Don't believe in science? Well, science believes in you

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The flat Earth movement is a group that just keeps on giving.

What it continues to give me is fits of laughter.

I wrote in an earlier column that there are actually people in this current age, with all evidence to the contrary, who believe the world is flat. I understand that reality in 2017 doesn’t always need to be fact based, but this is ridiculous on a level rarely seen.

Now a self-professed flat Earther, who has said he doesn’t believe in science, is planning to launch 1,800 feet into the air to prove the he is correct in his belief of a pancake-shaped planet. And to make this plan even more foolproof, he is doing it in a rocket he made himself out of a used motor home.

The launch has been delayed because, shockingly, the rocket launcher broke down in his driveway, according to published reports.

Now, I will give this guy some credit. Yes, he appears to be insane. But he is holding onto a dream that many of us had as youngsters to build vehicles to take us into space or the depths of the ocean.

Or in my case the pool in our backyard.

I was probably about 8 or so when I announced to my mother that I was going to weld a couple of our trash cans together to make a submarine that I could explore our pool with. She wished me luck and made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for my adventure, knowing full well that I would lose interest in a matter of minutes. Not only did I have no idea how to actually build a submarine, but we had no welding torch.

I also realized that drowning was a distinct possibility, so I gave up my dreams of becoming a submariner.

I also believed that I could construct a parachute out of a bed sheet and paratrooper off the roof of our house. This was clearly something I could do: Get some string, a bedsheet and I am in business. If I jumped off the roof, I could at least float over to the neighbor’s house, right?

My mom, of course, set me straight on that great idea. She reminded me that broken bones can be painful, and I should just stick to my Hot Wheels.

Well, apparently this flat Earth dude’s mom never had a talk about reality with him. She also probably never talked about the benefits of a good education, but that is another matter.

This is a man in his 60s we are talking about, not a dopey kid. If this was a kid, we could chalk it up to him or her simply not knowing any better.

This guy should know better, although I should not be surprised that a limousine driver who doesn’t believe in science and thinks building a rocket out of an old RV is a great way to get proof that the world is flat does not, in fact, know better.

Welcome to 2017, people. We are truly becoming dumber as a society. The evidence of this is all around us. This might be the tipping point – do we give in to the stupid, or do we reject it?

I, for one, will be paying close attention to this rocket ride. I just hope our not-very-bright adventurer knows that gravity can be very unforgiving.