There was a bumper sticker in the ’60s that went “If you don’t like police, next time you need help call a hippie.”

Today, it’s “If you don’t like scientists, the next time you need advice on stopping COVID-19, call Trump.”

Same thing.

I hate to pick on Trump (not really, I love to pick on him) but to be fair he is only the latest and most famous of those who decry science or believe in irrational, unproven, bizarre things.

These people are like alchemists and they all have one big thing in common: They believe in something despite a total lack of scientific evidence. And as Trump has shown, these beliefs can have very serious ramifications, like people drinking anti-freeze or lynching transgender people.

Anti-science proponents think science is used to maintain power and privilege. And sometimes, understanding a scientific study is just too hard and it’s easier to believe in Peter Pan.

Belief in God is not the same thing as belief in fairy dust. But it is not a big leap for many people to conclude that the Bible disputes many scientific beliefs, so why should scientists be trusted to know about anything.

And there are many who see the Bible, the Qran, the Torah as literal testaments. Their is no room for seeing the story of Noah’s ark as a sign of humanity’s failings. And there flows all kinds of screwy beliefs from the age of the earth to believing that God created Eve from a rib, not from a monkey.

For those who believe in the dark arts, the next time you need a doctor, call Harry Potter. And the people who believe in the unquestioned authority and reach of God, the next time you need a mechanic, pray.

I don’t know about you but if I find a lump in my armpit, I want to see a radiologist and not a Ouija board. Would you rely on a rabbi or an astrophysicist for estimates on the age of the universe? And should you check out the New England Journal of Medicine for information about vaccines and autism or just tune into the that font of medical knowledge, the actress Jenny McCarthy? If you have to think about an answer, you are lost.

Among the most common unproven beliefs through the years are those who claim to have seen a UFO. It’s an unidentified flying object only to those who see it, even if there has never been a proven landing or sighting.

Of course, maybe aliens have been here and the will show themselves after they learn English. English is a difficult language.

Creationists wrap themselves in the smart-sounding words “intelligent design.” Now there’s a group that laughs in the face of Darwin and studies through the years that show how animals have morphed and evolved over the years. A connection between apes and people? No way, they say, show me. Well I know if I jump off the Brooklyn Bridge I will die and I don’t need to do it to find out.

Flat Earthers, now there’s a credible belief system, kind of like believing in pixies. But if you don’t fall off the earth, how can you say it’s flat? And what about all those photos from space of a beautifully round earth? I know, it’s the NASA conspiracy.

They even have a society dedicated to their belief that a walk around the earth looks and feels flat. That’s all the evidence they need.

Moving on, the birthers are positive that Barack Obama was not a citizen and was born in Africa where he worshipped Mohammad. It’s true, you could look it up. Seems we have a president who whipped up a frenzy of support with this hair-brained theory.

And there are plenty of climate change deniers. Despite conclusive studies by scientists around the world, many people still say climate change is just the natural way of things.

And of course, there is the Neo-Luddism philosophy opposing many forms of technology in the name of returning to a more primitive time. Luddites of the world, we know you are out there.

And don’t forget the anti-vaxers. Scientific proof be damned, vaccines are harmful and should not be required. A rash of measles or diptheria or whooping cough is nothing to worry about.

A man on the moon. No way, say the anti-science types. It was all staged for anti-Soviet political propaganda.

Or the ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jews who disobey social distancing because they’ve got God on their side.

Or Trump’s theory about using disinfectants and ultra-violet light to kill the COVID-19 virus. But I’m picking again. Sorry.

As Mark Twain once said, “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them at your leisure.”