Surprsing New Poll Result

Despite criticism from the left, a new Harrass Poll shows Sarah Palin getting a large boost in popularity from coverage of her Hong Kong speech.

Her popularity bounce also showed up in this week's Fantasy Presidential Voting League. The former Alaskan governor and beauty queen trounced Thomas Jefferson in head-to-head polling. Participants favored Palin's directness and plainspoken qualities. Jefferson had the advantage in experience, but that wasn't enough to overcome a long list of negatives. At the top was Jefferson's sexual relationship with his slave, Sally Hemings, who bore him six illegitimate children. His numerous writings questioning God and religion were also a strong negative issue for the voting group. Charges of elitism came up because of Jefferson's admitted enjoyment of expensive French wines and his long-winded oratorical style. That caused some of Palin's supporters to liken him to John Kerry. A few said they were uncomfortable with the third president because he used Bill Clinton's middle name as his own.

When told about the results, Palin said she had great respect for Mr. Jefferson, despite his age, but favored changing the US twenty-five cent piece to show Ronald Reagan's likeness instead of Jefferson's. She added, "It's OK to keep him [Jefferson] on the three-dollar bill."

Creationist science fair

The Creation Museum is organizing a science fair. The web site says, "Put your knowledge of science to the test." I would say "a test." And, not a very good one. Here is the third item in the list of guidelines:

"All projects should be clearly aligned with a biblical principle from a passage or verse. The student should be able to explain why the verse or passage selected relates to their project. (Students should read the article “God and Natural Law” by Dr. Jason Lisle for an explanation of this concept.)

• • Students should consider the context of the verse(s) they are using.
  • The verse chosen does not have to directly apply to the project topic (e.g., Scripture does not directly address radio waves), but may simply relate the project to the Creator of the universe.
  • Students should read the article 'God and Natural Law.' "
    

Dr. Lisle's essay is pure tautology and silly sophistry. He infers that natural laws required a supernatural source. The next logical step is untenable: What created the supernatural laws that allowed creation of a god who could then create natural laws? And, what created that creator and the creator before and the creator before that? Nonsense.

Despite the fallacy of Lisle's essay, I have been trying to think of science fair projects that fit the creationist constraints. Some ideas:

1. Compute the enthalphy required to change one liter of water into wine.
2. Determine the Q-factor of the walls of Jericho and the number of horses needed to make the walls tumble down after seven circuits of the city.
3. Compute the size and displacement of an ark holding two of every species and sufficient food for 40 days afloat. Assume only baby dinosaurs were collected.
   

I imagine a creationist science fair version of the Monty Python Cheese Shop skit:

CLEESE: This is a science fair?
CHAPMAN: Oh, yes, sir. Finest in the district!
CLEESE: How can you say that?
CHAPMAN: It's so pure.
CLEESE: Well, it certainly is uncontaminated by science.

I most pity the little buggers who think they are getting an education and then make a break for the real world. It's gonna hurt.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong again

Every response to every conservative comment must begin with a list of right wing failures. The Republicans got it wrong about the economy, wrong about deregulation, wrong about Iraq, wrong about torture, wrong about taxes, wrong about civil rights, wrong about global warming, wrong about Medicare, wrong about Social Security, and wrong about the environment. Why listen to them now? Why give them air time? Why imply any credibility?

Dick Cheney is a chronic liar. Nothing he says can be trusted. Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel at McClatchy describe some of his recent lies here. Yet, Cheney goes unchallenged in interview after interview. Why?

Frank Rich in Sunday's New York Times sees the conservative, anti-gay movement fizzling as fast as the economy. There is a connection, though different from Rich's explanation. Right wing propagandists are institutional investors. It's all about the money. They hold a position while prices rise, then sell off at the first sign of decline.

The wealthy crazies funding wingnut media don't care about the message. They only want to protect their money. One tactic has worked again and again. Create and market fear; then sell conservative politics as the only possible response. Blacks, Jews, Catholics, communists, socialists, feminists, gays, liberals, and Muslims have all been advertised as the Big Threat to America. When one begins to fade, another is brought out, and new hysterics begun.

Now, Gay Marriage has run its cycle. Republicans used the issue to get out the conservative vote in the 2004 election. California's bigots won big the first time the state voted on gay marriage. But, Proposition 8 was a squeaker despite a wagon train of Mormon money. The trend is obvious. Gay marriage no longer generates enough fear. The wingnuts have moved on to tea bags.

Blog Against Theocracy

America's religious leaders are the best reason for separation of church and state. Listen to them. Robertson, Warren, Dobson, Roberts, Donohue and the rest are cruel, hateful louts. They despise American freedoms and envy the Taliban's theocratic madness. They condemn abortion, but won't help promote birth control. They are apoplectic when in vitro blastula are used for science but indifferent when other fertilized human eggs are washed down the drain. They will spew hours of television and radio rage about the fate of one brain-dead woman, but ignore hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed in America's unnecessary war. Life is sacred, except when it isn't.

Should we give power to clergy who are indifferent to torture? Rick Warren has waffled on the issue. He signed a letter condemning torture, said, "I'm totally against torture," yet ignored the issue when meeting with President Bush. Gay marriage and abortion are Warren's higher priorities.

James Dobson, founder and head of Focus on the Family, participated in weekly telephone conferences with George Bush's White House staff. Dobson had the clout to make torture into a mainstream political and moral issue. He chose not to. Take a look at the Focus on the Family web site. A drop down menu on social issues includes links to abstinence, bioethics and the sanctity of life, education, gambling, pornography and others. Torture is not included. The web site's search utility brings up links comparing abortion to torture and commentary on tortured Christians. Torture of Muslim prisoners by the US military and CIA has been Winston Smithed.

The Family Research Council's web site is also torture free. Ditto William Donohue's Catholic League. Abortion and perceived bigotry against Catholics dominate the League's press releases. Comedians Jon Stewart and Bill Maher are the real threats to America.


Identifying America's theocrats was easy. I just turned on my television. There they were broadcasting hatred, misogyny, fear, and lies. One of the biggest lies is the claim to any part of the Constitution. No. The men who carefully wrote that sacred text omitted all reference to God. The word "religious" appears only once: no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. "Religion" is confined to the first amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...