What You Paid For - Now Choose Your Significant Cuts

Now that we know what we pay for, it should be easy to determine what should be cut from the Federal Budget.

The New Face of the NYS Republican Party

The Republican candidate for NYS governor threatens a reporter? "I'm going to take you out"? What the hell is happening to this party?

Christine O'Donnell - Does Ignorance Sell?

Christine O'Donnell asks: "Why aren't monkeys still evolving into humans?"



I guess I can forgive this ignorant question because we (scientists) just don't do a good enough job explaining evolution to the general public. At its simplest, evolution is a change in gene frequencies over time. A couple of points. First, humans did not evolve from monkeys. Humans and monkeys are thought to have evolved from a common ancestor. Second, evolution takes millions of years, but yes, we are still evolving as is everything else. Modern Tibetans underwent genetic changes, that enabled them to survive at high altitudes, very rapidly. It's much easier to see evolution in action when a population is reproductively (genetically) isolated.

BTW, evolution is a fact, not a myth. But, we still don't understand many of the details of how evolution occurs.

Republican Fresh New Ideas

"We are not going to be any different from what we've been."

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Postcards From the Pledge
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Pledge to America - Who they talkin about?

"An unchecked executive, a compliant legislature, and an overreaching judiciary have combined to thwart the will of the people and overturn their votes and their values....."

The above statement sure does tug at the heart strings. But just who are they talking about? The Bush "unitary executive"; a Supreme court that gave us Bush vs Gore; a GOP majority that bribed its members on the House floor for votes; "the President is always right"? Need I go on?

Remember the broken promises made in the "Contract with America"? Was there a single promise that was kept in the so-called "contract"?

"We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent...."

Oh yeah, these are the nut jobs that are proposing to due away with a good deal of the Bill of Rights. These are the guys that think only they can tell us what was the original intent of the framers.

This Pledge is a joke and isn't worth the paper its written on. Unfortunately, it will sell well with a good proportion of Americans because they won't read it and they actually have forgotten about the failed "Contract with America" and the 8 disasterous years of GOP rule.

Unemployed??? Tough #*#!%

Joe Miller has two words for you if you are unemployed - FUCK YOU!

I Fear for Our Country

Christine O'Donnell:

"They are -- they are doing that here in the United States. American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains. So they're already into this experiment."

So this is what it's come down to. This is the kind of person Americans want representing them in Congress. There are no words.....

Committees of the 112th Congress

If the Republicans control the House.

Energy and Commerce Comm. Chair Joe Barton (R-TX) "I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, in this case a $20 billion shakedown...so I apologize [to BP]. (Funded by energy industry; Global warming is a benefit to mankind)

Oversight and Government Reform Comm. Chair Darrell Issa (R-CA) "It's very clear that allegation is one that everyone from Arlen Spector to Dick Morris has said is in fact a crime, and could be impeachable." (re: "illegal" job offer to Joe Sestak - wants to impeach Pres. Obama)

Appropriations Comm. Chair Jerry Lewis(R-CA) Most corrupt member of Congress, under Federal investigation.

Budget Comm. Chair Paul Ryan(R-WI) Author of "Roadmap for America's Future" which most Republicans are afraid to publically support. Privatize SS, Medicare & Medicaid.

Judiciary Comm. Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX) Impeach President Obama; illegal immigrants are same as terrorists; change 14th ammendment.

Select Comm. on Energy Independence and Global Warming Chair Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) Voted against creating this committee; "There's increasing evidence of scientific fascism that's going on." (re: climate change)

Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Chair Rob Bishop (R-UT) Green jobs "are as real as the Jolly Green Giant: it is a great ad concept, but it doesn't exist.

Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Chair Louie Gohmert (R-TX) "Anchor babies" of illegal immigrants will "come back in 25 years" and "blow us up".

Judiciary subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law Chair Steve King Build big electric border fence; Deport a liberal for every legalized undocumented immigrant; identify immigrants by what kind of shoes they are wearing.

Financial Service Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Chair Ron Paul (R-TX) Abolish Federal Reserve; Return to gold standard; We went to war in Iraq because Saddam priced his oil in euros.

One question: what is in the water in Texas?

Success in Iraq!

