Red Sex, Blue Sex October 31, 2008

The hypocrisy is staggering.

I read this article from the New Yorker and am really dismayed at its findings. However, it does help to explain the incomprehensible reaction from conservatives towards Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy.

They found that:

Social liberals in the country’s “blue states” tend to support sex education and are not particularly troubled by the idea that many teen-agers have sex before marriage, but would regard a teen-age daughter’s pregnancy as devastating news. And the social conservatives in “red states” generally advocate abstinence-only education and denounce sex before marriage, but are relatively unruffled if a teen-ager becomes pregnant, as long as she doesn’t choose to have an abortion.

They also argue that:

religion is a good indicator of attitudes toward sex, but a poor one of sexual behavior, and that this gap is especially wide among teen-agers who identify themselves as evangelical. The vast majority of white evangelical adolescents—seventy-four per cent—say that they believe in abstaining from sex before marriage.

But, according to Add Health data, evangelical teen-agers are more sexually active than Mormons, mainline Protestants, and Jews. On average, white evangelical Protestants make their “sexual début”—to use the festive term of social-science researchers—shortly after turning sixteen. Among major religious groups, only black Protestants begin having sex earlier.

In the Bible-Belt, “symbolic commitment to the institution of marriage remains strong there, and politically motivating—hence the drive to outlaw gay marriage—but the actual practice of it is scattershot. Among blue-state social liberals, commitment to the institution of marriage tends to be unspoken or discreet, but marriage in practice typically works pretty well.”

Is anyone else bothered by the hypocrisy here?

Now, granted, I knew most of this information from anecdotal evidence but its alarming to have it confirmed by a study. But what I find more alarming is the damaging effects of abstinence-only education on teens’ choices. A lot of these evangelical teens becoming pregnant buy into the bullshit “sex-education” campaigns that are telling them condoms don’t effectively prevent pregnancy or protect against sexually transmitted diseases. And to me, that’s just criminal. By providing incorrect information, they are endangering the lives of these ignorant little teenagers.

Happy Halloween October 31, 2008

Make Believe Maverick: 5 Myths About John McCain October 31, 2008

Things that scare the shit out of me October 30, 2008

Michelle Bachman

the thought of Roe v. Wade being overturned

small children

fundamentalists

Sarah Palin

the fact that people I know still believe Obama is a terrorist

My mom’s friend Kim

the fact that my Mom’s company is laying people off

people that don’t believe in birth control

storms (I live in tornado alley)

ignorant people

LMC’s driving

overhearing people talking about an Obama assassination

babies

In Case You Missed It: American Stories, American Solutions October 30, 2008

The Fruit-Fly Fiasco October 28, 2008

The blogosphere is all abuzz this morning over Palin’s latest disaster moment and I really have to laugh over the absurdities coming from the McCain camp these days. The monumental failure of his campaign only serves as a testament as to what his administration would look like if he were elected. What a train-wreck.

Anyway… in her latest screw-up, Palin makes a mockery of fruit fly research in a speech on autism and funding for special needs children.

In her speech, Palin specifically cites the need for information in early identification of autism.

For many parents of children with disabilities, the most valuable thing of all is information. Early identification of a cognitive or other disorder, especially autism, can make a life-changing difference.

She goes on to complain about ear-mark spending that, she claims, does no good.

You’ve heard about some of these pet projects they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not.

Oops.

I mean, come on. A high school student taking basic biology should know that fruit flies are essential to genetic research.

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have shown that a protein called neurexin is required for..nerve cell connections to form and function correctly. The discovery, made in Drosophila fruit flies, may lead to advances in understanding autism spectrum disorders, as recently, human neurexins have been identified as a genetic risk factor for autism.

And, as Palmer and Pringle over at the Huffington Post write:

Fruit flies are more than just the occasional vehicles for research relevant to human disabilities. They are literally the foundation of modern genetics, the original model organism that has enabled us to discover so much of what we know about heredity, genome structure, congenital disorders, and (yes) evolution.

