Merkur smells a rat:
When you said “Please be assured that this has nothing to do with… any of the presumably anti-scientific bete noirs that offend your professional sensibilities”, did you not know you were writing a column called “The Case Against Science” for WorldNetDaily, or were you just flat out lying?
Ah, yes, nothing like a deceitful unnecessary* use of ellipses, especially when implying that asking directly if someone else is lying. The full quote, of course is: “Please be assured that this has nothing to do with any defense of ID, creationism or any of the presumably anti-scientific bete noirs that offend your professional sensibilities as a biologist.”
The competent reader will have noted that there was nothing in the column about ID, creationism or any of the subjects about which Prof. PZ Myers has written so enthusiastically. Furthermore, as Larry correctly noted, the column was written prior to the request; I neither expected a reply nor required one for the column. The two things are unrelated, except by general subject matter.
I should note that an attack on science is not equivalent to a defense of ID, creationism etc. Even if I had written so flawless a column that it was met by the immediate mass hounding of scientists from their laboratories and classrooms, this would not make one particle of difference in making the case for ID or creationism. As most regular readers know very well, I’m far less interested in those subjects than Prof. PZ Myers or many people here.
The definition, of course, is for the book. I’d be surprised if the professor took any exception to the use to which I have put his useful definition. And while I won’t be surprised in the least if parts of the book should become a future bete noir for Pharyngula and company, I don’t expect to mention ID, creationism, the age of the Earth or any of that sort of thing even once.
I mean, you don’t honestly think I’m that predictable, do you?
*Merkur explained subsequently that he intended nothing of the sort. I see no reason to doubt him.