There would be many in industry and at religious institution that would be eager to hire them. After all, these folks will have degrees in science legally equivalent to those of of other science degree granting institutions.
Just get a few of these folks to tie up regulations based on use of science required to establish sound public policy and you could avoid all sorts of costly regulations even though failing to adopt science-based regulations would produce catastrophic results. Likewise, insert them into discussions of the value of "faith-based initiatives" and religious based study can be granted public money by arguing that its just support for "science", while science budgets elsewhere can be cut to "reduce the budgetary impact" of such grants.
If you may not have noticed, large swaths of media conglomerates are loading with "journalists" bearing journalism degrees even though their "news" is often largely fact free. Such persons are useful to the bottom line and hidden agendas. They are hired because they can be used to say anything the owners think is in their interest, yet pass it off as "news" because "journalists" say its news.
In essence this legislation allows non-profit entities exposing anti-science philosophy to grant state sanctioned degrees in science. This would give such degrees legal standing equivalent to any other science degree program. This would then legally permit religious institutions to teach religion as science and replace scientists in science classrooms of the state with persons, who have no more knowledge or expertise in the scientific process than witchdoctors or political hacks.
This legislation is simply political cover to impose the teaching of religion as science. To say that this wouldn't be a bad idea ignores the fact that the consequences for scientific education in the United States would be catastrophic (since, most states recognize other states laws in reciprocal agreements).
The hiring process at state supported universities and colleges across the country would be thrown into paralysis as lawyers argue discrimination suits brought from both sides. Scientific departments and scientific collaboration would be torn apart by the open warfare between those that support science and those that support teaching religion as science, taking time away from those who actually want to conduct science. Its one thing for those battles to be waged on the airwaves, in print, and on web forums and quite another should we allow them to be carried out within the institutions charged with teaching, doing, and promoting science.
This legislation is little more than a another hand-grenade tossed into science departments around the country by anti-science crusaders to destroy the foundation of science in the United States. Al Qieda annd the Taliban couldn't do better.
We live in a world where the economic and political consequences of environmental catastrophe are pushing what remains of the biosphere needed to support human life to the breaking point. This is largely being done by people who refuse to accept scientific explanations for such changes because they conflict with their political ambitions, economic interests, or religious views and those who are simply ignorant, for one reason or another, of scientific studies that are relevant to these issues. The notion of "getting creationism in line with current scientific thought" is a lot like hoping the cockroaches will solve the problems that humanity seems too busy creating rather than solving. While some are "debating" whether they will be able to crank up their air-conditioners high-enough to feel comfortable in the future, many agronomists are already beginning to predict that a 4-5 deg C global temperature rise may make most contemporary agricultural practices on the planet unsustainable. Scientists are beginning to appreciate that what remains of tropical rain forests that permit us to take our next breath for granted may be nearly completely changed to scrub grasslands in as little as 100 years because of aridification. Water resource scientists are telling us that most countries will run out of fresh water resources in the next 50 years as glaciers recede into oblivion. In the US, agriculture in the largest agricultural state, California is being curtailed dramatically because of the lack of water. Texas is drying as well and many former range-lands no longer will support cattle. Likewise, marine biologists are becoming aware of the extent and rapidity at which the oceans are acidifying. The consequences to world protein budgets are large enough that the populations of ENTIRE countries may face protein starvation in as few as 100 years given present accelerating decline in ocean pH.
Folks, we are simply running out of time. Most have no idea of the scale of human-induced perturbations nor the almost certain consequences humans will face regardless of their religion as a result of these perturbations.
We must keep in mind that having an environment to support human life is not something that we can afford to leave to religious opinion. Its no longer something that we can indefinitely take for granted. The usefulness
Is the Institute for Creation Research arguing that it is being selected against? Why are they so eager to admit they are wrong with respect to the very essence of the does evolution occur debate?
Actually, I hope this passes. I'm thinking about starting a Ph.D. program in political witchcraft. Students would study how to use witchcraft to affect the political process. They would receive, after intensive course work, of course, detailed instructions on how to cast spells over politicians. If you know anything about Texas politics, and as this article demonstrates, its obvious that such a program is desperately needed.
and if you look at longevity, infant mortality, and a host of other vital statistics that determine the ultimate "success" of health care programs, the US ranks lower each year and sinking fast.
Randomize the minimal experience and learning generally poorly educated legislators have and you hand our enemies a perfect weapon to beat us to death.
Lets replace the intelligence committee with random choices from the sewer development and ethics subcommittees. Great idea. Especially if you think there isn't enough chaos in Washington already.
