SETIzens Sign for Defend Science Statement

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Profile Bruno Moretti IK2WQA
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Message 808875 - Posted: 16 Sep 2008, 21:08:04 UTC

Today Science, as Science, is under attack as never before.

Please SETIzens Sign for Defend Science Statement

"Assignment of the Science is not to open a door to endless knowledge,
but to set a barrier to the endless ignorance."
Galileo Galilei


73 & clear skies from Bruno IK2WQA
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Message 808893 - Posted: 16 Sep 2008, 22:13:37 UTC - in response to Message 808875.  
Last modified: 16 Sep 2008, 22:14:46 UTC

Today Science, as Science, is under attack as never before.

Please SETIzens Sign for Defend Science Statement

"Assignment of the Science is not to open a door to endless knowledge,
but to set a barrier to the endless ignorance."
Galileo Galilei

The present USA appears to be being pushed back into the dark ages where ignorance was deliberately used as a force to control people. Not so strangely, religions were happy to maintain the ignorance of their 'flock' in such medievil days...

Is Bush perpetrating the same 'trick'... And all merely to deny Global Warming and Climate Change and to make a fast buck out of Oil?...


Regardless, free science is as important as free speach!

Good luck (for us all!),
Martin
See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)
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Message 812259 - Posted: 26 Sep 2008, 15:27:08 UTC

Dear Friends,

Our September 9 paid ad in the New York Times
( see http://www.defendscience.org/ds_nyt_ad.pdf )
was an important step in getting out to the public the critical message of
Defend Science at this dangerous and tumultuous time. The ad introduced
the Defend Science Statement to one million people - bringing alive the
Statement’s critique of the attacks on science and scientific thinking,
and its call to bring forward a defense of science from both scientists
and the broader public.

We are now calling for further contributions so that we can publish an
additional small ad in the NYT . If you haven’t yet contributed, now
would be a good time.

You can see from the response to our September 9 ad the importance of the
Defend Science message. Here are a few excerpts from the “comments” of
people who signed the Statement:

“It seems we are coming back to the Middle Ages, an age known in history
as the Age of Darkness. But History doesn\'t repeat; it is up to us defend
science and above all the right of human spirit to free knowledge.”

“Evolution is the key theoretical underpinning of the biological sciences,
much of which would make no sense without it. I have heard the growing
voice of superstition demanding to not only be heard, but to ultimately
replace the rational/scientific view, not only in education but as a
matter of public policy. I must add my voice to the those opposing this
return to superstition as the basis for public life.”

“and the earth isn\'t flat either”

The fact that our ad appeared in the immediate aftermath of the Palin
nomination added to its impact - comments from new signers to the Defend
Science Statement spoke to being both terrified and furious at what the
Palin nomination represented. We commented on the nomination:

“…the Republican party made it clear enough where it stands on [the
attacks on science, critical thinking, and rational thought] when it
brought forward the nomination of Sarah Palin. Palin called in the past
for teaching creationism in science classes in public schools (though more
recently has been cautious in stating what she thinks.) She is an abortion
opponent, an advocate of the view that life begins at conception, and an
opponent of most birth control. As small town mayor in Alaska, she raised
whether it would be possible to ban books from the town library, and tried
to fire the town librarian who refused to go along.”
see 2008 Elections: Implications for Science
and Critical Thinking http://www.defendscience.org/ds_commentary10.html

Neither candidate has used the platform of the presidential race to speak
out strongly on core questions involved in defending science, including
the creationist attacks on teaching evolution - even as we have new laws
mandating the teaching of creationism in Louisiana (and proposed in many
other states). The Louisiana law is a fundamental violation of the
separation of church and state, goes against a series of major court
decisions, and constitutes abuse of the children who are denied an
understanding of science and who get religion forced into their heads in
schools.

We continue to feel that there remains a great need for there to be a
clear voice, as powerful as possible, from the scientific community in
opposition to all of this, setting a clear standard for all to see.

Again, if you haven’t contributed, now would be a critical time.

