Politics
evolvingthoughts | September 29, 2006
The Washington Post has an opinion editorial by Paul Hanle, the president of the Biotechnology Institute in Washington.
I recently addressed a group of French engineering graduate students who were visiting Washington from the prestigious School of Mines in Paris. After encouraging them to teach biotechnology in French high schools, I expected the standard queries on teaching methods or training. Instead, a bright young student asked bluntly: "How can you teach biotechnology in this country when you don't even accept evolution?"
I wanted to disagree, but the kid had a point. Proponents of…
clock | September 29, 2006Sorry, no Friday Weird Sex Blogging today - as I am feeling quite impotent today, now that I know that I cannot see my lawyer if they come at night and take me away, and neither Congress nor Court has any say about it.
clock | September 29, 2006Here is another example of a person who has experienced dictatorship first hand and has decided that last night was the breaking point.
I am not the only one.
Hat-tip: Dr.B
jlynch | September 29, 2006
As Jack Cafferty notes, the MCA 2006 bill passed by the Senate yesterday snuck in a clause that absolves the Bush administration of any potential war crimes that may have occurred since 11th September 2001. Handy.
It is also revealling to look at the ammendments that were voted down:
One that would have struck the habeas corpus provision,
one that would have established a five year sunset on the legislation,
one that would have require the Central Intelligence Agency to submit to Congressional oversight, and
one which would have required the State Department to inform other nations of what…
clock | September 29, 2006Thanks to Avedon, Mike, Mike, Melissa, Lindsay, Zuzu, John, John, Ekzept, Caitlin and a miniscule rightwing blog that called it "Left Wing Hysteria", for linking to my morning post (and whoever put it on Redditt). They have more links and comments. Also check what their commenters say. Stay informed.
Update: More Good Links:
Sen.John Edwards
HillWilliam
Start The Revolution
Greenbelt
Bee Policy
Expert Opinion
Crooked Timber
Obsidian Wings
Obsidian Wings
Obsidian Wings
Unqualified Offerings
Unqualified Offerings
Unqualified Offerings
John Scalzi
Glenn Greenwald
Glenn Greenwald
Glenn…
clock | September 29, 2006This is so old (December 03, 2004) and so long that I did not even bother to re-read it or check the the links. I am sure the commenters will draw attention to everything that is wrong in this post...
First, here is some science, or really problems with science policy, or better still, some top-down nonsense:
Two Must Reads
http://www.chriscmooney.com/blog.asp?Id=1425
What women are supposed to want
http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/what_women_are_supposed_to_want/
On the other hand, for some nice science, the new Tangled Bank is now online:
http://penn.typepad.com/penn/2004/11/…
clock | September 29, 2006Many of my friends and neighbors don't want to talk about politics because it is boring and "same-old-same-old".
Connect this and this.
Many of my friends and neighbors don't follow the news or care to vote because "all of them are the same".
Connect this and this.
Many of my friends and neighbors enjoy life every day, as if it will always be peace and prosperity.
Connect this and this.
Many of my friends and neighbors have no clue that today USA ceased to be a democracy. They do not realize that Congress and Courts do not have any power to stop Bush from doing whatever he wants. He never…
clock | September 29, 2006Revere has an update on the campaign to free the Tripoli Six.
Declan Butler is keeping up with the news on his blog and collecting blog responses on Connotea.
Injection is a documentary film about this case. You can see the trailer or download the whole movie. Then, blog about it. And urge your readers to use this mailing list to put pressure on the Libyan government.
jlynch | September 28, 2006for the government to torture and indefinitely detain individuals without criminal charge. HR 6166 ("the Military Commissions Act of 2006") passed 65 to 34 in the Senate, with 12 Democrats (including, surprise, surprise, Lieberman - but neither of the AZ Democrats) voting with the Republicans (only one of whom, Lincoln Chafee, dissented from his party line). As the WaPo notes:
Thirty-one former ambassadors, including 20 who served in Republican administrations, jointly wrote Congress this week that "to eliminate habeas corpus relief for the citizens of other countries who have fallen into our…
clock | September 28, 2006Target: Leftist Groups:
In addition to the nebulous definition of "enemy combatant," so too is the definition of "leftist group" entirely vague. Does a blog community qualify as a leftist group? Are only groups that have the means and intent to organize going to be targets of scrutiny? Does organizing a peace protest qualify? Is wielding a "leftist" idea going to be considered as hostile to the United States as wielding a weapon?
hrynyshyn | September 28, 2006There aren't too many cabinet positions in a modern parliamentary democracy that don't require a modicum of respect for the scientific method. But in an era of climate change, bioengineering and species depletion, the politicians charged with overseeing environmental policy should surely be at the top of the list. Such is not the case in Canada, where Environment Minister Rona Ambrose has just appointed a creationist as her new chief of staff.
