Bad Astonomer Phil Plait recently posted this gem. I'd comment but I think this excerpt is all you will need to read:
According to this press release from PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility), Bush White House appointees are suppressing real science in order to promote creationism. Specifically, at the Grand Canyon National Park, a book is on sale that says the canyon was formed in Noah’s flood. Also, guides at the park are not allowed to answer questions about how old the canyon is, despite scientists’ incredibly detailed and intricate knowledge of the formation mechanism, scheme, and history of the canyon (hint: some of the oldest rocks in the canyon are two billion years old).
I can't even begin to express how angry this makes me. I hope it's not true. It's hard to believe that something so inane could happen in this day and age. While I don't doubt that there is creationist claptrap in the park's giftstore (that crap is everywhere), guides not being permitted to discuss the verified age of the canyon? Seems way too outlandish. Can anyone confirm this story? I hope not!
“In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists…”
Good grief. These people are so fragile, they have to be shielded from the truth. It is nauseating, Chuck, you're right. And obviously I don't give a tinker's dam if these people are offended or if they go crawl in a hole and chant “noah's flood” to themselves, but I am very upset by the culture of non-scientific thinking it promotes. Scientific and mathematical thinking needs to be applied to all areas of life, from buying lottery tickets to deciding whether to take a plane to voting, and people just don't understand it. I'm frustrated.
Sometimes this stuff amuses me, but at the moment this just makes me angry.