Knowledge =/= Intelligence

So Ben Stein is trying to make a Michael Moore of himself these days, and is using the subject of Intelligent Design as his subject matter. For fucks sake. Let's see, Richard Nixon's speechwriter and rabid apologist, Stein, an attorney and man who married, divorced, and remarried the same woman, is trying to hitch his wagon to the pseudo-science of Intelligent Design? It's so sad, it's positively poetic. Lest I get on an especially well deserved ad hominem attack, let me be clear on a few things:

* Ben Stein is right behind Henry Kissinger as the biggest person the Jews in the US could do without. I don't believe I have any anti-semitic bias, in fact I may have a pro-semitic bias. I find Jewish folks to be well educated, thoughtful and generous. I'd welcome jews from anywhere to come live here. They are good for a society and they keep their faith to themselves. As a matter of fact, they are obliged to deny you conversion to their faith three times. You hear that, proselytizers?

* Intelligent Design is not science. Bitch all you want, it remains not science. It's not testable, and leads to nothing predictable, and therefore cannot be subjected to scientific study. It's paraphrased faith. If you want to believe in any god(s), fine- we have freedom of (and from?) religion here. Go speak in tongues, give your tithing to stadium church priests, and when the leaders of your faith get caught with hookers/gay male escorts/choirboys/multiple wives/methamphetimines, or call for assassinations, or blame terrorist attacks on gays and feminists, leave me out of it. I think you are all fucking nuts. Seriously. It doesn't mean I can't be polite to you, but I'm thinking on the inside that there is something wrong with you, and gladly excuse you from worrying about my soul.

* When you want to make a "gotcha" documentary, vet your shit. You know someone on the Internet with more time than you is going to look everything up. Michael Moore (who I generally like and many times agree with) can be sloppy at best and disingenuous at worst. Stein takes a page from Limbaugh apparently and just says whatever sensational thing pops in his head, designed to trigger an emotional response. Stupid, easy shit to negate, like that Hitler was an atheist (d'oh! Guess Stein never actually read that piece of shit tome, Mein Kampf, where ole Adolph talks about doing the Lords work- oh and at other times he claimed to be Catholic. They must be proud). While I have not seen the work, I've read quotes that'd make Geraldo blush.

I'm amazed at how much Stein knows without any corresponding intelligence. I'm not talking about the movie specifically- he's been an asshat for years. There is an crippling epidemic I see where the victims cannot or will not apply the process of thought. I don't think Stein is patient zero, but he could be the Typhoid Mary of idiocy. Just remember Ben, it's a small step from "ignorance is bliss" to "arbeit macht frei", you disgraceful fool.

Related- an open letter from Richard Dawkins to a worked up sucker who'd been taken in by the Stein movie. Dawkins has way more composure and kindness than I have. I subscribe to the Beavers Theorum which says "If you don't tell them they are idiots, how will they know?"