Now, after I get over my fit of laughter over the irony of her blunder, I have to admit that I am truly terrified that this woman has a chance at the White House. And we all know that Palin is far from stupid, but her mistake shows a complete and utter ignorance of basic scientific research. And she has demonstrated this time and time again… she has no interest in furthering her education on these types of topics. She knows what she believes, and she doesn’t want to hear anything that contradicts it.

Read more here , here and here. Or watch the video.

UPDATE: It has become apparent that the study Palin was referring to in France, was the research being conducted on olive fruit flies, which are different from the variety being studied for genetic research. (I wonder if she knew the distinction?) However, the point remains the same… she is criticizing spending on valuable research. I understand that she was trying to make the point that earmark spending is wasteful, but the research being funded is actually very helpful, whether it be Drosophila fruit flies or olive fruit flies. The earmark in question was obtained by a senator in California and the research has to do with pest control measures that would help protect California’s $30+ million olive industry. Still important.

I think the attacks against Palin (mine included) were more a result of her snide, derisive comments during this speech, and in the past, about science and research. She is very much a part of the anti-intellectualism base of the Republican party and doesn’t overly value research. While it is clear that pork-barrell spending has gotten out of control, a thorough analysis of each line-item funding project is needed before claiming it is uneccessary and doesn’t “benefit the public good.”

Angry steel workers stand up to racism. October 27, 2008

True dat.

Palin Flip-Flops on Feminism October 27, 2008

I think somebody finally explained to her what a feminist is…and she’s retracting her claim to the label.

Please Consider the Rights of Others October 27, 2008

With only a week left to go before voters head to the polls, I wanted to draw attention to some hot-button measures on the ballot this year. If you live in these states or know anyone who does, I urge you to spread the word.

Please vote no on the following measures:

Arizona, Proposition 102
Amends the constitution to recognize marriage as only between one man and one woman.

California, Proposition 8
Defines marriages as that between a man and a woman.

Florida, Amendment 2
Define marriage as the union of one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union is valid or recognized.

Arkansas, Initiative Act 1
Bans adopting or placing minors in foster care with individuals cohabiting with a sexual partner outside of marriage.

South Dakota, Initiative Measure 11
Bans all abortions except in cases where the mother’s life or health is at risk, and in cases or rape or incest.

Colorado, Amendment 48
Change the definition of ‘person’ in the Colorado Constitution to include any fertilized egg, embryo or fetus

California, Proposition 4
Waiting period and parental notification before minors obtain abortions.

The elephant has gone rogue. October 27, 2008

I was very amused last night when I first read about the McCain aid claiming Sarah Palin has gone “rogue.”

“She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone,” said this McCain adviser. “She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else. Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom.”

She’s probably reading the headlines this morning, thinking “what’s wrong with that?” After all, Palin doesn’t consider “rogue” to be a bad thing.

In a phone interview with Alaskan journalists, Palin made the following comment when asked about her opinion on allegations that a member of her cabinet had been deemed a rogue.

“Rogue isn’t a negative term when you consider that in a cabinet you need a team effort going forward with a governor’s agenda. Our agenda has been to find efficiencies in every department. And make sure that we are serving the people of Alaska.”

Hmm. Interesting. Lets look up rogue, shall we?

1. Vicious and solitary. Used of an animal, especially an elephant.
2. Large, destructive, and anomalous or unpredictable.
3. Operating outside normal or desirable controls.

1.  An unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person; a scoundrel or rascal.
2. One who is playfully mischievous; a scamp.
3. A wandering beggar; a vagrant.
4. A vicious and solitary animal, especially an elephant that has separated itself from its herd.
5. An organism, especially a plant, that shows an undesirable variation from a standard.

Again. Interesting.

And no, the irony of the Republican nominee being compared to a vicious, solitary elephant is not lost on anyone.