Politics

From your cousin Vito by way of jwz. Solan (2006-12-09): Some relevant linx:http://forum.newspaperindex.comhttp://www.filibustercartoons.com/archive.php?id=20060204http://www.zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=21654http://www.muslimrefusenik.comhttp://www.iranian.com/Azizi/2006/February/Cartoons/index.htmlhttp://tinyurl.com/dl2dmhttp://suralikeit.comhttp://www.apostatesofislam.com/http://www.faithfreedom.org/http://www.secularislam.orghttp://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theism/islam/http://islamreview.org/http://www.geocities.com/freethoughtmecca/islam.html Lippard (2006-12-09): Nice set of links--thanks, Solan!

George Deutsch is a 24-year-old Texas A&M University graduate in journalism (class of 2003) who was appointed by the White House to the press office of NASA headquarters after his stint as an intern working in the “war room” of the Bush 2004 reelection campaign. He has gotten some well-deserved press lately for the fact that, despite having no science background, he apparently has had the authority to tell senior scientists at NASA such as Dr. James Hansen what they can and cannot say to the press. In October 2005, he told a NASA contractor working on an educational website about Einstein for middle-school students that he must add the word “theory” after every occurrence of the phrase “Big Bang,” because the Big Bang “is not proven fact; it is opinion. […] It is not NASA’s place, nor should it be to make a declaration such as this about the existence of the universe that discounts intelligent design by a creator. […] This is more than a science issue, it is a religious issue. And I would hate to think that young people would only be getting one-half of this debate from NASA. That would mean we had failed to educate the very people who rely on us for factual information the most.” As others have noted, Deutsch not only doesn’t understand what the word “theory” means, his knowledge of theology seems pretty weak–the Big Bang is commonly used as an argument for the existence of God (e.g., William Lane Craig’s version of the kalam cosmological argument, which has as a premise that the universe has a finite past). World O’Crap has dug up some of Mr. Deutsch’s past work at the Texas A&M Battalion, which includes this comment on the Laci Peterson murder: Still, the defense’s main theory – that a Satanic cult killed Laci – is actually quite credible. Several impartial witnesses have reported seeing a van adorned with satanic symbols and a man with “666” tattooed on his arm in front of the Peterson home in late December. ...

The Danish cartoons of Mohammed have been reprinted in both Norway and France (and may be seen at the link at left). These cartoons have led to hostages being taken, death threats against the cartoonists, and the withdrawal of ambassadors to Denmark by Libya and Saudi Arabia. The reprinting has led to further Muslim outrage, apologies from the publishers, and some firings. Norway has given a state apology and made noises about restricting freedom of speech regarding anti-religious statements. France and Denmark have refused to make state apologies and have defended freedom of speech. The EU and UN have come out against freedom of speech, which are good reasons to oppose UN control of the Internet. By the way, here are some other cartoons about Mohammed and Islam (thanks to Einzige for the reference). UPDATE: A magazine in Lebanon, Shihan, has reprinted the cartoons, and in an article with the subheading “World’s Muslims, be logical,” Jihad Momani (a pseudonym?) asks, “Which one do you think damages Islam more? These cartoons or the scene of a suicide bomber who blows himself up outside a wedding ceremony in Amman, or the kidnappers that slaughters their victims before the cameras?” (Hat tip: Catallarchy, which I inexplicably failed to credit for their posting which first led me to this subject.) ...

Wikipedia has banned the IP blocks of U.S. Congress from the ability to make changes, due to repeated abuses by Congressional staffers who repeatedly engage in revert wars, blank content, engage in libelous behavior or violate WP:NPOV, WP:CIV [Wikipedia’s standards for neutral point of view and civility]. The editors from these IP ranges are rude and abrasive, immature, and show no understanding of Wikipedia policy. The editors also frequently try to whitewash the actions of certain politicians. They treat Wikipedia articles about politicians as though they own the articles, replacing community articles with their own sanctioned biographies and engaging in revert wars when other users dispute this sudden change. They also violate Wikipedia:Verifiability, by deleting verified reports, while adding flattering things about members of Congress that are unverified.A newspaper article has been written on this subject in the Lowell Sun by Evan Lehmann. A list of further details is in the Wikipedia entry on Congressional Staffer Edits. Kudos to Wikipedia for treating Congress the way it deserves to be treated.

