The Los Angeles Times has published a snarky editorial today, “Rick Perry and Galileo – pardners in science,” ridiculing the Texas governor for saying he doesn’t have all the answers on the evolution/creationism debate and the global warming debate. Amusingly, in the midst of directing childish condescension at Perry, the Times makes a huge scientific gaffe of its own.
The Times states, “Scientists using real science stuff –- instruments and measurements and all that – have put the earth’s age at about 13 billion years, so we’re not talking about a rounding-error difference here.”
Um, no, the age of the earth would be 4.5 billion years old, as I learned as early as kindergarten. So we’re not talking about a rounding-error difference here.
So which is worse, to admit when you don’t have all the answers (as Perry does) or to condescendingly claim that you do have all the answers when in fact you don’t know what the heck you are talking about (as the Times does)?
Newspapers who throw stones shouldn’t live in glass houses.
