McCain throwing Palin under the bus?

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Yeah, and don't forget she shoots moose.

Better than shooting your hunting campanion in the face.

So now you're on record as agreeing that she would have made a better VP than Cheney.

This really is a new era of bipartisanship and brotherhood!

Just as Obama would have been a better president than Bush!!!

[mraynrand]

Anyone who thinks gov't spending on flea research is wasteful is an idiot.

It would depend on what you are researching about the flea, wouldn't it? not all research is good research

Anyone who doesn't know Africa is a continent is an idiot.

Anyone who can't list members of Nafta is an idiot.

This is true. Anyone who would believe an anonymous source is either already in the tank or an idiot.

Anyone who wants to teach Creationism in school is an idiot.

What is creationism? How did you find out what it was? How long would it take to 'teach' creationism in school? Anyone who would want to teach 'scientific naturalism' or 'creationism' at the expense of teaching science is an idiot.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Anyone who thinks gov't spending on flea research is wasteful is an idiot.

It would depend on what you are researching about the flea, wouldn't it? not all research is good research

Anyone who doesn't know Africa is a continent is an idiot.

Anyone who can't list members of Nafta is an idiot.

This is true. Anyone who would believe an anonymous source is either already in the tank or an idiot.

Anyone who wants to teach Creationism in school is an idiot.

What is creationism? How did you find out what it was? How long would it take to 'teach' creationism in school? Anyone who would want to teach 'scientific naturalism' or 'creationism' at the expense of teaching science is an idiot.

1. I would agree on fleas, however, Ms. Palin attacked it as an example of wasteful gov spending. therefore since she established the criteria of not defining what is good vs. bad flea research and merely stated that it is wasteful, i'm sorry, but i have to say she is an idiot. Nor do i think she understands that flea research is the backbone of genetic research.

2. Anonyous sources. Really? You seemed ok with them about obama and other issues. These type of sources are pretty much a given in journalism, whether we are talking politics or sports. Being able to "go on record" anonymously is one of the cornerstones of getting info.

3. Creationism. I'm not going to get into this with you. This type of issue is exactly why your party lost. If you want to teach it fine...but, i then think you should be open to all versions of a creation story...from wiccans, muslims, etc. not just Palin's young earth creationism.

Will you be open to multiple deities? Will you be open to Hindu creationism that teaches mutliple creations and destructions?

Will you be open to Nachimandes teaching that Adam mated with a neanderthal like creature?

[mraynrand]

Nor do i think she understands that flea research is the backbone of genetic research.

??? Last I checked, the major model organisms were worms, flies, mice, rats, zebrafish, etc.. The 'Backbone' of genetic research is a flea?

My scientific adviser told me that a particular line of flea research was wasteful - therefore I said it was wasteful. That's why I hire a scientific adviser. Not Ty Bigguns who thinks fleas are the backbone of genetic research.

[mraynrand]

3. Creationism. I'm not going to get into this with you. This type of issue is exactly why your party lost. If you want to teach it fine...but, i then think you should be open to all versions of a creation story...from wiccans, muslims, etc. not just Palin's young earth creationism.

Will you be open to multiple deities? Will you be open to Hindu creationism that teaches mutliple creations and destructions?

Will you be open to Nachimandes teaching that Adam mated with a neanderthal like creature?

All evidence to the contrary.

You missed my point. Creationism and Scientific Naturalism are opposing philosophical or metaphysical stances and should not be taught if they are taught in the science classroom in the place of science. At some point they should be introduced and taught for what they are as one teaches about what does and does not constitute science. Natural selection and Common descent are scientific theories that are extremely well supported. They should be taught in science class.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Nor do i think she understands that flea research is the backbone of genetic research.

??? Last I checked, the major model organisms were worms, flies, mice, rats, zebrafish, etc.. The 'Backbone' of genetic research is a flea?

My scientific adviser told me that a particular line of flea research was wasteful - therefore I said it was wasteful. That's why I hire a scientific adviser. Not Ty Bigguns who thinks fleas are the backbone of genetic research.

A simple type of "the" instead of A. But, i do apologize..it wasn't fleas (i was emailed by a friend that it was fleas), she criticized fruit fly research...yep, she is even dumber than i though

Where does a lot of that earmark money end up anyway? […] You’ve heard about some of these pet projects they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not.

Palin did not specify what fruit fly research earmark she was referring to, but she is apparently unaware that scientific research with fruit flies has led to valuable discoveries that have boosted autism research, as a study at the University of North Carolina demonstrated last year:

[S]cientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have shown that a protein called neurexin is required for..nerve cell connections to form and function correctly.
The discovery, made in Drosophila fruit flies may lead to advances in understanding autism spectrum disorders, as recently, human neurexins have been identified as a genetic risk factor for autism.

