Evolution Sweeps "Intelligent Design" in Dover, PA

I.D. must have had some fatal flaw in its design (or so would say basic Evolutionary theory)...its spur on the tree of scientific thinking has just abruptly ended in PA.

Apparently a whole bunch of mammal brains, which evolved over aeons from small rodents to be able to handle complex logic, won out over those that were, "perhaps", crafted by a power higher than we can understand.

6 out of 6 Republican school board members in Dover, PA -- all of whom supported the I.D. argument and who were defending against a court challenge to their mandate that I.D. be taught in schools, were shown the door last night and replaced by 6 Democrats who do not favor teaching Creationism, er, I mean, Intelligent Design as a competitive theory to be taught in parallel n those schools.

Hoo-ray for the voters of Dover, PA.

Now, Kansas on the other hand...ugh...what can you say about Kansas...

UPDATE: my bad -- it was 8 total seats that were up out of 9. 8 Republicans ousted, 8 Dems ushered in.

Californias spend potential $300+ million on Special Election

...and in return get a California that will be exactly the same as the day before the special election.

Of course, I suppose one could argue that it' s good to get the voters' input, confirm where you are, etc...but two significant things happened there last night:

The Govenator's performance as Governor has been sharply criticized by the masses and
Californians who are already servicing a massive state debt have spent hundreds of millions that could have done all sorts of other collective good.

Not all that was spent by the state of course; much of it was spent supporting or fighting the various Propositions...but still...what a craptacular waste of money.

State Ballot Measures
98.9% ( 17463 of 17657 ) precincts reporting as of Nov 9, 2005 at 3:01 am

Statewide Returns	County Returns | County Status

Propositions Yes Votes Pct. No Votes Pct.

73 N Minor's Pregnancy 3,089,836 47.5 3,402,720 52.5 Map

74 N Teacher Tenure 2,949,965 45.0 3,595,495 55.0 Map

75 N Public Union Dues 3,056,489 46.7 3,482,540 53.3 Map

76 N Spending/Funding 2,491,708 38.1 4,041,516 61.9 Map

77 N Redistricting 2,641,398 40.7 3,848,485 59.3 Map

78 N Rx Drug Discounts 2,678,939 41.6 3,759,857 58.4 Map

79 N Rx Drug Rebates 2,481,851 38.9 3,891,899 61.1 Map

80 N Electric Regulation 2,152,779 34.3 4,119,403 65.7 Map

Y - Proposition is passing N - Proposition is not passing

Re: the Virginia Gubernatorial Race

Woo Hoo! Virginians go for the Democrat (conservative though he may be) much to the chagrin of the GOP I am sure...shades of things to come on 2006? One can only hope...

...so I thought I would catch up on the post re: this race (since it has been a while), present a fine comment from none other than Mrs. Rants (as in partner of Granite Rants), and my thoughts:

Mrs. Rants said...

It must be tough for you, since the Democrat is pro-life Roman Catholic.

In Rural Radio Ads, He Proudly Claims to Criminalize Procedures:
"I support restrictions on abortion: no public funding and parental consent. And I've worked to pass a state law banning partial-birth abortion." (Kaine Campaign Radio Ad, "Ban," 2005)

According to the Washington Post (and his own campaign web site, he also favors teaching abstinence in schools and adoption as an alternative to mothers with unwanted pregnancies.

Probably isn't a big fan of the morning after pill either.

10/20/2005 08:31:05 AM

seacoastguy said...(modified since original post)

Mrs. Rants:

To get elected as a Democrat in Virginia, currently, that is what you have to say.

Especially in "rural radio ads".

He's wrong on those issues of course, but he is a better choice for Virginia than Kilgore is...so I have to support the lesser of 2 evils ;-)

BTW -- teaching abstinence is fine...as long as A) you don't teach things that are patently wrong (like Bush's program does) and B) you ALSO teach about birth control methods, etc.

Bottom line -- as long as it is responsible and factual I have no problem with abstinence being taught as one way to deal with our sexuality. Progressives only get pissed when what is being taught is "bad science", "factually challenged" or religiously motivated and exclusive in its message; ignoring the realities of what 17 yr old bodies want to do with each other is not the right way to educate our children and it does not help with the unwanted pregnancy numbers (see Texas, Kansas, Alabama, etc., stats for an idea of what a lack of valid information on birth control manages to do to the teenage pregnancy rates. More "liberal" states are faring much better than our red counterparts on this social issue, thank you very much).

On a final note -- I am a BIG, BIG fan of adoption as one choice mothers-to-be should ALWAYS have available to them...we need MORE education around that choice. Remember, a good Progressive / Liberal is not against any of these...only against the State forcing women to NOT have the right to choose what is best for them.

I do not accept that there are Pro-Lifers and Pro-Choicers...that is a distinction designed by the Conservatives in an attempt to paint Liberals into some kind of corner. To their credit, many manage to swallow that rubbish hook, line and sinker.

