Fucking Neaderthals

The New York Times has an article today about the evolution battle in a school district in Pennsylvania.

One of the reasons the creationist (AKA Intelligent Design) folks think they are on solid ground is their misuse of the word "theory" (as in evolutionary theory).

To use the old cliche, here is the official definition of the word "theory."

A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.

They seem to think that a theory is just some sort of loopy idea that can be easily refuted. However, the theory referred to in "Darwin's Theory of Evolution" is the one listed above.

Here's the money quote from the article:

Conservative Christians across the country say the re-election of President Bush has given them the momentum to achieve important local goals, including challenging the teaching of evolution