Overnight Open Thread
Open | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 9:30:00 pm PDT
I am free of prejudice. I hate everyone equally.
— W. C. Fields
Texas School Board Appoints 3 Creationists to Science Committee
Science | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 3:40:56 pm PDT
“Intelligent design” creationism is a step closer to being taught in Texas science classes, as “social conservatives” on the State Board of Education appoint three creationists to a six-member committee to review science curricula.
Not just any creationists, either; two of them are affiliated with the Discovery Institute, and authored the ludicrous pseudo-scientific “intelligent design” textbook Explore Evolution. The tactic is to get this textbook accepted in Texas, and thereby influence textbook buying all over the nation.
They’ve put the fundamentalist foxes in charge of the scientific henhouse, and the victims will be the children in Texas public schools.
AUSTIN – Social conservatives on the State Board of Education have appointed three evolution critics to a six-member committee that will review proposed curriculum standards for science courses in Texas schools.
Two of the appointees are authors of a book that questions many of the tenets of Charles Darwin’s theory of how humans and other life forms evolved. One of them, Stephen Meyer, is also vice president of the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based group that promotes an explanation of the origin of life similar to creationism. The other author is Ralph Seelke, a biology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
Also on the panel is Baylor University chemistry professor Charles Garner, who, like the other two, signed the Discovery Institute’s “Dissent from Darwinism” statement that sharply questions key aspects of the theory of evolution.
Three other committee members are veteran science professors from major Texas universities – the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech University and Southern Methodist University.
The committee was chosen by 12 of the 15 members of the board of education, with each panel member receiving the support of two board members. For example, Republican board members Geraldine Miller of Dallas and Pat Hardy of Weatherford selected SMU anthropology professor Ronald K. Wetherington, who is also director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at the university.
Six other members of the board aligned with social conservative groups chose the three committee members who have signed the “Dissent from Darwinism” document along with several hundred educators from across the U.S.
More information on the Discovery Institute.
And more information here: Texas Freedom Network: Texas State Board of Education Puts Strident Anti-Evolution Critics on Science Standards Review Panel.
Another Celebrity Endorsement for Barack Obama
World | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 1:35:37 pm PDT
Fresh from a no-Jews-allowed “Global Dialog” conference with the mullahs in Tehran, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announces his endorsement of Barack Obama: AFP: Former UN chief mulls ‘phenomenal’ Obama presidency.
DUBLIN (AFP) — A US presidential poll victory for Barack Obama would be “phenomenal,” former UN chief Kofi Annan said Thursday, adding that whoever wins needs to learn the lessons of the last eight years. ...
When asked if the United States and the world was ready for a black US president, he said: “I think it would be a phenomenal change for the US and for the world.
“It would introduce a new dynamics (sic) and a new relationship between the US and the world. Whoever wins this presidency will have to come out prepared to work in partnership with the rest of the world,” he told reporters.
And he added: “I think we have learned some lessons in the past eight years and I hope whoever wins will bear that in mind.”
JihadTV on Sarah Palin
World | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 11:54:38 am PDT
Now showing up on lefty blogs, the following Al Jazeera English report from a Sarah Palin rally in Ohio. Are you surprised that Al Jazeera managed to find racists and Christian extremists in the crowd?
A little reminder to those who are taking this Al Jazeera report at face value: Al Jazeera English is the slick, sanitized version of the Arab network that recently hosted a mind-bendingly depraved birthday party for convicted child murderer Samir Kuntar, after Israel released him from prison in an exchange: Video: Al Jazeera Throws Party for Child Killer.
Just as it’s important for the right to denounce bogus rumors from questionable sources, I hope at least some of the more honest lefties will reconsider using lurid propaganda from what is essentially a Muslim Brotherhood front.
(I know; don’t hold my breath.)
What's the Frequency, Pierre?
Entertainment | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 10:55:53 am PDT
Sure, I could make a joke about this story, but why bother? It’s perfect just the way it is: Rather covers election for French TV.
PARIS — Former CBS star reporter Dan Rather has been tapped by French pay TV group Canal Plus to cover the U.S. presidential election.
