Politics

More Scary Bush Behaviour

Posted on by Timothy Foreman

Does this not scare the pants off you?

What’s more, there is not much real give in the administration’s policies. True, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other American diplomats met Memorial Day weekend with the Iranians in Baghdad (a good first move but limited, since the Iranians have most of the power because of our incredible stupidity in Iraq). But by all reports, President Bush is more convinced than ever of his righteousness.

Friends of his from Texas were shocked recently to find him nearly wild-eyed, thumping himself on the chest three times while he repeated “I am the president!” He also made it clear he was setting Iraq up so his successor could not get out of “our country’s destiny.”

Man, this man is un-hinged.

Life

I Don’t “Believe” in Evolution

Posted on by Timothy Foreman

After reading this article, I no longer “Believe” in Evolution.

You don’t “believe” in scientific facts and theories. They either are true or they are not. There is no “belief” involved.

Am I arguing semantics? Well, yes, but that’s my point – words and their meanings are powerful and can define the argument. When it comes to science in general and evolution in particular, belief has nothing to do with it – or at the very least it doesn’t have anything to to with its veracity.

The other night my mother-in-law cooked a “Turducken” (you know, a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey). My wife asked which type of meat she had on her plate and a variety of quips followed – “Poultry”, “Some kind of fowl”, “Something that had feathers”, etc. I answered with “Something that descended from dinosaurs”. Facetiously (I hope), she quipped back “Only if you believe in evolution” to which I said “Actually, they descended from dinosaurs whether or not you believe in evolution”. Belief (or lack of it) doesn’t change facts.

However, scientific evidence has lead to the conclusion that evolution is at work.

Religion

Fundamental Contradiction

Posted on by Timothy Foreman

PZ Myers lays out the fundamental contradiction between Faith and Science in this comment in his dissection of Sam Brownback’s op-ed in the NY Times today.

There is a fundamental contradiction. Faith says that the way to get answers is by revelation, accepting authority, and dogma. Science says that the way to get answers is by examining the evidence critically, testing hypotheses with experiment in the natural world, and by constantly reevaluating and revising our ideas to make them more accurate. It isn’t just that the two arrive at different, conflicting answers—for instance, that the earth is 6000 years old vs. 4.5 billion years old—but that their methods conflict. Scientists will not accept a random idea because someone contemplated and decided a deep “Truth” appealed to him: a kernel of observation and evidence is required.

I recommend that you go read the rest of the dissection. And then make sure you don’t vote for Sam Brownback.

WWW

Esoterica for the Oingo Boingo Fans

Posted on by Timothy Foreman

This is something I didn’t know. Apparently before Oingo Boingo became a New Wave rock band, they were a musical theater troupe called “The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo“. And very weird. Weirder than they were when they played New Wave music. (Which is pretty weird.)

In any case, in 1976 they appeared on The Gong Show!


What an awesomely weird performance on a classically weird TV show.

There are lots of Oingo Boingo music videos on YouTube. Enjoy!

(h/t to BoingBoing)

Politics

One Step Closer to Dictatorship

Posted on by Timothy Foreman

This is very scary, and where is the press?

From WND:

President Bush has signed a directive granting extraordinary powers to the office of the president in the event of a declared national emergency, apparently without congressional approval or oversight.

The “National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive” was signed May 9, notes Jerome R. Corsi in a WND column.

It was issued with the dual designation of NSPD-51, as a National Security Presidential Directive, and HSPD-20, as a Homeland Security Presidential Directive.

The directive establishes under the office of the president a new national continuity coordinator whose job is to make plans for “National Essential Functions” of all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments, as well as private sector organizations to continue functioning under the president’s directives in the event of a national emergency.

“Catastrophic emergency” is loosely defined as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions.”

More comments over at Pandagon and Crooks and Liars.

And as Pandagon asks, Where is the press?

Time to Impeach the Fucker.