Kerry says `science under attack' from right-wing `ideologues'

[sabra]

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051104/APN/511041019&cachetime=3&template=dateline

Kerry says `science under attack' from right-wing `ideologues'


Sen. John Kerry, dedicating a new brain research center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Friday "science itself is under attack today" by right-wing ideologues and the Bush administration.

The Massachusetts Democrat declared: "We see it in the casual dismissal of Socratic inquiry and peer-reviewed and evidence-driven analysis. We see it in the rigid refusal to listen to what the Earth is trying to tell us about the condition of the air and water and land that surround us and sustain us. We see it in as federal science and research boards are being stacked with partisans and ideologues."

Speaking a year after he lost the 2004 general election to President Bush, at a time both when Bush's popularity is at an all-time low and former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby is under indictment for allegedly lying to a grand jury, Kerry also told the crowd of several hundred: "I must tell you there are times when I wish we weren't here researching brain concerns but a time machine to have the election today rather than last year."

A spokesman for the Republican National Committee, which speaks for Bush on many political matters, dismissed the criticism.
"Perhaps John Kerry's newfound interest in science is a derivative of his longing to travel back in time and run a cohesive campaign," said Tracey Schmitt, the RNC's press secretary. "His rhetorical dance reveals more about his internal struggle with the election held one year ago than it does reality."

[asthmaticeog]

1. Not to hijack the thread right out of the gate, but what is it

with Gore and Kerry growing pairs of balls well AFTER they lost the Presidency? Where was this shit when they were campaigning?

OK, sorry, had to get it off my chest.

[Angry Girl]

2. No, they appear to be growing balls now that it's SAFE and in fashion

to counter Bush. I thought for an instant (with Mark Crispin Miller's interview) that Kerry was going to come out and lend some credence to the election fraud but he didn't. I guess it's still not safe enough for him....
--
URGENT! Timing is critical to save earthquake victims before winter!

[NYCGirl]

3. Please leave Gore out of that argument — he's been speaking out for

a long time; long before it was either safe or fashionable.

[Bridget Burke]

8. It's not just Speaking Out--it's getting Media Coverage.

Both Gore & Kerry said some very interesting things--before & after "losing" their elections--that were not reported on the 6 o'clock news.

[Angry Girl]

15. I was referring to Kerry actually - should have said so, Sorry!

URGENT! Timing is critical to save earthquake victims before winter!

[confludemocrat]

5. I'm with you on that thought n/t

[chaumont58]

7. I was going to say Kerry has awaken from a deep sleep

*

[JI7]

10. i heard him say this during the campaign many times

[madmark]

12. Same thought here, Bushco has been conducting a political attack

on science from the first year of its admin. Where was Gore and Kerry during the campaign on this point. Its a perfect debating point they could have trotted out any time. I guess its one of the reasons they lost. They were a day late and dollar short.

[sandnsea]

17. It was called "senatorial" and "boring"

During the campaign. One more time, sorry you missed the campaign last year. It was fuckin' AWESOME!!!

[Voltaire99]

18. Safe, lackluster, obedient Dems are good for business.

The odd Kucinich, Waters, or McKinney notwithstanding, the party today would always rather groom and promote talking oatmeal like Kerry and Gore. They raise more money from corporations, which is the party's first priority--perhaps it's raison d'etre, too.

Gore, of course, has enjoyed a second life--you might even call it a first life, given his pre-2001 morbidity--now that he is essentially free of the party. I like the reborn Gore. The party, of course, doesn't. Notice how his fiery speeches are carefully ignored.

Even if he wished, Kerry doesn't have it in himself to undergo that transformation; he's used up, the youthful idealism spent. His ideology is a balance sheet for contributions. He's a fucking billionaire. He can murmur a bit of tepid criticism now--murmuring is all he's good for.

To paraphrase Larkin: Get out as early as you can and don't have any candidates yourself. ;-)

[Rich Hunt]

19. what are you talking about?

Those guys always had 'em, especially Kerry.

Now we're re-writing the man's record, too?

It would be nice if we could praise him for doing this instead of automatically
getting negative about it.

[hatrack]

4. Kerry is right on target, and Tracey Schmitt can go fuck himself

Fucking Republicans. :puke:

[IndianaGreen]

6. Hear, hear!

Even the Vatican came against the fundamentalism of Intelligent Design.

[karynnj]

9. Sounds like a nice speech - how brain dead could the reporter

be that he had to answer he was joking about a time machine to have the election today. The MIT people likely didn't take it seriously!

The RNC's response was weird beyond words - they didn't address any of the real critisisms and imply Kerry lost because his campaign was not cohesive???

[MasonJar]

11. We need these great patriots to speak out at every opportunity.I

for one would like to see more support for their efforts. Both were cheated out of the presidency. Now let's back them. I also applaud Jimmy Carter who came out against the right wing this week. Everyone knows how religious Carter is and so his word should at least set some thinking. This is the country Of Gore, Kerry, and Carter too; they probably do not want to see it destroyed along with the world and its environment.

[yorkiemommie1]

13. RNC press secretary's remarks

nasty and viperish and oh so typical.

[Thangalin]

14. Intelligent Design

Has no place in schools. Well, except private Christian schools, and only then, it should be reserved for religion study. Anyone with half a brain can see that ID is just creationism in disguise. Evolution is a fact, people, let's wake up and move on.

[really annoyed]

16. Absolutely. Welcome to DU.

[BiggJawn]

20. "Anyone with half a brain ..."

Well, that lets out most the members of the Indiana General Assembly...36 of them listened to a lecture by a crackpot who says he has stone with human AND dinosaur footprints in it, and that PROVES ID, so that's good enough for them.

After all, the nutcase has his own Teeeee-Veeeee show!

The Definition of "Theory" has undergone an unfortunate transformation. Formerly, it was designed thusly:
"Theory: In science, a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses."

But now, it's defined as:
"Theory: a bunch of un-provable bullshit a bunch of boring nerds who Hate Gawd just pulled out of their asses to trick our kids into losing their Salvation..."

I think if I pound my head against the wall for just a few more hours that it will all stop hurting....

[sarcasmo]

21. Kick and Nom for Kerry speaking out against the Theocracy.