There are several creationist "museums" spread throughout the country, the most famous of which is the one in Kentucky. What might surprise people is the number in Texas. I know when I think of Texas I think of a state that is very much a part of the "Christian Right". This isn't completely accurate yes it is in the top 10 for the importance of religion it is actually tied for 10th with Kentucky, as of 2008 (source). There are 2 creationist museums within the state of Texas that are open right now. The most famous of the two is the Creationist Evidence Museum in Glen Rose (Official Site). The other one is the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum in Crosbyton (Official Site), which I have mentioned before. Neither of these, however, are within a major metropolitan area, the Creationist Evidence Museum in Glen Rose is the closest but it is still a fair trip from the Dallas-Fort Worth Area to Glen Rose. Well it appears that a new one is about to open up within Dallas itself.
I have actually known about this for about 6 months or so and would like to point out that they have had the same status on their webpage for that whole time so I don't know how much progress they are making. I obviously would prefer if they don't build this because it perverts science and outright lies to people but it is perfectly within their rights to build it. If it is anything like the one they have in Arkansas (Official Site) they will be using the same creationist arguments that have been tried and refuted for the past 20+ years.
Showing posts with label creation museum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creation museum. Show all posts
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Private Fossil Collections
Vertebrate fossils are rare for most of the world, while there are of course some places where you can't seem to take a step without tripping over one. So what should be done when a fossil is found. Well if it is on your private land you are free to do what you want with it. This differs from the archaeological system in many states where you are obligated to report archaeological finds. If it is on public land it is by definition owned by the entire public. This is why in order to collect on public land you have to get a permit, which is hard to do if you don't have ties to someone who already has one, in order to collect. These are typically given the museums and individuals who are typically associated with research institutions, typically universities. This doesn't just apply to fossils but everything from animals to just the rocks themselves. For national forests and grasslands you also have to get a permit to log or graze cattle on them, their original purpose.
So what made me blog about this? I am sure that most people are familiar with the creationist museum just outside of Cincinnati, actually on the Kentucky side of the Ohio (see here). Well what many people don't realize is that there are in fact many creationist museums scattered around the country (see here). Once of these is called the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum located in Crosbyton, TX (see here, their official website is here). For those of you who aren't from/don't live in west Texas Crosbyton is only about 30-45 minutes from Lubbock, TX so I am clearly familiar with this museum. Well I didn't realize that they had a blog (here) so I figured I would read some of their posts when I came across it today. While many of his posts are political, very anti-Obama shocker there, some are about what they have found.
Part of one (here):
Second one (here):
These posts trouble me and show the problem with private collecting in general. If he is right in any way about these this data will not enter the scientific knowledge because it will not go through peer review, even if he did actually publish on it in some other source. This data and information will possibly be lost forever.
Now with that said do I think that people who find fossils on their private land should be forced to turn over their fossils? No, of course not what you find/do on your private land is up to you. Insisting otherwise is a very slippery slope one I do not feel we need to engage in. Which is why I find it interesting when Mr. Taylor says this (here):
No, sir, it is not just the "liberal democrat-socialists" that don't want people to collect on public lands. Remember Theodore Roosevelt, Republican president (here), he started the process of forming National Parks (here). The land was set aside to help preserve the nature and that is why we don't want everyone and their brother out digging for fossils, this would in fact destroy the land. So if someone is caught collecting fossils on public land then they need to be punished for it, unfortunately it is far to easy to get away with.
As Roosevelt said in an Address to the Deep Waterway Convention, Memphis, Tennessee, October 4, 1907:
So what made me blog about this? I am sure that most people are familiar with the creationist museum just outside of Cincinnati, actually on the Kentucky side of the Ohio (see here). Well what many people don't realize is that there are in fact many creationist museums scattered around the country (see here). Once of these is called the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum located in Crosbyton, TX (see here, their official website is here). For those of you who aren't from/don't live in west Texas Crosbyton is only about 30-45 minutes from Lubbock, TX so I am clearly familiar with this museum. Well I didn't realize that they had a blog (here) so I figured I would read some of their posts when I came across it today. While many of his posts are political, very anti-Obama shocker there, some are about what they have found.
Part of one (here):
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2009, we were collecting in southern Montana, when my digging buddie, Jordan Hall, found the largest hadrosaur footbone I have ever seen. For years we have offered a cast of a hind leg that was reported to be the largest known. It came from South Dakota. This new one looks to be 15% to 20% larger. Also, this Thursday, a long-time digging friend, Linda, sent a huge metatarsal from South Dakota that is the largest I had even seen. It was found this summer. We'll do some measurements and report on them.