The general knee-jerk reaction is to blame teachers, but this misses the nature of the problem. The problem lies in how the concept of learning has evolved in the US. Ideas about learning arise from concepts of what is knowledge.
Recent emphasis on doctrinaire religious belief is stifling mathematics training, as well as in other sciences such as biology, by imposing the idea that knowledge comes from "God" rather than from critical thinking. It comes from a false belief that "God" is the solution to all questions and consequently, knowledge is seen as a matter of belief and a looking to authority. Unfortunately, developing skills in mathematics requires critical thinking and critical thinking requires questioning, not just authority but one's own preconceptions. If you can't question your own preconceptions and understand the consequences of your preconceptions, you will be unable to do much math.
In other societies the notion of "God" is not so strongly authoritarian as it is in the US. Rather it is more detached and distant concept, consequently requiring more critical thinking on the part of believers.
The problem that science poses to the religionists is that it destroys their business model.
Science presents the very real prospect that people can learn to think about the world and the universe themselves using logic and reason and come to the conclusion that the religions of the world really have nothing to offer in terms of understanding.
It is thus not surprising that the creationists, ID forces and other 21st century versions of witchdoctors and their ilk are keen to keep students uneducated about the power and potential of science.
Its ironic but to believe in intelligent design requires the believer to believe in facts that are not true. To do believe in "facts" that are not true is to bear false witness.
Consequently, those who support ID and creationism in the science classroom are actually bound for eternal damnation because they violate the commandment "Thou shall not bear false witness".
Its ironic that darwinians are in a position to "pray for the souls" of those who believe in ID.
The name is Jindal, but thats not all that important.
Louisiana education is very poorly funded, but if they insist on pushing this book onto students they stand a good chance of getting funding from the Russians and Chinese, who would likely be more than happy to see US children get a poor science education so that they can take the lead in biotechnology.
Gee, maybe that we are taking over all these corporations, instead of paying the executives of these federally owned corporations huge salaries, we can give them a HUGE PAYCUT and use the money saved to support scholarships for more doctors and nurses instead of investing it in additional vacation homes.
Maybe the new Fed Chairman Karl Marx has it right after all!
By this line of reasoning, the most cost effective approach would be to important tens of thousands of witch doctors.
After all they would be very inexpensive and certainly just as prepared as B, C, and D student doctors who have no knowledge of organic chemistry to randomly select medication for their patients.
With the rise of new charter schools and homeschooling you are beginning to see more and more challenges on educational requirements for degrees.
Removing organic chemistry from a premedical curriculum makes as much sense as attempting to remove the theory of evolution - the central core idea that explains all biology, from the Biology class. However, there is pressure as people want to be in a position to claim they have degrees without the requirement of actually having to learn and understand the fundamentals of the subject matter involved.
"The federal government was not meant to be a massive overriding force in our lives."
Try telling that to the Karl Marx, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve. Why he'll put you in so much debt you will be too numb to even mumble.
Will someone please report OrangeTide(124937) to the office of Homeland Security for Interrogation Techniques Reeducation Program and Bank Account Readjustment Therapy?
Libertarians would be better off to move to Alaska, where not only will they be subsidized by taxpayers in the other 49 states, they could join Todd Palin's Alaska Secessionist Party and make a clean break. They would only need about 322,000 votes to do this.
It seems ironic that John McCaine is traveling the US with a known and admitted secessionist Todd Palin at his side. Maybe hes trying to signal that under his administration soon the rest of America is either too broke to support Alaska it will be ok for them to form their own country.
This will be especially good for his 2012 reelection campaign as they will then be able to hire a lobbyist to run his campaign and he will be able to rush to their defense and issue a press release saying that "We're all Alaskans". It will also be good for Sarah Palin, as she will then be able to claim foreign policy experience, claiming that she actually ran a foreign country.
While it is true that the constitution does not specifically require members of the electoral college to vote for any particular candidate, the composition of the slate of college electors is in general highly regulated under state law and most states have laws that require them to vote in a manner that reflects the certified election results. There are penalties for failing to do this and there are provisions to annul the vote of anyone who does so in violation of state law.
It should also be pointed out that even if Barr were the only one on the ballot, Texans have not yet actually voted for president, only in presidential primaries, which have no constitutional status or effect. Remember the electoral college slate doesn't get to go to the electoral college UNLESS they actually win the vote, which may be hard to do if they are not on the ballot and no write-in votes are allowed.
However, in keeping with the tradition of the Bush presidency, which largely reflects Texas thinking, it seems hard to imagine that Texas wold actually uphold the law even if in the unlikely event that the Texas Supreme Court currently stacked with right-wing justices were to actually rule that way.
