Arizona State Senator Sylvia Allen (R) says Earth is 6,000 Years Old July 7, 2009

Arizona State Senator Sylvia Allen (R) says Earth is 6,000 Years Old

By Guest Contributor
July 7, 2009

Arizona state Senator Sylvia Allen (R) — Would you expect otherwise? — nonchalantly explains that the Earth is 6,000 years old. Twice.

She says this while voicing her support for uranium mining in the state.

Ironically, it’s by studying the radioactive decay of uranium that we know the Earth is approximately 4,500,000,000 years old.

Who among you voted for her…? Out yourself and let us gang up on you.

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  • Richard Wade

    Yeah, science is great as long as it gives her better medicines, better food, better clothes, better shelter, better transportation, better energy, better communication and so forth, but the moment it doesn’t flatter her vanity or confirm Mommy and Daddy’s teaching or soothe her childhood fears, then it’s bull.

    People who do this are like spoiled brats who want the dessert without the vegetables, want the allowance without the chores, want the A without the homework, want the benefit without the responsibility.

    “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

    Yup.

  • David D.G.

    I wish I could dish out a bit of scorn for the residents of Arizona who voted for this woman. Unfortunately, I’m from Texas, so I don’t really have any standing to criticize. Darn it.

    ~David D.G.

  • Even though I’m sure there are atheists (as well as theists) on both sides of the nuclear energy debate, I wonder why the theists haven’t yet proposed “faith reactors” to solve our energy needs. Build the steam turbines and leave out the heating element. Then have Christians pray to get God to heat the water to make steam to turn the turbines. If the power of God could be harnessed in this way, the religious could continue to dominate society in perpetuity. Someone should send Allen an email.

  • Dave

    But it makes sense! 6000 years and it hasn’t been an issue! Cavemen beating on sticks to make a fire for 4000 years didn’t mess up the earth, so whats the problem now! Its no different now! Nope, not a thing has changed.

  • Becky

    As someone who follows the AZ legislature: no, I would not expect anything else.

    When she says “it hasn’t been done away with yet,” is she referring to the earth or environmental laws?

    The part that’s most disturbing to me is that she advocates natural resource destruction in one of the most beautiful places in Arizona simply so that her grandchildren can live in luxury. There is apparently no understanding that if we continue treating the earth like we are and living like we do, our grandchildren are going to be in a world of hurt.

  • I get angry at people who take stabs at the environmental issues and concerns by spouting the “it hasn’t been done away with yet” argument.

    uh.. Hello? Did we have plastic bottles and cars running gasoline 6,000 years ago? I don’t think so. Sure the earth has had it’s share of global changes that have done damage, but introducing products that don’t break down as easily as natural resources, things change.

    And as a disclaimer, I used the 6,000 years old argument above as a talking point. Of course, the earth is much older.

  • Why didn’t anyone in the room laugh when she said the world was 6000 years old? Why didn’t she pause for laughter at the punchline? I don’t get it. Her delivery is all wrong, she’ll never make it as a comic if she doesn’t work at that.

  • Chal

    I was really hoping the guy coming in near the end there was going to correct her.

  • Man, if the power of stupid could be harnessed, the Arizona legislature could easily meet the world’s energy needs for, um, the next 6,000 years..

  • I was going to say something, but Colm said it for me! 😉

  • «bønez_brigade»

    Well, since Earth is only 6000 years old, that means the decay rate for Uranium is far faster (maybe even light years faster!) than all those scientists would have us think. In fact, that would put the half-life of U at ~5900 years.
    And since it’s decaying so fast, I can certainly see her urgency to mine some ore!

  • Kick her out, she’s obviously too ignorant and gullible to be a senator. No state needs representation to the Federal Government that is so clearly disconnected from reality.

  • stephanie

    Hoverfrog, you are full of WIN! 🙂

  • Bill Newell

    I dont get why she is even worried about it, Jesus is coming back in her lifetime anyway, at least that what her book says.

  • Tony

    And we wonder why our students today are as ignorant of basic science facts as they are. Our politicians should be required to take the science section of any mandated state exam, and then have the results published in a local newspaper so we, the voters, can make an informed choice.

  • Philosos

    This is really **bleeping** sad. She rambled that off with such conviction; I think someone who has been indoctrinated that far can NEVER be reasoned with.

  • I want to ask her if she knows how long the hair spray she used is going to last in the earth after her death and how much may be negatively effecting the environment.

    She is immensely anti-environment!

  • Luther

    Perhaps there is an analogy here with the Suicide Advice post today about humans holding contradictory beliefs.

    Some like to think we can do almost anything to the environment and that God will take care of it no matter what we do.

    Unfortunately, the result in this case is unintended joint environment Suicide. The actual question is will human life survive another 6,000 years?

  • REX

    I am usually happy and proud to live in Tucson, unless you want to talk about traffic management (horrible) and education funding (48th out of 50 states).

    More and more however, I am extremely embarrassed and shocked at the absolute idiocy of our elected officials here. It seems to be getting worse instead of better. It is not just the legislature either, the local officials here in Tucson are a dense backward thinking lot as well

    I still enjoy the scenery and the weather though!

  • Spurs Fan

    Kick her out, she’s obviously too ignorant and gullible to be a senator. No state needs representation to the Federal Government that is so clearly disconnected from reality.

    Hemant’s post mentioned that she was an Arizona State Senator. If that is true, then she does not represent Arizona in the Federal Government. That would be John McCain (who thankfully, didn’t raise his hand last year during the Republican debates to indiciate that he thought evolution was false) and John Kyl.

  • «bønez_brigade»

    Huzzah!
    Sylvia Allen, tonight’s Worst Person…in the World!

    [FWIW, Olbermann got the decay-rate info just a little wrong. It’s good to see YEC ridiculed on a national stage, though.]

  • Unfortunately common sense and intelligence have never been prerequisites for holding office.

  • Zahada

    How do these kinds of people get elected? Amazing and scary all at the same time.

  • «bønez_brigade»

    “The Ed Show” had some fun with this loonator on tonight’s [/ last night’s (9 Jul)] show, and he even mentioned Phil’s Bad Astronomy blog. However, even Ed made mistakes — he said Earth is 1 billion years old… On the same order of magnitude, at least, but still in need of some better science advisors.

  • «bønez_brigade»

    Video of the aforementioned:
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31836850#31836850

    ‘Twas a good spot for it — in the Psycho Talk segment.

  • David Ingham

    I am from the UK where we have some issues of our own with elected officials but I have not yet heard anything quite like this.

    I saw a t-shirt at the weekend which stated
    “Too stupid for science? Try religion!”

    I wonder if she would appreciate one?