo, Michael Medved and Casey Luskin (both of the Discovery Institute) at 3 p.m. CDT (4 p.m. EDT) on Medved’s radio show. I presume the topic will be evolution versus intelligent design in the public schools.
You can listen live here (click at upper right).
I’ve always loathed Michael Medved with his sanctmonious, smarmy “And ANOTHER great day in this GREATEST nation on GOD’S GREEN EARTH!” which opens his show.
Some years ago when Christopher Hitchens was making the rounds, promoting his book, he did the Medved Show where he debated Dinesh D’Sousa. Medved introduced Dinesh with warm, glowing adjectives: he was a “committed Catholic” whose new book was an “impassioned plea” for recognizing religious good — while Hitchens’ book was decribed as “a full-scale assault on religious faith.”
Luckily, Christopher got the best of everybody. It started as a one on one debate and devolved into a dogpile with Dinesh and Michael ganging up on Christopher and then Michael opening up the phone lines to anti-Christopher callers.
Thanks for posting. Just listened to this through the first commercial break. Face palm. The host and Luskin kept distorting the concept of “controversy” in evolution – misrepresenting arguments over the dominant mechanisms of evolution (eg. natural selection vs. something called “mutation driven evolution”) as rebuttals of evolution itself. Also, discussions on science are never more frustrating than when they lack an actual scientist to weigh in…
Agreed, it is difficult to listen to. I’ve noticed that Zach isn’t being given time to respond. Also, Casey keeps trotting out the “This shall not be construed to promote religion….” tripe in the LSEA.
I was a little relieved they didn’t get to the Ball State story, not because I’m not interested in it, but because it’s a little outside the scope of Zack’s activism. Medved was already asking them both questions about a book neither had read (and that he hadn’t read either), so I’m not sure how productive of a conversation it would have been.
Most fascinating of all, in my opinion, were the many E-Harmony ad’s during the breaks that played up the “Christian values” angle…sounds like somebody is losing market share to Christian Mingle!
Huge tip of the hat to Zack and wag of the finger to Luskin.
Zack is a sophomore undergraduate at Rice (go Owls!) who has the balls to stand up to Luskin, a smarmy, fast-talking propagandist who has been shilling for the Disco Tute for about 15 years.
Zack is out there learning about the world while Luskin has been misrepresenting research, science and scientists for over a decade.
I’m afraid this would be me faced with Luskin’s lies, insipid smile and smug demeanor.
What does a 20-yr old know about anything?
That’s an odd question. Is it relevant to this discussion?
I’m sorry; I thought Zack Kopplin was 20 yrs old. My bad, apparently.
I believe he is 20, what does that to do with the discussion? Or was that supposed to be sarcasm?
No, it was supposed to be irony — but I mean that ironically.
In any case, it seems a little too much for you to handle.
I can handle irony when I see it but in your comment I only saw smug stupidity. How old are you, David, and what do you know?
Let me guess. You’re 65 and you don’t know jack shit.
I’m right on at least one count!
I am old enough to know that at 20 years old I didn’t know anything.
And I am wary of a 20 year old who thinks otherwise.
Oh good grief. Go back chasing kinds from your lawn, will you.
Well, in Zack’s case quite a lot. He knows the Louisiana “Science” act is a creationist ploy funded by the right wing conservative religious groups “family research whatever” and he knows that NONE of the school districts have actually implemented any creationist stuff because the Act is only a Constitutional “beard.”
So, yeah, 20-year old Zack knows that all creationists are liars, all creationists are cheats (and some of them tax cheats) and that all creationists are dishonest. Yeah, Zack knows quite a lot for such a young age.
I suspect young Mr Zach just wants to get on the radio and show people how smart he is.
That’s the worst kind of acolyte there is.
Why yes, it’s entirely -impossible- that he actually cares about the status of science education in the US, and feels it may help to make a fool out of promoters of pseudoscience on air.
You’re quite the mind reader; you should contact JREF to win a million dollars.
But then, I suspect you’re the kind of person who thinks that an individual’s every opinion is completely worthless until they hold said opinion while being older than 40?
I’m sorry, Mr. Appell, but you’re full of it. Kopplin (not “Mr. Zach”, and his name is actually “Zack”) has been working hard against creationism since he was in high school. And he knows quite a lot, actually, certainly more than you do at whatever age you are. I will not have you come over here and cast aspersions on him on this site.
Since I suspect you won’t apologize for your misguided views, I cordially invite you to leave this website for others more congenial to your smarmy attitude. I don’t need people like you on my site.
Ohhhh, I was right on one count!
D-App doesn’t know shit!
Also, he’s a Fox News watcher, has a high school education, votes Republican and has a “Honk If You Saw Bigfoot” bumper sticker.
Adios, D-App, nobody cares, but you were amusing for 15 seconds.
That was one bad Appell.
*tumbleweed*
You would be surprised what education can do. You should try it sometime
Much respect to Zack, keep fighting the good fight.