The Iraq War is over. Well, not really. There is still plenty of sectarian violence. But we have a stable democratic government. Not really. A government has not really been formed since the last election and the government is corrupt. At least we are bringing our troops home. Nope, 50,000 American troops remain in Iraq.
We've made Iraq more secure without Sadam. Not in my opinion. I'm still waiting for the majority Shia in Iraq to join forces with the majority Shia in Iran. And forgot the cost of the war in dollars (all borrowed), estimated to be 3 trillion. We were told the war would cost 50-60 billion dollars and Iraqi oil would pay for it. Thousands of Americans lost their lives, tens of thousands of Americans were wounded, and tens of thousands of Iraqis were killed(at least). For this kind of success?

Where is the Courage of the TEA Party

I don't think I've posted the entire contents of someone else's blog, but this piece by Steve Benam at Washington Monthly is so important, that it needs to get spread around. Here we go:

For a year and a half, we've seen rallies and town-hall shouting and attack ads and Fox News special reports. But I still haven't the foggiest idea what these folks actually want, other than to see like-minded Republicans winning elections. To be sure, I admire their passion, and I applaud their willingness to get involved in public affairs. If more Americans chose to take a more active role in the political process, the country would be better off and our democracy would be more vibrant.

But that doesn't actually tell us what these throngs of Americans are fighting for, exactly. I'm not oblivious to their cries; I'm at a loss to appreciate those cries on anything more than a superficial level.

This is about "freedom."

Well, I'm certainly pro-freedom, and as far as I can tell, the anti-freedom crowd struggles to win votes on Election Day. But can they be a little more specific? How about the freedom for same-sex couples to get married? No, we're told, not that kind of freedom.

This is about a fight for American "liberties."

That sounds great, too. Who's against American "liberties"? But I'm still looking for some details. Might this include law-abiding American Muslims exercising their liberties and converting a closed-down clothing store into a community center? No, we're told, not those kinds of liberties.

This is about giving Americans who work hard and play by the rules more opportunities.

I'm all for that, too. But would these opportunities include the chance for hard-working Americans to bring their kids to the doctor if they get sick, even if the family can't afford insurance? No, we're told, not those kinds of opportunities.

This is about the values of the Founding Fathers.

I'm a big fan of the framers' generation, who created an extraordinary nation. But if we're honoring their values, would this include their steadfast commitment to the separation of church and state? No, we're told, not those values.

This is about patriotic Americans willing to make sacrifices for the good of their country.

That sounds reasonable; sacrifices can be honorable. But if we're talking about patriots willing to sacrifice, does that mean millionaires and billionaires can go back to paying '90s-era tax rates (you know, when the economy was strong)? No, we're told, not those kinds of sacrifices.

This is about a public that, at long last, wants to hear the truth from those who speak in their name.

What a great idea. Maybe that means we can hear the truth about global warming? About the fact that health care reform wasn't a socialized government takeover? About Social Security not going bankrupt? About how every court ruling conservatives don't like doesn't necessarily constitute "liberal judicial activism"? No, we're told, not those truths.

Movements -- real movements that make a difference and stand the test of time -- are about more than buzz words, television personalities, and self-aggrandizement. Change -- transformational change that sets nations on new courses -- is more than vague, shallow promises about "freedom."

Labor unions created a movement. Women's suffrage was a movement. The fight for civil rights is a movement. The ongoing struggle for equality for gays and lesbians is a movement. In each case, the grievance was as clear as the solution. There was no mystery as to what these patriots were fighting for. Their struggles and successes made the nation stronger, better, and more perfect.

The folks who gathered in D.C. today were awfully excited about something. The fact that it's not altogether obvious what that might be probably isn't a good sign.

The TEA partiers are basically standing up for ideas/values that practically everyone agrees with. But they don't seem to be aware of this.

TEA Party Tracker

I like this the >tea party tracker website.

The TEA Party is NOT racist.

Wilful Ignorance or Know-Nothings?

I didn't realize that 'wilful ignorance' (wilful blindness) is a legal term.

a term used in law to describe a situation in which an individual seeks to avoid civil or criminal liability for a wrongful act by intentionally putting himself in a position where he will be unaware of facts which would render him liable

So let's look at how the urban dictionary defines the term:

Knowingly ignoring something for no good reason

Well, that's not how I think of the term. I like this definition from rational Wiki.