Sam Coppersmith complains that legislators seeking restrictions on eminent domain abuse are wasting their time (and apparently that they are trying to create a diversion from other more important issues). Sure, Arizona has better protections in place than most states (as demonstrated by the decisions in Bailey v. Myers (link is a PDF) and City of Tempe v. Valentine) , but why is it any surprise that there is extensive support for expanding such protections in the aftermath of the Kelo decision? The failure of his column to even mention that decision strikes me as disingenuous. The Castle Coalition and the Institute for Justice have very strong grassroots support on this issue, and it’s not a partisan issue.

In today’s release from the Goldwater Institute, “The Nanny State Comes to My Mailbox," Andrea Woodmansee complains about the fact that a birthday card from Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano contained the statement “One of your most important roles as a parent is to make sure your baby is immunized." I find it more objectionable that the state spends money to send out cards for all births instead of on more useful things (or did Ms. Woodmansee get special treatment as a result of her proximity to power?) than I am that the card contains an accurate statement about the importance of immunization. This state contains numerous anti-vaccination conspiracy theorists who put the rest of us as well as their own children at risk by not having them vaccinated. Failing to have children vaccinated is arguably a form of child abuse–failing to take reasonable steps to give the child proper medical treatment. I can’t bring myself to be exercised about Janet Napolitano promoting vaccination when we have a President who doesn’t respect Constitutional limits on his power. Does anyone doubt that Barry Goldwater would have prioritized George Bush’s abuses of power over Janet Napolitano’s birthday card promotion of vaccination as a subject of critical attention? ...

The two major skeptical organizations in the U.S.–Michael Shermer’s Skeptics Society and Paul Kurtz’s Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) (or, actually, its parent organization, the Center for Inquiry)–have both decided to use combatting the threat of Intelligent Design as a major platform of their most recent fundraising campaigns. The Skeptics Society sent out a card-sized folded mailing with a photo of Darwin on the front with the caption “Help us keep religion out of the science classroom!” The inside reported on recent events, such as Cardinal Schonborn’s New York Times piece that the Discovery Institute and their PR agency, Creative Response Concepts, helped arrange. It continues with facts about the amount of funding the Discovery Institute receives, quotes from Phillip Johnson, William Dembski, and Jonathan Wells, Harris and Pew poll results showing the general public’s ignorance on evolution. So how will collected funds be used to combat Intelligent Design? Apparently Shermer has a new book coming out this year titled Why Darwin Matters: Evolution, Design, and the Battle for Science and Religion (Henry Holt/Times Books), copies of which will be sent “to every Congressman, Senator, and Governor in America, along with the relevant state boards of education, and state legislative bodies contemplating passing pro-creationist legislation.” That doesn’t strike me as a particularly productive way to combat ID–I suspect most of the recipients will not read the book. There are other bullet items listed–publication of “a special volume of essays on evolution and Intelligent Design creationism collected from the pages of Skeptic magazine, to be published by the Skeptics Society and widely distributed to science teachers throughout America to give them the intellectual tools they need to deal with ID and creationism.” Another is to “distribute free copies to teachers” of the existing booklet How to Debate a Creationist. That sounds much more worthwhile, though I think that it would be more productive to give teachers tools like Eugenie Scott’s Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction and Mark Isaak’s Counter-Creationism Handbook (the online version of which is here–some of the best teacher and student resources are already free and online). The bonuses for contributors include a free book from a selection of six for $100 “Supporters” (In Darwin’s Shadow by Tim Callahan is the only one that appears directly relevant to the topic). $500 “sponsors” get a free 3-year subscription to Skeptic; $1000 “benefactors” get two free tickets to the 2006 Skeptics Society conference on “The Environmental Wars”; and $5000 “patrons” get dinner with Shermer and “a world-renowned scientist (to be announced)” and a private tour of Mt. Wilson’s 100-inch telescope and use of the 60-inch telescope, along with the gifts the other levels get. The Center for Inquiry sent out a more elaborate package, including a DVD presentation promoting the “New Future Fund,” a campaign to raise $26.6 million, “the largest sum ever raised in the name of humanism, skepticism, and scientific naturalism.” The four major goals for the use of the money are “Legal Activism,” “Opposing Creationism/Intelligent Design,” “Transnational Development,” and “Outreach and Education.” The second item, “Opposing Creationism/Intelligent Design,” discusses Intelligent Design, and says that “CSICOP is fighting back, mobilizing grassroots outreach and expert scientists when ID proposals threaten. We’re especially aggressive online, publishing a stable of online columnists and a dynamic new website, Creation & Intelligent Design Watch.” The website has a pretty substantial amount of content, with the November/December Skeptical Inquirer (a special issue on “Evolution and the ID Wars”) as the centerpiece (along with other CSICOP-related articles, including many of Chris Mooney’s Doubt and About articles), links to items appropriate for classroom use on the left side, and links to current news stories on the right side. Now, I’m all in favor of a diversity of approaches to promote critical thinking and combat Intelligent Design’s political actions, but everyone should keep in mind that the two organizations actually doing the most in this arena are the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), which is the only organization devoted entirely to fighting creationism and promoting accurate teaching about evolution, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has provided the legal support for every major creation/evolution courtroom battle. By all means support the Skeptics Society and Center for Inquiry’s programs, but if Intelligent Design is a concern, please be sure to support the NCSE and ACLU.

