Quick Hitts

Although I disagree with a lot of his positions and ideas, I’ve always liked Ben Stein. His nasal “Bueller, Bueller, Bueller” is now part of our language. He continued the persona as a science teacher in “The Wonder Years,” where he’d drone on about horrible events with no trace of emotion. And “Win Ben Stein’s Money” was great fun.

A few months ago I stumbled on this, and shook my head. Ben’s movie “Expelled” is a documentary that claims teachers, professors, and “scientists” who subscribe to “Intelligent Design” proponents are not with the respect they deserve.

Now that the film is getting close to release a lot of unsavory details are becoming public. Ben misrepresented the theme and intent of the movie to get several prominent biologists to participate.

(Note: I haven’t seen the film yet, so this is all third hand.) The movie documents discrimination against people who pretend to be scientists yet subscribe to creationism/ID. They aren’t promoted, published, or treated wonderfully by the colleagues.

That’s hardly surprising. It is, in fact, a good thing.

Imagine a physics professor claimed that there was no such thing as friction, and so perpetual motion machines were not only possible, but could solve all our energy problems. How about a history teacher that included the evil galactic ruler Xenu in his curriculum? How often would they get promoted? How much respect would they get from their peers?

Approximately none, and that’s exactly how much they deserve. The same goes for anyone insisting on creationism/ID.

Ben is trying to make this a free speech issue and is insistent that real scientists are closed minded because they won’t entertain his superstitions. This is beyond pathetic – it’s just sad. It has nothing to do with free speech. Creationists are free to spew their ignorant spew all they want but no one is obligated to provide them with a platform. It has nothing to do with suppressing ideas; their ideas have been checked and discussed and explored ad nauseum, and none of them have been found to have even a trace of validity. (Unlike real science ideas, they haven’t been tested, because they are not testable.) The only point this movie really makes that that scientists accept reality and reject ridiculous fantasies.

You blew it big time, Ben. You’ve spent a lifetime building a reputation as the smartest guy in the room, and now you’ve blown it all on something really, really stupid.

You’ll find lots of links about this story here. Best article title on the list: Ridiculous Demented Right-Wing Wackaloon Theocratic Douchemonkeys Fuck Up Big Time

The Democrats solution to most problems, both real and imaginary, is usually a new tax. Rep . John Dingell, known to his friends as Barry, thinks the solution to skyrocketing gas prices is to add a tax of fifty cents a gallon. This, he thinks, will lower consumption. Seriously, that’s the way his mind works.

It will lower consumption, but not of gasoline. Very few of us drive more than we have to, and are unable to reduce our mileage without severe lifestyle changes. Gas is a necessity, and when necessities get more expensive we cut back on the luxuries. For instance, the last surge in gas prices seriously hurt mid and high end restaurants. Not because people didn’t want to drive to them, but because a huge increase in gas prices left them with less discretionary money. If you’re spending an extra fifty bucks a month to get back and forth to work, that’s fifty bucks you don’t have for something else.

Dingle Barry needs to read some Adam Smith, or if that’s too advanced for him, open a lemonade stand in front of his house. Anything that will give him a little taste of Economics 101. (He could also read this helpful article on a related subject: Economics for Democrats.)

Raising gas taxes and forking over more of our hard earned money to the government – yeah, that’ll work.

People who despise the nanny state will sometimes say, “pretty soon the government is going tell us how to wipe our ass.”

Florida has come one step closer to making that a reality, with a proposed law mandating that restaurants always have enough toilet paper on hand.  But they aren’t defining “enough.” Would this mean that greasy spoons, chili parlors and Taco Bells must legally have more T. P. available than, say, a steak house?

If this passes the next step is inevitable.  In a few years Floridians will will see a new notice under the “Employee’s Must Wash Hands” sign:

I’m very well acquainted with the seven deadly sins,
I keep a busy schedule, trying to fit them in.
– Warren Zevon

Because Catholics don’t feel guilty enough, the Vatican has issued a list of seven new mortal sins: taking drugs, genetic modification, carrying out experiments on humans, polluting the environment, causing social injustice, causing poverty and becoming obscenely wealthy. There was no mention of diddling children for personal pleasure.

This proclamation was made from the 100+ acre Vatican City, which is full of opulent buildings decorated with gold and jewels and priceless paintings, and populated by people wearing clothes and jewelry that are worth three times as much as most of their followers make in a year.

What will it take for people to wake up and realize that all this religious foolishness is the largest scam in history?

If a man is not a liberal when he is twenty, he has no heart.
If he is still a liberal when he is 40, he has no brain.
– Variously Ascribed

All of us (at least all of us who read blogs like this one) continually seek to better our understanding of humanity. Anthropologists and psychologists and scientists and philosophers observe and write and test, then explain and interpret their findings. While they make valuable contributions to the field, the best place to really come to an understanding of human nature or humanity as a whole is the arts, especially the performing arts. The science has its place in providing important pieces of the puzzle, but they leave us with an incomplete picture. The true nature of what we are can best be experienced in great music, novels, movies and plays.

