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Palin and Polar Bears

Whiplash said:
I've wondered the same thing, many times, going back to my first posts on this forum (except I'd change it to cheerleading squad for the Democratic party).

I never cease to be amazed that people who demonstrate great critical thinking skills in all other areas of these forums completely fall down and become sycophants to their parties. Blind devotion. Driven more by hatred of the other side than anything else.

I know it will not be recognized, instead, I'll just get more witty retorts and rationalizations thrown at me. I honestly believe there is something to study here, psychologically speaking.
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Ha! But need to pick better subject for blind devotion to donkey party than polar bear!
 
Whiplash said:
I've wondered the same thing, many times, going back to my first posts on this forum (except I'd change it to cheer-leading squad for the Democratic party).

I never cease to be amazed that people who demonstrate great critical thinking skills in all other areas of these forums completely fall down and become sycophants to their parties. Blind devotion. Driven more by hatred of the other side than anything else.

I know it will not be recognized, instead, I'll just get more witty retorts and rationalizations thrown at me. I honestly believe there is something to study here, psychologically speaking.
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And did you READ my reply above to the "cheer-leading" quote?

It's there for your review, I am not basing my reasoning on "blind devotion" by any stretch and I am not a sycophant for a party. While it is in vogue to say these days I am an independent who voted in 2000 for GWB (and I live to regret it every time I look at the state of affairs in this country).

Go back and read what I posted above, it is based on sound scientific findings. While I still contend that Palin is misleading or uneducated in the matter at hand the meat and potatoes of my reply is devoid of political leaning.
 
not_so_new said:
And did you READ my reply above to the "cheer-leading" quote?

It's there for your review, I am not basing my reasoning on "blind devotion" by any stretch and I am not a sycophant for a party. While it is in vogue to say these days I am an independent who voted in 2000 for GWB (and I live to regret it every time I look at the state of affairs in this country).
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Information about your actual opinions is irrelevant to the science of amateur psychoanalysis, and indeed can only hinder the process.
 
Whiplash said:
I never cease to be amazed that people who demonstrate great critical thinking skills in all other areas of these forums completely fall down and become sycophants to their parties. Blind devotion. Driven more by hatred of the other side than anything else.
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Ah yes, the most ignorant of folks never realize they are the ignorant ones.

There is one truth... science is the best method humans have developed for discovering that truth. The Republican party has a history, especially in recent years, of being very anti-science and obfuscating scientific truths. This would be true from people on this forum as well.

As it stands, most rational scientific and skeptical people are repulsed by such misinformation.

Scientific ignorance is strongly correlated with social ills http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html

There is evidence that within the U.S. strong disparities in religious belief versus acceptance of evolution are correlated with similarly varying rates of societal dysfunction, the strongly theistic, anti-evolution south and mid-west having markedly worse homicide, mortality, STD, youth pregnancy, marital and related problems than the northeast where societal conditions, secularization, and acceptance of evolution approach European norms

-- and the Republicans seem to take the cake when it comes to being scientifically ignorant. They repeatedly spend money on faith based programs (and wars) that have no efficacy, while ignoring scientific data that is much more effective at solving problems. Red states have far more social ills than their blue state neighbors.

Now, your spin may make you feel all skeptical and good and righteous, but that doesn't change the facts about polar bears, AGW, or Ms. Palins embarrassing ignorance about evolution (an ignorance correlated with social ills, I might add).

Myself, I prefer to have a more scientifically literate government--not a government lead by holier-than-thou ignorant red necks, their apologists, or people like you or mhaze. I find you all rather dishonest, daft, and arrogant for the most part. Fortunately, the majority of Americans are as tired of this ignorance/arrogance combination as I am. It has little to do with party politics ... since many former Republicans, independents, democrats, foreigners, and non political folks are pointing to the exact same faults in this party and the candidates. It's folks such as yourself claiming that everyone else is biased who are exhibiting the most evidence of bias. But evidence only "counts" in your head when it supports what you want to be true. No amount of evidence can ever be enough to convince you that you might be mistaken even though you pretend to to want to learn about such things. That makes you dishonest--like the party you follow blindly. Us scientifically literate folks call this: "confirmation bias". Most of you scientifically ignorant folks use "confirmation bias" to support your scientifically ignorant positions. But beliefs about the facts do not change the facts. See the Polar Bear problem and Ms. Palin's understanding of the problem for an example.

Methinks you ought to remove the sawdust from your own eye before implying that it's a problem in all those who don't view the world through your right-wing dogma.

