Writing Life

Texas believes that evolution and creationism need to be treated equally. In fact, it believes this so strongly that it fired its education department’s director of science after she forwarded an email about a lecture that would discuss the failed claims of creationism and its newly formed direct descendent, intelligent design. Her boss made her retract the email and then essentially fired her. Who was he? A former aide to then Governor George W. Bush. He also served for a period in the FEDERAL department of education.

What’s next? Well, with a creationist in a leadership position at the department of education and the chair of the state board of education praising creationism, it doesn’t look good.

The Guardian is covering vile statements made by one of the world’s most famous scientists, Mr. James Watson. Watson was a co-discovered of the secrets of DNA. In the past, he’s made anti-gay statements and promulgated racial stereotypes that blacks are over-sexed. This latter comment has been disproved in every corner of social science and only rears its ugly head among white supremacists. He’s even said that beauty can be genetically manufactured, a claim that seems more a nod to eugenics ideology than science. Now, this “scientist,” in his waning years, claims that black people are less intelligent than whites. He even says that everyone knows this to be true.

It’s always sad when someone who’s made such an impact on the world starts to age and lose it. But, this is ridiculous. He’s been spewing this bile for decades and very few seem to call him out. We need to stand up to these unscientific professions of hate. Let’s take his views and put them back in their place, back in the 20th Century.

Read New York Times piece on just how sinister the Bush Administration is. Knowing their policies that have science or medical components are wrong, they hid the facts and the scientists, rather than change their policies. This article focuses on how Bush political appointees urged, told or demanded the Surgeon General not speak out about public health issues that went against Bush policies that had been ideologically decided beforehand. This is a heinous crime on the people of America.

See Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO 05)’s post on his recent Congressional trip to Greenland and Europe. This is a fabulous piece that cogently and personally conveys the impact of climate change on real people. Rep. Cleaver heard questions in Europe, asking why America wasn’t taking the lead on this. He calls for us to stand up. He’s right. The US needs to lead on this issue, not because we’re a big superpower, not because our vast coastal areas would be in harm’s way, but because it’s what we used to do in the past. Using our passion, technology and conscience to reshape the world into something better. We’ve stumbled lately, but the spark remains. Those who helped elected a Democratic majority in Congress fanned that spark. And come November 2008, the spark will be a fierce fire as Democrats retake the White House and restore American leadership with the world, not the current dominion over the world.

Senator Sam Brownback (R) published this op-ed in today’s New York Times. He’s from Kansas, but maybe that goes without saying given that state’s previous policy of not believing in evolution and trying to undermine the science education of its students. I find it reprehensible that a U.S. Senator would proffer such a view. Even worse, this messianic fool is running for president. He’s a long, long shot and doesn’t have a real chance of winning the nomination, but he’s got a national platform that the mainstream media allow him to abuse with his ramblings.

As these are Mr. Brownback’s own words, he can’t say they were taken out of context. I was aghast at his closing statements:

Those aspects of evolutionary theory compatible with this truth are a welcome addition to human knowledge. Aspects of these theories that undermine this truth, however, should be firmly rejected as an atheistic theology posing as science.

Science doesn’t allow cherry-picking what you want. If the theory of evolution is correct, as countless decades of science have illustrated, then the theory is true. You can’t pick just the parts you like. Would Mr. Brownback like other Christians to cherry-pick the parts of his religious theology that they believe in and disregard the others?

Climate change has popped up on the national radar again, partly due to its being reframed as a national security issue. See my friend’s blog entry on this important topic du jour. Also note the comment I added re: S. 1018, which describes a Senate bill calling for a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) to be done on the geopolitical effects of climate change.

Space tourism for rich folks. I was tempted to put this in my “scandal” category, but decided against it for now. This is so pathetic. Rich American buys flight to space station to hang out for two weeks. Once aboard the International Space Station, he got to joke with his potential fiancée Martha Stewart.

Please know that I’m not opposed to research or opposed to investigations in space. But, the ISS has wasted billions of dollars and time that could be better spent on unmanned exploration missions, telescopes, and basic science research here on earth. With backward ideas besting science in homes and school boards across America, we owe it to our children and their children to teach real science and teach it quickly. Otherwise, I wonder how long it’ll be before there’s a special episode of American Idol that takes place on the ISS.

Ten years after the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was open to signature, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report today in Paris stating that global warming is indisputable and that humans are “very likely” to have caused it. What’s very likely? How about 90%, that’s what the report said. [You can read the full text IPCC's Summary for Policymakers.]

Ok, so what. Climate change is real, it’s backed up by scientific reports (not just this one but tons over the past 5-10 years). But, the Bush Administration and some large corporations have lambasted global warming and tried through mutual aid and political force to obfuscate the situation.

But it appeared that there was a small change in the offing. A group of business leaders, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, called on the Administration, just before the State of the Union last week, to implement a “cap and trade” system for carbon emissions. They said rhetoric wasn’t enough anymore and that action needed to be taken. Further, ExxonMobil said they’d stop funding the Competitive Enterprise Institute (thanks to the Plank for this tidbit), which constantly attacks global warming science.

So, the times, they are a changing. Right? Please? Pretty please with genetically modified sugar on top? Nope, check this out. In this Guardian article today, it seems the very same saintly ExxonMobil is bankrolling the right wing think (or is that thunk) tank the American Enterprises Institute (AEI), in the neighborhood of around $1.6 million over the last few years. AEI also has close ties to the Bush Administration, and the article notes that “more than 20 of [AEI's] staff have worked as consultants to the Bush Administration.” AEI has sent out letters offering $10,000 a pop for anyone willing to trash the IPCCs report in published articles.

What’s the world going to think of the US? The technological marvel of the 20th century. More Nobel Prizes in the sciences than you could shake a cloned sheep at. Mind over matter. The computer revolution, both hardware and software. But, we’ll bankroll caveman-like attacks on the science of climate change. [With all due apologies to the GEICO cavemen!]

This is incredible, but perhaps not unexpected. The global consensus is rising so quickly now to address climate change that American right-wing think tanks and businesses have started to go on a major offensive. With the Republicans losing control in the House and Senate, climate change legislation is possible now. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) used to chair the Environment and Public Works committee and railed against global warming science as the greatest hoax over. Now that he’s at the children’s table on the committee (minority status), his rants carry less weight. Now we have to see where Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) will take this committee, where she holds the gavel now.