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I believe there's an excuse for the Salem people - they were off their heads on the effects of eating mouldy bread - maybe you'd best check bread supplies to government offices ? or mould in the air-con ? Quoting rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]>: > The "Founding Fathers" were indeed an exceptional group of educated men and > they lived long enough to rebel, create and serve in the government they > invented. We haven't seen their likes for a long time. > > They were definately not the Cotton Mathers of Massachusetts who is like so > many of the present day neo-Puritans. > The Puritans of old Salem went on a witch hunt. The dark unenlightened side > of our history is active again, opposing science and spreading superstition. > > Ray > > Rayilyn Brown > Board Member AZNPF > Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation > [log in to unmask] > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 11:37 AM > Subject: Re: Age of "Unenlightenment" could continue > > > > That's odd, given that America was populated by people who got restive > > with > > living in Europe, indicating they were the more innovative members of > > their > > society. > > Didn't current Americans inherit their grandparents willingness to look > > over > > the horizon ? > > > > Quoting rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]>: > > > >> Referencing historical backaground: the thinkers of the 17th century > >> "Age > >> of Genius" produced those of the 18th century Age of Reason or The > >> Enlightenment which produced the US Constitution. I thought the religion > >> vs. science thing was pretty much over with the Scopes trial in the > >> 1920's > >> even though Scopes was convicted of teaching evolution in his science > >> class. > >> George Bush has spearheaded a new Age of Unreason and his faith-based > >> policies have cost us PWP's dearly. > >> Ray > >> > >> Blumner: Could another scientific illiterate replace Bush? > >> By Robyn Blumner > >> Tribune Media Services > >> Article Last Updated: 12/08/2007 12:48:25 PM MST > >> > >> What happened to Christine Comer makes me wonder whether America is > >> really > >> emerging from its Age of Unenlightenment. > >> > >> Comer was forced to resign her position as director of science at the > >> Texas > >> Education Agency because she forwarded an e-mail about a lecture on the > >> fallacy of "intelligent design" and creationism as a scientifically > >> grounded > >> alternative to evolution. Comer, who spent 27 years as a science teacher > >> and > >> had been in her post at the agency for nine years, was told that the > >> agency > >> must remain "neutral" on the subject. > >> > >> Neutral? Are they kidding? On the one hand you have a theory that has > >> been successfully tested using the scientific method for more than 100 > >> years > >> and whose accuracy has been repeatedly affirmed by the vast fields of > >> biology and genetics. On the other hand you have a hypothesis that relies > >> on > >> supernatural intervention for which there has been no legitimate > >> scientific > >> testing or objective proof. > >> > >> Florida is also now in a dust-up because the teaching of evolution > >> has > >> been included in its proposed science standards. Donna Callaway, a member > >> of > >> the state Board of Education - appointed by former Gov. Jeb Bush - said > >> she'll oppose the new standards because of it. > >> > >> Really folks, in this information age, when scientific innovation is > >> the > >> key to our nation's future, we don't have the time to be mucking around > >> in > >> this tired debate. You don't produce doctors and scientists by teaching > >> science from the Bible. Period. > >> > >> Not surprisingly, a former advisor to George Bush as Texas governor, > >> who > >> also worked in his federal Department of Education, provoked the Comer > >> witch > >> hunt. Lizzette Reynolds, deputy commissioner for statewide policy and > >> programs, complained about Comer's e-mail and called for her termination. > >> > >> These are the kinds of dim-witted people that have been elevated to > >> key > >> posts in the Bush administration, marking it as one promoting loopy > >> religiosity over fact and evidence. > >> > >> Think about some of the administration's policies that have emanated > >> from President Bush's radical religious views: > >> > >> The suspension of most federal funding for embryonic stem-cell > >> research. > >> (Bush to Parkinson's patients: Drop dead!) > >> The spending of hundreds of millions of dollars on demonstrably > >> useless > >> abstinence-only sex education. (Why Johnny has herpes.) > >> The effort to prevent emergency contraception from being sold over > >> the > >> counter. (How to guarantee increased abortions.) > >> And the retraction of appropriated international family planning > >> money. > >> (Ditto.) > >> > >> Bush's Iraq "crusade" is perhaps the most disturbing example of his > >> Christian Manichaeism, but even his administration's long-standing > >> antagonism toward the evidence of manmade global warming has religious > >> overtones, with a hint of The-End-Times-Are-Nigh lack of interest in its > >> consequences. > >> > >> Yet in every case where the administration ignored objective fact or > >> science in favor of religion, Bush took this country down the wrong path, > >> harming people's lives and endangering health. > >> The "salvation" for those of us in the reality-based community is > >> that > >> the Bush administration is soon looking at its last year in office, and > >> maybe, finally, the war on science is also coming to an end. > >> But maybe not. > >> > >> Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is gaining as a GOP presidential > >> contender. He may be a friendly face, but the ordained Baptist minister > >> is > >> no friend to reason. In the Republican primary debate last May, he was > >> one > >> of three in the field to raise his hand to proclaim that he does not > >> believe > >> in evolution. > >> > >> In a later debate, Huckabee rejected for himself the belief that we > >> are > >> "descendants of a primate," magnanimously suggesting that it was OK if > >> others chose to believe it. Gee, thanks. > >> > >> Pretty much all the presidential candidates, both Democrats and > >> Republicans, are freely spouting off about the centrality of faith in > >> their > >> lives (with Mitt Romney promising that his is not too weird), but it is > >> only > >> Huckabee who is the dogma-driven real deal - a man who as president would > >> follow in Bush's anti-science, anti-intellectual footsteps, a man who > >> would > >> feel "chosen" for the job and licensed by a power higher than the will of > >> the voters. > >> > >> The mission-zeal with which Bush has arrogated power and his maniacal > >> unwillingness to compromise is packaged righteousness, pure and simple. > >> Remember that Bush said he appealed to a "higher father" for strength > >> when > >> journalist Bob Woodward asked him if he'd consulted his father before > >> invading Iraq. > >> > >> Who needs information grounded in experience when you have prayer and > >> prophesy? > >> > >> And Huckabee would be Bush redux. > >> > >> Here is something scary-ignorant. Last week, the Web site > >> ChristiaNet.com, which bills itself as "the world's largest Christian > >> portal," cheered the results of a survey it took finding that half of its > >> 1,400 Christian respondents said that dinosaurs and man roamed the Earth > >> at > >> the same time. > >> > >> Putting aside that the schoolteachers of these people should be > >> slapped > >> silly, these are Huckabee's peeps. We can't afford to put this kind of > >> backward thinking and scientific illiteracy in the driver's seat again. > >> --- > >> You can respond to Robyn's column at [log in to unmask] > >> > >> Rayilyn Brown > >> Board Member AZNPF > >> Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation > >> [log in to unmask] > >> > >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > >> mailto:[log in to unmask] > >> In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > >> > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------- > > This mail sent through http://www.ukonline.net > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > > mailto:[log in to unmask] > > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------- This mail sent through http://www.ukonline.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn