We other Americans, the ones down south in the United States, have been wrestling with this problem for a long time. Sometimes, you just get flaming idiots in charge of important bureaucracies. Sometimes they even get handed the keys to the administration of important scientific institutions. And then they open their mouths and show off how stupid they are, and we poor peons get to sit back and watch the spectacle of money being shoveled into the hands of the incompetent for a while.
Canada has Gary Goodyear, the chiropractor who has been vaulted into the position of minister in charge of science and technology. He does not have a good reputation — his management style leaves much to be desired, and likes to accuse scientists of conspiring to lie to the public — and there are suspicions that he is a closet creationist, so he was recently asked outright if he believed in evolution.
“I’m not going to answer that question. I am a Christian, and I don’t think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate,” Gary Goodyear, the federal Minister of State for Science and Technology, said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.
I think the answer to that one was, “No, no I don’t, Bob.” The giveaway? He wasn’t asked if he was an atheist, he was asked if he accepted a basic scientific fact, and he immediately ran to hide behind the robes of whatever flavor of clueless cleric he favors. That’s creationist behavior, alright.
So, Canada, how long until you give this sorry sad sack the boot?
Hopefully they do it faster than we’ve managed with any of the idiots that have been put in responsible positions down here.
My ponderings are.. how did that guy get that seat in the first place?
who looked at his referentials and put him there?
GAH!
I live in Montreal and my sister has just got her chiropracting license. Ever since she got into chiropracting, she’s been believing all types of anti-medicine bullshit… It took me over a month to get it through her head to not tell her patients to refuse vaccinations based on their (lack of) correlation with autism.
I don’t the profession is completely useless, but these people are can easily be converted into cest pools of mental filth .
Yeah, total giveaway. Why do people struggle to mentally uncouple evolution from atheism. It’s not ID! It doesn’t carry excess baggage. Evolution is a stand-alone idea.
Argh! The stoopid! It burns!
Why do people keep using “belief” as if evolution is on the same footing as the Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot, Voodoo Sky Daddy, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster? You accept the fact of evolution or you don’t…beliefs are not formed on mountains of evidence.
No long, I hope. The Harper government is so similar in both substance and style to W’s former administration, that we Canadians seem to be saying “Can I have some more stupid?”, when the rest of the world is saying “Whew…”
It may take a while. As sitting governments usually get blamed for economic down-turns our current conservative gov’t is trying to take credit for Canada’s “not too badly off” kinda economic position. This is despite the fact that they claimed we’d have a budget surplus, until the opposition parties forced them to stop cheating the numbers, now there’s a huge deficit. The only reason we have an economic stimulus package is that the opposition parties were going to topple the conservative gov’t. No one’s quite strong enough to beat the conservatives in an election right now.
Unfortunately he’s a politician and not just a political appointment so we can’t give him the boot until the next election and even then one of the other parties needs to run a candidate in that riding who will beat him. That riding has always leaned a little conservative so it could be difficult. Of course the best way to oust him is to oust the entire government, something I hope happens in the next election. The Conservatives are VERY bad for science here in Canada right now.
The Globe and Mail — Canada’s national newspaper has a poll on their front page:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com
Do you believe in evolution?
Yes 48%
No 50%
I won’t answer a question about my religion 2%
First we have to get rid of the douche in 24 Sussex.
@9: “Yes 48%”
Not for long.
It gets worse. Our PM, made a speech on Sunday at a research awards ceremony in Ottawa. He openly acknowledged that his government is only interested in funding research that provides a direct return on investment. It’s like Being John Malcovich, except George Bush has jumped into Stephen Harper’s head.
I live in Canada, and by your descriptions, he doesn’t seem to be at all qualified for the position of minister for science. This is an outrage! How could a person with his experience possibly be fitted to this profession.
He got the job because of our “honourable” Prime Minister Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party of Canada, who, as Orac might say, is a prime ignition source for pure burning stupid. The grievances that liberals and moderates have with this man are legion, so I must refrain from getting into them here lest I am tempted to write a full research paper.
Sigh.
You’d think the Tories woulda had someone more qualified for the position, right? I mean…
Okay. Then again…
Re an entirely germane comment at the blog reporting on the in-meeting temper tantrum: yes, you’d also think this woulda normally been a firing offense. Whatever the politics of a meeting between stakeholders, if your cabinet minister and his assistant starts screaming like that (and they’re not, say, actually on fire), you really do need someone else in that position, methinks.