If you want to make tax deductible contributions, please endorse your check to The
Institute for
the Study of Natural & Cultural Resources, and send it to:

Defend Science
2124 Kittredge St., #182
Berkeley CA 94704-1436

Or, visit our website:

http://www.defendscience.org/donate.html
and click the \"Make a Donation\" button to contribute
securely via PayPal.


73 & clear skies from Bruno IK2WQA
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Message 812260 - Posted: 26 Sep 2008, 15:28:21 UTC


. . . Thanks for the Posting Bruno - Interestin' eh


BOINC Wiki . . .

Science Status Page . . .
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Message 829720 - Posted: 13 Nov 2008, 2:33:54 UTC - in response to Message 812260.  

Dear Friends,

Defend Science is running a small ad in a special “philanthropy” section
of the NYT, due out on Nov. 11, and we are again requesting your financial
support.

Our assessment is that Obama’s victory does not end the danger to science.
Please see our new commentary on the elections and what it means for
science. [ http://www.defendscience.org/ds_commentary11.html ]

Our September 9 ad in the New York Times was an important step in getting
the critical message of Defend Science out broadly. The ad introduced the
Defend Science Statement to a million people - connecting with people who
are delighted to learn the Defend Science Project and excited that over
two thousand people, many of them prominent scientists, have signed the
statement. Many people were directed to the Defend Science website and
still others have contacted us via postal mail.

Powerful anti-science forces (particularly Christian fundamentalists) have
been built up during the Bush years and they will continue to pose a very
serious threat to science, regardless of Obama\'s victory in the elections.
There will be a fight over evolution and science education, the science
of global warming, and many other critical questions. Science has been
made an object of ridicule in the election, as when Sarah Palin referred
to science funding as “ear-marked funds” spent on projects “having nothing
to do with the public good.” She drew laughs for mentioning fruit fly
research in France (which received federal dollars) as an example. Such
promotion of ignorance has a profound impact on science, science
education, and the popularization of the scientific method as an approach
to knowing and understanding the world around us. We must continue to
raise our voices and insist on an atmosphere where science, research, and
education can flourish without government or religious interference. We
feel it is critical at this moment to put science and defending science in
front of people as widely as possible.

We are cognizant of the uncertain economic times. We are an all volunteer
organization and strive to keep overhead low so that your donations have
the greatest possible impact. Sending $20, $50, $100, $500, or more will
make a difference to defending science. Donations can be made via a tax
deductible mechanism or immediately through our Paypal account, which is
now tax deductible as well (visit http://www.defendscience.org/donate.html ).

Thank you in advance for your donation. And, as always, we welcome your
thoughts, ideas, and comments on Defending Science.

--Defend Science
http://www.defendscience.org
email: mail@defendscience.org


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Message 830907 - Posted: 15 Nov 2008, 19:14:47 UTC

Sadly, as I wrote to the defendscience people, I have a feeling that the reason President-Elect Obama isn't being too strong on the issue at the moment is that he's worried first about the economics of this country. Let's face it; that is the pressing issue!
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Message 830912 - Posted: 15 Nov 2008, 19:31:48 UTC

Unluckily, all governments cut research funds,scholarships, etc. when they are searching for funds. They should cut military expenditures instead.
Tullio
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Message 830940 - Posted: 15 Nov 2008, 21:20:16 UTC - in response to Message 830912.  

Interesting to note that we cling to our guns (military) when we have no money, and we let go of education. Is the human race still that scared of one another? [rhetorical]
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Message 831401 - Posted: 17 Nov 2008, 2:31:57 UTC - in response to Message 830912.  

Unluckily, all governments cut research funds,scholarships, etc. when they are searching for funds. They should cut military expenditures instead.
Tullio



Further proof that common sense is an oxymoron!


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Message 831402 - Posted: 17 Nov 2008, 2:31:58 UTC - in response to Message 830912.  

Unluckily, all governments cut research funds,scholarships, etc. when they are searching for funds. They should cut military expenditures instead.
Tullio



Further proof that common sense is an oxymoron!


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Message 831837 - Posted: 18 Nov 2008, 15:51:57 UTC

nations that famously spend the wad on military in lieu of education.

