Not quite a rant...

H1N1

2009-04-30T19:04:00.004+01:00

I'm frankly a little tired of the coverage of this whole swine flu thing. Not only do the reporters seems uninformed about the science, the facts, and the terminology but the politicians, the spokespeople and the bloggers are equally in over their heads. The notable exception is the professionals at the CDC.

For the love of all that is good and firmly rooted in science would you all, please, take some time to do the research and understand what you're talking about so you don't sound like a blithering idiot? If you do not understand what the H and the N in H1N1 mean, then shut up. If you don't understand the trivalent nature of the seasonal influenza vaccines and it's relation to this strain, then shut up. If you don't understand the difference between an antiviral agent and an vaccination, then shut up. If viral reproduction and the antigenic shift and drift to new strains puts a strain on your brain then please, push back from the keyboard, step away from camera and microphone, pick up a book and know what you're talking about.

And of course this doesn't even begin to address the misunderstandings about pandemic planning, comprehensive emergency management planning, the responsibility of local entities and indivuduals in not only pandemic planning, but any emergency plan.

I think that this is part of the dumbing down of America. We have reporters, politicians and civil servants who act as if they have never taken a biology class. (The bloggers I'll give a pass to on this; who knows what level of education they have.) We're talking about 8th grade science here and it seems to baffle people. The disdain for science in this country is remarkable. Not only do people (many of them with liberal arts degrees from Ivy league institutions) not understand science, they don't want to. They're happy to repeat scientific 'facts' that support their agendas, but they don't UNDERSTAND the science. They are not skeptical, they lack the ability to inerpret data and make a decision and they simply do not understand the scientific process.

It's really guite sad.

So to sum up: If you don't get it: don't talk about it authoritatively, read and research it until you do get it, be a friend of science and be skeptical.

Guns and the supposed ban

2009-04-09T04:45:00.001+01:00

First of all, I don't own a gun.

But I will. Soon. I intend to get a pistol permit and purchase a handgun. I will also be buying a rifle.
Why? Because today I can and it's entirely possible that in a few years my ability to buy one will be severely curtailed. Some people automatically assume that this means I have bought into the idea that the Obama administration is going to ban all guns. This idea only exists in the minds of right wing extremists and left wing moderates who ascribe it to anyone to their right on the ideological spectrum.

The fact is that as long as the current party is in power and as long as guns are in the news (eg Mexican drug wars, Binghamton, Philly) politicians will make empty gestures to their constituents such as the assault weapons ban. While such a law does nothing except prevent the sale of mean looking guns it can be the first step down an ugly path. On top of that politicians and paid pundits are very quick to deny that they are interested in any sort of new gun control especially when the country needs saving. This can only mean that they're interested in it later or that they'll try to get something passed while we're all worrying about the economy.

There are of course other more practical reasons for me to buy a gun.
To hunt.
To protect myself.
Because I can.
To support the american factory worker, small business owner and economy.
To meet people and make friends.
To piss off the people that don't believe in my right to own one.

Or maybe I won't buy any at all. I really haven't decided.

Worst Person in the World

2009-04-09T03:42:00.001+01:00

Am I missing something when Keith Olbermann calls somebody the worst person in the world? He can't possibly be serious. There are multiple murders in two states and the perpetrators don't make the list but Glenn Beck does? I think maybe I just don't get that guy.

Welcome and whatever.

2009-04-08T22:37:00.000+01:00

I've been thinking for a while that I should write a blog. So many things have been happening in the last year or so that I have an opinion about but I don't hear anybody echoing my thoughts. Everybody is so polarized and insulated. It's gotten absurd. So I am simply going to put my thoughts out there. If you agree, that's fine. If you don't that's fine too.

So let's get started.