A letter to the late Mr. Charles Darwin from a perplexed visitor to the planet earth...

Dear Mr. Charles Darwin,  
 
I know it's been a long time since we last exchanged correspondence, but to tell the truth so many astonishing things have happened since then that, well, I just couldn't find the appropriate moment to get things off my chest.  
 
People still look more or less the same--at least I for one haven't been able to observe any clear signs of evolution or mutation--although not that much time has passed since your death. What might call your attention are some suberbly exotic views of persons bent on throwing your views out the window.  
 
For example, in the United States of America, once known for its deep interest in science and technology, your ideas are increasingly looked upon with deep frowns by the inventors of the so-called theory of "intelligent design."  
 
I can imagine your reaction to that, but hold on a minute. Let me explain.  
 
Lot's of souls in the U.S.A., from the president on down, have swallowed the Protestant and "second birth" version of Christianity and this has led them to raise their eyebrows at your notion of the evolution of the species. How could you leave God out of the picture, they seem to ask.  They see God's hand in absolutely everything, so if it is true that the species evolve it's must be due to the All Mighty's will, they reason.  
 
Lately there have been lot's of natural disasters and I bet not a few of these evangelicals attribute them also to God's will.  What do you think? I mean there was a horrible hurricane in the south of the U.S. that put the city of jazz under water and caused hundreds or thousands of vicitims (there isn't too much agreement on the exact number).  There are record hot spells and scientists as well as politically aware citizens have become more and more concerned about the "warming up" of the planet. They wonder whether increasingly violent storms, floods, dry spells other strange weather behavior might be caused by disconcern for the natural environment.
  
My goodness! There are so many things that have happened since your death!  
 
You wouldn't believe how many diseases can not be prevented!Living to 90 or 100 years of age is no longer a great feat. People can talk to each other instantly all over the world and there is something called internet that allows unlimited information to be subject to instant scrutiny...men have traveled to the moon in rockets and invented atomic bombs that can destroy entire cities in the blink of an eye.  
 
But what would surely interest you is a legal dispute that took place not long ago in Dover High, a school in a town of no more than 2,000 inhabitants in Pennsylvania, U.S.A.  
 
It seems school authorities introduced the notion of "intelligent design" in the course of study. Well, a group of parents objected to that and took the case to the courts to sue the school for obliging their children to study what they consider to be a religious rather than a scientific theory of evolution.  
 
I'd like to know what you think about that and the so-called "intelligent" theory of creation which maintains that your notion of an evolutionary process is false because some events can only be explained as being caused not by a process but by an "intelligent" agent (God).  
 
Well, let me know if you receive this letter. I'd sure like to exchange views with you about what has happened since you passed away. Have your ideas changed? Have you developed any new explanations for this ever surprising thing called life?  
 
Hoping to hear from you soon!  
 
Your dear friend.