Design detectives fooled by urban legend

As of this writing, there're three comments over at UD, warning that this is a hoax. Look for the UD entry to come down very quickly ...

Tune in to uncommonly dense next week, when DaveScot will show you:

* How he's helping a Nigerian prince come to the US by sending him cash so that he can share his fortune
* How he reconfirmed his credit card and social security details via unsolicited email
* How 'Hotgrl99' (who apparently knows him) sent him 'funny_Joke.exe' and he's opening it now
* How he trying to locate his arse with both hands...

He used to work for Dell, dontchaknow. I suspect they used have experts watch him browse the web and open emails so they could, erm, Idiot-proof things.

Seriously. These guys are experts at telling us stuff where things came from / how they were made?

*falls of chair, tears streaming from eyes*

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHA

Man, he's gotten really brazen religion on his web page now that his con is exposed.

Also,

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Lord, watch over these troops as they do unto the least of your servants, bless them as they incarcerate dangerous elements of Iraqi society and administer unto them Your justice, guide them in their faithful punishment of Saddam Hussein for his part in the attacks on us, and reattach not the ears and limbs of those who raise hands against us.

Or, maybe it's a ruse; he's using 'street theatre' to show how corally-corrupt-atheist-darwinists are anti war. Or something.

We don't like [what we think are] the social implications of evolution being correct, (therefore) evolution is not correct.

#2 To everyone who's pointed out that the ACLU story is a fabrication according to snopes.com - that's hardly the point. The pictures of Marines praying are real. The fighting and dying to protect the interests of the United States is real. The request to pray for them is real. So I think I'll just echo the supposedly non-existent Colonel Fessender and say, from the very real former Marine Sergeant David Springer, "Screw the ACLU and screw anyone who's got a problem with this post." HOO RAH! Semper Fi! Comment by DaveScot --- May 22, 2006 @ 12:49 pm

Did DaveScot acutally say that the fact that this

"story is a fabrication...[is] hardly the point" ?

Of course he did.

Ooh, cat's out of the bag:

"To everyone who's pointed out that the ACLU story is a fabrication according to snopes.com - that's hardly the point. The pictures of Marines praying are real. The fighting and dying to protect the interests of the United States is real. The request to pray for them is real. So I think I'll just echo the supposedly non-existent Colonel Fessender and say, from the very real former Marine Sergeant David Springer, "Screw the ACLU and screw anyone who's got a problem with this post."

HOO RAH! Semper Fi!

Comment by DaveScot --- May 22, 2006 @ 12:49 pm "

No Dave, the point is Uncommon Descent is supposed to be about science and discovering where things come from. So you publishing a fake, religious diatribe speaks volumes to your credibility.

No Dave, the point is Uncommon Descent is supposed to be about science and discovering where things come from. So you publishing a fake, religious diatribe speaks volumes to your credibility.

"Sure we are making stuff up, but that's hardly the point, because we're right anyway."

/> SLEEPER AGENT DAVESCOT: ***REACTIVATED***

/>NEW PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: POST EASILY ESPOSED RIGHT WING CHRISTIAN LIES

This man needs a reality show. Fox, make it happen.

Update 3:

"To everyone who's pointed out that the ACLU story is a fabrication according to snopes.com - that's hardly the point. The pictures of Marines praying are real. The fighting and dying to protect the interests of the United States is real. The request to pray for them is real. So I removed the fake names, noted the ACLU statement is rumor, and quoted a very real former Marine Sergeant's sentiments instead. If anyone has a problem with that they can KMA. Google that.

HOO RAH! Semper Fi! "

It's not a 'rumour', Dave, its false. BELLEND.

Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, US Soldier, Sailor, Airman &others deployed in harm's way, Prayer is the very best one!

Watching the Intelligent Design flameout is pretty amusing.

With regard to Davescot's "The pictures of Marines praying are real", he doesn't know this as a fact. The top one looks photo-shopped to me. The depth cues certainly 'feel' wrong. Oh, I know, I'll use my explanatory filter* to find out:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/upload/2006/05/ef20.gif

Dembski's blog got snookered by a silly chain e-mail

Note that the first google hit on "David Springer ACLU" is to an old PT post, a comment in which refers to "DaveScot aka Dave Springer aka David Scott Springer."

To everyone who's pointed out that the ACLU story is a fabrication according to snopes.com - that's hardly the point. The pictures of Marines praying are real.

P.S. And by the way, even the first picture, the huge one of all the marines praying, is faked - and badly, I might add. It's a doctored photo of the same 3 or 4 guys copied over and over until it looks like hundreds of guys.

Relating to the movie, "Stripes" (w/ Bill Murray), I know that in times of trouble, our troops can count on DaveScot to always stand* behind them...

...directly behind, that is.