The opposition can’t get their electoral act together fast enough, if y’ask me.
Our conservative yahoo of a Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.
I live in Canada, and by your descriptions, he doesn’t seem to be at all qualified for the position of minister for science. This is an outrage! The way he views evolution is the uncertainty and thinking of a creationist.
@ Dr. J.
The theories of evolution are complicated.
I know this, because i have recently started to read up on a lot of this stuff.
Most people will just not bother with it, because it’s too much hassle, they don’t want to spend time on this, don’t find it important enough.
The people who want to push forward the ID agenda count on that lazyness.
As a lot of people are incredibly ignorant of all the theories of evolution the id people describe it as a belief. They know the ignorant won’t look it up to check. They know most people are not tempted to learn more, even when they’re out of school about subjects they find boring and which they don’t think they will encounter in day to day life.
I think that the ID people know darn well what the theories of evolution are, because if they didn’t, they couldn’t do such a good job at trying to sway ignorant people the other way.
It wasn’t a question about his religion, it was a question about to what extent he understands contemporary mainstream science. Not much, was his answer.
Oh no! I didn’t realize that we had a creaotard in that position. How embarrassing. Time to spark up the letter writing campaign. Stephen Harper is driven by ideology, so in a way it’s not much of a surprise. He has tried very hard to put on the veneer of a centralist, but he’s a right wing nutter cut out of the same cloth as the religious right extremists in the US. How sad for us.
It’ll be a while before we can give him the boot. At least Stockwell Day wasn’t put in charge of it, but that’s small comfort. The election and appointments were in 2008, so we have a ways to go unless some vote of non-confidence in the party can be managed… and it actually ends up having an effect.
Some days, I get the feeling that Harper et al. are in power mostly because the Liberal Party up here had been acting like entitled dicks. I don’t know if that perception… or that fact… is likely to change.
This string of old Reform-Party-worthy folks in these positions is unbecoming of our country.
Unfortunately he’s a politician and not just a political appointment so we can’t give him the boot until the next election and even then one of the other parties needs to run a candidate in that riding who will beat him. That riding has always leaned a little conservative so it could be difficult. Of course the best way to oust him is to oust the entire government, something I hope happens in the next election. The Conservatives are VERY bad for science here in Canada right now.
Sorry to break your bubbles about Canada being better, but there’s a LOT of woo woo in canada. Pharmacies sell the same nonsense as in the states. There’s homeopathy everywhere, magnetic bracelets, anti-acidity necklaces, dowsers, and naturopaths will soon be supported and acknowledged by the government.
Just yesterday I was hearing a family doctor on the radio saying that people are being murdered and harmed by vaccines which cause autism. Sure he doesn’t believe in homeopathy at least, but he still buys that crap.
How incredibly obtuse. A “no” answer to “do you believe in/accept evolution” in no way implies that he is a Christian, it only shows that he is ill-informed and incompetent to be minister for science and technology (but what else is new). It has nothing to do with his religion.
And even so, why is it inappropriate to ask about his religion? I thought it was good to know someone is a “person of faith”. I guess he is afraid to be shown to be a bonehead. But then, the chiropraxy is already a dead
giveaway.
Any Canadians: is he a hardline chiropractor (as in luxation, relieving blockages of life energy) or just one of those therapists who treat back pain by loosening the spine? One of the latter helped me greatly once. If he’s the former, he’s a magic-thinking lunatic on the same level as accupuncturists, foot-reflexologists and homeopaths, with no place in any position of influence.
“Instead, let your message be ‘Yes’ for ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ for ‘No.’ Anything more than that comes from the evil one.” That’s what Jesus said, but big surprise, another liar for Jesus.
We should turn Ray Comfort’s stock question around: Have your ever told a lie for Jesus?
The Steven Harper Conservatives are driven mainly by the “bible belt” of Canada – those Prairie Provinces – for you not aquatined with Canada, they’re sort of the Canadian equivalent of Texas, Arkansas, etc. Many of the members/MP’s are former “Reform Party” people who were often quoted as making anti-gay,semitic,immigration or “insert-minority/cause-here” comments
The Conservatives here made their way to the top by being the perfect opposition party – lots of rhetoric, but very little knowledge of actual processes. They were mainly elected as an Anti-Liberal platform, especially when one considers they only got 38% of the vote nationally. To cover up the problems they’ve hijacked media access, having closed door meetings, and only answering previously submitted questions in press conferences – which is actually VERY shocking.