Second one (here):
In July, I joined some digging buddies to help Otis Kline of the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum in Glendive, Montana finish the excavation of a large Triceratops. The vertebrae are 20 to 30 % larger than average. But the skull is odd. Based on the left squamosal, the nose horn and one brow horn and part of what appers to be a section of frill down the center of the skull, I am willing to say that it may be a new species. For such a large animal, one would expect the brow horn, the ones over the eyes, to be as much as 48 inches. This one is only 12 inches. But the nose horn is almost 12 inches which would be the right length for this size of skull. We will publish a sketch I did of it to get an idea of what it may turn out to look like.
These posts trouble me and show the problem with private collecting in general. If he is right in any way about these this data will not enter the scientific knowledge because it will not go through peer review, even if he did actually publish on it in some other source. This data and information will possibly be lost forever.
Now with that said do I think that people who find fossils on their private land should be forced to turn over their fossils? No, of course not what you find/do on your private land is up to you. Insisting otherwise is a very slippery slope one I do not feel we need to engage in. Which is why I find it interesting when Mr. Taylor says this (here):
The liberal democrat-socialists have tried many times to make it a criminal offense with jail time and huge fines for anyone other than a state approved person to collect even sea shells from public land. If they could stop you from collecting on private land they would. Then no one but state approved evolutionists would have fossils. The liberals will not stop till they tell everyone what to do in every area of our lives. WE VOTED THEM IN. NOW LET'S THROW THEM OUT!
No, sir, it is not just the "liberal democrat-socialists" that don't want people to collect on public lands. Remember Theodore Roosevelt, Republican president (here), he started the process of forming National Parks (here). The land was set aside to help preserve the nature and that is why we don't want everyone and their brother out digging for fossils, this would in fact destroy the land. So if someone is caught collecting fossils on public land then they need to be punished for it, unfortunately it is far to easy to get away with.
As Roosevelt said in an Address to the Deep Waterway Convention, Memphis, Tennessee, October 4, 1907:
...The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem it will avail us little to solve all others.(source)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Creation Museum
Ok so there hasn't been much anti-science out there recently. If I had to guess I would say it is because of the health care reform stuff going on in the US right now and since I try to stay away from political issues on here I am not going to discuss it, yes I have an opinion but I don't think anyone really wants to hear my side right now. I also, for all the VT fans who read this, know the Evans tore his ACL and is out for the season but I think this got enough coverage over the past 24 hours that there isn't really anything else for me to say on it.
What I wanted to post was this:
http://www.ooblick.com/text/creation-museum/
For anyone who has ever wanted to visit the creation museum without having to pay for it this is your chance. I personally have thought about it but it is far too far away from me and I really don't want to pay the $20 to get in and support what they are doing. But from the looks of it they don't raise any points that haven't been refuted before. It was still interesting to see the pictures and read some of what the signs said. To any creationist who might read this think about where the money to build this came from originally. I wonder if Ken Ham will be able to pass this off the way Kent Hovind did as a tax exempt thing or if he is playing the safe card and paying taxes on what he makes. Since I don't wish anyone ill I'll hope for the latter.
UPDATE: I don't know if this means anything but last year when I was heading south on I-71 through Cincinati there was one sign for the "museum" but when I drove through today I saw at least three signs and they had gone from a very simple sign to very fancy catch your eye type signs. I don't know what to make of that but I just figured I would point that out.
What I wanted to post was this:
http://www.ooblick.com/text/creation-museum/
For anyone who has ever wanted to visit the creation museum without having to pay for it this is your chance. I personally have thought about it but it is far too far away from me and I really don't want to pay the $20 to get in and support what they are doing. But from the looks of it they don't raise any points that haven't been refuted before. It was still interesting to see the pictures and read some of what the signs said. To any creationist who might read this think about where the money to build this came from originally. I wonder if Ken Ham will be able to pass this off the way Kent Hovind did as a tax exempt thing or if he is playing the safe card and paying taxes on what he makes. Since I don't wish anyone ill I'll hope for the latter.
UPDATE: I don't know if this means anything but last year when I was heading south on I-71 through Cincinati there was one sign for the "museum" but when I drove through today I saw at least three signs and they had gone from a very simple sign to very fancy catch your eye type signs. I don't know what to make of that but I just figured I would point that out.
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