#3 The ACLU has certainly stood against prayer in public school even if led by students in extra-curricular settings like graduation ceremonies and football games. There is not one iota of doubt in my mind that the ACLU would love to do the same thing to prayer in the military. Prayers led by commissioned and non-commissioned officers in the Corps are common. The military builds and maintains chapels on military bases. They employ religious clerics whose job is spiritual counseling and leading worship services. Anyone that thinks the ACLU wouldn't stand against that if they could get away with it needs their head examined. They simply know the American public wouldn't tolerate it and the ACLU would be so harmed they might never recover as an organization. So they bite their anti-religious tongues in the interest of self-preservation. Comment by DaveScot --- May 22, 2006 @ 1:59 pm

#4 The ACLU has taken many religious freedom cases including definding churches and conservative Christians, including Jerry Fallwell. The ACLU has also defended the right of students to form prayer and Bible study clubs in school and both are ubiquitous at least in the south. None of the Marines depicted are forcing other people to pray. I can only assume that *they* are not being forced to pray, but are doing so of their own free will. Students are free to pray at any time during a football game or a graduation ceremony. They are NOT free to force others to pray or to force others to listen to them pray. I can never quite understand why forced prayer is so desirable. Certainly it pleases the person doing the forcing, but I can't imagine that it would please God. Comment by MrsCogan --- May 22, 2006 @ 2:11 pm

Yes, the picture is known to be a photoshopped fake, and the event never happened. But the insight Dave gives us is quite priceless, if redundent: *Evidence does not matter*. Sure, it's false, but so what? It says the right thing, which is really all that matters. In the religious world, things become true when those who want them badly enough SAY they're true. So that fact that both the story and the pictures are false is beside the point. They're true, false or not!

Somebody tell DaveScot that the word "gullible" is not in the dictionary.

The ACLU has certainly stood against prayer in public school even if led by students in extra-curricular settings like graduation ceremonies and football games. There is not one iota of doubt in my mind that the ACLU would love to do the same thing to prayer in the military. Prayers led by commissioned and non-commissioned officers in the Corps are common. The military builds and maintains chapels on military bases. They employ religious clerics whose job is spiritual counseling and leading worship services. Anyone that thinks the ACLU wouldn't stand against that if they could get away with it needs their head examined. They simply know the American public wouldn't tolerate it and the ACLU would be so harmed they might never recover as an organization. So they bite their anti-religious tongues in the interest of self-preservation.

To everyone who's pointed out that the ACLU story is a fabrication according to snopes.com - that's hardly the point.

I was just checking out UncommonlyDense to see what all the hubbub was about...and noticed Demski's and Scot's comments regarding Woody Allen's Match Point.

Seems like Darwin is responsible for everything!

It's all making sense now....when the Yanks were up 3-0 against the Red Sox in 2004...and then Sox came back and won 4 straight!....and the time I lost my sunglasses....and my socks disappearing in the dryer!...

How do they find time to do scientific research???.....Oh wait,...nevermind.

That is truly bizarre if even the image is faked. One would think it would not be very difficult to find a real image of marines praying.

#5 You people are retarded. The email is a fake and you're an idiot for not realizing that. Good show, Professor. This type of thing does wonders for your credibility. Comment by mamoulian --- May 22, 2006 @ 2:38 pm

Good show, Professor. This type of thing does wonders for your credibility.

This was the final prod I needed to actually join the ACLU.

Mamoulian's comment has been deleted without note. The dishonesty and cowardice of UD is incredible.

"former Marine Sergeant David Springer, speaking for all his brothers in uniform"

Amazing. He believes he speaks for all marines now. His ego is truely the inverse of his intellect.

OMG, you can tell that it's a lame photoshop job too!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!

If Dave Scott wasn't such a jerk, I'd feel sorry for him.

The ironic thing is, the contention that the notorious Texas Air National Guard memos were 'fake but accurate' was justly derided from the right. Now DaveScot seems to be claiming this email is 'fake but accurate'.

Maybe we could all agree that if something is fabricated, it's of null evidentiary value, no matter how much we happen to like what it says?

Im going to sue DaveScot, everytime I read something he writes I feel more stupid.

It's amazing that "Dawkins's use of hip hop against ID" can get 3 times the responses of this post, despite being much newer. It's almost as if THEY'RE NOT GETTING THROUGH, or something.

I feel your pain it being cruelly censored by the establishment, ID brothers.

*Does secret ID salute*

This is truly fantastic. I can't wait for the follow up where he requests prayers on behalf of the boy who has a burlap sack for a body.