I live in Montreal and my sister has just got her chiropracting license. Ever since she got into chiropracting, she’s been believing all types of anti-medicine bullshit… It took me over a month to get it through her head to not tell her patients to refuse vaccinations based on their (lack of) correlation with autism.
I don’t the profession is completely useless, but these people are can easily be converted into cest pools of mental filth .
I think a lot of people see it that way. Short version: the union of Conservative and Reform did help results a bit for that side purely by ending the vote splitting that had been destroying their chances, but a lot of the more red tories were put off by some of the nuttier types that came in with Reform, and thus went to the Liberals. It was the sponsorship scandal that gave Harper and company their minority, some savvy moves on funding rules on their part and some Liberal missteps in the previous leadership selection and election that preserved it.
And there’s currently at least two creos hanging around from the Reform days in prominent positions: Stockwell Day is currently Minister of International Trade.
Yep.
Bloody Conservatives! Racist, sexist, anti-gay, anti-intellectual, anti-science, Bush’s lickspittles, and mean-minded to boot.
Those who doubt his qualifications might be reassured by this comment.
“When I was in high school, we were already tweaking with a coil that would wrap around the upper [radiator] hose and it got an extra five miles to the gallon. … So I’ve been there on this discovery stuff.”
But, probably not. And in this comment,
“I do believe that just because you can’t see it under a microscope doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
while easy to agree with literally, I fear that he is referring to a metaphorical microscope unable to detect vitalism.
We have a science minister who has no idea what science is.
Oh no! I didn’t realize that we had a creaotard in that position. How embarrassing. Time to spark up the letter writing campaign. Stephen Harper is driven by ideology, so in a way it’s not much of a surprise. He has tried very hard to put on the veneer of a centralist, but he’s a right wing nutter cut out of the same cloth as the religious right extremists in the US. How sad for us.
The Canadian Conservatives are also holding seminars teaching college students how to get school funding for astroturf student clubs on behalf of the Conservative party.
We’ve seen religious bodies getting more and more deeper into political activities, and yet they maintain their tax-empt status… but a charity in Alberta (Conservative land — has maintain provincial Conservative governments for nearly two generations) that supports elderly homosexuals was denied government funding based upon unspecified claims of being ‘too political.’ It looks more like a case of “requesting a grant while being gay” if you ask me.
Our essential problem is that, as Canadian, we are a reserved lot, but our Prime Minister isn’t. He is deeply partisan and plays dirty. We’re not used to dealing with that up here.
Sadly, our discourse is slipping into the mud.
I think Canada has as many nutcases per capita as the US, but they don’t quite have the political clout (yet). In addition to the advances the fundamentalists have made in the Tory party, there is the minor Christian Heritage Party.
In Alberta, the provincial government has introduced a bill that would make it much easier for parents to excuse their children from school classes they find objectionable. In our last local school board election, a creationist missed getting elected by only about 40 votes.
It is rather ironic, though, that the Globe and Mail’s story about Goodyear comes hot on the heals of a story about a new species mini-dinosaur discovered in Alberta. The bones were discovered 20 years ago but lack of human resources meant they were not studied until recently.
http://tinyurl.com/cj9hju
Unfortunately, the only sure way for Goodyear to be turfed is for the Opposition to force an election that results not only in the Conservatives not forming the next government, but for whomever does do so to decide a change is necessary.
Also in the governing party is Stockwell Day, a young earth creationist, who is currently Minister of International Trade.
Given the Party’s makeup, chances are anyone else they chose would be just as bad.
Basically, the original Progressive Conservative Party got taken over by a Western protest party originally known as the Reform Party, then renamed the Conservative Reform Alliance Party and further renamed the Conservative Alliance Party. The Western protest party was home to a lot of self-styled social conservatives, bigots, religiots and ideologues, which hasn’t changed.
Likely an election won’t be called very soon, because we just had one in the fall, and the Opposition must weigh the pros and cons of the optics of forcing another election this quickly after the last one. In addition, there’s a risk that the Conservatives, who only succeeded in winning a minority of seats in the last election, winning a majority in a future election and gaining much more power than they now have.
In a minority government, the governing party is vulnerable to votes of non-confidence, which can result in the government being dissolved and an election being forced, but Opposition parties are usually cautious about doing so because there’s no guarantee their position will be improved by doing so.
