Why do I have to share my baby with a monkey?

There was a ridiculous pseudo-debate in USA Today last week over intelligent design. Is it really a debate if both Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel believe we should present this sham of a theory in our classrooms, never mind there isn't a shred of scientific evidence to support it? In support of this farce, they argue that there are holes in our theory of evolution. No shit. Just because we don't have a full understanding of an area of science, does that open the door to teaching every wacky mystical theory someone can conjure? There's a lot we don't know about the brain. Let's bring back trephination! Idiotic. Anyway, someone responded to this lunacy with a great letter that appears in today's edition. I'm copying it here in its entirety. This lady says it better than I could hope to. And she's from Ohio. Holla!

Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel propose a public debate on the scientific merits of intelligent design, and Beckel wonders whether "the Darwinists will show up." You bet we will! In fact, we'll host. We challenge the top "intelligent-designists" to a debate of the scientific evidence for intelligent design, to be held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland the first week of January. "Doubting Thomas" Cal's nihilistic suggestion to subject the Bible to scientific analysis is too big a project for this event, but an hour or so sounds like just about how long it should take to dispatch any scientific claims for intelligent design. The question is, will the designists show? Calls go out every day to present scientific data at scientific conferences. The designists are always busy that decade. Meanwhile, the scientific data supporting evolution continue to pour in on a daily basis and produce spinoff applications that create new medicine, more productive crops, cleaner water and better living for billions of people worldwide. The Darwinists show up to work every day in thousands of labs around the globe. Mr. Thomas and Mr. Beckel, your guys are the ones who don't show. January. Cleveland. The "science" of ID. Put up or shut up.
Patricia Princehouse, Department of Biology, Case Western
Reserve University, Cleveland

You go, Patty! Throw that gauntlet DOWN, baby!