Thoughts in a Haystack

Guillermo Gonzalez continues to commit slow-motion professional suicide. He and his "backers" (the Discovery Institute, no doubt) are now announcing a press conference for next Monday to "discuss documents they contend will prove that Gonzalez 'lost his job' because he supports intelligent design, not because he was deficient as a scholar." One wonders if they will issue a press release to announce the announcement of the announcement of the press conference.

They are not only appealing the tenure case to the Iowa Board of Regents in February, they are threatening a lawsuit if that fails. University administrations are intelligently designed (more or less) problem-avoidance systems. This will not enhance Gonzalez' chances of getting a position at any front-line university or institute.

But the interesting part is this: if he was denied tenure because of his advocacy of a scientific theory, so what? That's a perfectly permissible basis to deny tenure. Academic discrimination is not only allowed, but the whole idea of tenure. It only becomes something that is justiciable if the discrimination is based on an invidious basis ... say, religion.

Is the DI going to like equating ID with religion?
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