One of America’s best playwrights, David Mamet, as written a moving and thoughtful article about his move away from the left. I won’t quote from it here – you should just read the whole thing. Then browse through the comments for perfect examples of what he was talking about.

And when you’re finished, check out this article, originally printed in the San Francisco Chronicle, by a once lefty writer who had a similar epiphany.

Media bias is seldom this obvious. Most of the mainstream media (MSM) doesn’t mention that Spitzer is a democrat. NBC, ABC and CBS ran headline stories without once mentioning his party affiliation. The New York Times originally mentioned it in the third paragraph of their article, but then quietly moved it to paragraph 15.  USA Today never mentioned it at all. Neither did the Today show. The first BBC article on the subject mentioned it in the sixth paragraph of their first article, but then edited it out completely. Only Fox prominently displayed the fact that he was a democrat. (Big surprise there.)

Quick, what party does Larry Craig belong to? You know because the MSM made sure you knew. But you could spend the day watching and reading Spitzer stories on the MSM still not be sure of his political party.

This is the same media that almost universally praised his thuggery. This Wall Street Journal article discusses their complicity it in detail.

And just in case you doubt he’s a thug, check out this collection of articles.

Today it was leaked that he’s resigning Monday. He’ll be replaced by the state’s current Lieutenant Governor, someone no one has ever heard of. I hesitate to say the new guy couldn’t be any worse, because that prediction can backfire, but it’s a good bet he’s not as despicable a human being as Spitzer, simply because very few people are.

I’m am experiencing schadenfraude. Oh sure, we’ve all experienced it from time to time – when the bitchy runway model stumbles in front of an audience, when a moralistic preacher is caught having gay sex, when the smug neighbor totals his shiny new car – but this time it’s the deepest, most satisfying bout of it I’ve ever experienced.

As a native New Yorker I’ve been subjected to Eliot Spitzer’s self-aggrandizing career for the past decade. He made a name for himself as the NY Attorney General by blackmailing large companies over (often imagined) missteps. He’d march in, declare that he, the mighty AG, was going to charge them with various crimes and misdemeanors, claiming to be defending their customers who had been harmed by their actions. The companies would pay him off with a fine, he would get another headline, and all the money went into the maw of the state. To my knowledge no customer ever received a dime. It was a nice, safe protection racket.

He did, on occasion, go after criminals, and his career included busting up two prostitution rings.

Enough stupid New Yorkers were impressed with his”victories” to elect him governor.

His performance as governor has been abysmal, (one of his proposals was for drivers licenses for illegal aliens) but we shrugged it off. Pathetic governors are a hallmark of this state.

But now, now (ah it feels sooooo good) he’s toast. Burt toast. Dark burnt charcoal toast that’s so completely destroyed you can’t even feed it to the dog. It’s all over except for his resignation, which I expect will happen in the next day or three. Mr. Morals, Mr. Big Strong AG, Mr. Truth and Justice, has been caught paying for the services of a very high priced hooker. And what makes it even sweeter is he had her travel over state lines to meet him, which makes it a federal offense.

This is a man who had his eye on the White House. His entire career has been based not on doing a good job, but on getting grand headlines. And now he’s got the grandest headlines of them all:

Spitzer apologizes after report of link to prostitution ring

Spitzer Prostitution Scandal: NY Gov Admits Links To Sex Ring

Money Laundering, Cross-Border Prostitution at Heart of Spitzer Allegations

The Spitzer Scandal: Lust Plus Pride

Shock and Smirks on Wall Street as Longtime Foe Spitzer Squirms

Judgment (or Eliot Spitzer’s Lack Thereof)

Sweet: New York Gov. Spitzer snagged in hooker tryst probe. Should he resign? (At first I thought the headline writer was also reveling in schadenfraude, but it turns out the writers name is Lynn Sweet.)

Hypocrisy, thy name is Spitzer

HO NO! (Gotta love the New York Post)

Even though he violated the Mann Act, which makes it a felony to transport hookers across state lines, it’s unlikely he’ll receive any real legal punishment. The powerful always protect each other, and he can no doubt buy his freedom. And while that is slightly disappointing, it can’t diminish the sheer joy I’m reveling in watching his carefully calculated career crash and burn.

Like the rest of us, I’ve experienced my share of schadenfraude before, and I was usually a little embarrassed about it. But this time, ah, this time, it feels so good. It’s almost a physical sensation, a warm satisfaction that comes from seeing a weasel get what he deserves, and knowing this is just the start. If that makes me a bad person, then I’m really enjoying being a bad person.