I am pro-life. It is ludicrous to say that any decent person is not...however, the difference between me and someone who wishes to use the Conservatives' talking points definition of "pro-life" is that I am not a:

Pro-Government-Can-Tell-Us-What-We-Have-To-Do-With-Our-Bodies-And

-Should-Control-Our-Reproductive-Functions, person.

Whew.

Simple.

Don't know what his position is on Emergency Contraception, but I will gladly educate him on the facts about why it is vital that women have access to that alternative.

What a Joke...

GOP leaders urge leak probe into secret prisons report

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican congressional leaders said Tuesday they are asking committees to investigate the possible leak of classified information about secret U.S. prisons for suspected terrorists overseas.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert said the disclosure, first reported last week in The Washington Post, could damage national security.

Hastert, R-Illinois, and Frist, R-Tennessee, have asked the chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence committees to look into the origin of the disclosure.

"If accurate, such an egregious disclosure could have long-term and far-reaching damaging and dangerous consequences, and will imperil our efforts to protect the American people and our homeland from terrorist attacks," the lawmakers wrote in a letter requesting the investigation.

So, where was all the outrage over the past 2 years as it was clear that there had been an intentional outing of Valerie Plame? Now, suddenly, they're calling for investigations...are concerned about threats to national security? This while they still try to spin Scooter as being a victim of partisan politics?

Regardless, what is MORE worrisome is why these facilities may exist in the first place.

Namely:

Critics said the arrangement suggests U.S. agents are engaged in activities that would be illegal under American law.

Ahh yes...I see. But, then, Fearless Leader says "we do not torture". That may very well be true since, under his definition of torture, it's only reprehensible if there is "permanent injury" or "organ failure". Waterboards, broken bones, mock executions, etc...all OK...

Tight Race in Virginia

Ah, land of my youth...I hate the way most of the rural Virginians think -- in terms of their politics -- but I have always loved Virginia's history (too bad Lee had to go with Virginia instead of his country, but times were different then), scenery, and the overall quality of life there (minus the Red-State politics). And, outside of the political views, the people are by and large wonderful.

Tim Kaine (D) is looking good as compared to Jerry Kilgore (R) in his race for the Governor's seat.

I know my family will do the right thing there..as will most of the Northern Virginians...but it will be close nonetheless.

Go Blue!

Priase the Lord and Pass the ammunition

Why do House Republicans seem to hate the idea of making our streets safer, or hate the idea of protecting cops or our Armed Forces?

It must be because they are so beholden to the gun lobby..

Late Monday evening, the House Rules Committee reported a closed rule for the consideration of S. 397, the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act," which the Senate passed on July 29, 2005. This bill prohibits civil lawsuits against gun manufacturers and dealers for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful use of their products. It is anticipated that this rule and S. 397 will be on the House floor Tuesday or Wednesday.

This closed rule allows for only one hour of debate, equally divided between the Chairman and the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee. The rule blocks all 8 of the thoughtful Democratic amendments that were submitted to the Rules Committee. In particular, Rules Committee Republicans opposed on straight party-line votes the following amendments:

• An amendment offered by Reps. Van Hollen and Waxman prohibiting suspected and known terrorists from purchasing firearms;

• An amendment offered by Reps. Lofgren and Jackson Lee allowing courts to hear lawsuits concerning gun injuries to law enforcement officers;

• An amendment offered by Rep. McCarthy permitting gun liability lawsuits to go forward until the US Attorney General has 90% of the records necessary to conduct criminal background checks for gun purchases;

• Another amendment offered by Rep. McCarthy expanding the bill's prohibition on armor-piercing bullets to include bullets capable of penetrating body armor; and

• An amendment offered by Rep. Linda Sanchez permitting courts to hear suits based on sales of weapons to persons with domestic violence convictions

• 
  

HUH?

Why shouldn't Law Enforcement know that our Congress has done everything possble to get ammunition specifically designed to defeat personal body armor off the streets?

Why should Republicans oppose legislation to prevent known or suspected terrorists from legally purchasing firearms within these United States? (Oh the irony...if you are on some list of names, or have a name similar to a name on that list, you can't board an airplane....if you have steel plates in your boots or a belt buckle with just a bit too much metal in it you get searched...BUT if you're a known or suspected "terrorist" you can purchase firearms no problemo...)

I have to wonder how they sleep at night.

(p.s. -- what's with those pesky formnatting 'bullets'? I can't get them to go away...grrr...)

• 
  

That's not freedom...

Indeed...

So, now the T-Shirt police can decide when you may or may not insult, even in poor taste, Fearless Leader himself?

A Washington state woman intends to press a civil-rights case against Southwest Airlines for booting her off a flight in Reno after fellow passengers complained about a message on her T-shirt.

Lorrie Heasley, of Woodland, Wash., was halfway home on a flight Tuesday that began in Los Angeles, wearing a T-shirt with the pictures of President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a phrase similar to the popular film, "Meet the Fockers."

(snip)

"I have cousins in Iraq and other relatives going to war," she said. "Here we are trying to free another country and I have to get off an airplane in midflight over a T-shirt. That's not freedom.

