Re: [asa] Conservapedia

Iain,

Not to put a damper on anyone's fun, but it did strike me as odd that
you would want to hack (or whatever more polite word you want to use
here) their system so that you could get your viewpoint, which is at
odds with the purpose of the corporate project, represented.

In a pluralistic society/world don't groups have the "right" to
promulgate their views without critics' interference. It's not that
critics are not allowed or that critics don't ever come from the
inside, but it seems to me that there are situations where only those
who share the cause are allowed to disseminate information for the
cause. Such is the nature of voluntary associations.

We have this situation in the ASA and on this list. There are those
who would happily hijack our blogs, our discussion list, our journal,
etc. for purposes contrary to our stated beliefs and purposes.
Personally, I think those hijackers lack integrity. Even from within
an organization, if someone changes their views such that they no
longer share the corporate identity, they should voluntarily withdraw
from the group. At least such a person should recognize that they
have drifted to a different place from the group and submit their new
viewpoint to the group. Groups with integrity will acknowledge that
if they are to keep their identity and purposes intact that the
member with new views is no longer eligible for membership. Perhaps
the corporate identity and purpose will change in response, but, in
my opinion, integrity demands that such changes be made rather than
tolerating members who are opposed to the corporate identity and
purpose.

TG

On Mar 1, 2007, at 6:42 AM, Iain Strachan wrote:

> Much amusement and hilarity at my work was caused today when
> someone stumbled upon
>
> www.conservapedia.com
>
> which is a Conservative "alternative" to wikipedia, peopled by
> fundamentalists, as far as I can see.
>
> The entry on "kangaroo" caused a great deal of amusement.
> ( "designed by God for jumping" was especially appreciated!)
>
> Does anyone know about the origin of this site? I noted that there
> wasn't any article on Theistic Evolution, but when I tried to
> create an account in order to register and write one, but found
> that new registrations have been disabled.
>
> It did at least provide an opportunity to explain to a colleague of
> mine who describes himself as an atheist that there were ways you
> could be a Christian and still accept evolution, so I suppose I
> should feel grateful for the opportunity. But seriously this is
> turning Christianity into a laughing stock.
>
> If anyone finds a way of getting a registered account, let me know
> and we'll have a go at doing a Theistic Evolution article.
> Anything that gets hacked or distorted can be reported via a blog
> site if necessary.
>
>
> Iain
> --
> -----------
> After the game, the King and the pawn go back in the same box.
>
> - Italian Proverb
> -----------

________________
Terry M. Gray, Ph.D.
Computer Support Scientist
Chemistry Department
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523
(o) 970-491-7003 (f) 970-491-1801

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Received on Thu Mar 1 13:31:28 2007