Fantastic!
It has long seemed that much of cosmology (and several other sciences) was best described as a cabal of true believers trying to protect the sacred knowledge from an onslaught of facts. Minds were closed; eyes glazed over. Ptolemaic is certainly the applicable term.
From the data cited by Eric there are two possible outcomes. The data will eventually hammer down the bogus theorizing and force a total revision, or the old guard will just die off, and their theorizing will pass with them.
Either way, it seems that Eric is on the right track.
