It’s been all over the news today that a man armed with a gun and a suspected bomb stormed into the Discovery Channel building in Silver Springs, Maryland, took hostages, and was eventually killed by the police. No one else was harmed.
In a bizarre manifesto entitled simply “My Demands” James J. Lee rants about overpopulation, evolution, and Daniel Quinn’s 1992 book Ishmael (which Lee incorrectly identifies as “My Ishmael”).
Lee apparently had an obsession with babies as a threat to the ecosystem. He refers to them variously as “filthy human children,” “disgusting human babies,” and “parasitic human infants.” He also calls for an end to TV programming that glorifies large families and military technology.
In several places, Lee mentions Malthus, Darwin, and evolution; for example: “Develop shows that mention the Malthusian sciences about how food production leads to the overpopulation of the Human race. Talk about Evolution. Talk about Malthus and Darwin until it sinks into the stupid people’s brains until they get it!!” As a reminder, Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) who theorized that the increase in population would soon outstrip the available of resources like food and lead to inevitable disaster. Malthus’ theory was a key influence in Charles Darwin’s development of the theory of evolution by natural selection. Although population growth is a major social problem, we have yet to realize the direst Malthusian predictions, partly due to advances in food production by people like Norman Borlaug.
It’s easy to sympathize with Lee’s frustrations. Only a fool would claim that overpopulation is NOT a problem. I, too, loathe programs that glorify gigantic families and the supposedly heroic attempts to conceive multiple babies. And while the little boy in me does enjoy watching documentaries about the latest military wizardry, I understand that such shows can lead some Americans into a false sense of technological invulnerability.
That said, Lee was clearly a disturbed man and not typical of people who understand the subtleties of Darwinian evolution. The way forward is through education and easy access to birth control, not taking hostages and blathering about “filthy babies.”
I’m sure more details will emerge in the coming weeks.
In our live presentation to the 
Good times in Knoxville, TN! L to R: Vonda, David, Allison and John off Market Square in historic downtown Knoxville. David, in his capacity as ambassador for 
1 in 5 think Obama’s a Muslim?
Thursday, August 19th, 2010Frankly, I don’t believe the recent Pew Research poll that indicates 1 in 5 Americans believe President Obama is a Muslim. Sure, there’s some percentage of abjectly ignorant people who think that, but what this poll shows, IMHO, is the willingness of people who simply hate the president’s policies–or his race–enough to claim the worst about him in any category. Had the Pew poll asked “Does Obama smell bad?” 20% would probably say yes, even though they’ve never been in downwind proximity to the Commander in Chief.
I’m more inclined to believe the 43% of Americans who say they are unsure of the president’s religious affiliation. Since the president’s public falling-out with his Chicago church, the first family have not regularly worshiped with any particular congregation.
Tags: muslim, obama, pew
Posted in commentary, islam, news, politics, religion, urban legends | 1 Comment »