Archive for July 12, 2008

Stand Back, Schlafly’s Going to Try Science!

Well, I might have to eat my hat on this one.  It looks like Schlafly has finally read Lenski’s study, and he still doesn’t like it.  Okay, I don’t actually know much about science.  Unlike Schlafly, I know my limitations (to see Schlafly countermand a doctor on a medical issue, click here).  So could someone who does know science rebut Schlafly’s attempted rebuttal?

That said, I’m already noticing one error.  Schlafly notes, in point #2, that Lenski may have erroneously included in his studies a bacteria group already known to possess the Cit+ ability, thus (accordingly to Schlafly) stacking the deck in his favor by putting the desired result in the initial sample group.  That’s a hell of an allegation!  Of course, it doesn’t bear out: if you read Lenski’s paper, in the very first page, Lenski explains that the bacteria group that Schlafly thinks is a polluter (in generation 31,500) was the result of Lenski’s experiment, not a preexisting sample inserted to deceive.  Schlafly might be confusing retesting with the initial experiment.

In any event, we now know that Schlafly’s not going to let this one go.  He’s even willing to READ to win this argument, thus disobeying the Conservapedia commandment, “don’t read a book to learn, write a book to learn” (I’m serious about that one).  But I think I know the secret to his persistence  Aside from his earnest desire to please mommy, Schlafly is a recent convert to young-earth creationism.  Though this shouldn’t come as a shock, Schlafly’s mind is impressionable.  If Schlafly were to lose this debate… and allow himself to recognize and try to cope with the loss… he might begin to question young-earth creationism itself.

A side point.  Why is Lenski getting all the name recognition and play on this issue?  There were two other scientists, you know, on this paper…. Blount and Borland.  Poor guys.  I guess they’re the Collins and Aldrin to Lenski’s Armstrong.

Another side point.  Conservapedia is dying.  If the health of a wiki can be measured in the time it takes for 50 changes to accrue on its “Recent Changes” list, Conservapedia is varying between 6 and 11 hours.  In contrast, it takes RationalWiki 5 hours at a slow time of day, CreationWiki 2 days (read: mostly dead), and Wikipedia 1 minute.  I’ve predicted it before, but I think Schlafly has alienated or blocked most of the people he cares for exploits.

The Meaning of Maverick: Why You Can’t Take it With You (to the Oval Office…)

Risky business.

America loves a maverick.  Born as a confederacy and forged in a revolution, we’re (unsurprisingly) suspicious of strong government, and, as a consequence, identifying oneself as a “rogue” who “plays by their own rules” is one of the best image patterns a politician can undertake to create. That’s part of the reason that America – and, until Obama came along, the mainstream media – fell in love with John McCain.  He’s not afraid of crossing the aisle, and in 2000 represented the moderate, true conservative wing of the Republican party, when Bush tried to take it down the road to theocracy.

But, there’s reason to doubt that a maverick legislator would a maverick executive make.  The role of the Executive is vitally different from, and often completely at odds with, the role of the role of the legislator.  That’s part of the reason we’ve not elected a sitting Senator since John F. Kennedy.  While the skills transfer between roles, they don’t necessarily transfer well, or at least unmodified.

For one, while a maverick legislator spends their time opposing, or at least redefining, the Institution, a sitting president is the Institution.  Yes, that’s merely a rhetorical trick.  But there’s something to it. The constituency, duties, and ties of a President are vastly different and more binding than those of a Senator.  There’s a certain inertia and restrictiveness to the Presidency, owing to the interdependency of the office: a President is not his own man (or woman) in the way a Senator is.  This is not to say that a “maverick” can’t change the Office, but it’s a different and more difficult task, not to be assumed of even the most experienced legislator.

And, there are decisions that simply do not accommodate a “maverick” outlook on things.  How a conservative-leaning maverick’s outlook on the Supreme Court differs from a conservative’s perspective on the issue is completely beyond me.  And, as we know, McCain isn’t trying to be a “maverick” on that issue – he’s outright told us he’ll appoint extremist conservatives, with the help of one of America’s true nutbags (Brownback).  And the stakes can’t be higher for that one.

Tony Snow

Politics and pursuit of partisan goals ought never deprive us of our basic humanity.  On that note, when a good man dies, he should be remembered well.  Despite my opinions of Tony Snow as a press secretary, after seeing him interviewed, I got the legitimate impression that this was a good, kind man, trying to do the best he could.  My thoughts are with his family.