God’s Pandemic

By DAVE LINDORFF

Even as the new “Scopes Trial” over evolution vs. “intelligent design” is underway in Dover, PA, the proof that those who disparage Darwin are hypocrites and charlatans is right in front of us.

The Creationist-in-Chief, in his latest press conference, expressed concern that the Bird Flu virus could evolve into a strain capable of being transmitted from human to human, instead of just from bird to bird or bird to human. If so, he warned, it could lead to up to 2 million deaths in the U.S. alone. Accordingly, he is proposing using the military to quarantine areas of outbreaks. His backers in the Republican-led Congress just slid $3.9 billion into the latest military funding bill to cover epidemic preparedness in case the Bird Flu evolves into a human flu.

What was that? The flu virus “evolves”?

H-m-m-m-m. I wonder what else evolves? Life on earth, perhaps?

Are we saying that viruses evolve, but not bacteria? Or that only simple organisms evolve, but not complex animals? I wonder where one draws the line?

Let’s be honest here. If we’re dealing with intelligent design—an intelligence surely way beyond our own pathetic efforts at reason and logic—then why worry about Bird Flu? Why blow nearly $4 billion (money that could more profitably fund a month of God’s work killing the Iraqi heathen) on military preparedness for an epidemic? If the bird Flu virus starts suddenly infecting humans, it must be the Maker’s intention, and who are we to try to interfere? The proper recourse would be to pray, not pay.

If evolution is just so much bunk from the academy, why worry about it. It ain’t gonna happen.

There’s no such thing as evolution, right?

Dave Lindorff is the author of Killing Time: an Investigation into the Death Row Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. His new book of CounterPunch columns titled “This Can’t be Happening!” is published by Common Courage Press. Information about both books and other work by Lindorff can be found at www.thiscantbehappening.net

Originally published on Counterpunch at http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff10072005.html and reprinted in TAM with permission of the author.

Visit Dave Lindorff’s blog at www.thiscantbehappening.net