Slashdot Mirror
Politicizing Science
An anonymous reader writes: "The Washington Post has a story about the government's efforts to remove independent scientific review boards and replace them with officials that match the views of administration. This includes careless elimination of life-saving safety regulations in gene-therapy to help specific business interests and hiring based on political views such as stem cell research and cloning. Is this wrong? Or do those with power get to do whatever they want?"
Is this wrong? Or do those with power get to do whatever they want?
What is the point of power if you can't wield it from time to time. If we don't like the way the education system is being run we vote em out of office and get someone new.
Much better than an unelected quango situation where the public can do nothing!
"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it." --George W. Bush, May 5, 2000
With statements like that from their leader I'd hate to see what US govt officials have to say about embryo cell research and cloning...
- you are sofa king weed todd did
So the President wants to change scientific advisory committees so that they more closely represent his views...
Advisor: Mr. President, we need some guideance about our policies about stem cell research.
Bush: Ok! Fine. Um. Just remind me what stem cell research is for again?
Advisor: Well, Sir, stem cell research can be helpful in lots of fields, such as the search for cancer cures.
Bush: Great! Well that's a good thing then. Curing cancer, yes, I approve of that.
Advisor: But what about the religious viewpoint sir?
Bush: What? They don't approve of curing cancer?
Advisor The issue is that stem cells come from human foetuses, Sir.
Bush: Oh, well, that's obviously bad! It's obviously a bad thing! I can't approve of that!
Advisor But Mr President, many of the pharmaceutical companies say they could produce some very profitable drugs if they could perform research with stem cells.
Bush: Oh, damn, then that makes it good. Now I'm confused! This science stuff is very frustrating! Can I take a rest for a minute?
Not.
-Kevin
Science is just another subject he flunked before he found out about majoring in business administration.
Let me spell it out for you.
80% of the world's Catholics live below the poverty line.
Let me spell it out for you: more than 80% of the world's population live below the poverty line. Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist and all. Do you seriously think you have made a logical point?
Catholicism is a disease that preys on the poor and ignorant.
If so, you must be at least half-Catholic. Don't know if you are poor, but you fit the second condition perfectly! (Applying your own style of logic, of course.)
Excuse me, but I am the Creator of the Universe. Some people do consider me a borderline-psychopathic Thug - I admit, encouraging competing religions was a bad idea, not to mention the creation of trolls - what was I thinking? But no-one in their right minds would call Me a liberal. In fact, I have a good mind to smite thee for even thinking that!
But on second thoughts, smiting might be a tad psychopathic, and I've been trying to ease up on that a bit, since the whole World War II thing. I'll have to settle for having one of My acolytes mod you down.
Pierce said of the interview questions: "Those are not litmus tests."
But he's right! Litmus tests use paper strips, and the interview was clearly done over the phone!
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
Hey,
if the general public doesn't want to fund research into XXX, then those scientists should not receive a penny of taxpayer's money.
Now that's one area I'd be happy to 'research' for free...
Michael
"Goodness me, how unlike the FBI to abuse the trust of the American public." -- The Onion