Video: Obama Bashes McCain with a Bogus Story
Video | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 10:16:05 am PDT
After an investigation, the Secret Service announced that the allegation that someone yelled “Kill him” when Barack Obama’s name was mentioned at a Sarah Palin rally is completely unfounded.
And Barack Obama owes John McCain an apology for using this false story to beat up McCain and Sarah Palin in last night’s debate. He even says that Palin “didn’t mention, didn’t stop, didn’t say hold on a second.”
She didn’t stop or say anything about it because it didn’t happen. And she wasn’t even on stage at the time of this nonexistent event.
Secret Service: No One Shouted 'Kill Him' at McCain Rally
Politics | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 9:30:03 am PDT
If you need any more evidence that you cannot trust the media in this election, here you go.
All week, every media organization in America has been endlessly repeating that someone shouted “Kill him” at a Sarah Palin rally when Barack Obama’s name was mentioned. As Jake Tapper might say, they were all “atwitter” about it, and used this incident to promote the view that McCain and Palin were deliberately inciting “dangerous extremism.”
Just one little problem. The Secret Service investigated the incident, interviewed security agents and dozens of audience members, and the only person in that whole crowd who heard “Kill him” was ... the reporter, David Singleton of the Scranton Times-Tribune.
It’s a phony story.
Secret Service says ‘Kill him’ allegation unfounded.
SCRANTON – The agent in charge of the Secret Service field office in Scranton said allegations that someone yelled “kill him” when presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s name was mentioned during Tuesday’s Sarah Palin rally are unfounded.
The Scranton Times-Tribune first reported the alleged incident on its Web site Tuesday and then again in its print edition Wednesday. The first story, written by reporter David Singleton, appeared with allegations that while congressional candidate Chris Hackett was addressing the crowd and mentioned Obama’s name a man in the audience shouted “kill him.“
News organizations including ABC, The Associated Press, The Washington Monthly and MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann reported the claim, with most attributing the allegations to the Times-Tribune story.
Agent Bill Slavoski said he was in the audience, along with an undisclosed number of additional secret service agents and other law enforcement officers and not one heard the comment.
“I was baffled,” he said after reading the report in Wednesday’s Times-Tribune.
He said the agency conducted an investigation Wednesday, after seeing the story, and could not find one person to corroborate the allegation other than Singleton.
Slavoski said more than 20 non-security agents were interviewed Wednesday, from news media to ordinary citizens in attendance at the rally for the Republican vice presidential candidate held at the Riverfront Sports Complex. He said Singleton was the only one to say he heard someone yell “kill him.”
UPDATE at 10/16/08 9:39:06 am:
And in a little bit of irony, look who got all atwitter at the “Kill him” story: Jake Tapper.
Jake Tapper's Casual Smear of the Day
Politics | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 8:59:24 am PDT
Jake Tapper at ABC News says “conservative blogs were all atwitter” about that silly rumor that Michelle Obama called an African media organization and ranted about racism.
The conservative blogs are all atwitter about a bizarre interview allegedly with Michelle Obama on a Web site called “African Press International.”
No, Jake. Conservative blogs were not “all atwitter.” At LGF we said the story was bunk in no uncertain terms.
The idea that conservative blogs universally accepted this bogus report is a smear, par for the course for the incredibly biased mainstream media. Some blogs may have taken the story at face value, but most did not.
Reporting it this way is sloppy and dishonest, intended to portray the center right blogosphere as a monolithic group of lock-step morons, dumbly swallowing every rumor that comes out. And that description is much better applied to Daily Kos and Huffington Post and Andrew Sullivan.
UPDATE at 10/16/08 5:15:12 pm:
For the record, Jake Tapper emailed to say he didn’t intend to lump all conservative blogs together with his comment.
Joe the Plumber: Obama is a 'Socialist'
Politics | Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 8:18:55 am PDT
Both candidates were doing their best last night to invoke “Joe the Plumber” as support for their tax proposals, but Joe himself doesn’t want anything to do with Barack Obama’s “incredibly wrong, socialist” views.
(Hat tip: LGF readers.)
