Tax Break Raiders Of The Lost Ark

On a day where NASA announces that they've discovered brand new arsenic-based lifeforms (that you know, EVOLVED), I'm reminded of just how frigging stupid my state of Kentucky can be in the science department as Gov. Beshear (a Democrat, mind you!) has announced the state is giving up nearly $40 million in tax breaks to build...a creationist theme park.  Joe "Media Czech" Sonka over at Barefoot and Progressive went to Beshear's presser on this yesterday.

The rest is history.

Once question and answer time began, I asked if there would be dinosaurs on the Ark. Beshear was at the podium and gave me a blank stare. Finally, the AiG guy spoke up and gave a "well, you know what we believe" answer. After other reporters prodded him, he finally stepped up to the mic and said yes, there will be dinosaurs on the ark, because there WERE dinosaurs on the ark. Of course.

There were some other good questions about the separation of church and state, but mostly questions about the dimensions of the Ark, which couldn't have been more useless considering that the governor of our state was up on stage presenting his endorsement of a theme park devoted to intellectually molesting children. Steitzer asked if he believed in Creationism, and Beshear gave a sanctimonious defense of his faith.

I asked the last question, which was "do you support the Young Earth Creationism of Answers in Genesis being taught in public schools?" Beshear said that this isn't the time and place for questions like that. Get me off of this stage.

I'd die laughing except this thing is going up in spitting distance of where I live, meaning that once again Kentucky is a national frigging embarrassment that I have to apologize to the rest of the country for.  Once again, the creationist theme park people are getting some $37.5 million in tax breaks to build this thing, and as a Kentucky taxpayer this makes me want to repeatedly hit somebody with a hammer.  The great part is that the jobs this will create will all be based on sucking the critical thinking skills out of America's kids, creating the next generation of science-hating Tea Party voters.  Whee!  Go Kentucky!

I can't wait for the official Kentucky: The Yabba Dabba Doo State license plates.

PZ Myers has a field day with this one, it goes without saying.