Spain- Late 1500's era of the Spanish Armada. nation never recoverded

Germany- 1930-1945. need I explain.

United States 1980- present. What will happen here?



In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
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Message 845780 - Posted: 27 Dec 2008, 22:34:35 UTC

Celebrate Darwin Day 2009: Stand Up for the Science of Evolution

This year, February 12, 2009, is the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. 2009 is also the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s “On The Origin of Species by Natural Selection”, a monumental work and tremendous scientific achievement.

If you could imagine a world without Darwin and the theory of evolution by natural selection, it would be a world impoverished in every dimension. Modern medicine would be crippled, without a deep understanding of how to prevent infections that rapidly evolve and grow resistant to treatment; we would have a greatly diminished understanding of the threats to biodiversity from alien species and habitat alternations. We would not appreciate the “grandeur in this view of life”, to use Darwin’s own words – the beauty and amazement of how all of life developed through natural processes. And science itself would be weakened in an almost incalculable way.

There is evidence of evolution everywhere life goes on. We have a sweeping, astonishing and scientific panorama of how life developed from single cells to all the complexity and diversity that we know today. The fossil record, once thought to have too many “gaps,” grows more complete every year. We have a synthesis of modern genetics and Darwin’s mechanism of natural selection that would delight and amaze Darwin, if he were somehow able to see it. This decisively confirms and deepens our understanding of natural selection by showing the source of the endless variation among individual organisms and how it is inherited.

Darwin went up against the entrenched religious prejudices of his day (and ours), applied the basic principles he discovered to human beings, and suggested that human ancestors evolved into Homo sapiens in Africa, even though no fossil evidence of this existed in his day. Now immense evidence of all kinds has been discovered, and there can be no doubt that humans evolved from a common ancestor of African primates.

The concept of biological evolution is one of the key pillars of modern science. Public access to understanding evolution has in many ways become the arena in which the role of science and the scientific method in society is being fought out today. It should be a matter of grave concern to everyone that there are powerful and continuing creationist attacks on the ability of children in public schools to learn core truths of evolution. It should be a matter of public outrage that museums and public institutions like science centers exist in an atmosphere where they feel unable to openly talk about and explain evolution; that in a number of state legislatures and in state boards of education, a new round of attacks on teaching evolution is in the works; that a bill attacking evolution has been signed into law in Louisiana. It is not simply evolution, but science that is under assault.

The Bush administration brought an eight year attack on science that enormously intensified this poisonous and deadly atmosphere. The result was more than a series of bad policies, even though many were very bad indeed, but an assault on science itself, the method of inquiry which has enabled people to understand and transform the world in very powerful and amazing ways. And the Bush years greatly strengthened the Christian fundamentalist movement which today has great reach and influence. While Obama says he personally believes in evolution, he has made embracing this movement a core element of his view of “healing divisions”. Some creationist forces have clearly stated their aim goes far beyond attacking evolution; they seek to purge society of the “disease” of systematically seeking natural explanations for natural phenomena. We do not need to seek unity with this - we need a determined fight to defend science. It is up to us.

All of this makes Darwin Day 2009 even more important – as a celebration of Charles Darwin’s magnificent scientific achievement and as a contribution towards a society in which science, scientific discoveries and the scientific method are celebrated, valued, and popularized.

Let\'s have a Darwin Bicentennial with society-wide impact.

We strongly encourage everyone to help organize and participate in Darwin Day celebrations around the country, and circulate this statement everywhere, distribute it to friends and colleagues, post it on the web.

Defend Science

(Share with us your ideas and plans; we will post Darwin Bicenntennial news on our website. Contact us at mail@defendscience.com . This Defend Science Darwin Day Statement is available at our website including in downloadable pdf format. Go to: http://www.defendscience.org/ds_commentary12.html )


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Message 845858 - Posted: 28 Dec 2008, 4:11:52 UTC

I would make a proposal to both Darwinists and creationists. Read "The human phenomenon" by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, a forgotten genius.
Tullio
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