Dennis Paulson, the profligate off-topic poster, states:

>Speaking of Americans, and speaking of "God bless America," as you wrote,
>Burt, I was just reading that the good old U. S. of A. is the only Western
>country in which a sizable part of the population doesn't believe in
>evolution. Why am I not surprised? The afore-mentioned justices come to
>their positions with pronouncements of piety and, I would guess, a plethora
>of prejudices that would make any militiaman smile.

I read survey results in New Scientist which I believe showed a MAJORITY
of Americans in the sample claimed not to believe in evolution.

As opposed to western European countries where the number was 1/2? that,
and Russia something like 10% if I recall (I have it at home and can
post details if folks want).

Scary.

Of course, the Brits in charge of the rag had a good time with this
data. It was either this survey, or a similar survey on science
issues, which led them to the great head "The Soviet Union got
one thing right!"

>I know this isn't birds either, but the Internet is a place to communicate
>attitudes and feelings as well as knowledge and information, and the more I
>know, the more I feel.

Well, it indirectly is about birds because one of the attacks on
efforts to protect endangered species centers around the notion that
only "true species" are worth saving.

When one understands that the current state of the world is a snapshot
of evolution, one understands why saving distinct genetic pools which
are diverging but not yet incapable of reproducing is important. Or,
why hybridization doesn't necessarily mean two species aren't (my
favorite word used by a bunch of anit-ESA types right now) they aren't
"true species". (hmmm, they're "fake species"?). That the preservation
of genetic diversity maximizes the degrees of freedom future paths
of evolution may take.

With a majority of folks denying the existence of evolution, such
arguments fall on deaf ears as they're stuck in the paradigm that
the Creator (as they view it) created separate "kinds" in a static,
non-evolving world.

If they ain't evolvin', and they be interbreeding, then they ain't
real "kinds" there, are they Denny-bob? So F***'m and screw that
biodiversity thang as well. All a bunch of deviltry, anyway.

- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>