Expelled from Expelled

Oh man, my irony meter just pegged out, overloaded, and exploded...

You may be aware of a piece of creationist propaganda called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. I know at least some of you are familiar with a wonderful blog called Pharyngula written by PZ Myers, a professor of biology at the University of Minnesota.

I just spent an hour sitting next to someone who then got up in front of the conference I was attending and told this story. Last night there was a screening of Expelled at the Mall of America. Attendees had to register in advance for tickets. Myers appears in the film and even gets an acknowledgment of gratitude. So he registered, along with his family and guests, one of whom is the guy who told this story.

While waiting in line to sign in for the screening, a cop came up to Myers and told him he was not going to be allowed to enter. A producer had recognized him and told the cops to, well, expel him from the premises. Apparently his intelligence and scientific knowledge were not welcome. Maybe he'd contaminate the vibe or something.

So he went downstairs to the Apple store while his family and guests went ahead and watched the flick, which by all accounts ranged from laughable to pathetic.

The irony level is obviously screaming towards the stratosphere by this point. But here's what pushes it over the edge. Myers' guest, who apparently was not recognized and who told this story this morning was...Richard Dawkins!