May 1, 2003: Men and women in every culture need liberty like they need food and water and air. Everywhere that freedom arrives, humanity rejoices and everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear. The advance of freedom is the surest strategy to undermine the appeal of terror in the world. Where freedom takes hold, hatred gives way to hope. When freedom takes hold, men and women turn to the peaceful pursuit of a better life. American values and American interests lead in the same direction: We stand for human liberty. Our commitment to liberty is America’s tradition - declared at our founding; affirmed in Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms; asserted in the Truman Doctrine and in Ronald Reagan’s challenge to an evil empire. – President Bush January 4, 2006: Coast Guard Repatriates 126 Cuban Migrants

As readers of this blog know, I’m no supporter of George W. Bush. I’ve never contributed funds or worked to support the campaign of a Republican. Yet I received this spam email from Jon Kyl, who is apparently concerned about competition from Arizona Democratic Party chairman Jim Pederson in the next election. It’s also interesting that Kyl’s jonkyl.com website is hosted in Canada, and his campaign webservers are hosted in New Jersey. Way to support your home state, Senator. From: “Senator Jon Kyl” [email protected] Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 23:57:14 -0500 Subject: I invite you to join my team… Today I am writing you for two reasons. One is to say thank you for your past support of President Bush and a second is to ask for your help. I am not asking for money. I am simply asking for your time and energy in helping my reelection campaign. First, thank you for your help in the 2004 election. Because of your hard work, we had a huge victory in Arizona. One of the key elements of victory was the organized force of Bush Volunteers who registered voters, made phone calls, walked neighborhoods, placed signs and bumper stickers, and helped get out the vote. It was a record setting year, and you were part of that team. Second, I want to ask for your help. As you may know, I am running for reelection to the U.S. Senate. My opponent is the former Chairman of the Arizona Democrat Party, Jim Pederson. He has personally bankrolled the Democrats’ efforts, including against President Bush, to date he has spent over $5 million on Democrats and their causes. He is a supporter of Howard Dean and Ted Kennedy and was a leader in John Kerry’s failed presidential campaign. Not surprisingly, John Kerry now is Pederson’s biggest contributor. That is why I need your help. Television and radio alone will not win this election. In order to be successful, we will need to replicate the Bush Volunteer program to run our grass roots campaign. We are currently recruiting volunteers from across Arizona to join our campaign as Kyl Captains. As a Kyl Captain you will be integral in our network of individuals who are willing to help on the campaign. Whether you prefer registering voters, working the phones, or just talking with your friends and neighbors, you will be a critical component of my campaign. Because Jim Pederson will spend what it takes on television, it is very important to have a strong and active Arizona Team on the ground, registering and getting voters to the polls. I am convinced it is the key to victory in November 2006. Please take a moment and visit www.jonkyl.com and sign up as a Kyl Captain. Your personal commitment to this campaign will make all the difference. It has been the greatest honor of my life to represent the people of Arizona in the United States Senate. With your help I hope to continue that public service. Again, thank you for your past work on behalf of the President and I look forward to working together in the future. Sincerely, Jon Kyl U.S. Senator P.S. If you have any questions, please feel free to call my office at (602) 840-0306 or visit: www.jonkyl.com P.O. Box 10246 :: Phoenix, AZ 85064 :: [email protected] Paid for by Jon Kyl for U.S. Senate/[email protected] ...

The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the NSA asking for an injunction against warrantless interception of communications to international destinations. The plaintiffs include James Bamford (author of The Puzzle Palace, Body of Secrets, and A Pretext for War), Christopher Hitchens, Greenpeace, Larry Diamond of the Hoover Institution, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and others.