. . German meteorologist Alfred Wegener confidently proposed his theory of continental drift and the former continent of Pangaea.

He was denounced, ridiculed and scorned by an outraged academia - in Germany, England, and especially the United States. Seriously considering his arguments was a sure ticket to career death - until the 1960s, when they became doctrine practically overnight.

What happened in the 1960s? The last of the prestigious, right thinking elder geologists had died off, allowing the younger generation to examine the evidence without being banished to a career in fast food service.

Oh, it'll be less than 40. An awful lot of conservatives (that's pronounce "reactionaries") are pretty old.

Even at the local farmer's market there's at least a 30 year gap between the staffs of the Democratic and Republican booths.

. . because they don't believe in evolution.