FastForwardz

Let's change the definition of Science!

Devolution

KANSAS SCHOOL BOARD - "Doctor, my heart is attacking me. / Well, it must be haunted. / What do I do? / Pray."

"Kansas, preparing young minds for the high tech jobs of 1652."

PENN. SCHOOL BOARD - "Does this mean that Pennsylvania is more highly evolved or more intelligently designed than Kansas? Yes, yes it does."

We may watch the Kansas Board of Education's display of "unintelligent behavior" this week, with detached amusement; it can't happen here, can it? Yes it can. It's happening in Dover, Pennsylvania, and a dozen other places around the country; the religio-political lunatics are running wild with a trick 'wedge issue' and the media and the naive among the public are lapping it up. The good news from PA is that the "intelligent design" faction was completely repudiated in Tuesday's election, and voted out of office. However, the court case initiated to block the overtly religious "ID" programs of the now un-elected Dover school board is still in motion; testimony is now over, and a ruling by the judge is due in January. We can only hope that the judge in this case has an "intelligent" mind and at least a high school science education.

We are clearly entering into a profoundly dangerous period in American history. We are either on the verge of a final denouncement of the 'dark ages', or on the verge of a pathetic slide back into them. The world is watching this sorry spectacle with no small interest; it would be very helpful to the blossoming technologic economies of places like China and India if the US were to renounce science, and reason, and totter back into religio-mumbo-jumbo. China and India have no doubts about this issue; they are firmly in the grip of secular rationality and they are not looking back. They would like nothing better than to steal our children's jobs.

I recently read a sad testimony on our efforts to educate American scientists - a renowned american scientist was speaking to a graduate level Masters Symposium, at MIT, when he realized suddenly that the entire auditorium was filled with 'foreign' students. There were in fact no American enrollees in his course. This is a situation that is being repeated all around the country. At least our colleges are doing a brisk business in educating student scientists, foreign students...for now. Meanwhile, our high school science teachers are at their wit's end debating the lunatic fringe over the importance of teaching biblical fairy tales instead of the scientific method. It doesn't seem to matter that this argument is based on totally unsupported rubbish, and that's the real problem. Can our inherently scientific culture overcome the PR induced delirium of a scientifically naive majority? What ever we may hope, the outcome of this struggle currently not clear.

Clearly our 12th century throwbacks must be soundly repudiated, or we are in for a very bumpy ride. This may be the single most important issue of our time. We must educate our children in proper secular science, how else can they live and work in the technical world of tomorrow, how else can they vote on the intensely technical issues we face; by praying? Barring a rational and scientifically literate secular majority in this country, I am not optimistic about where we go from here. Witness the middle east; perhaps we should adopt something like they have in Iran - Sharia.

Kansas Board Approves Challenges to Evolution

TOPEKA, Kan., Nov. 8 - The fiercely split Kansas Board of Education voted 6 to 4 on Tuesday to adopt new science standards that are the most far-reaching in the nation in challenging Darwin's theory of evolution in the classroom.

The standards move beyond the broad mandate for critical analysis of evolution that four other states have established in recent years, by recommending that schools teach specific points that doubters of evolution use to undermine its primacy in science education.

Among the most controversial changes was a redefinition of science itself, so that it would not be explicitly limited to natural explanations.

The vote was a watershed victory for the emerging movement of intelligent design, which posits that nature alone cannot explain life's complexity. John G. West of the Discovery Institute, a conservative research organization that promotes intelligent design, said Kansas now had "the best science standards in the nation."

Kansas Board Approves Challenges to Evolution - New York Times

Evolution Slate Outpolls Rivals

All eight members up for re-election to the Pennsylvania school board that had been sued for introducing the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in biology class were swept out of office yesterday by a slate of challengers who campaigned against the intelligent design policy.

Among the losing incumbents on the Dover, Pa., board were two members who testified in favor of the intelligent design policy at a recently concluded federal trial on the Dover policy: the chairwoman, Sheila Harkins, and Alan Bonsell.

The election results were a repudiation of the first school district in the nation to order the introduction of intelligent design in a science class curriculum. The policy was the subject of a trial in Federal District Court that ended last Friday. A verdict by Judge John E. Jones III is expected by early January.

"I think voters were tired of the trial, they were tired of intelligent design, they were tired of everything that this school board brought about," said Bernadette Reinking, who was among the winners.

Evolution Slate Outpolls Rivals - New York Times

Dogma

When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kind of dogmas or goals, it's always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt.

Robert T. Pirsig, author and philosopher (1928- )

Meanwhile...

Fossilised crustacean boasts oldest penis

A newly discovered 425 million-year-old fossil boasts a lurid claim to fame - it has the oldest penis on record. The five millimetre long crustacean, discovered by UK and US researchers, has been named Colymbosathon ecplecticos - derived from the Greek for "astounding swimmer with a large penis".

