Oklahoma Follies

nospam@example.com (Diane C.) — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 16:36:35 -0700

Don't worry, foreigners who read this, in the United States we ship all of our really stupid people to Oklahoma, so this story isn't at all representative of what you'd discover in Iowa or Alabama or Pennsylvania.

Ah Dr. Myers that wasn't nice....

Pharyngula's post is about a recent court case in Oklahoma where jury selection was a little tough. The defense attorney had to find twelve people in Oklahoma's Texas county who could believe the word of an atheist over a professed born again Christian.

If they knew what the word atheist meant.

The case began when a high school basketball player refused to participate in the pre-game team prayer and was kicked off the team. The father of the player confronted the school principal in person at the principal's home and a scuffle ensued. The principal charged the father with felony assault. Even though the principal threw the first punch.

Read Dr. Myers post here.

Story Tip from Bartcop.com

Also remind me never to get Dr Myers mad. Even though he is supposed to be nice in person. The person he is blasting away at right now is Illinois Senator Barack Obama for suggesting that progressives and the left need to understand the religious. I think the part where the Senator says more Americans believe in angels than in evolution sent Dr Myers right over the edge. I know Senator O. is trying to ask people to learn to be "tolerant" but as I would say tolerance is overrated.

Nation of Scientists and Engineers

nospam@example.com (Diane C.) — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 12:05:06 -0700

PZ Myers, writer of the science blog Pharygula, has been blogging his experience at the YearlyKos convention in Las Vegas. He was a participant in the science panel on Friday. As PZ said in one of his posts, he did not give his usual fire and brimstone performance that his fans expect because he wants to be invited back. However he still refuses to be nice to idiots...and will remain his lovable arrogant self.

Here are his remarks from Friday:

Two hundred and thirty years ago, when our country was founded, we faced a number of crises: we were a small weak country, threatened by great world powers, and at war. We persevered and succeeded, and I think we won out because of two fortunate endowments or opportunities. The founding fathers were the inheritors of the Enlightenment, and built this country on a foundation of reason and respect for education. We had a reputation as a practical people, with Yankee ingenuity and a can-do spirit. We also found ourselves on the edge of the Industrial revolution with a wealth of natural resources, and we took advantage of that opportunity to grow.

Some like to say America is a Christian nation. I think that misses the point: we have been and are a science and engineering nation. The riches we enjoy right now arose from invention and discovery and industry.

Now in the 21st century, we are the most powerful country in the world. The richest. The country with the greatest military might. As in the 18th century, though, we're still facing crises, new problems that threaten us.

What are those crises?

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Oklahoma Follies

Nation of Scientists and Engineers