Well, the article goes on, basically to say that (apparently) when one American thinks another American is being offensive (because in this case she is protesting our administration for being the dumbasses thay are), the latter has the right to force the former to stop, or ask that they be ordered to stop.

How wonderful is that?

They can't help but lie...

What is it with these people? (from TPM)

Another great Bush administration moment.

In this morning's gaggle, Scott McClellan got asked whether the teleconference the president had with troops in Tikrit was scripted. Here's what he said ...

QUESTION: How were they selected, and are their comments to the president pre-screened, any questions or anything...

MCCLELLAN: No.

QUESTION: Not at all?

MCCLELLAN: This is a back-and-forth.

Here's how the pool report (i.e., from the designated reporter on the scene) described what happened.

The soldiers, nine U.S. men and one U.S. woman, plus an Iraqi, had been tipped off in advance about the questions in the highly scripted event. Allison Barber, deputy assistant to the Secretary of Defense for internal communication, could be heard asking one soldier before the start of the event, "Who are we going to give that [question] to?"

Oh well ...

-- Josh Marshall

It's not that they don't know they'll be asked about it (oh, they may hope not to be...). It's that they just don't care if they lie.

It's like a t-shirt that once caught my eye: "We don't care...we don't have to care. We're Exxon." (Just after the Valdez disaster)

Not the biggest issue to worry about nowadays I know...but it's the whole Death by a Thousand Cuts type thing...our country is being lead down the drain by an administration that cares very little for just under 300 million of us, and very much about it's own pathetic image.

Why did so many vote for this? So few of those votors get anything whatsoever out of this government...it's mind-altering just to try to reason it out.

Kangaroo Court

"Panel to study same-sex marriage doomed from the start."

Concord Monitor nails it in this Oct 9, 2005 editorial, their headline title being especially appropriate.

Benson only wanted one outcome of course, and chose commission members known for their open hostility towards the notion of any State recognition of same-sex relationships, in just about any form. Of course, even though he was Governor, he still had to pick some Democrats hence the 7-4 vote. (Special note -- shame on the one Dem who voted FOR the Amendment motion when he knows darn well that was never the charter of the commission. Shame too on the 2 abstensions -- if they were against the amendment question they should have spoken up and defended the original charter, and if they were for the question, then they should have at least had the 'cahones' to stand up for bigotry in New Hampshire).

So now we too march towards a possible amendment question which, re-stated, would read something like "We, the citizens of New Hampshire, agree that all Granite Staters are equal...but some Granite Staters are more equal than others."

The big question of course is this -- in a fickle State House, just how seriously will people take the motto "Live Free or Die"?

Maybe we need another Civil War after all...

This time, it would be the American Taliban against plain old folk like me who believe in crazy shit like 1) science has a place in our lives and tends to make things better for us as a whole, 2) that organized religion (of any type) has no place making or attempting to make or influence policy in our local, State or Federal institutions, and 3) that Biology classes should be about Biology, and not 'Creationism in Vinyl Siding' (as someone recently called the theory of 'Intelligent Design'), etc, etc.

Our current President and his administration, beholden specifically to conservative Christians like Dobson, continue to put science on the back burner by preventing Emergency Contraception from being made available over-the-counter.

This drug has the overwhelming support of the medical & scientific communities yet the agency that is supposed to look out for the interests of Americans at large, and NOT play politics, is doing the latter at the expense of the former.

What they tell the public is that they are "concerned" about its use by women, that there may be a danger (even though there is no significant evidence that this is the case or that the risk is any greater than using over the counter pain killers) or that they have concerns about under-age women using the drug.

Of course, they also seek to prevent any woman from having any choice in the matter of reproduction, and as some of you may know go so far as to fight against teaching proper Sex Ed classes or teaching about the proper use of various methods of contraception, including even barrier contraception which would go a long way towards ending the spread of STDs, favoring instead to try to teach abstinence before marriage as the only morally acceptable form of birth control.

Oh puhLLLLLLEASE...

Bush, and the American Taliban should just come out and say what they really think about women and what rights they do and do not have w.r.t. reproduction. Of course they don't want to do that because that would turn even those women who actually think that "W is for Women" against them at the next election.

Well, except for some of those folks who live in Utah (and elsewhere?) and manage to get away with forcing women to live in states of perpetual servitude and polygamous marriages...they would still support Dumbya no matter what I believe.

End War Now Americans - 1, Arm-Chair War Hawks - 0

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Crowds opposed to the war in Iraq surged past the White House on Saturday, shouting "Peace now" in the largest anti-war protest in the nation's capital since the U.S. invasion.

(snip)

Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, noting that organizers had hoped to draw 100,000 people, said, "I think they probably hit that." (my emphasis)

(snip)

Supporters of Bush's policy in Iraq assembled in smaller numbers to get their voice heard in the day's anti-war din. About 150 of them rallied at the U.S. Navy Memorial. (my emphasis)

Bush's numbers are tanking. Support for the war is fading fast. Many more Americans want our troops out now than not...

Bush doesn't give a crap. He goes so far as to say he "understands their [our] sentiments, but they're [we're] wrong."

No, no we are not wrong.

And we will get our way.