Wilful ignorance is the state and practice of ignoring any evidence that appears to contradict one's preconceived notions

Some examples: President Obama is a muslim or President Obama is not a citizen or climate change theory is a big conspiracy or evolution is only a theory.

People holding these views are wilfully ignorant in my opinion. There is a nice opinion commentary on this phenomenon in todays NYT called "Building a Nation of Know-Nothings" by Timothy Egan. One paragraph that deserves some thought:

The Democrats may deserve to lose in November. They have been terrible at trying to explain who they stand for and the larger goal of their governance. But if they lose, it should be because their policies are unpopular or ill-conceived — not because millions of people believe a lie.

It does appear that the TEA Party is especially adept at choosing know-nothing candidates. Sharon Angle, Rand Paul, Joe Miller, and our own local TEA partier Doug Hoffman. At least in the case of the first three individuals, it seems to say alot about the people who support these candidates.

Follow the Money

Who is actually funding the NYC "ground zero mosque" which is not at ground zero and not a mosque. We need to investigate whether muslim terrorists are investing money in this mosque.

Leave it to FOX news to find the possible source of some of this money. The Kingdom Foundation has funded Imam Rauf in the past, tried to give Rudy Giuliani 10 million dollars after the 9/11 attacks (which he refused) and supposedly funds radical madrassas all over the world. This is outrageous.

His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud is the chairman of this foundation. Where else does the foundation invest money? Well, Citigroup, Inc.; The Plaza Hotel (NYC); PepsiCo Inc.; The Walt Disney Company; Apple, HP, Eastman Kodak, Ebay, Motorola and surprise, surprise, The News Corp., parent company of FOX News.

What does Jon Stewart of the Daily Show have say about this?

"This is the proposed 'terror mosque.' We know that it's a terror mosque, because the money may be coming from a bad guy, who definitely owns part of Fox News. Now we know that he's a bad guy, because we just heard it on Fox News. And by hearing it on Fox News, watching Fox News, I'm increasing their viewership, and their advertising rates go up. Now part of that money goes to the bad guy we learned about on Fox, because he's their part-owner, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, allowing him then to 'make it rain,' so to speak, on the terror mosque.

"My point is this. If we want to cut off funding to the terror mosque, we must, together as a nation, STOP WATCHING FOX! It's the only way! Using their reasoning, it's the only way to cut off the revenue stream to these 'bad dudes.'"

Watch the whole thing

here.

The Bush Tax Cuts

Remember the Bush tax cuts? No, I don't really either. At my income level, the tax cut was near invisible. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, and they were for the wealthy, are soon set to expire. Conservatives want you to think President Obama wants the tax cuts to end for everyone, but he doesn't. Ninety-eight percent of us get to keep the new tax brackets and the other 2% keep paying. At least, that's the plan.

Paul Krugman has a must read opinion piece in today's NYT's. Krugman reminds us that Republicans wrote the tax cut law so it would expire soon. Why did they do that? Two reasons, first to hide the cost of the tax cuts and second, so they could pass the law using reconciliation (the procedure Democrats aren't supposed to use to pass laws).

Making all the tax cuts permanent would cost 680 billion dollars over ten years. Conservatives want to spend that much money without making spending cuts. After all, tax cuts pay for themselves in conservative-world.

Right now, I'm guessing the Conservatives win on this issue. The tax cuts will be extended for all because Democrats are spineless and because it's what the rich want. And, the rich give the money to elect the politicians.

I fear for our economic future. I'm actually starting to believe I need to get what money I have and put it someplace safe....like my mattress.

The New Culture Wars

Remember the old conservative culture wars? Abortion, flag-burning, school prayer, gun rights and the Ten Commandments in government buildings? It kind of makes one yearn for the good old days. Promises were made to the religious right by conservatives, but the conservatives couldn't deliver. The above conservative culture issues seemed to have gone away because they aren't as effective in getting votes as they used to be.

Now we have culture wars II. The new culture war is based on the premise that you have to be afraid of the people who aren't like you, usually brown people. Immigrant anchor babies, immigrant terrorist babies, Mosque construction at ground zero by terrorist supporting muslims, and the double whammy of having a President who is not only a muslim, but wasn't even born in the USA.

And, instead of proposing new Constitutional amendments to ban flag-burning and make abortion illegal, the conservatives are now proposing that we repeal some of the Bill of Rights.

