Who else is Sean Hannity going to talk to when he needs an expert on Islam? Some brown-skinned guy?
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
Who else is Sean Hannity going to talk to when he needs an expert on Islam? Some brown-skinned guy?
Roy Edroso and Amanda Marcotte are discussing this remarkable example of right-wing false equivalence.
Indeed, the outpouring of support for free speech in the aftermath of the Paris attack coincides with, and partially obscures, the degradation of speech rights in the West. Commencement last year was marked by universities’ revoking of appearances by speakers Condoleezza Rice and Ayaan Hirsi Ali for no other reason than that mobs disagreed with the speakers’ points of view. I do not recall liberals rallying behind Condi and Hirsi Ali then.
OMG! Condoleeza Rice and Ayaan Hirsi Ali were shot and killed? Then yes, we definitely should march in opposition to that criminal outrage…oh. They were just turned away from speaking engagements? Sorry, that isn’t the same thing at all.
Our senate is preparing to vote on whether climate change is happening. It’ll be interesting to see if the Republicans think they can vote it into non-existence.
Further evidence that the American political system is broken: Ted Cruz has been made chair of the committee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness (one of the things in that list of three does not belong…and why is “Space”, a small subset of science’s compass, given such a prominent spot?). Marco Rubio is chair of the subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard (another hodge-podge!). This is as insane as putting James Inhofe in charge of environmental policy.
There have been multiple requests demanding that the university release all their information on the nefarious PZ Myers, and as a courtesy, I get sent the replies. So campus authorities have sent me the complete report on their investigation into the heinous theft and vandalism of the Morris North Star.
Nathan Zamprogno also sent me a link to the demented stylings of LoneStar1776, who is a great fan of Kent Hovind and strange interpretations of the law, and also hates Barack Obama and those damn libruls. I think Zamprogno is trying to drive me insane with paranoia.
I’m becoming increasingly conscious of this weird “Sovereign Citizen” movement — these people are terrifying and … stupid.
And guess who has drunk deeply of the Kool-Aid? Kent Hovind.
An otherwise good story about Darwin’s work in South America is marred by historical hyperbole.
Reports of the botanist’s round-the-world voyage are dominated by his findings in the Galápagos. The much longer time he spent in Chile and what he saw there have been overlooked – until today.
Joe Sacco has drawn a genuinely excellent, thoughtful cartoon about the Charlie Hebdo attacks. It made me stop and think, so I think it was a very effective use of the medium, and I recommend you all go look at it now.
But it has one problem: it did make me think, and think about the attacks, and the outrage of the people who committed them, and the cartoonist who was commenting on them. And I didn’t find myself entirely in agreement with Sacco.
If only we weren’t all so innumerate, we’d be able to respond appropriately to genuine threats to our lives. You’d never get into a car drunk, and even when sober, you’d do your best to drive cautiously, because car accidents are a major cause of death in the US. Oh, but wait…could it be there’s something even more dangerous than hurtling down the road at 60 miles per hour in a metal box? Why, yes there is.
According to data gathered by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), deaths caused by cars in America are in long-term decline. Improved technology, tougher laws and less driving by young people have all led to safer streets and highways. Deaths by guns, though—the great majority suicides, accidents or domestic violence—have been trending slightly upwards. This year, if the trend continues, they will overtake deaths on the roads.
The Centre for American Progress first spotted last February that the lines would intersect. Now, on its reading, new data to the end of 2012 support the view that guns will surpass cars this year as the leading killer of under 25s. Bloomberg Government has gone further. Its compilation of the CDC data in December concluded that guns would be deadlier for all age groups.
