Just what I wanted!

1. THE ANTI-INTELLECTUALISTS LOSE A BIG ONE. Yes! Like many of the rest of you, I peeked under the X-mas tree (not the "Holiday" tree, the "X-mas" tree) and found that I got exactly what I wanted! --NAMELY: Judge Jones' marvelous decision in the Dover school board case.

Bob Park, a U of Maryland physicist, has a wonderful Science/Politics weekly newsletter called "What's New?" (You can subscribe to it for free.)

It comes out on Fridays. In today's edition he reports

INTELLIGENT DESIGN: DOVER DECISION DESTINED TO BE BESTSELLER.
"Our conclusion today," wrote United States District Judge John E. Jones III, "is that it is unconstitutional to teach ID as an alternative to evolution in a public school classroom." You must read 137 pages to get to that line, but it's time well spent. Jones, a conservative Republican appointed by George W. Bush, reviews the "legal landscape" of church-state separation, and then addresses the key question of whether ID is science or religion. He does so, "in the hope that it may prevent the obvious waste of resources on subsequent trials." Science, he observes, "rejects appeal to authority in favor of empirical evidence," whereas, "ID is not supported by any peer-reviewed research, data or publications." Not only does he enjoin Dover schools from teaching ID, he says the parents who brought suit are entitled to damages. That may cool the ardor of other school boards thinking of hopping in bed with the Discovery Institute. In the Senate, Rick Santorum (R-PA), who had earlier praised the Dover School Board for "teaching the controversy," was so moved by the Jones decision that he severed his ties to the Thomas Moore Law Center, which had defended the Board. (My emphasis throughout.)

Bob goes on to say:

Having just read Judge Jones "passionate paean to science," I turned on "Heaven: Where Is It? How Do We Get There," a two-hour special on ABC. The only hard information was that 90 percent of the public believes in it, whatever it is. That's scary, but how could ABC spend two hours on something for which there is no evidence whatever? Easy, have Barbara Walters interview experts, from mega-church evangelist Ted Haggard, who explains Heaven is only for born-again Christians, to a failed suicide bomber in a Jerusalem prison who was certain it's only for Muslims.

Do yourself a favor and subscribe to Park's newsletter! He's often funny and always tough-minded.
What's New?

2. ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIER: TOM FUENTES' FAREWELL SPEECH ('04). You might be interested in reading Tom Fuentes' "farewell" speech of March 14, 2004--when he stepped down after twenty years as chairman of the local GOP. To read the whole speech, go to SoCal Law Blog:
Farewell to Fuentes

Here are some brief excerpts:

Now, some have asked me what is it that gives me most joy in twenty years as Chairman of this County Party. It is a little thing. It is the fact that anywhere in this county, whenever Republicans gather, we begin our time together with prayer. You may pray in your way, and I may pray in mine, but, my friends, Republicans in this county always acknowledge a power higher than ourselves as did our Founding Fathers. And, the values, principles, and ideals that flow from the acknowledgement of the divinity, guides our conservative social agenda. It gives us pause to reflect on what is really important in life and society. It motivates us to defend causes that are so critical in the cultural war that today engulfs our nation and its society. Because you have allowed me to serve as your Chairman, I have been able to enjoy the opportunity to give encouragement to countless young activists to become involved in the leadership of our party.
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No matter how strong the winds blow from the left in places like San Francisco and Hollywood, you my friends, are committed to a higher and nobler calling. I want to thank President Bush for his kind appointment of me to his Administration. I greatly enjoy my current service in Washington, D.C. and around the nation, on the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation. With an annual budget of some $350 Million, our task is to provide equal access to justice in America.
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In 1984, when I first spoke as the newly elected Chairman of our County Party, it was 150 years after my great, great, great grandfather arrived in Orange County in 1834. He walk[ed] north from Old Mission San Juan Capistrano through this land that you and I call home. Today, now in 2004, it is 170 years since his arrival and his walking. My colleagues, I want you to know that I will continue to walk with you, to visit our neighbors, and to welcome them into our party. Thank you very much.