The study of fruit flies has also been used for other autism research and “revolutionized” the study of birth defects.


Game. Set. Match.

[mraynrand]

Nor do i think she understands that flea research is the backbone of genetic research.

??? Last I checked, the major model organisms were worms, flies, mice, rats, zebrafish, etc.. The 'Backbone' of genetic research is a flea?

My scientific adviser told me that a particular line of flea research was wasteful - therefore I said it was wasteful. That's why I hire a scientific adviser. Not Ty Bigguns who thinks fleas are the backbone of genetic research.

A simple type of "the" instead of A. But, i do apologize..it wasn't fleas (i was emailed by a friend that it was fleas), she criticized fruit fly research...yep, she is even dumber than i though

Where does a lot of that earmark money end up anyway? […] You’ve heard about some of these pet projects they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not.

Palin did not specify what fruit fly research earmark she was referring to, but she is apparently unaware that scientific research with fruit flies has led to valuable discoveries that have boosted autism research, as a study at the University of North Carolina demonstrated last year:

[S]cientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have shown that a protein called neurexin is required for..nerve cell connections to form and function correctly.
The discovery, made in Drosophila fruit flies may lead to advances in understanding autism spectrum disorders, as recently, human neurexins have been identified as a genetic risk factor for autism.

The study of fruit flies has also been used for other autism research and “revolutionized” the study of birth defects.


Game. Set. Match.

What was the specif fly research that she criticized ? (edit: I see the 'apparently unaware' part - so you're just falling in line that she couldn't know that model organisms are valuable research tools versus knowing that there's a lot of waste). Earmarks for specific research are much more prone to graft than typical NIH grant funding mechanisms, all of which go through an extensive review process. Even so, there are a lot of research projects that are total crap, even if there are some great ones, like Sax/Robo and other neuronal guidance systems that have been discovered and anyalyzed in Caenorhabditis and Drosophila.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

When you learn to read it will be a great day. She didn't. I gave you the quote.

Therefore, point 1 of mine still stands.

[mraynrand]

When you learn to read it will be a great day.

very clever. While you wrote this, I was editing. Just more Quod volumus, facile credimus on your part. Can you give me one of those game set match thingys again?

[Harlan Huckleby]

Just more Quod volumus, facile credimus on your part.

could you put that a little more pretentously?

[mraynrand]

Just more Quod volumus, facile credimus on your part.

could you put that a little more pretentously?

I'll try: Wooof! GRRrrrr....Woof!

[Tyrone Bigguns]

When you learn to read it will be a great day.

very clever. While you wrote this, I was editing. Just more Quod volumus, facile credimus on your part. Can you give me one of those game set match thingys again?

And, i knew you were editing how?

But, i'll take this as a tacit admission that Palin looks like a moron for the criticism.

[bobblehead]

1. I would agree on fleas, however, Ms. Palin attacked it as an example of wasteful gov spending. therefore since she established the criteria of not defining what is good vs. bad flea research and merely stated that it is wasteful, i'm sorry, but i have to say she is an idiot. Nor do i think she understands that flea research is the backbone of genetic research.

I stayed out of this stupid thread, but honestly, as someone who has biology and genetic engineering as a big interest and hobby of sorts....you have no fucking clue what you are talking about. It is useful, but not in any concievable way "the backbone" of genetic research.

Onto other issues...palin made mccain an actual contender...without her this would have been even more of a blowout.

[bobblehead]

Nor do i think she understands that flea research is the backbone of genetic research.

??? Last I checked, the major model organisms were worms, flies, mice, rats, zebrafish, etc.. The 'Backbone' of genetic research is a flea?

My scientific adviser told me that a particular line of flea research was wasteful - therefore I said it was wasteful. That's why I hire a scientific adviser. Not Ty Bigguns who thinks fleas are the backbone of genetic research.

sorry..didn't read this one first. The white mouse is the "backbone" of genetic research.

edit: Michael Rose pretty much exhausted fruit fly research about 9 years ago, so any gov't funding in this area is by and large wasteful...since we changed the topic to fruit flies instead of fleas. WHITE MICE!!!!

[Tarlam!]

I think, despite her knowledge gaps, she is a down to earth woman that reflects extremely well the values in your wonderful country. I like the class she is displaying by refusing to get into a public pissing match.

I hope she grows from this experience. She is a future leader of more than just her home state, IMHO. She has something that I can't quite define. I just like her a lot.