This is identity politics at it's worst. Be afraid. Be very afraid (usually of dark skinned people). The white Christians in the USA are being persecuted. Vote for us before it's too late and the muslims take over. Being in the middle of a severe economic crisis doesn't help. Someone needs to be blamed. How about blaming the guy who is a muslim and wasn't born in the USA.

This strategy is effective and will garner votes for the conservatives.....in the short term.

Doug Hoffman, Castro, and Michael Moore

I saw Doug Hoffman in the Blue Moon Cafe this morning discussing strategy with a little weird guy. Couldn't really hear what they were saying but I did hear three words clearly. "Democrats", "Castro" and "Michael Moore". Hmmmm, an anti-HealthCare ad or an ad about how democrats hate capitalism? Just can't decide.

Just a quick question for Republican women

Are Republican women embarrassed at all that Sharon Angle, Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin seem to be the best the GOP has to offer in female politicians?

Fox News and the Republican Party

Anyone with half a brain has known that Fox News has been an advertising arm for the Republican party for years. Now, Fox News (News Corp)has decided they would come clean today. BTW, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is Fox's No. 2 shareholder, so I hope he gets his share of influence in the GOP.

The Dunning-Kruger effect

Bertrand Russell wrote The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. Charles Darwin wrote Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge. Russell and Darwin had noticed what's now called the Dunning-Kruger effect. The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias. It's why many incompetent people are very confident but their very incompetence denies them the capacity to realize their mistakes.

Dunning and Kruger put it this way: Overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it."

My interest in this phenomenon is due to comments to a recent article in the ADE concerning Bill McKibben's talk about climate change at Paul Smiths College.

The climate change "deniers" (skeptics?) seem to be 100% certain that humans are not responsible for recent warming trends. It's a conspiracy, it's the Sun, it's always happened, it's volcano's, man is too puny etc. etc. etc. Forget the scientific evidence, forget that most of their "explanations" have been investigated and found not to be contributing to the warming trend.

Am I 100% certain the climate is warming? Well, it's rare in science to be 100% certain about anything, so of course there are doubts. But all sorts of scientific evidence point to a warming trend due to increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. Until there is good evidence that shows this is not the case, I guess I'll stick with the climate is changing crowd.

George Carlin, one of my favorites, once said something like: Imagine the average American...half of them are dumber than that. I'm afraid when it comes to certain scientific theories, it's a bit more than half.

You can read more about the Dunning-Kruger effect in this NY Times science article.

There's Nothing to Fear.......or is there?

It's been a long hot summer. In fact, it's likely to be the hottest summer, if not the hottest year on record. But not only the temperature made this summer hot. We've had lots of fear-mongering about brown people. A white hating Ag department official, Arizona going to hell in a hand basket due to Hispanic looking persons, the New Black Panthers are plotting revolution against whites, beheadings in Arizona, anchor babies, terrorist babies, evil dangerous mosques being built on the 911 site in NYC etc. Will this be known as the Summer of Fear Mongering?

But do you want to hear something that actually should scare you a little? How about the discovery of a new antibiotic resistance gene that makes almost all beta-lactam antibiotics obsolete?

Beta-lactam antibiotics are antibiotics that contain a beta-lactam nucleus in their molecular structure, eg. penicillin and its derivatives, cephalosporins, and carbapenems.

Beta-lactam antibiotics are resistant to beta-lactamase, an enzyme produced by some bacterial strains which can break open the beta-lactam ring and render the antibiotic useless.

Carbapenems are a group of beta-lactam antibiotics that are highly resistant to beta-lactamase and is the last drug of choice to treat some bacterial infections. But now we have a brand new bacterial antibiotic resistance enzyme encoded by the New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1) gene.

The appearance of the gene was first seen in New Delhi about a year ago. In the last year it has been isolated from bacteria in the UK, USA, and Africa. There are no current antibiotics to combat bacteria containing the NDM-1 gene. And, the gene is rapidly spreading via horizontal gene transfer.

Here is a nice quote from a recent paper Lancet paper: "Enterobacteriaceae with NDM-1 carbapenemases are highly resistant to many antibiotic classes and potentially herald the end of treatment with β-lactams, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides—the main antibiotic classes for the treatment of Gram-negative infections."

So, if we are really unlucky, we might have real problems to deal with in the near future.