Of Palin, Fruit Flies, and Autism

You really need to watch this video, a response to Palin's monstrously stupid remarks about fruit fly research.



Now, you may oppose the government spending tax revenue on scientific research projects because you generally oppose government spending. I think that position is wrong, but it is not bat-shit insane like Palin's. (Well, it is almost, but, I digress.)

That is not, though, what Palin is arguing. She is arguing, simultaneously, the following:

• Fund more autism and special needs programs and research (guess what, programs don't do shit without research to back them up)
• Strip public funds from scientific projects researching questions such as what is autism and how can we help those with it
  

You could ask the candidate "which is it?," but that would miss the point: Sarah Palin does not care about autism. She does not care about people with special needs. At least not anymore than as a bludgeon for political speech.

This is part of one of the most disgusting parts of the McCain-Palin candidacy: watching them argue for an across-the-board spending freeze while simltaneously arguing for more programs and spending. And they do this because they have no intention whatsoever of implementing an across the board spending freeze--or McCain's hatchet, or whatever absurd metaphor he chooses tomorrow--because such a "policy" would cause an enormous amount of harm to everyone in this country, but especially to the people who need the most help. As campaign bluster goes, it sounds good and plays very well to the meathead, knuckle-dragging contingent that seem to pack the GOP standard bearers' rallies these days, but as a matter of public policy, these sorts of ideas court disaster and the people saying this shit know it and don't care how cynical their public pronouncements are. And if that does not tell you enough about who to vote for...

Additional reading:
Christopher Hitchens
PZ Myers

P.S. If you care about science education, visit the Texas Freedom Network and take a quick peek at what the State Board of Education is trying to do to our school system.