For republicans the law is like the inconvenient truth about global warming and its man made cause, something that can always be ignored for political purposes.
No chance of this. Republicans are permitted to ignore laws, its now part of the constitution as determined by the total authority of the executive branch.
Also, as part of emergency relief act under authorization by President George Bush any republican presently in financial trouble can write to the US Federal Reserve and get an immediate bailout and pardon for any and all business losses. If you are a republican you may address your grant for the taxpayer's funds you are entitled to at:
Federal Reserve Bank Washington, DC 20055 Attn: Karl Marx, Chairman
Currently, we see only a few countries pursuing reassessment. However, as competition continues others may find national solutions better than a consensus approach.
Unfortunately, the US has squandered its moral persuasion, necessary to achieve truly universal standards and negotiated settlements of disputed issues.
We appear to be witnessing the dissolution of the promise of ISO. Some in ISO may have won a tactical victory for their support for Microsoft, but may as a result wind up loosing the vision of reaching standardization on far more fundamental issues.
Horizontal drilling is a red-herring and will not lessen environmental impacts. The primary impacts will come through the transport of the oil, gas, and equipment in and out of the region and from the potential of oil spills.
Although the Supreme court being the political animal it has become now packed with conservatives who give big business whatever they ask for, an oil spill as occurred in Prince William Sound with the grounding of the Exon Valdez produced environmental destruction that still plagues the Sound.
The Marine Biology on this is pretty clear it will take centuries to recover from an oil spill in the high arctic. Citing a host of pro-oil/gas exploration websites hardly makes for good science.
Nonsense. This rumor was created like most others by the republican smear machine, a group of slime merchants who like mercinaries work for the opportunity to feed heavily at the trough.
If you look a list of contractors on "projects" in Iraq and match it to a list of republican operatives you will find a great many matches. Should we also be surprised that more than 14 BILLION dollars remains unaccounted for concerning Iraq contracts by the admission of the Bush administration?
Wake up, lest you find a republican operative has strangled you in your sleep.
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There would be many in industry and at religious institution that would be eager to hire them. After all, these folks will have degrees in science legally equivalent to those of of other science degree granting institutions.
Just get a few of these folks to tie up regulations based on use of science required to establish sound public policy and you could avoid all sorts of costly regulations even though failing to adopt science-based regulations would produce catastrophic results. Likewise, insert them into discussions of the value of "faith-based initiatives" and religious based study can be granted public money by arguing that its just support for "science", while science budgets elsewhere can be cut to "reduce the budgetary impact" of such grants.
If you may not have noticed, large swaths of media conglomerates are loading with "journalists" bearing journalism degrees even though their "news" is often largely fact free. Such persons are useful to the bottom line and hidden agendas. They are hired because they can be used to say anything the owners think is in their interest, yet pass it off as "news" because "journalists" say its news.
In essence this legislation allows non-profit entities exposing anti-science philosophy to grant state sanctioned degrees in science. This would give such degrees legal standing equivalent to any other science degree program. This would then legally permit religious institutions to teach religion as science and replace scientists in science classrooms of the state with persons, who have no more knowledge or expertise in the scientific process than witchdoctors or political hacks.
This legislation is simply political cover to impose the teaching of religion as science. To say that this wouldn't be a bad idea ignores the fact that the consequences for scientific education in the United States would be catastrophic (since, most states recognize other states laws in reciprocal agreements).
The hiring process at state supported universities and colleges across the country would be thrown into paralysis as lawyers argue discrimination suits brought from both sides. Scientific departments and scientific collaboration would be torn apart by the open warfare between those that support science and those that support teaching religion as science, taking time away from those who actually want to conduct science. Its one thing for those battles to be waged on the airwaves, in print, and on web forums and quite another should we allow them to be carried out within the institutions charged with teaching, doing, and promoting science.
This legislation is little more than a another hand-grenade tossed into science departments around the country by anti-science crusaders to destroy the foundation of science in the United States. Al Qieda annd the Taliban couldn't do better.
