Comment on the fiasco in Kentucky.
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Published on Thursday, May 31, 2007 by The Waco Tribune-Herald (Texas)
Welcome to The Supposeum
by John Young
Welcome to the Supposeum.
The Supposeum is a museum dedicated to bolstering our suppositions,
whether they be religious, ethnocentric, political, economic or
militaristic.
We founded the Supposeum after seeing the turnstiles spin at the new
creationism museum in Petersburg, Ky. Among other things, it explains
scientifically how Earth ³was created in seven days.²
Four thousand people showed up in Petersburg to have their suppositions
reinforced.
Here in Texas, a creation science museum continues to do brisk business
near Glen Rose and Dinosaur Valley State Park site of dino prints in
the Paluxy River. The nearby Creation Evidence Museum touts evidence
alleged human footprints from the river bed ³demonstrating that man
and dinosaur lived contemporaneously.²
Whatever. We donıt need no stinkinı evidence to have a museum
reinforcing our cultural biases about the way of the world. Thatıs the
whole idea behind the Supposeum.
Evidence? Heck, just give the people what they want, take their money
and send them on their blissful way.
So, let those turnstiles sing.
Welcome first to the Manıs Dominion wing of the Supposeum. This is where
one can suppose that all of manıs labors, particularly his industrial
excesses, are as God intends it.
Environmentalists to debunk
Hereıs the display showing conclusively that the Earthıs biosphere has
an infinite capacity to absorb our carbon dioxide. The title: ³Carbon is
Manıs Best Friend.²
Over there is a crowd favorite, ³Caribou Prefer Oil Rigs,² thanks to a
grant by Exxon. And please enjoy the lumber-industry exhibit,
³Clear-Cutting Improves Every View.²
Of course, the Supposeum isnıt just about the natural world. Itıs about
the social sciences, too.
In our Matters of Faith wing, youıll find we arenıt just talking about
religion.
Here, for instance, is the exhibit devoted to faith-based fiscal policy,
or supply-side economics. We show conclusively that cutting taxes in a
deficit situation, while at the same time dramatically increasing
military spending and more, will cause the federal deficit to vanish.
And if not, you can always borrow more.
Thereıs the ³Let Abstinence Be Your Guide² exhibit. It demonstrates how
$1.1 billion spent over 10 years on federal abstinence-only sex
education initiatives and the demonizing of contraception managed to
wipe out teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in our
lifetimes. (OK. The evidence is that ³abstinence only² hasnıt even
dented them. But just suppose.)
That exhibit is right next to the Elvis Hasnıt Left the Building wing.
Did you know that Amelia Earhart is alive and still winging? Did you
know that Barney is a Satanist vessel? Did you know that the Loch Ness
Monster is Big Foot in scuba gear?
Onward through fog
Actually, what most people who visit the Supposeum come to enjoy are all
the exhibits in the Pax Americana rotunda.
There we see, for instance, how military occupation made the nation of
Iraq an oasis in the Middle East desert. It took a while. It helped when
2 million-plus disgruntled Iraqis who didnıt buy into the enterprise
fled the country.
Through generous underwriting by Halliburton and BlackHawk Security, we
have the new 21st Century War exhibit, showing how Americans of the
future wonıt have to fight todayıs wars of supposition anymore. Theyıll
simply contract them out.
The capper to the Pax Americana rotunda is the American Way promenade,
which, by the way, leads to the gift shop. We accept all major credit
cards.
The promenade hammers home one of the Supposeumıs central themes:
Suppose that every impulse we have militarily, religiously,
industrially and in pure mercantile pursuit is that for which all the
worldıs masses clamor. Just suppose.
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http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/31/1568/
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John #1782
"We should always be disposed to believe that which appears to us to be
white is really black, if the hierarchy of the church so decides."
- Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) Founder of the Jesuit Order.
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