I think you like Ms. Palin for the same reason you like Bush-- the ignorance/arrogance combination reminds you of yourselves-- and it's narcissism that makes you see them as so fabulous.

You can really, really believe you are a super duper unbiased skeptic, and still be a stupid arrogant ignorant unlikeable clueless fool, you know. Some folks casting judgment on others hear, might be much better served if they examined themselves for the same flaws.
 
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mhaze said:
Why insult yourself?
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The intellectual profundity of your argument (so reminiscent of of Einstein's justly famous dictum: "Ich bin Rubber, Du bist Glue") is matched only by the depth of its relevance to polar bears.
 
Bill Maher is a Libertarian, and he seems to share a lot of similar viewpoints regarding Ms. Palin and the Republicans:



But the right-wing faith crowd cannot be swayed by evidence. They really truly believe that it's partisan politics that causes smart people to deride right-wing leaders. They cannot let themselves believe that their party leaders are actually mentally deficient--particularly in the area of science-- deficient in a way that is not amenable to correction by evidence. Who needs evidence, when you have faith? To a right-winger, confidence is the same as competence. No amount of evidence can convince them that it's the actual incompetence that make their heroes so derision-worthy-- as is their blind allegiance to such bozos.

All politicians have pot-shots taken at them. The hypocrites only hear it when it's directed at their "savior" while thinking nothing of the bigotry they spread against those who don't support their inane ideologies. Evidence of Bill Maher (a Libertarian) skewering multiple politicians of various ideologies:



Now, if evidence could be utilized to understand the facts-- rather than ignored or plundered as needed to obfuscate them, then the US might stop being such a blight on scientific progress --and the polar bears might have a chance to survive in their natural habitat.
 
Whiplash said:
I've wondered the same thing, many times, going back to my first posts on this forum (except I'd change it to cheerleading squad for the Democratic party).

I never cease to be amazed that people who demonstrate great critical thinking skills in all other areas of these forums completely fall down and become sycophants to their parties. Blind devotion. Driven more by hatred of the other side than anything else.

I know it will not be recognized, instead, I'll just get more witty retorts and rationalizations thrown at me. I honestly believe there is something to study here, psychologically speaking.
Click to expand...
If it helps any, yes my position is based on loathing of Bush, Cheney, Rove, their slime ridden lawyers from the xtian school (not fit to wipe the butts of the average Harvard law school grad in knowledge or ethics). etc. It extends to McCain since he bent over for Bush in 2000 in S. Carolina and has been his peg boy ever since. I have never denied this - but since it is obvious what they are on the face of it that really isn't necessary for me to do. As noted elsewhere, I would vote for an old yellow dog for office before I would vote for a republicker. Have a nice day.:)
 
articulett said:
Ugh... Palin gets worse just like her groupies... she's associated with the Christian dominionists Joel's Army:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/08/be_afraid_1.php#comments
http://www.alternet.org/story/96945/theocratic_sect_prays_for_real_armageddon/?page=entire
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/29/163234/559/495/ 579213
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I followed these links and unless I overlooked something it seems very Kevin Bacon'ish and non-substantive. Can you connect the dots from Palin to Joel's Army?
 
varwoche said:
I followed these links and unless I overlooked something it seems very Kevin Bacon'ish and non-substantive. Can you connect the dots from Palin to Joel's Army?
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I'll try?

Palin...Joel's Army?

They are all letters!

The words begin with letters that step down the alphabet?

P.....J........A

See how easy it is to connect the dots? You just...make up some dots.
 
articulett said:
Myself, I prefer to have a more scientifically literate government--not a government lead by holier-than-thou ignorant red necks, their apologists, or people like you or mhaze.
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Boy, this is going to get really off topic, but this comment (to me) needs addressing.

Like you, I too would love a very scientifically minded government, but for some strange reason, it seems that all too often one must also drag along with it strong socialist agendas. Why is that? I despise any form of government that delves too deeply into personal life, be that by means of highly restrictive laws, expensive social programs, public policy or ever increasing taxes. And those seem to come more from the Democratic platforms than the Republican. (Note, I said more, Republicans are NOT immune.) Perhaps it's not all that bad that students learn of Creationist arguments along with scientific ones in order to better see the fallacious and weak positions Creationists hold. We even now see this to a degree with Earth-centered vs. Sun-centered models of the solar system as well as early vs. modern theories of Gravity. I think that well informed and clear thinking individuals know which paths are the correct ones to follow.

So the point I'm making is that (to me) no party is exactly to my liking, and I must choose which I feel will not only improve my country and what it stands for, but my (and my family's) way of life as well.
 
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