Palin Trashes Science
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| Sat, 10-25-2008 - 4:57pm |
In her first policy speech she trashes autism research in France involving fruit flies. Sounds reasonable if you don't know anything about autism, or research.
Here is the truth:
1. The research was in the United States, not France. Can you please get your facts right Palin?
2. Fruit flies, like rats, are standard fare in basic research. Trashing research because fruit flies are involved is really dumb.
3. The research in question actually has shown great promise in discovering the causes of autism.
Here it all is in a revealing segment: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#27367248
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/24/palin-fruit-flies/
Palin is so uninformed it's ridiculous. And by the way, this is like the umpteenth thing she and McCain have said would be exempt from their "across the board" spending freeze.
PS It's a hoot that she says Republicans are for kids with special needs. She should know that Bush basically screwed us on that front by delaying embryonic stem cell research for 8 years. Bush and the Republicans held up the research on religious grounds. All the while Rove was running around calling the religious right "nuts." As David Kuo, the former faith based advisor to the White House who became disgusted with the Republicans and quit revealed, these people are just hypocrites.

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"Last time and that is it with debating this with YOU. She said that fruit fly research in Paris France was pork. (Not in those words but I think you know what she said) If you want to believe that she trashed all fruit fly research by all means that is what you certainly should do. However that isn't what she said at all. That is your assumption, and the same assumption by those that are not in support of her. I know what she said, and I know what she didn't say. Moving on now."
Sorry to be such a burden on you, I know it's hard to be a right winger these days ;), but please do identify where my last post is off base. I have a feeling you can't, and that is why you wrote so nicely "that is it with debating this with YOU." Your silence or failure to rebut the facts I've cited will speak for itself. Here is my last post so it is convenient for you to review.
"I've got to give you credit for your gusto melanie230. What do you do when you get caught saying something that is, well, let me be a lot nicer about this to you than you were to me, let's just say fibbing a little? You double down and go full bore saying what I posted was a "LIE" in all caps.
Here is the cold hard truth:
1. Palin trashed money fruit fly research in France. Palin did not just trash research in France. She trashed "fruit fly" research. You can see from the clip that she obviously is saying the fact that fruit flies are involved sounds like outrageous pork. As usual when it comes to Republicans these days, the opposite is true. The fact that fruit flies are involved in research is wholly consistent with credible research. Fruit flies are standard fare in genetic research. Palin either didn't know or knew and was trying to whip people up. Either way, it's pathetic. And it's in her first major policy speech as VP nominee no less.
2. In her speech Palin champions herself as a special needs advocate. Attacking funding for fruit fly research is not helpful to the cause at all. In fact, it is damaging to the cause. In her attacks on fruit fly research during her special needs speech, Palin neglects to mention that important promising research involving fruit flies is being conducted. And the research is right here within the United State.
3. Now it turns out Citizens Against Government Waste, CAGW, the group you are citing to show the funding is pork is a right-wing front. Another poster found that. I should have known better than to trust any of your sites without checking. Shame on me. Anyway, you already know this I'm sure but for everyone else:
"Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States. It functions as a think-tank, 'government watchdog', and advocacy group for fiscally conservative causes. The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) is the lobbying arm of CAGW, organized as a section 501(c)(4) organization, and therefore permitted to engage in direct lobbying activities. CAGW has been criticized for its links to the tobacco industry and to lobbyists including Jack Abramoff. According to their web site, "CAGW is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization representing more than one million members and supporters nationwide. CAGW's mission is to eliminate waste, mismanagement, and inefficiency in the federal government.""
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAGW
Notice how just like the right-wing Fox which calls itself fair and balanced, the site claims to be non-partisan.
4. Lastly, another poster found the defense of the Congressman who supported the fruit fly reseach indicating that the particular fruit fly research in France had nothing to do with autism (why did Palin mention it in her speech?), and was in fact was quite valuable. The research was performed at a USDA facility there. Here is a quote:
“The Olive Fruit Fly has infested thousands of California olive groves and is the single largest threat to the U.S. olive and olive oil industries,” he said. “I secured $748,000 for olive fruit fly research and irradiation in the (fiscal year 2008) appropriations bill for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA will use some of that funding for their research facility in France. This USDA research facility is located in France because Mediterranean countries like France have dealt with the Olive Fruit Fly for decades, while California has only been exposed since the late 1990s. This is not uncommon; the USDA has several international research facilities throughout the world, including Australia, China and Argentina.”
Thompson’s office said Citizens Against Government Waste did not contact the congressman before it issued the award.
“Had the CAGW spent any time even talking to the USDA, they would have learned that our government does research in multiple USDA facilities around the world and that none of this money goes to other governments or for other government projects,” Thompson said.
Olives are the second-largest cash crop in Napa County, running a very distant second to wine grapes.
Dave Whitmer, Napa County Agricultural Commissioner said, Napa County had more than 220 acres of olive groves, and that the olives mostly go into olive oil production.
“(For) most of the coastal counties and a lot of the valley counties and the foothill counties that have olive producers, this olive fly is really turning out to be a really significant pest for olive producers to got a handle on,” he said. “Particularly for people who do fresh olives or olive oil production.”
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2008/04/09/news/local/doc47fc6ca1ad0ee555305173.txt"
((((I should have known better than to trust any of your sites without checking.))))
Don't feel bad. You are not alone. lol. Great post soupyduck! Don't be angry if it goes ignored. (sigh)
Disregarded?
.
Edited 10/27/2008 11:08 pm ET by sionainncaitlin
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