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Science: Another scientist harassed for incorrect views

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A scientist friend writes to say,

I am a part of an email list of scientists—another is just beginning an “enquiry” because he committed the crime of loaning DVDs on ID to colleagues who wanted them. No one complained of being harassed, but the person’s views are “incorrect.”

Well, that wouldn’t be any news to a Canadian, believe me.

Pardon me a digression. If you are an American, you will need to learn to deal with this problem, because some people will want to ride out the recession by getting a government job bossing you around:

People you don’t know can probably complain on your behalf, and get you in trouble just for wanting to know what is going on.

Think of all the Canadian Muslims who didn’t really care much one way or the other about Mark Steyn’s famous article in Maclean’s Magazine. But the Canadian Islamic Congress (not to be confused with the much bigger and more representative Muslim Canadian Congress) went after him in three different jurisdictions for hate speech (and in an amazing display, lost out on all their cases, while costing the defendants vast sums of money. The defendants must pay but the CIC is funded by government.).

I don’t happen to agree with Steyn’s position on this subject (principally because I have heard the same sort of birth rate fears from Philip Longman about Christian and Mormon populations in North America – and we Christians and Mormons have been around long enough to know that it isn’t true – but that’s a story for another day). But the idea that Steyn would not be allowed to say it is an affront to civilization.

Anyway, my friend goes on to say,

Someone else sent the following.

An item in the September 25/08 issue of Nature had an interesting item relevant to these events.

The item was part of an article entitled “Which science book should the next US president read?” (pp. 464-467)

Several prominent scientists recommended such books as The Blind Watchmaker.

Well known palaeontologist Kevin Padian recommended a book called Undermining Science by Seth Shulman.

In this context Padian remarked: “Democratic candidate Barack Obama might use Shulman’s book to discover which recent science-agency appointees passed the test of right-wing fealty rather than of scientific objectivity…. the present administration [Bush] has sown loyalists of questionable competence into science bodies — from NASA to the US Weights and Measures division — that it will take a considerable effort to root them out.” (p. 467)

It seems as if these events are all part of a very large agenda.

Well, yes, it is a large agenda, friend. It’s an agenda to enshrine science as an updated form of nonsense, equivalent to mediaeval saint’s legends. We are required to believe that

1. The history of life follows Darwin’s beliefs, when it obviously doesn’t Everyone who has studied the subject realizes that.

2. Human embryonic stem cells are absolutely necessary for research. But that is almost certainly not true. (These cells may be easy to acquire from fertility clinics, but that doesn’t make them absolutely necessary – only easy to acquire, like cats at an animal shelter. No doubt the cosmetics industry is glad.)

3. Global warming is definitely happening. (Not if you got through this winter in Toronto, it wasn’t.)

I don’t always know what is going on, but I tend to know what isn’t going on. And lots of pet “science” causes are just not going on.

Also, at the Post-Darwinist:

Podcasts in the intelligent design controversy

Intellectual freedom in Canada roundup

Comments
I always love how materialists try to use the "define science!" or "ID isn't science!" knee jerk argument against ID. So I have developed my own definition of science which makes perfect sense to me and is perfectly compatible with ID. Science- "The study of a subject or subjects through the process of investigation for the purpose of acquiring greater understanding."Frost122585
May 3, 2009
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Okay, good, you are a fellow Canadian. So I had heard, but didn't want to say, unless you declared so yourself. I will assume that you are country born like me and have no other citizenship. So, to get rid of you, the government would have to deport you to Mars, like they would have to deport me to Mars. (Just think what that would do for my career as a science journalist! Heck, I should wish they would!) The scientist who wrote to me is a person of good character who has experienced the same sort of thing, and I have little doubt that that scientist's contact is being horsed around as well. This stuff is happening all the time. I will try to get more specific info.O'Leary
May 1, 2009
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Hi Denyse. Yes, you know very well I am a Canadian, and I'm quite aware of all that is going on here. That wasn't my point. I asked the question because I didn't understand what you were referring to with the individual being harassed about loaning ID DVDs. In other words I couldn't parse the paragraph. So, to be clearer, what is the enquiry? Who is conducting it? Is it the same human rights tribunal referred to later on? Who is being "enquired about", can you say? Please answer as many of these as you feel able to, while maintaining your colleague's confidentiality. Perhaps this does qualify as another scientist being harrassed for his views on ID, but from your terse description I really don't understand what is going on.SCheesman
May 1, 2009
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I assume that individual is beginning the horrendous process of an "outside of" English Common Law enquiry. Oh, wait. Maybe I will have a nap and wake up and someone will tell me that this guy got off okay. Well, a nice excuse for a nap, that. Great. Sure. But what about the next guy? (I am cleaning out my mailbox after a long administrative hassle re tax.) Look, SCheesman, many hundreds of Canadians have been through this horror already - including people I know and respect. It is an enquiry in which no normal standards of law are followed. None exist. Bizarre big time. I suspect that you are a Canadian - but you are free to deny that if you want, and say it is an error or that I should not have admitted that I suspect it. But, if not, you might want to find out what is happening in Canada. Anyone who wants to know more but doesn't want to buy a book, go here. What is happening is unspeakable. Read Ezra Levant's "Shakedown" and/or Mark Steyn "Lights Out" to understand the Shakedown and the Lights Out. The ID part is incidental. But it could become important. Well, anything could become important, right?O'Leary
May 1, 2009
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Sorry Denyse, but I'm confused. The one who loaned the DVDs is "beginning and enquiry"? What does that mean? Is it his enquiry? Or is he "beginning to attend" it? If no one is complaining of being harassed, then who is? I assume you haven't provided any details to keep it confidential, but I'd rather you have foregone the "digression" if only to fill in some blanks.SCheesman
May 1, 2009
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