Quote: "Breathtaking inanity." U.S. District Judge John Jones, describing the decision by the Dover, Pennsylvania, school board to include Intelligent Design in the curriculum.
Figure of Speech: thaumasmus (thaw MAS muss), the figure of wondering.
Talk about activist judges. This liberal … Oh, wait. He's a Republican. This federal judge somehow thinks it's unconstitutional to kidnap God and force Him to teach biology.
Judge Jones uses a thaumasmus (Greek for "marveling") to express his wonder at the Creationists' attempt to politicize science. Jones's thaumasmus is particularly elegant for its ironic hint at admiration.
Snappy Answer: "Maybe apes evolved from us."