Amusement parks have signs that declare, “Must be this tall to ride.” Why is it that we can’t have something similar for using the trappings of science? People who disbelieve the single most fundamental theory of the life sciences, evolution, are free to suck down all the antibiotics money can buy. People who believe in prophecies and other such bullshit are allowed to use computers. People who …

Nevermind.

This is an exercise in futility. In a way, I understand the frothing rants of those mentally afflicted with Randism. The typical Randroid feels victimized by people (read: filthy peasants) making use of things he created (with the exception of herself, women are basically props in Ayn Rand’s world) without paying him exorbitant royalties. The use of science should have its own “royalty” of sorts. Those users should be required to accept science, even that with which they disagree on political grounds. You see, disagreeing about something as absurdly obvious as anthropogenic global warming is a de facto denial of science. As such, it is adequate cause to revoke the “capitalizing on scientific findings” license of any person.

Buffoonish beliefs in fairies, angels, and supply-side economics would leave a rather large fraction of the population reduced to the status of hunter-gatherer (or, perhaps more appropriately, involuntary dieter). Come to think of it, the evangelicals would likely be quite happy about it.