Nothing like some good old-fashioned common sense to save the day.

Nothing like some good old-fashioned common sense to save the day.

"Suppose that the eminent English biologist Richard Dawkins delivered a speech at the University of Regensburg in which he attacked supporters of Creationism and Intelligent Design theory as 'ignorant boobs' -- words that he has already applied in them in a written article.

"Now, let us imagine that Christian fundamentalists all over the United States, outraged by this inflammatory language, went on a violent rampage. Suppose that they lynched an elderly professor of biology, and attacked biology departments at several universities. Suppose that teachers of high school biology went about in fear of their lives, while many simply quit their jobs.

"What kind of article would [the Guardian's] Madeleine Bunting write about such a hypothetical incident? (...) Would Madeleine Bunting refer to Dawkins' speech as illustrating professorial stupidity? Would she imply that he was personally responsible for the death of the elderly American professor of biology, and describe the brutal murder as having been done 'in retaliation' for Dawkins' remarks?

"What fools the American Creationists have been to write books, give speeches, and attend the tedious meetings of School Boards, when by rioting, murdering, and running amok, they could have earned the sympathy and respect of enlightened intellectuals like Madeleine Bunting.

"Instead of being ridiculed as 'ignorant boobs,' even such prestigious left-leaning papers as The Guardian would rally to their defense, reminding us all that for Christian fundamentalists the teaching of creationism is 'non-negotiable...'"

Read this article and the article it links to. You know, if you want...

Pack a gun in your suitcase the next time you go to the airport: not only do they require your suitcase be locked (as it stands right now, locks are prohibited, to allow for bag searches - allowing TSA/airport personnel to take things from your bag) but they have another level of bag-tracking for baggage containing a declared weapons, making most unlikely your bags will be separated from you.

Link.

Sub-title from CNN.com news article:

"Authorities today were trying to pinpoint the cause of death for three children an investigator says were found decomposing inside the washer and dryer of their apartment, hours after a woman was accused of killing their pregnant mother and her fetus."

Her fetus?

WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT THE WHOLE SPINACH DEAL?

You must read this.

Best quote from the short article written by a wheelchair-bound former embryonic stem cell research supporter:

When I read Reeve's testimony I almost fell out of my wheelchair. I could not believe that he would intentionally mislead the Senate or the American People regarding grave matters of public health. Either someone had lied to Reeve — had used him to mislead the Senate — was using him to mislead the public, or Reeve had said what he thought was the truth without bothering to check. I suspect he was misled. I have the use of my hands and arms, so I can sit for endless hours and search Pubmed. [Pubmed is an online comprehensive database maintained by the Nat'l Library of Medicine of peer-reviewed journal articles. -Chris] Reeve could not. He was at the mercy of 'experts.'

Thus the Senate was misled concerning research issues that could effect whether I walked again, whether my neighbor with Parkinson's has a hope to recover, whether a friend with Polio can ever run or dance. For me this cast the embryonic stem cell debate in a totally different light.

What if crucial time and money were wasted to develop myelinating cells from embryonic sources? (This is exactly what is happening.)

What if the Senate believed that myelinating cells could only be safe for medical use if produced through cloning (which Reeve also led the Senate to believe)?

What if similar misrepresentations were taking place regarding other areas of science, regarding other medical conditions (which I soon discovered was occurring)?

The 'stem cells and cloning' debates suddenly became far more complex than "religion versus cures." Because my medical condition was being used to mislead the Senate, I felt used and betrayed. However, perhaps Reeve was betrayed far worse.

Later that year I debated the practicality of cloning with Reeve at the New York Academy of Sciences. At Reeve's request I tried to tell him of an adult bone marrow clinical trial for ALS and SCI in Turin, Italy. But as I began to speak I was physically muzzled from behind by the scientific moderator of the debate. While I struggled to pull his hands from my mouth, fifty reporters looked on in stunned silence and Reeve's handlers quickly wheeled him from the room.

Not a word of this reached the public and Reeve remained in the dark.

Major Update:

My snake molted. How awesome.