New Scientist Breaking News - Fossilised crustacean boasts oldest penis

A Novel Idea

Our Right to Privacy

The conservatives pushing for Sam Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court are forever carping about whether various human rights are actually 'in' the constitution, or whether they are part of the founders original vision of the constitution. The "originalists" would have us believe that we should live by the limits of the social imagination of 18th century minds. Of course were we to really do that we should still have slavery, women would not vote, and sex with out procreation would be illegal. Clearly we need the 'amendments' to the constitution to over come the limitations of the original authors, and to keep our constitution relevant to the modern world.

A principle technique of strict constitutionalists is to argue the a certain human right, like the 'right to privacy' is technically "not found" in the constitution; as if this was sufficient 'logic' to make us all just get over it. Advocates of 'human rights' often find themselves arguing from the contorted first appearance of a specific "right" in the cases brought before the court. Often, the case is morally correct, but legally convoluted, and the "right" stands on a contorted foundation of precedent. The originalists love to attack the technical aspects of various human rights on just this basis. "You may be right but it's just not in the constitution, sorry."

The left loves the 'right to privacy' because it underpins our right to have access to birth control, abortion services, gay sex, porn. Strict conservatives hate the 'right to privacy' for precisely this reason. But, regardless of their stand on these particular issues, the majority of voters think that their right to privacy is fundamental; they naively suppose that this 'right' is similar to their right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Here's a novel idea - let's put 'the right to privacy' in the constitution explicitly. To block this action, the conservative right will have to argue that we don't deserve such a right, and they will look like fools. Let's have a national debate about this. Let's argue the issue on its merits; not its technical relation to the limited reasoning of 18th century white, male, land holding, rich guys who were preoccupied with their relation to a distant British king. Let's see what a contemporary American electorate thinks about our 'right to privacy', and then let's make it a proper amendment to the Bill of Rights.

Here we are, decades after Griswold, and social conservatives and liberals are constantly arguing about whether or not the right to privacy, which is a popular right (naturally enough), and one to which most Americans believe they're entitled, is actually a right to which Americans are entitled, constitutionally-speaking. Liberals love it because the RTP underpins our constitutional right to have access to birth control, abortion services, gay sex, porn. Social conservatives hate it for that very reason.

The debate raged when John Roberts was being confirmed, and it is raging again as Sam Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court makes its way through the Senate. Is the RTP in there? Or isn’t it?

I find myself wondering why we don’t just put it in there? If the Republicans can propose a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, can’t the Dems propose a “Right to Privacy” amendment? Since the RTP is popular (unlike the anti-gay marriage amendment), the Dems should put it out there and let the Republicans run around the country explaining why they're against a right to privacy—not a winning position. Then, once it passes, we’ll be spared the debate over whether or not the RTP is in there every time a conservative is nominated to the Supreme Court.

Originally posted by Dan Savage on the stranger.com

The Stranger - Slog

Kinky Stuff

Go Kinky

If you're not a Kinky Friedman fan by now, you are about to become one.

One of the great political stories in generations is about to unfold, as Richard ’Kinky’ Friedman, humorist, performer, mystery writer and Texas Monthly columnist, has announced his run for the governorship of the state of Texas in 2006. Friedman certainly will bring a whole new ballgame into Austin ’s capitol building, and he will do so as an Independent candidate and political amateur.

Kinky Friedman Official Site :: - Biography

'Go Kinky' Reality TV Show Pilot to Air

Country Music Television will air a preview of a proposed reality show based on Kinky Friedman's independent run for Texas governor.

The music network will show two half-hour pilot episodes of "Go Kinky" on Wednesday. The episodes are set to premiere in early 2006 and could lead to a TV series.

Friedman is portrayed in the show as a humorist and a man of the people _ an "anti-politician," says a statement issued Thursday by his campaign.

"We agreed to give CMT this access to give Americans a window into just how hard it is to run for office as an independent these days," Friedman said in statement. "People will see what happens when you buck the two-party system in this country and hopefully Texans will get mad enough to do something about it _ and show the rest of America the way!"

‘Go Kinky‘ Reality TV Show Pilot to Air

Kinky Friedman Official Site :: - Home

Secession in the news!

In Vermont, a revolution to secede has devotees

MONTPELIER -- A car parked outside the State House bore a bumper sticker saying, ''Regime change begins at home."

Inside, about 100 Vermonters gathered in the House chamber for the Vermont Independence Convention -- devoted to Vermont creating a regime of its own.

If participants have their way, the state whose former governor was laughed out of the 2004 presidential race after the infamous Iowa scream is going to take what some call its wackiness and others call its sanity in a crazy world and go home.

Go home to the 14 years in the late 18th century when Vermont was neither a British colony nor one of the original 13 states but was an independent republic.

In Vermont, a revolution to secede has devotees