Our CONservative government is a disaster, at least the opposition is getting its act in gear. For an economist, Harper the PM has proven remarkably obtuse during the current crisis. And the fact that he has 2 creotards in his cabinet isn’t surprising, given the Cons base is in our bible belt.
Science is really hurting in Canada now. The stimulus package ignored science. Funding has been cut. But the poll is now 51% on the side of evidence and reason!
I’m glad they quoted a scientist who said evolution is fact. That isn’t said often enough.
Time to fire off yet another e-mail to my member of Parliament. He’s a right wing-nut ideologue, but he reads his e-mail and doesn’t seem overtly religious.
Ploon — He is, in fact, an acupuncturist, with deep links to the Canadian religious right. In the past he’s supported them on issues of gay marriage and abortion.
I did some digging on him for my blog, here, and I wish I could say I found a smoking gun on the evolution issue, a good incriminating quote. I couldn’t. But the prepoderance of evidence does point in one direction.
Painfully embarrassing, and just plain painful too.
The Canadian Conservatives are also holding seminars teaching college students how to get school funding for astroturf student clubs on behalf of the Conservative party.
We’ve seen religious bodies getting more and more deeper into political activities, and yet they maintain their tax-empt status… but a charity in Alberta (Conservative land — has maintain provincial Conservative governments for nearly two generations) that supports elderly homosexuals was denied government funding based upon unspecified claims of being ‘too political.’ It looks more like a case of “requesting a grant while being gay” if you ask me.
Our essential problem is that, as Canadian, we are a reserved lot, but our Prime Minister isn’t. He is deeply partisan and plays dirty. We’re not used to dealing with that up here.
Sadly, our discourse is slipping into the mud.
The problem is: We didn’t elect him, atleast not in that capacity. He was appointed by our moron of a prime minister, Stephen Harper. So he’s going to sit in his comfy spot until we have another election.
*sigh*
30
Uh, Monado, perhaps you haven’t noticed that those categories fit the far left as well. I’d include the colorful “lickspittle” moniker as well, since those with Bush Apoplexy Disorder tend to froth at the mouth at the mere mention of his name. I live in Marin County, right in the heart of the Axis-of-Me-ville. Overwhelmingly liberal, educated Democrats. and we’re the fucking no-GE-reiki-ear-candling capital of the free world. I don’t fit in any category anymore so everyone’s fair game. It’s more fun that way.
LOLZ… I met this guy years ago. I remember him saying something about political something… I guess this was it.
I apologize. I voted for the Tory candidate in the most recent election, and he ended up winning by 17 votes. If only the Liberal were not a Grade-A scumbag deserving of unemployment, I would have voted for their party. I doubt I was the only one who voted that way for the same reason.
Um, Gary, they weren’t asking about your religion, they were asking about your science. As in, do you have any knowledge of it, and if you do, are you opposed to it?
I think we got our answer, didn’t we? At the least he doesn’t know the difference between religion and science.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/6mb592
Of course he is a creationist. Probably thinks the earth is 6,000 years old and Noah had a boat full of dinosaurs too.
1. Evolution is a scientific fact and theory and has nothing to do with religion.
2. The majority of the world’s xians have no problem with evolution. Many or most xians are fine with science and evolution.
Canada has caught the American disease. Too bad, a nasty one. We are getting over it but the recovery is going to take a long time
Conservative = lying douchebag. Location is irrelevant.
/ he’s not from my riding.
Let’s all withdraw our hands from the air. This really isn’t anything more than a newspaper grasping for a controversial story. But it really doesns’t worry any Canadians, because the simple fact is, Gary Goodyear isn’t really in charge if anything. His title is just a bone thrown to him by Harper as a reward for support during the last election. He gets a car, and a bigger office, but no real authority over anything. Gary Goodyear is a nobody, and his opinions have no influence over science policy in Canada.
Yes, there probably is reason to be concerned about science policy in Canada, but Goodyear is not the place to start talking about it. He’s a stooge, nothing more.
But PZ, it was either the bigots or some bespectacled Frenchman university professor harping on and on about the environment. Can’t have real science in ROC, no sir !
Paul – I hope you’re right (that he has no power) but I’m not so sure that is the case.
If you are right, is it too much to ask, as a Canadian, for him to just not talk – to save us from the embarrassment that such inanity brings to our country?
