Greg Laden just published an open letter to MSNBC calling for the retirement of Pat Buchanan, for his latest antiscience screed in the US Daily. PZ Myers demolishes his Hitler-Hearts-Darwin shenanigans, and Ed Brayton articulates just how much about evolution he gets wrong, so Greg doesn’t get much into those aspects of the letter. He talks mostly about how Pat is the last vestige of a bygone era of antiscience; the Nixonian era when if the President did it, it was therefore not illegal. He rightly explains that if MSNBC is to dodge any damage from the backlash against anti-science sentiment that the public seems finally to be fomenting, they would be well advised to shuffle Uncle Pat offstage ASAP.
Now, we are seeing a new shift in political framework. Over the last decade we’ve seen a relentless erosion of the role of quality science in the forum of public policy, and a steady induration of ideological humors into the scientific discourse. Press agencies, even including the relatively intellectual and progressive MSNBC, have not helped as much as they have hurt society, the economy, and as a matter of fact, the truth itself, by insisting that every issue has two valid sides in matters of science (it doesn’t, by the way). If someone says “global warming is real” there MUST be someone out there saying it is not. Find that person and put them on TV. The “balance” of viewpoints “pro” and “con” with respect to this and other important scientific issues has had a chilling, negative effect on science. At this point in time, more people die younger, suffer more, and live less happy lives than they otherwise might because science has been so badly treated by conservative politicians. That is indisputable fact. It will take years to undo the damage that right wing ideological anti-science has done.
Although there is still a great deal of work to do, it is a fact that as we speak the nature of science funding, evaluation, reporting, and implementation is rapidly changing in a post-Bush environment. Suddenly, science can breath[e](sic).
Videos below the fold.
Since Greg has the letter to MSNBC covered, and PZ and Ed have the science end of the public evisceration covered, I’ll throw my two cents in and do what I do best — make fun of the jackass by pointing you to videos that exemplify how wrong he is.
On gay marriage:
On providing healthcare to children:
On democracy (calling for a dictator!):
On whether or not Hitler is a threat:
It’s a slack day at work today, it’s Canada Day and I’m here posting between manning barbecue and ice cream stands. Watching Pat Buchanan Youtube videos is a nice change of pace from my usual workload. Post me some of your favorite Crazy Pat videos!
