Monday, June 21, 2004

Kerry-isms...

Per CNN, Kerry: Bush puts ideology ahead of research.
Democrat John Kerry, touting the endorsement of 48 Nobel Prize-winning scientists, has criticized President Bush for relying on ideology rather than fact in the pursuit of science and repeated his pledge to overturn the ban on federal funding of research on new stem cell lines. ...Kerry said Bush's anti-science initiatives included limiting stem cell research; removing information about the global warming threat from a 2003 Environmental Protection Agency report; ordering changes to a report that described damage that would be caused by oil-drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and deleting information about condoms from government Web sites.
Okay, let's toss ideology out the door or, at least, put it way behind research. Remember the fictional character Ian Malcolm, from the movie Jurassic Park, and his analysis of unfettered scientific advancement?
Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (emphasis added)
If that's a bit too abstract, then how about going directly to the source? Author Michael Crichton and a Q&A from his website.
How much longer will the human race survive?... I have no idea. I repeat to everyone who will listen that nobody can predict the future - including me. That's why I set so many of my books in the near past. But, of course, nobody listens to such an outlandish idea. Everybody thinks that the future can be predicted if we could only know enough...
Michael Fumento has more than a few things to say about Global Warming at his site. I wonder if Kerry has been to Alaska and asked the residents there what they think about drilling in ANWR. (hint: I've worked there and have a pretty good idea of what they think) Have his scientific advisors informed him of the dire predictions that were made regarding the Alaskan Oil Pipeline back in the 1970s? Have they further informed him that the predictions were baseless? Horrors! Condom information is off of government websites and stem cell research is being stifled. Notice what's happening here? All things regarding Nature are revered and downright worshipped, while issues regarding the intrinsic qualities of Humanity are trampled. Update: Joe Carter has a similar post titled, Trust the Scientists?

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