Beam him up (please!): It is commonly known that President Bush is proudly uneducated, ill-read and uninformed but I, for one, did not know until yesterday that he is making major policy decisions about science based on — not junk science produced by the flat-earthers in his party or even psuedo science like Intelligent Design — but science fiction.
Last night, in his State of the Union speech, the president came out swinging against human-animal hybridization:
Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical research: human cloning in all its forms, creating or implanting embryos for experiments, creating human-animal hybrids, and buying, selling, or patenting human embryos.
We can only assume that Laura has been tucking the preznint in with bedtime stories from “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” by H.G. Wells. The novel — which has been made into a movie at least three times, the latest with Marlon Brando — depicts just this sort of a horrific undertaking by a mad scientist on a remote island.
Earlier in the day, in a review of a book about Mr. Bush by the uber-snarky GOP political hack Fred Barnes, I also learned that Mr. Bush has based his entire approach to global warming — specifically that it doesn’t exist — on the teachings of the rightwing sci-fi writer, Michael Cricton:
Barnes also includes plenty of evidence likely to horrify those who oppose Bush (for instance, Barnes reports that the president fundamentally doesn’t accept the theory of global warming and was reinforced in that belief by a private meeting not with any scientist but rather with novelist Michael Crichton, whose novel “State of Fear” revolves around the issue).
The president’s interest in science fiction may also explain his failed plan to send explorers back to the moon and on to Mars a few years back, before he wasted the nation’s disposable income on his misadventure in Iraq.
Bush did not “waste the nations disposable income” in Iraq. No, he did something even worse. He borrowed the money.
Borrowing money for foreign military adventures is a classic way to bankrupt a country.
Bankrupt? More like postion an enormous inflation in the not science fiction future of the land.
HAce you had enough of the boy king’s creeping fascism yet?
IMpeach the liar NOW
Let’s see sounds like F**king for chastity De Ja Vue all over again. What Science can we support.
Not Biology, that is all hung up on Evolution so that would be off limitsReal Medicine also cause that might involvegenetics and embryos Better to just come up with a bunch of expensive new pills, and not even test them against cheap meds that have been around for years. But the Govt, can pay all the expenses through taxbreaks etc, but not have any oversite. Big payoff to Drug companies, no actual Biology.
Enviornmental sciences are out also as they would cut into profits. We could pay some of the Abrams to write anti-enviornmental stuff and give some tax dollars to that.
Geology is out as well, If you think the Earth is more than 6,000 years old you are working with Satan and the Terrorists.
Chemestry is ok, as long as it is all secret. To actually find out what chemicals are out there and what they are doing to us, gets in the way of profits. Also it gets back to Biology.
It is amazing they are thinking about space exploration. I guess they think themselves enlightened to no longer think that the earth is flat with a bowl over it.
I’ve never been a Bush fan. However, I have read every Michael Crichton book through his latest. “State Of Fear.” It will be my last. I was shocked by what I read and to learn of his right-wing leanings. I bet president Stupid hasn’t read any of Crichton’s books (or any books for that matter) yet has the author to the White House to ‘brief’ him on such important matters. Why amd I not surprised?
One wonders who arranged the meeting between Bush and Crichton. Who decided who would be at the meeting, and why weren’t more people with a broader view invited? Bush maintains his ignorance with the complicity of those around him–together they create an environment where only what is already agreed upon is allowed to be spoken.
Mooser – You’re right. I should have said that Bush “depleted our credit,” not wasted our disposable income on Iraq.
human/(other)animal hybrids arent science fiction any more than space travel was science fiction way back when. to my knowledge, they dont currently exist, but i remember reading an article a couple years ago (i just found it again: http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2004/01/12_401.html )about someone who was trying to patent them.
having said that, its pretty bizarre he talked about them in his state of the union.