According to Public Policy Polling, only 21 percent of Republican voters in Iowa believe in global warming (and only 35 percent believe in evolution). Within the G.O.P., willful ignorance has become a litmus test for candidates, one that Mr. Romney is determined to pass at all costs.
So it’s now highly likely that the presidential candidate of one of our two major political parties will either be a man who believes what he wants to believe, even in the teeth of scientific evidence, or a man who pretends to believe whatever he thinks the party’s base wants him to believe.
What does it say about Americans, or more specifically, about Americans who support a candidate who expresses blatant anti-science beliefs? What does it say about the future of a country attempting to compete in a world where countries are placing greater emphasis on science and the new technologies fueled by advancements in science?
Science should be a politics free zone safe from manipulation and bias by those who carry a political agenda. And yet, here we are in 2011 where individuals gets demonized by right-wing ideologues, liars and fools for simply supporting the overwhelming consensus on climate change by the world’s scientists.
Only in a place Galileo could ever fully understand would the science of evolution and climate change be hot topics in a political campaign.
But the odds are that one of these years the world’s greatest nation will find itself ruled by a party that is aggressively anti-science, indeed anti-knowledge. And, in a time of severe challenges — environmental, economic, and more — that’s a terrifying prospect.
Madness.
UPDATE:
Here’s proof that long after rising sea levels have turned New York City into a modern day Atlantis and the last remaining polar bear has left for that big ice floe in the sky, there will still be some climate change deniers screaming out, “Hoax!!”
A few conservative Roman Catholics are pointing to a dozen Bible verses and the church’s original teachings as proof that Earth is the center of the universe, the view that was at the heart of the church’s clash with Galileo Galilei four centuries ago.
“Heliocentrism becomes dangerous if it is being propped up as the true system when, in fact, it is a false system,” said Robert Sungenis, leader of a budding movement to get scientists to reconsider. “False information leads to false ideas, and false ideas lead to illicit and immoral actions — thus the state of the world today.… Prior to Galileo, the church was in full command of the world, and governments and academia were subservient to her.”
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I agree with you, but science has become a government jobs program. It can only be non-political when political money doesn’t influence it.
Mario, it’s funny you mentioned Galileo. To add to the madness, there are Conservative Catholics that say Galileo was wrong….
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/310901
@Tommy: Is your implication that government cannot be a positive force in aiding scientific research by way of grant money? Why should scientific advancement be held back because of the views of the ignorant?
@Rank. Nice find, thank you. I’ve updated the post.
Political money certainly influenced the Apollo missions and all of the technological advances that came from it. That seemed to have worked out pretty damn well.
Another great post. Enjoy the artwork more than you know.
That said, and in response to: “But the odds are that one of these years the world’s greatest nation will find itself ruled by a party that is aggressively anti-science, indeed anti-knowledge. And, in a time of severe challenges — environmental, economic, and more — that’s a terrifying prospect.”
Congressman Tom McClintock, CA R-04 22 Years in various CA elective office.
This little known Carpetbagging Congressman, was behind the NO TAX pledge in CALIFORNIA Legislature long before WASHINGTON, DC learned about it and how bad it can get, is a Tea Party favorite, Climate Denier, and spends time on C-Span attacking everything Obama does. TIP: You should be paid close attention to his YouTube speeches for all types of material for your site. He is on the NATIONAL RESOURCES and WATER Committee (AS CHAIR). No good can possibly come from this. Check him out. DAILY KOS search will even show up a KKK endorsement which he apparently never rejected.
I think the biggest danger is he is not stupid and lays low in Washington, not counting FOX NEWS appearances and his C-Span garbage.
PS: Donation on the way, having to update Paypal. Thanks for all your work and art and the ok to repost and use.
Tommy – do you have a GPS in your vehicle? If so, please tell your government paid for it and the scientific community who created it, “Thank you!.”
You might also like to play around in the NASA Spinoff Database: http://www.sti.nasa.gov/spinoff/database
Had an MRI lately? Thank NASA, your government and science.
Just type in medical and you’ll get this result: http://www.sti.nasa.gov/spinoff/spinsearch?BOOL=AND&ALLFIELDS=medical&CENTER=&BOOLM=AND&MANUFACT=&STATE=&CATEGORY=&ISSUE=&Spinsort=ISSUED
Did you know that the NASA budget is less than 1% of our total budget?
Seems to me that’s a very small price to pay for the benefits of being a “jobs creation program.” — Do you honestly believe that corporations would themselves invest the amount of money required to do the R&D? And, if they did, just what do you think these products would cost us when they came on the market?
Just doing the building of some of these pieces of equipment is expensive enough. R&D costs would make them cost prohibitive to a great many consumers.
There is no reason government cannot be in a partnership (as it has been for decades) with private business. Both receive the benefits – right along with the tax payers.
Much of the services that government pays for is done by the private sector. If government doesn’t pay them, then who will? Should we let private contractors build our roads and then send us a bill at the end of the month? Or do we get around going from one toll road to another? How inconvenient would that be?
Don’t go all black and white on me, Mario and Diana. Government is like good interior design; less is more. The rants of “we don’t spend enough”, are just as loud as “we spend too much”. It’s all getting old.
Obliviousness is not an option, except it’s the way the Republican’s sell/serve their toxic punch. Politicians before Statesmen, and now the REAL DRAG on our Economy. If it enables them to return to power, they have no problem throwing the Country under the bus. WORST CONGRESS EVER!!!