That photo looks to be of the marines "quadruplet and quintuplet special forces division" which are known to have big issues maintianing rank and file formations

This incident took place at a recent ceremony honoring the Birthday of the Corps, and it has the ACLU up in arms.

says a rumored spokesman for the ACLU

You notice they've put up 7 posts today so far, trying to push the hoax story lower and lower. As a long time watcher of Uncommonly Dense, I can't ever recall so many new posts in one day.

OK, I'll make the obvious remark. The title of this post should have been

Design defectives fooled by urban legend

RBH

The rumor bit is only regarding the quote itself: says a rumored spokesman for the ACLU

— Todd

Nothing about it being a rumor, nothing about it being a hoax, he is presenting it as true. The rumor bit is only regarding the quote itself:

says a rumored spokesman for the ACLU

— Todd

Note he isn't saying the quote is rumored, only the the spokesman is rumored. It is a minor technicality, but it maintains the tone that this is a real ACLU position.

Obviously they didn't apply the Explanatory Filter, otherwise they would have known that the story and photos were Designed. The EF never gives false positives, except sometimes!
Damn that ACLU for being such religious bigots a bunch of atheists Darwinists, enemies of ChristianityIntelligent Design!

How would a "rumored spokesman" work? Do you pay a guy to hold a press conference, then refuse to publicly say he works for you, while paying another guy to send around anonymous letters claiming he is in fact an ACLU spokesman and not a homeless madman?

What everyone has missed is that if you print out the picture of the marines and hold it about 12 inches from your face, crossing your eyes until an image appears, you can find a secret message from the great Intelligent Designer.

It seems to say 'So Dark The Con of Man'. Anyone know what that might mean?

Why does DaveScot hate freedom so much? (freedom = civil liberties).

It seems to say 'So Dark The Con of Man'. Anyone know what that might mean?

Why does DaveScot hate freedom so much? (freedom = civil liberties).,

It's been said before, but I have to repeat it.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Those guys at Unbelievably Dense are their own best argument against evolution: They are simply too dumb to have evolved.

IDiocy isn't about religion at all. It's just about falling for the refuted Marine-praying hoax.

And THAT'S certainly not religion. It's just those materialistic Darwinists and Judge Jones who say so!

(Tears streaming from my eyes)

Truly, the IDiots are their own worst enemy.

Are you sure that it is photo-shoped sure they all look alike but then they are all Marines.

Dave has claimed to be a Libertarian. But just like he claims he's an agnostic, his words and actions show he's lying on both accounts. Apply the following filter for Dave and everything comes into focus: Republican == GOOD, Democtrat == BAD.

No, no. See, the USMC subcontracted Lucasfilms for the whole clone-trooper thing. After which, Cheney was reported to have bought a cape after adding a rider about the whole shooting-lightning-from-fingers things.

Cheney was reported to have bought a cape after adding a rider about the whole shooting-lightning-from-fingers things.

"They are simply too dumb to have evolved."

Not if you consider the short perspective. Evolution is about survival. They are adapted to their environment, which being creationist doesn't need intelligence.

If they seem extraordinarily stupid it could be by a process analogous to sexual selection - the most stupid stand out and gets the best positions. Perhaps it's a case of "creative selection".

Dembski's behavior lately seems quite odd although I think I may understand it. The dismal success of ID combined with the increased evolutionary explanations for biology, and then the somewhat uncritical response to an urban myth must weigh heavy on him. After all, he does not get the fame of a Dawkins who gets a documentary on Channel 4 and has many very succesful books. All he has is Salvador Cordova and Dave Scott. With friends like them who needs enemies :-)

All kidding aside, Dembski seems to be going a bit 'stir crazy' now that ID's dirty laundry has been aired and evolutionary science is moving onward without any scientifically relevant contribution of ID.

It must be hard to someone who was once compared to the Isaac Newton of Information Theory. Little did the people realize that the term information in ID speak merely means, quite appropriately, ignorance.

Keep up the good work Bill, soon you will not need Sal and Dave anymore

are we sure he isn't just setting us up for another "Masterpiece Street Theatre" moment?

ACTING!

(says John Lovitz)

Just last year summer while I was on vacation in upstate New York and staying at his home for a couple days after our 30th high school reunion, we were struck by lightning at the same time as he was changing the front disc brakes on his wife's SUV. The lightning hit a power line near the house, travelled into the garage and to the vehicle through the cord on a trouble light, and knocked the crap out of both of us as we were in contact with the vehicle. It might have made him a bit more religious all of a sudden as he had both hands on bare metal whereas I was just touching a painted surface with one hand.

You'd think that a God-fearing man would recognize a clear warning like this one.

I don't know what's on Dembski's mind. I guessed that Davetard was going to be dismissed months ago. He is a real embarrassment. But perhaps that would be an admission of error. Fine with me, the blog has been (unintentionally) hilarious all year. But check out how they're also finding it impossible to hide the religion these days http://www.uncommondescent.com/index.php/archives/1147#comments

I guess the irony that the pea-sized brains of DaveScot and company were intelligently designed, is way over their heads.

