Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for September 20, 2011

Danae, a mini Republican.

The facts according to Danae ought to make good science fiction.

And the beat goes on. Considering yesterday’s comments, today could be a record breaker! Who’s to say what is fact? Is there such a thing, or do we assume its existence based on empirical observation?

Facts are disputable

Aren’t there states where Creationism is taught alongside Evolution? That sounds like equal time for alternate explanations…

The big difference I’ve found between differing theories in science and differing theories in religion is that, if you can provide proof, evidence and a rational explanation of why the science is wrong, the scientific community will accept it. Scientific “facts” are open to change if you can prove why they should change – I love this because it allows progress.

Is there a real Danae out there? I would luv to have her here in Singapore – our school kids her age (in the genius level) are soooooooooooo boring!

Na, no one commenter has it quite correct; Danie has been tuning in to the Daily Show…….

Today’s strip reminds me why online is the best forum for political debate – you can finish a sentence without constant interruptions..Jeffrey is an idiot. He’s known Danae long enough to expect this sort of thing. He should have done what I would do if I were ever to appear on one of the fussier Sunday morning news shows: bring several 8-inch strips of duct tape, each stuck to wax paper for easy removal. Apply to mouthy person’s mouth and get equal time..Whoever pulls a stunt like that would be great for ratings.

The #1 religion should be the “SendRockngolferadollarandyoursoulwillbesaved” sect.

There is no room for alternative explanations when taught from birth and continued in special schools.Danae is the exception or the result.

Unless you live in Texas you can’t imagine how true this is. Just put her on the state school board and…

It’s not funny because it’s true.

Obviously, some religious person once stepped on Wiley’s tail. We’re not all crazy, despite the stereotypes. Must we condemn every Christian, Jew, Muslim, and any other person who ever had faith in something other than human beings as idiots?

At one time there were many of them but they became extinct in the 70’s.

Like the way the “theory of evolution” has been presented as “fact” in public education?!

@Fairportfan2As others have said…there used to be. I know a few who say they are fiscally conservative, but are (to the best of my knowledge) quite socially liberal. These are the Republicans who are dismayed by the socially conservative agenda of so many Republican candidates.

(and BTW, my sons love your brother’s works!)

I confess, I have not read your brother’s work, but I hope you won’t hold that against me.

Ahhh. 8:20 AM and it’s already up to 32 comments.You see, Wiley, reality attracts comments like money attracts politicians.Today’s strip is dead-on with some of the exxxtreme-rights’ loopiest loonies.I’ve had friends and/or relatives of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Moslem and Wiccan faiths, and had no qualms with any of their beliefs. But neither religion nor ignorance should be taught as science anywhere.

Religious fundamentalism [Christian, Muslim, Jewish, whatever] has caused more death and destruction than any thing else in human history. The pitiful belief that one has divined the purpose of existence is merely intellectual cowardice in the face of human mortality.

“Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die”.

@Craig Linder … just because you say it’s “verified by Google” doesn’t mean it’s FACT, nor does Darwin’s Theory (operative word) pass any test as being proven. If you mean mentally we’ve evolved … well you might have me on that, as we have much more information available to us than we did 10, 20, 30 … years ago. If you mean we’ve evolved socially, you might have me there, this planet is getting smaller by the day. We can experience one another’s culture within hours. If you mean we’ve evolved physically, well, people are taller and fatter than they used to be, blame the height on chemicals in the food and the weight on laziness. I don’t see it. Since you’re so “enlightened” please expound on how we have evolved to adapt to our surroundings? People who live below sea level haven’t developed webbed hands and feet, and people in North Dakota don’t sport more body hair than their cousins in Florida.

As the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once told an opponent, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”.If reality somehow offends you, go read the comics. (Oh — wait….)

This is the best writing you have ever done.

I dunno, going after fundamentalists seems like low hanging fruit to me.

I can see a place in Texas politics for Danae…

As one of my teachers said, “I don’t care whether you believe in it or not – it’s what the test will be on.”

Blame Bush, that should cover it….

Once I can find an ounce of Unobtanium, it will clear every thing up.

I just fear Danae is preparing to sell out her religion and go “mainstream”, books, TV, online donation pages, American Express please-no Mastercard, no checks! She will stay true to “denier” principles however, and continue to invent her own facts.