Anyone from the outside would have to assume that the “federal Minister of State for Science and Technology” is an important position.
Oh, that’s rich. An effin’ chiropractor accusing scientists of lying about science. Riiiiiight. Because biology isn’t a proven science like, say, chiropractic. Cripes.
As a Canadian scientist I cannot wait for the demise of the Harper government. Their embrace of failed Bush ideology is transparent, including the disdain for science. Science is of so little interest to this government that it is overseen by a chiropracter who does not even have full cabinet rank (in our system his is a junior position). Of course scientists have a habit of pointing out awkward facts, like the bad things that happen when vast regions are submerged in toxic residue from tar sands. Not what Harper wants to hear.
“I’m not going to answer that question. I am a Christian, and I don’t think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate,”
Repeat after me, Mr Reporter; “I’ll take that as a yes, Minister, thank you very much. Now, moving along…”
See how easy?
It appears that Americans aren’t the only ones who would do well to read Thomas Frank’s The Wrecking Crew.
Piece in my local paper today about Harper and Goodyear
http://www.thewesternstar.com/index.cfm?sid=232576&sc=505
As a Canadian science undergrad, grad student in the fall, this has me hopping mad. So mad that I have got up of my usually apathetic behind and written the following letter to the Prime Minister’s Office. I hope any fellow Canadians reading this will join me.
Canuck Says:
“Oh no! I didn’t realize that we had a creaotard in that position. How embarrassing. Time to spark up the letter writing campaign. Stephen Harper is driven by ideology, so in a way it’s not much of a surprise. He has tried very hard to put on the veneer of a centralist, but he’s a right wing nutter cut out of the same cloth as the religious right extremists in the US. How sad for us.”
I believe we also have a creaotard for our Minister of Public Safety, Stockwell Day. What’s disturbing about him is that he did campaign to become our Prime Minister at one time. If you can remember back to when he was quoted of saying he believed men walked with dinosaurs.
Feel free to Google/Wiki his name.
To a materialist monist, naturalist, scientist [raises hand]; or apparently also to a Christian fundamentalist like Goodyear, I am afraid that there is little difference between the questions “do you believe in evolution” and “are you an atheist”. They both ask: “is your working hypothesis concerning the most likely source of the order we see in life and in the universe that it is (a) the work of an eternal supernatural intelligence that imposes order from the top down; or (b) the work of matter and energy operating according to simple non-intelligent laws of physics and thermodynamics to produce dissipative structures, and eventually to evolve intelligence from the bottom up.”
I think it is disingenuous for anyone (even PZ) to claim that the question of evolution can be separated from that of atheism. I know that it is politically expedient and better P.R. to pretend that there can be such a separation, but if you take either your religion or your evolutionary science seriously, you will have the problem of where to draw the line between the bottom-up evolution of natural intelligence and the top-down imposition of supernatural intelligence. This leads inevitably either to open hypocrisy, or, like Matthew Brady in “Inherit the Wind” you will just “not think about the things I don’t think about.”
Dave H: I’m with you…
Dave H @#55
Nicely said.
Well the one good thing about his response is that he is admitting that ID is not science. He is saying that he doesn’t believe in evolution, not because it isn’t a recognizable scientific fact but because his religious beliefs don’t let him believe in it.
One positive point is that he knows that exposing himself as a creationist would be bad for his political career in Canada, hence the obfuscation.
Stockwell Day was politically diminished when his creationist beliefs were made public and that message was not lost. Harper is not stupid and knows that overt evangelical fundamentalism does not win votes. It has to be covert.
Unfortunately there is no credible opposition. If a person with half the ability of Obama were to show up in the Liberal Party then the Conservative Party would disappear into the political wilderness until they could weed out the nuts.
I blame Jean Cretien who tainted the Liberal party and allowed the Conservatives a minority government.
I wrote my MP (a conservative, sigh) about how concerned I am about the current attitude towards basic science funding, and my shock that a minister of science and technology (or whatever it’s called now) thinks basic science facts are a matter of religion. I would urge other Canadians to do the same, despite the risk of being put on a conservative mailing list.
Our friend Stockwell (Dorris) Day got a public spanking for his creationism – let’s see if we can repeat that.
Reading that reminded me of a recent incident where Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis was asked about the story of Xenu:
After Davis gave that answer, the Scientology-isn’t-a-real-religion camp jumped on it as evidence of their position, saying that a Christian would never say such a thing. But I guess that just depends on the situation.