Thanos

OMG, have you seen the last entry that DaveScot put in the comments section for that article?

"Now that everyone is happy that this article isn't a fabrication the comments are closed"

Every time I see ID proponents claiming that evolution is a lie, I will point them to this breathtaking intellectual filth :D

I don´t know if the first picture was really photoshopped, but my first thought upon seeing it was: Well, these guys have been marched to a parade ground and are right now shuffling to get exactly in line for inspection or whatever. Praying? Methinks not.

And I wonder, what is the difference in the specified complexity between marching soldiers (some order in space and vector) and lined up (high order in space but no movement). Has Dembski calculated this? Is there intelligence involved? Is this difference in CS different between recruits and veterans? A new field of research opens up!

But check out how they're also finding it impossible to hide the religion these days

The ironic thing is, the contention that the notorious Texas Air National Guard memos were 'fake but accurate' was justly derided from the right. Now DaveScot seems to be claiming this email is 'fake but accurate'.

— Gerard Harbison

And people still say that being gullible in one fashion doesn't open up your brain to other crap ...

If you put DaveScot's final comments

"Now that everyone is happy that this article isn't a fabrication the comments are closed.",

Through the explanatory filter, you get

"Now I'm so embarrassed let's pretend this never happened. I know the photos are photo shopped because I've been told but I won't allow those posts. Please, please Bill bang out some more guff above this so it gets pushed off the page. I bet you regret having me as your helper monkey now"

Ha, ha, ha, ha! My dad sent me that. Never mind the obvious tiling from the photoshoped troops, the whole thing is just made up and any idiot with even the slightest skepticsm and spent all of two-or-three minutes trying to figure it out would find out that it's a totally fabricated urban legend.

Also, notice how all the posts since are by D*mbski, is Davescot allowed to post on his own anymore? It was 70% Davescot a week or so ago..

Also, notice how all the posts since are by D*mbski, is Davescot allowed to post on his own anymore? It was 70% Davescot a week or so ago..

Just what are the ethics of taking an e-mail message, posting it on a blog, then altering it based on feedback without indicating the alteration in the original message? Sure, he noted he made changes in a reply, but the initial entry doesn't have any indications that it's been altered. Needless to say, I'm not too impressed, and the impression that the ACLU is involved certainly hasn't been significantly diminished.

I personally think a screenshot should be posted of that as well. You know, for comparison sake.

What a wanker!

-Rusty, are you familiar with the practice of "quotemining?" IDists do this sort of thing frequently, for fun AND for profit.

"Also, notice how all the posts since are by D*mbski, is Davescot allowed to post on his own anymore? It was 70% Davescot a week or so ago.."

Poor Billy.

Good help is hard to find.

-Rusty, are you familiar with the practice of "quotemining?" IDists do this sort of thing frequently, for fun AND for profit.

"Good help is hard to find."

Especially if your limited brain was intelligently designed.

Stuart

Your comment should read "God help is hard to find".

[Your comment should read "God help is hard to find".]

Or Stuart, your comment can be modified to "Intelligent help is hard to find".

Uh, why is ID concerned with this...... I mean they are not religious. They're not religious. They're not religious. They're not religious. They're not religious. They're not religious.

Somebody should make a list with the funniest UD threads ever. This one would surely make it there, just like the unforgettable but mysteriously disappeared thread where DaveScot tried to make everybody accept common descent.

We've been joking about that over at AtBC. Uncommonly Dense: Exclusive Fan Edition

You know, that marine photo looks kinda like those old stereograms...

I kept squinting for a while, waiting for the phrase "Dave is a retard" to pop out. Now I'm dizzy.

BTW... In the wake of the massive blowup outlined on this post, UD has NO, Zero, Nada, No comments or post up today...

Maybe ID fellow sycophants Dembski and Springer are even more cartoon-like and are now hitting each other over the head with baseball bats? !

Heh Heh!

j-Dog:

You mean like Itchy and Scratchy?

Laser - Yes, like Itchy and Scratchy, but less intelligent...

If you wring all the chuckles out of this one, go to the uncommon descent homepage and read the fantastic Henry Rollins tirade posted there.

I love Rollins. I always have. Superb musician, superb writer, frantastic public speaker. And Dembski just committed the footbullet of putting an extended Rollins anti-ID rant front and center on Uncommon Descent. It's a laugh riot.

See, now if Dembski had just run this hoax through his explanatory filter, he could have detected the design.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA(ad infinitum)

If you wring all the chuckles out of this one, go to the uncommon descent homepage and read the fantastic Henry Rollins tirade posted there.

ew