Darrel Reid used to be director of policy and research for the Reform party, a previous, and slightly more regressive, incarnation of the governing…
clock | September 28, 2006What Would Real Election Integrity Mean?
The repeated use of the Illegal Immigrant frame activates deep frames related to police protection from a criminal threat. In such a law and order frame, progressives who oppose the House bill are characterized as failing to protect the citizenry from criminals. Moreover, progressives may be painted as corrupt, seeking to win the votes of such criminals at the expense of their legitimate constituents.
Thinking Points, new Lakoff's book, is now out. You can preview and order it on the Rockridge Institute website, where you can also download Chapter1 and…
terrasig | September 28, 2006While not being much of a political blogger, I thought nevertheless that readers might be interested in these six, well-written letters to the editor of the New York Times (registration req'd) regarding our president's response to the latest National Intelligence Estimate.
evolvingthoughts | September 27, 2006A new organisation, SEFORA (Scientists and Engineers for America), has been formed to counter the abuse and supression of science currently popular in American media and politics. They have drafted a "Bill of Rights" for scientists and engineers which includes:
Federal policy shall be made using the best available science and analysis both from within the government and from the rest of society.
and
The federal government shall not support any science education program that includes instruction in concepts that are derived from ideology and not science.
The second one is worth playing up -…
pharyngula | September 27, 2006We have a new 527 political organization specifically set up to fight for the representation of science and engineering in politics and policy. Michael Stebbins has the details, and you can read the scientists' and engineers' bill of rights here. If you're interested, join now!
pharyngula | September 27, 2006The odious Ken Mehlman has announced that that mob of pigs, scoundrels, and theocrats will be slouching into Minneapolis on September 1-4, 2008. Anyone else care to join me in the protest lines that week?
When we get tired of yelling obscenities and imprecations at the parasites, we can always duck into the Science Museum of Minnesota, just down the street, for revitalization. Or we could just hang out in the SMM the whole time and take visiting Rethuglicans on tours of the dinosaur exhibit, and watch them stroke out and gasp for breath.
clock | September 27, 2006Scientists Fight Back! Announcing Scientists and Engineers for America:
Concerned about the ideological and partisan manipulation of science, compromising of scientific integrity and harassment of scientists by the Bush Administration and Congress, leaders in the scientific and engineering communities announced the launch of a new organization on Wednesday, September 27th. The group, called Scientists and Engineers for America, is a 527 political organization that will focus on the need to address the current state of science policy by electing new political leadership.
Read the whole thing...
clock | September 27, 2006Agonist (via Melissa and Amanda) reports that "comma" is a dog-whistle code word that Bush used to signal to the Fundies:
The phrase is: "Never put a period where God has put a comma." Which is to say - it ain't over yet, and God may well make it better. So Iraq's bad, but if we trust in God, he'll make it better.
Mark Liberman of Language Log, after a couple of funny riffs on "comma", starts digging into the dog-whistle theory and uncovers the antcecedents here and here.
clock | September 27, 2006Opinions are split.
Matt Nisbett think it is bad here, here and here.
Sara Robinson thinks it was good here and here.
Although I have no great love for Bill Clinton, I am siding with Sara here (read her posts to see why), just on gut feeling. But also, check out this AOL poll (never known to be a bastion of liberalism):
Who do you find more convincing?
Clinton62%
Rice38%
Total Votes: 67,769
Do you blame either administration for failing to prevent 9/11?
Yes, the Bush administration39%
Yes, the Clinton administration22%
Yes, both administrations22%
No16%
Total Votes: 69,827
What's your…
j7uy5 | September 27, 2006On the way home from work, one day last week, I
href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6096545">heard
some excerpts from the book,
href="http://www.bordersstores.com/search/title_detail.jsp?id=56030755">Imperial
Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone,
by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. (Chandrasekaran also has some articles in the
Washington Post, here:
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600193.html">1
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/08/28/DI2006082800508.html">2.)
It's a…