PZ Meyers blisters the right wing's defense of Palin's fruit fly gaffe

[pokerfan]

I think we can all already see the defense the right wing is throwing up to rationalize Sarah Palin's inane remarks about "fruit fly research in Paris, France": she wasn't disparaging all research into fruit flies, but only one specific earmark for studying agricultural pests.

Baloney.

The context of that comment was that she was claiming research had "little or nothing to do with the public good", and she brought up these seemingly trivial little animals and a place the right wing despises as dogwhistles to her hoople-headed fans. Claiming now that she was making an informed criticism of a specific study is a feeble attempt to distract with a lie.

Remember, this is the crank governor of Alaska who denies evolution and global warming, the backup candidate to a man who mocks research into bear DNA and calls a multimillion dollar educational tool an "overhead projector", from a party that ridicules people with Parkinson's because they want more stem cell research, and idiots want to claim that she isn't really anti-science because in this one case she was actually targeting an instance of applied research that directly benefits agricultural interests?

That's insane. You have to be a purblind slavering zombie of the Rethuglican party to swallow that.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/10/losing_the_sense_of_the_argume.php">More

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Excellent quote here..

As John Cole put it, "why is it that the people who claim to adhere to the culture of life are so filled with hate for…people?"

[pokerfan]

3. The comments are pretty good

Posted by: raven | October 26, 2008 11:00 AM

Science is the basis of our American civilization and the reason why we are the world's last (and fading!) superpower.

Palin is a Xian cultist Nihilist who would destroy the USA while chanting Jesus Loves You. And shooting something... or somebody. At some point, the (stupid-ignorant-crazy) complex becomes just plain old Evil. She's there.

[BrklynLiberal]

15. i agree 100% with that assessment..

[Wiley50]

2. Are we sure she wasn't using "fruit flies" to refer to people who "pal around" with gays?

I wouldn't put it past her evil ass

[pokerfan]

4. Anything is possible, lol

:) But it really was the way she said it as much as it was the words in that sneering, mockingly sarcastic tone of hers that she has perfected:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCXqKEs68Xk

I am reminded of an old Bill Hicks bit: "Whatcha reading for?"

And she wants to redirect earmarks into areas of scientific research that I assume is Assembly of God approved?! And this dovetails with her vision of expanded vice-presidential powers somehow? :shrug:

[malaise]

5. I'm saving this line

You have to be a purblind slavering zombie of the Rethuglican party to swallow that. :rofl:

[pokerfan]

6. I am ashamed to admit that 'purblind' sent me to the dictionary

I could sense from its use that it wasn't good.

Pur"blind`\, a.

1. Wholly blind. "Purblind Argus, all eyes and no sight." --Shak.

2. Nearsighted, or dim-sighted; seeing obscurely; as, a purblind eye; a purblind mole.

The saints have not so sharp eyes to see down from heaven; they be purblindand sand-blind. --Latimer.

O purblind race of miserable men. --Tennyson. -- Pur"blind`ly, adv. -- Pur"blind`ness, n.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

You gotta love PZ's tagline:
Pharyngula - Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal.

______________________
ETA: following some of links in the comments led me to http://physioprof.wordpress.com/2008/10/25/olbermann-palin-basic-science-and-bill-oreilly/">this gem:

"These are people for whom the reference to “Paris, France” alone is enough to get their lizard brains firing on all cylinders." :rofl:

And then this:

Becca Says:
October 25, 2008 at 12:22 pm

As a lizard, this post offends me. I do not take kindly to the implication that lizard brains are responsible for Republicanism.

Lizards are generally solitary or paired creatures, not herd animals, and thus not as susceptible to absurd authoritarian hate mongering. Mammalian model systems, such as sheep or lemmings, would be more appropriate for Republicans. Maybe even mutant fruit flies. Maybe we can figure out the mental retardation that Ms. Palin is afflicted with.:spray:

[malaise]

7. LOL

That response is great.

[pokerfan]

8. Another blogger chimes in

Well, Ms. Palin had you not wasted your high school years organizing superstitious rituals for basketball players, you may have actually learned something in biology class: fruit flies ( Drosophila) are actually among the handful of established, world-wide model systems for biomedical research. Actually, Ms. Palin, its genetic power makes Drosophila research probably one of the best model systems in which to study not only the much cited genetic basis for autism (13 hits in PubMed), but also for many other psychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's (106 hits in PubMed), fragile X syndrome (102 hits), Rett syndrome (4 hits) and yes, also Down syndrome (109 hits). Fruit fly research is also advancing the study of cancer (5108 hits), Parkinson (109 hits) and addiction (31 hits). I won't even start talking about the incredible boon Drosophila has been for all kinds of developmental biology (Nobel Prize 1995) including the development of the nervous system. My own research on operant learning and habit formation may also contribute to understanding all kinds of compulsive disorders and addiction in addition to advancing our basic comprehension of brain function. If you had just spent 5 minutes online, Ms. Palin, you would have gotten more information on fruit fly research than you could've handled. I kid you not.

So all this research has "little or nothing to do with the public good"? Granted, to everybody over five years old it has been obvious from your nomination, Ms. Palin, that you are not exactly rivaling Einstein for intellectual prowess. But did you really have to rub it in? Is being stupid and uneducated really so appealing to the US public that you have to go and embarrass and humiliate yourself so horribly over and over again? Is being "elitist" (i.e., smart, articulated and witty) really so despicable that your speech-writers have to put a major gaffe into the very first policy speech you give? Or is this just what happens when you allow yourself to stray from the script for only about a dozen words? Is it just you or is your entire campaign so full of ignorant imbeciles that any average high school kid would be able to deliver a better first policy speech than you?

http://bjoern.brembs.net/news.php?item.457.11">Now it's personal: Sarah Palin attacks my work

Between this and McCain's mocking a multi-million dollar educational tool as an "overhead projector," they've managed to alienate biologists and astronomers.

With only nine days left does McCain/Palin have the time to offend the rest of the scientific community?

Yes they do!

[sunnystarr]

9. Guess she's be for that research if it didn't involve

French flies - the study shoulda called them American flies and she woulda said "God bless."

[gratuitous]

10. They are indeed proud of their ignorance, aren't they?

I notice that comment of Obama's doesn't get very much play in the popular media.

[pokerfan]

11. The trouble with the world

is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. (Bertrand Russell)

[Uncle Joe]

14. When all you have is fecal material to market, fertilizer rules.

Kicked and recommended to the O.P.

[Jack Rabbit]

12. The Fruit Fly Gambit is failin' for Palin

And the far right collectively sighs, "Oh, rats!"

[pokerfan]

13. Who needs all this science mumbo-jumbo

with their germ 'theory' of disease when it's obvious that disease is caused by demons.

http://www.tbm.org/role_of_demons_and_sickness_by_t.htm">The Role of Demons and Disease

"If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate." (Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World)