Well, Arlington, I would be the first to agree that the flat-earthers are absurd. That, indeed, was my point. Should such absurd people be quoted seriously by journalists in the name of "balance", as Ron claims to believe?

In fact, they are a miniscule (according to Wikipedia, 3000 members in the FES) group of religious fundamentalists. Apparently (I have only Wikipedia to go on here) they believe the earth is flat because a round earth is, they feel, contradictory to the Bible.

In this respect, at least, they are exactly the same as religious fundamentalists who think the earth is only about 6000 years old, that all the animals really did survive the flood in Noah's Ark, and that evolution is hooey. Like the flat-earthers, they believe this stuff because it is how they interpret the Bible. (That is what they say, anyway).

The difference between the two? One is that creationists are very numerous, and include prominent politicians (Mike Huckabee, step on down!) and members of school boards (What ever happened in Kansas?). So, they are seen as somewhat mainstream, while flat-earthers are seen as, well, nuts.

As they say: if only you hold a belief, you are crazy; if lots of people hold it, you are a well adjusted pillar of the community.