I sometimes wish Jack Layton would switch to the Liberal Party, for precisely the reasons Quidam outlined. But he won’t.
As an officer in the Canadian Forces, I’m embarrassed to have this government sign my pay cheque. It’s quite astonishing to think that a witchdoctor would be appointed as a junior minister responsible for real science. Adding insult to injury is that this hyped-up message therapist is a creotard.
I suppose the only saving grace is that he seems to be too embarrassed to let everyone know he believes in dragons and unicorns.
On behalf of our nation, I’m very sorry that this joker was given such an important portfolio. How a minister of science can treat evolution as a religious matter makes me ill. I’m not to keen on him being a chiropractor either. I hope that wasn’t what “qualified” him for the position, though it probably was. Thanks a lot, Harper — YOU ASS! Our friends to the south are going to have a hard enough time recovering from 8 years of Bush without you carrying the torch of ignorance up here.
This is the email I sent to Garry Goodgrief:
Canadians, send this clown a message that even a chiropractor can’t mangle.
Considering that this is the same federal government that cut the budgets of the major granting agencies, at the same time as our neighbours to the south were increasing theirs, it should really come as no surprise. Perhaps we Canadians are being punished for being a bit smug about the state of science here during the past eight years.
At least it is only a minority government.
The Conservatives had their chance at a majority and lost it. They will lose the next election which will only be a couple years away I’m sure.
This sort of behaviour is exactly the reason why Mr Harper has gone to such lengths to muzzle cabinet members and MPs. Before he became leader there was a mini-scandal per week over some Reform party member or other (if not Stockwell [Doris] Day himself) exposing themselves as a white supremacist or religious loon or some other kind of extremist. Harper’s first priority on reaching office was to banish the press and only allow questions under circumstances he was in full control of. All communications from his party must be vetted by his office.
I think if enough bad press is generated over Goodyear’s incompetence we’ll see him quietly moved somewhere he’ll do less damage.
Yeeesh! He’s a male, Canuck version of Sarah Palin!
Urgh, not soon enough. Steven Harper might be able to charm a plurality of Canadians, but his staff and cabinet members sure can’t. Problem is, every time we elect Harper to another session of Parliament we let him shuffle his party members between positions, the clock re-sets to zero, and it takes another couple of years for their flaming idiocy to reach crisis levels. Glad to see Goodyear couldn’t wait that long to expose himself as a buffoon.
The shit is starting to hit the fan for Gary Goodyear in other media outlets:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/03/17/tech-090317-gary-goodyear-evolution.html?ref=rss
The comments warm my heart, and restore some of my confidence in my fellow citizens.
LOOOOLLL You linked to Kinsella.
The first thing that I thought when I heard this was ”I hope pharyngula got it covered!”
I’m Canadian myself, and I’m simply baffled by this.
It’s time for rational Canadians to man up and get rid of the Harper travesty. I live in Calgary so I feel like my vote is basically wasted here, but I know we can do it! It’s just that none of our political parties have been very promising lately. I’m voting green.
Oh good grief. This is the second time in a week I find myself embarrassed here by the actions of a fellow Canadian. That he’s a member of the government and a minister is even worse. Although I have never cared for Mr. Harper’s politics, I did at one time have some hope for his government, as it at least seemed principled in the early days. Those days are long gone though. This parliament, and the last, are among the least effective Canada has ever had.
This is only the latest in a series of actions against basic science in Canada. In the latest budget – full of spending for all manner of dubious causes in the name of economic stimulus – the government chose to reduce spending on basic science. This despite its well known benefits to long term growth.
I suppose it should be no surprise that the science minister is unknowledgeable about science. Mr. Harper has always been very deliberate about his choices for ministers; choosing those he knows will do his will. A scientist or even a layman knowledgeable of science would never stand for such an evisceration of his department.
I will give them one thing though. They have restored my interest in politics. I will be actively working for the defeat of Mr. Harper’s party in the next election.
As a Canadian, I couldn’t agree more about the sorry state of affairs in Canadian federal politics right now. And I will be delighted when the Conservative-Reform-Alliance-Party get their come-uppance and are tossed out. I’m embarrassed that these clowns are “running” our country.
One thing though. You need to check the Globe polls later in the day than 10:30 AM. As of this evening, it’s balanced out to a more believable 75%:23%:2%…of Globe readers, who are not necessarily representative of the entire country.