We live in a world where the economic and political consequences of environmental catastrophe are pushing what remains of the biosphere needed to support human life to the breaking point. This is largely being done by people who refuse to accept scientific explanations for such changes because they conflict with their political ambitions, economic interests, or religious views and those who are simply ignorant, for one reason or another, of scientific studies that are relevant to these issues. The notion of "getting creationism in line with current scientific thought" is a lot like hoping the cockroaches will solve the problems that humanity seems too busy creating rather than solving. While some are "debating" whether they will be able to crank up their air-conditioners high-enough to feel comfortable in the future, many agronomists are already beginning to predict that a 4-5 deg C global temperature rise may make most contemporary agricultural practices on the planet unsustainable. Scientists are beginning to appreciate that what remains of tropical rain forests that permit us to take our next breath for granted may be nearly completely changed to scrub grasslands in as little as 100 years because of aridification. Water resource scientists are telling us that most countries will run out of fresh water resources in the next 50 years as glaciers recede into oblivion. In the US, agriculture in the largest agricultural state, California is being curtailed dramatically because of the lack of water. Texas is drying as well and many former range-lands no longer will support cattle. Likewise, marine biologists are becoming aware of the extent and rapidity at which the oceans are acidifying. The consequences to world protein budgets are large enough that the populations of ENTIRE countries may face protein starvation in as few as 100 years given present accelerating decline in ocean pH.
Folks, we are simply running out of time. Most have no idea of the scale of human-induced perturbations nor the almost certain consequences humans will face regardless of their religion as a result of these perturbations.
We must keep in mind that having an environment to support human life is not something that we can afford to leave to religious opinion. Its no longer something that we can indefinitely take for granted. The usefulness
Is the Institute for Creation Research arguing that it is being selected against? Why are they so eager to admit they are wrong with respect to the very essence of the does evolution occur debate?
Actually, I hope this passes. I'm thinking about starting a Ph.D. program in political witchcraft. Students would study how to use witchcraft to affect the political process. They would receive, after intensive course work, of course, detailed instructions on how to cast spells over politicians. If you know anything about Texas politics, and as this article demonstrates, its obvious that such a program is desperately needed.
Looks as if the most recent Cisco initiatives are being taken seriously by IBM and SUN exec's also see the writing on the wall.
The question: is what will HP and Dell do in response to the shifting sands?
and if you look at longevity, infant mortality, and a host of other vital statistics that determine the ultimate "success" of health care programs, the US ranks lower each year and sinking fast.
Randomize the minimal experience and learning generally poorly educated legislators have and you hand our enemies a perfect weapon to beat us to death.
Lets replace the intelligence committee with random choices from the sewer development and ethics subcommittees. Great idea. Especially if you think there isn't enough chaos in Washington already.
And Bobby Jindal plans to leave for Iowa tomorrow.
The general knee-jerk reaction is to blame teachers, but this misses the nature of the problem. The problem lies in how the concept of learning has evolved in the US. Ideas about learning arise from concepts of what is knowledge.
Recent emphasis on doctrinaire religious belief is stifling mathematics training, as well as in other sciences such as biology, by imposing the idea that knowledge comes from "God" rather than from critical thinking. It comes from a false belief that "God" is the solution to all questions and consequently, knowledge is seen as a matter of belief and a looking to authority. Unfortunately, developing skills in mathematics requires critical thinking and critical thinking requires questioning, not just authority but one's own preconceptions. If you can't question your own preconceptions and understand the consequences of your preconceptions, you will be unable to do much math.
In other societies the notion of "God" is not so strongly authoritarian as it is in the US. Rather it is more detached and distant concept, consequently requiring more critical thinking on the part of believers.
The problem that science poses to the religionists is that it destroys their business model.
Science presents the very real prospect that people can learn to think about the world and the universe themselves using logic and reason and come to the conclusion that the religions of the world really have nothing to offer in terms of understanding.
It is thus not surprising that the creationists, ID forces and other 21st century versions of witchdoctors and their ilk are keen to keep students uneducated about the power and potential of science.
Its ironic but to believe in intelligent design requires the believer to believe in facts that are not true. To do believe in "facts" that are not true is to bear false witness.
Consequently, those who support ID and creationism in the science classroom are actually bound for eternal damnation because they violate the commandment "Thou shall not bear false witness".
Its ironic that darwinians are in a position to "pray for the souls" of those who believe in ID.
The name is Jindal, but thats not all that important.
Louisiana education is very poorly funded, but if they insist on pushing this book onto students they stand a good chance of getting funding from the Russians and Chinese, who would likely be more than happy to see US children get a poor science education so that they can take the lead in biotechnology.
Gee, maybe that we are taking over all these corporations, instead of paying the executives of these federally owned corporations huge salaries, we can give them a HUGE PAYCUT and use the money saved to support scholarships for more doctors and nurses instead of investing it in additional vacation homes.
Maybe the new Fed Chairman Karl Marx has it right after all!
By this line of reasoning, the most cost effective approach would be to important tens of thousands of witch doctors.
After all they would be very inexpensive and certainly just as prepared as B, C, and D student doctors who have no knowledge of organic chemistry to randomly select medication for their patients.
