Here’s yet another reason why Bill Nye shouldn’t be debating creationism with Ken Ham.

Reader Chris called my attention to the fact that the upcoming debate at Kentucky’s Creation Museum is being touted not only by Answers in Genesis, Ham’s organization, but by Kent Hovind’s separate creationist organization Creation Today. Here’s a screenshot of the email that Chris just got from Hovind’s group (he subscribes for fun):

And over at the Creation Store at Creation Today, you can preorder the DVD for only $20:

Note: As it says above, “The proceeds for these preorders of DVD’s [sic] and Digital Downloads will go to support Answers in Genesis. . . ” In other words, Nye’s appearance will be giving money to organizations who try to subvert the mission Nye has had all his life: science education, particularly of kids. And you know what? I don’t even care if Nye mops the floor with Ham. Though that would be great (especially because the DVD promises to be “uncensored”), it doesn’t justify Nye making money to further Ham’s program of lying about science. That would be, to paraphrase a sign we always see in construction zones: “A temporary victory, a permanent defeat.”

Nye may be great at what he does, but in this case he made a severe misstep, and, at least in this case, he’s not very media-savvy.

Put it this way: would you debate a creationist if the profits from sale of debate-related media all went to further creationism?

As a friend once told me who was about to debate a feminist about gender differences: “You show up, you lose.”