Great blog, PZ, thanks.
Harper was trying to cozy up to Bush, this should come as no surprise.
The problem we Canadians are facing with regards to disposing of Harper and his ilk right now are a surfeit of palatable options, methinks.
Stephane Dion is looking better by the day, though.
Oh wait, he’s not the liberal leader anymore? I guess my sojourn in Texas has left me a little out of touch. . . .
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090317.wevol0317/BNStory/politics/home
“We are evolving every year, every decade. That’s a fact, whether it is to the intensity of the sun, whether it is to, as a chiropractor, walking on cement versus anything else, whether it is running shoes or high heels, of course we are evolving to our environment. But that’s not relevant and that is why I refused to answer the question. The interview was about our science and tech strategy, which is strong.”
What an ignorant twat. It would appear that he doesn’t understand the distinction between adaptation and evolution.
We don’t need your sympathy – we need help.
We’ve entered a dark age for science in Canada though you guys are no stranger to that.
http://girlpostdoc.blogspot.com/search/label/politics
The arts and sciences are taking a beating here in the Great White North right now, and it’s no coincidence — prevent science from discovering or advancing knowledge on anything the ruling party is uncomfortable with and make sure media independents are unable to make productions that might talk about it or anything else that isn’t along the sanitized party line.
If I thought prayer would make any difference at all I’d be praying hard for Harper and his yahoos to be deposed asap.
““We are evolving every year, every decade. That’s a fact, whether it is to the intensity of the sun, whether it is to, as a chiropractor, walking on cement versus anything else, whether it is running shoes or high heels, of course we are evolving to our environment. But that’s not relevant and that is why I refused to answer the question. The interview was about our science and tech strategy, which is strong.”
What an ignorant twat. It would appear that he doesn’t understand the distinction between adaptation and evolution.”
Speaking of ignorant…
It would seem that AMP needs the theory of natural selection explained to him.
Anybody care to educate this retard, or do I have to?
Please, feel free to go educate this person.
Have a good one.
Interestingly, I was in Canada yesterday. Lead story on the news was Bush’s speech in Calgary, and Canadians’ obvious displeasure with it. Bush has lots of supporters in that western town (many American ex-pats), but he was greeted as a war criminal by hundreds of protesters waving shoes at him. (A few threw them and got arrested.)
A poll needs crashing here:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/03/17/tech-090317-gary-goodyear-evolution.html
Also, Goodyear’s clarifications are not reassuring:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090317.wevol0317/BNStory/politics/home
He seems to believe that “evolution” is equal to “change.”
Agree with AMP and trimtab above; Goodyear’s “clarifications” need a lot of clarification, and hopefully there are some journos out there that will ask him the exact questions on speciation that need his unambiguous reply (and keeping asking them until they get that reply). They might throw in a quesiton about the age of the universe while they’re there.
Right. Because Goodyear is apparently talking about “adaptation” and not “evolution”.
Despite the fact that adaption is central to the process of evolution.
If you’re going to bend over backwards in order to skewer someone over their views regarding evolution, the least you could do is not piss all over the actual theory in order to do so.
“And even so, why is it inappropriate to ask about his religion? I thought it was good to know someone is a “person of faith”. ”
That’s really more of an American quirk. Canadians generally are more likely to consider a person’s faith a private matter, and to be put off by people who want to talk about it in public with strangers. It’s not that we have problems with people being religious, we just don’t want to hear about it. (Note: I am speaking in massively broad generalisations. There are many exceptions.)
Also, the religious landscape makes it trickier. The largest religious group, at about a third of the population, is Roman Catholic; the two largest Protestant denominations are Anglicanism and the United Church of Canada, whose members are often politically liberal. Just coming across as a generic Christian or “person of faith” won’t do, so it’s much easier to try and avoid alienating anybody on that front and focus on appealing to other sensibilities.
Perhaps it’s the same mentality that put John Snobelen, a high school drop-out, in the position of Minister of Education in Ontario.
Here is another disturbing article about our neo-theocrat and former slinger of the chiro-woo:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090302.wresearch02/BNStory/National/home
A discourse stifling autocrat to boot – what soaring insolence! But alas – why am I surprised with the choice for Science Minister – The Prime Minister of Canada is a member of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church – here is a link to one of its wastes of peoples hard earned money and time:
http://www.pastornet.net.au/gac/issues/evolution.php