With the rise of new charter schools and homeschooling you are beginning to see more and more challenges on educational requirements for degrees.
Removing organic chemistry from a premedical curriculum makes as much sense as attempting to remove the theory of evolution - the central core idea that explains all biology, from the Biology class. However, there is pressure as people want to be in a position to claim they have degrees without the requirement of actually having to learn and understand the fundamentals of the subject matter involved.
"The federal government was not meant to be a massive overriding force in our lives."
Try telling that to the Karl Marx, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve. Why he'll put you in so much debt you will be too numb to even mumble.
Will someone please report OrangeTide(124937) to the office of Homeland Security for Interrogation Techniques Reeducation Program and Bank Account Readjustment Therapy?
Libertarians would be better off to move to Alaska, where not only will they be subsidized by taxpayers in the other 49 states, they could join Todd Palin's Alaska Secessionist Party and make a clean break. They would only need about 322,000 votes to do this.
It seems ironic that John McCaine is traveling the US with a known and admitted secessionist Todd Palin at his side. Maybe hes trying to signal that under his administration soon the rest of America is either too broke to support Alaska it will be ok for them to form their own country.
This will be especially good for his 2012 reelection campaign as they will then be able to hire a lobbyist to run his campaign and he will be able to rush to their defense and issue a press release saying that "We're all Alaskans". It will also be good for Sarah Palin, as she will then be able to claim foreign policy experience, claiming that she actually ran a foreign country.
While it is true that the constitution does not specifically require members of the electoral college to vote for any particular candidate, the composition of the slate of college electors is in general highly regulated under state law and most states have laws that require them to vote in a manner that reflects the certified election results. There are penalties for failing to do this and there are provisions to annul the vote of anyone who does so in violation of state law.
It should also be pointed out that even if Barr were the only one on the ballot, Texans have not yet actually voted for president, only in presidential primaries, which have no constitutional status or effect. Remember the electoral college slate doesn't get to go to the electoral college UNLESS they actually win the vote, which may be hard to do if they are not on the ballot and no write-in votes are allowed.
However, in keeping with the tradition of the Bush presidency, which largely reflects Texas thinking, it seems hard to imagine that Texas wold actually uphold the law even if in the unlikely event that the Texas Supreme Court currently stacked with right-wing justices were to actually rule that way.
For republicans the law is like the inconvenient truth about global warming and its man made cause, something that can always be ignored for political purposes.
No chance of this. Republicans are permitted to ignore laws, its now part of the constitution as determined by the total authority of the executive branch.
Also, as part of emergency relief act under authorization by President George Bush any republican presently in financial trouble can write to the US Federal Reserve and get an immediate bailout and pardon for any and all business losses. If you are a republican you may address your grant for the taxpayer's funds you are entitled to at:
Federal Reserve Bank
Washington, DC 20055
Attn: Karl Marx, Chairman
Thank God Sarah Palin advocates banning ALL the Harry Potter books!
This must be made illegal at once. It could destroy the Palin candicacy!
Why if these things stayed on You-Tube, they could destroy the Scientology business model.
Currently, we see only a few countries pursuing reassessment. However, as competition continues others may find national solutions better than a consensus approach. Unfortunately, the US has squandered its moral persuasion, necessary to achieve truly universal standards and negotiated settlements of disputed issues. We appear to be witnessing the dissolution of the promise of ISO. Some in ISO may have won a tactical victory for their support for Microsoft, but may as a result wind up loosing the vision of reaching standardization on far more fundamental issues.
Stop telling Palin jokes.
Horizontal drilling is a red-herring and will not lessen environmental impacts. The primary impacts will come through the transport of the oil, gas, and equipment in and out of the region and from the potential of oil spills. Although the Supreme court being the political animal it has become now packed with conservatives who give big business whatever they ask for, an oil spill as occurred in Prince William Sound with the grounding of the Exon Valdez produced environmental destruction that still plagues the Sound. The Marine Biology on this is pretty clear it will take centuries to recover from an oil spill in the high arctic. Citing a host of pro-oil/gas exploration websites hardly makes for good science.
Nonsense. This rumor was created like most others by the republican smear machine, a group of slime merchants who like mercinaries work for the opportunity to feed heavily at the trough. If you look a list of contractors on "projects" in Iraq and match it to a list of republican operatives you will find a great many matches. Should we also be surprised that more than 14 BILLION dollars remains unaccounted for concerning Iraq contracts by the admission of the Bush administration? Wake up, lest you find a republican operative has strangled you in your sleep.