Which, I have four translations-in ENGLISH- of “that book of facts”- so which one IS the totally, inerrant word of the author? (Was “he” a relative of Simon or Shuster?)

Last I checked, religion, especially cult religions, were not permitted to be taught in public schools. But it’s been a while since I was in school, so I may be wrong. Either way, just send her to the principle’s office. She’s disobeying the teacher, and disrupting the class.

yes, push up the comment count… also, love Danae, love to see how this works out… lol!

Danae is the epitome of “When the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count!”

@pouncingtiger could be a Democrat, i.e. Rev Sharpton, et al

Love the radiance around Danae in panel 2.

how long before the scientologists want their views taught in our schools?

Danae’s mind is made up; don’t confuse her with the “facts”, for Pete’s sake.See, I got the air quotes in for the facts, too. Oh, and Pete is Saint Peter, who received the Christian church from Jesus. It would be some 600 years later before Mohammed reeceived the Moslim clurch from Allah. Meanwhile, the Jewish faith was already rolling along for some 4,000 years. Of course the Pagans had them all beat. So perhaps Danae should check out Paganism first which would allow her to worship any person or thing as she wishes, and who is to say she is wrong? The founders of that religion are long gone and they didn’t leave a written record. Even the IRS can’t audit that trail

I don’t see any humor here. This is how it really is.

I stopped discussing the issues of the day with 21st Century American conservatives years ago. I can get a more rational discussion with a bag of hammers.

Well done for a mere beggar :-) However, my impression of exoticdoc2 so far is that s/he doesn’t likely have the background to understand your explanation. I’m very curious to see if s/he responds to you and how.

Sorry about the link in one of the years for the literature I posted. I’m not sure how it got there, but it should be ignored.

1.grapfhics said, about 11 hours ago@Fairportfan2 “At one time there were many of them but they became extinct in the 70’s”

Oh, there are still some around:John Ringo,Eric Flint,Juliet E. McKenna,David Freer,Virginia DeMarce,Travis S. Taylor,And, of course, David Weber. Just to name a few (a very few).

Baslim, I commend you for some excellent posts here, especially your explanation of uncertainties in scientific measurements. I’ve worked as a nuclear/radiochemist for nearly 30 years, and have to say that exoticdoc2 doesn’t have a clue as to what he’s talking about. His claim that nuclear decay rates are not constant is absolute nonsense, there is absolutely no evidence to support this whatsoever. And your explanation of the reason for 14C in diamonds is spot on. I’ve actually measured nitrogen in materials by irradiating them with neutrons and measuring the 14C produced by the 14N(n,p)14C reaction. I love the way extocdoc2 accuses Wiley of not understanding the issue, when he himself seems to have no understanding of the science involved and just regurgitates what he reads on creationist websites. Oh well, at least his posts are entertaining.

I actually know multiple people like Daenae here.

If it wasn’t clear before, it is now.

Standing on the outside looking in: I would award this debate to Baslim and Linder. Their arguments made a lot more sense and their references presented as a lot more reliable than exoticdoc2.Plus my brother, a Quantum Physicist, verified their science. :-)

Danae is a devious, megalomaniac bent on world domination. Whatever lets her manipulate the pawns below her…

@Fairportfan2 – People try to lump social and fiscal conservatism into one. You can be socially liberal and fiscally conservative. It is called a Libertarian.

@weasel_monkey Bible thumpers would have us all believing we are the product of inbreeding. It is even talks about it in the Bible.

@exoticdoc2 – You have not provided any facts for your guy in the sky – only attempted to disprove existing science. Counting evidence in support of evolution, right now the score is Science: Googleplex, Sky Guy: 0.

Get back to us when you find a shred of evidence for the existence of sky guy or find a way to also disprove radio-lead dating, Samarium-neodymium dating method,Potassium-argon dating method,Rubidium-strontium dating method,Uranium-thorium dating method,Radiocarbon dating method,Fission track dating method,Chlorine-36 dating method,Luminescence dating methods, etc.

Maybe the facts that living things always come from living things, and useful specific information always is the result of an intelligent cause have been overlooked by the enthusiastic darwinian commenters of these bits of humor?