The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Science, Progress, Consensus and Doubt: Darwinism and Reason in the Balance

Posted on | November 29, 2012 | 25 Comments

“My attitude toward progress has passed from antagonism to boredom. I have long ceased to argue with people who prefer Thursday to Wednesday because it is Thursday.”
— G.K. Chesteron, 1923

“God has given us plenty of evidence of who he is.”
— Dr. Ben Carson, 2012

It seems that Rand Simberg doesn’t include Dr. Carson — a world-famous neurosurgeon — among those enlightened individuals “who are conversant with science and its methods.” Although Simberg defends Marco Rubio’s “I’m not a scientist” response to a question about the age of the earth, Simberg’s tone of snide condescension toward Christians was hard to overlook in the excerpt quoted at Instapundit:

“Now, in fact, I would prefer politicians who are conversant with science and its methods to those not, but even more I prefer politicians who are conversant with basic math, economics, and human nature, and have an aversion to wrecking the nation’s economy. And if they have to occasionally salute the sensibilities of people who believe that evolution is the work of the devil, I can live with that — particularly since we have a current president who does exactly the same thing, while flooring the accelerator toward the fiscal cliff.”

This “smarter than thou” gesture inspired a few Tweets last night:

Prejudice and stereotypes are not science, but the Darwinian cultists have benefitted by exploiting prejudice against Christians, as if skepticism toward evolutionary theory were synonymous with superstitious ignorance. This attitude annoys me for many reasons, including the fact that it empowers academic thuggery toward Christians:

World-renowned Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson is under fire from several biology professors at Emory University, where [he was] scheduled to give the commencement address [in May].
They wrote a letter to the school newspaper after learning Carson does not believe in evolution, calling it “deeply concerning  . . . That he equates the acceptance of evolution with a lack of ethics and morality.” . . .
“You have a theory in which you place your faith, and I have a theory in which I place my faith,” Carson said in a speech posted on YouTube. “I say you can believe what you want but I simply don’t have enough faith to believe what you believe. I’m a person of faith so I have to believe in God. You know that always gets them.”

If biologists can exclude from the scientific community anyone who doubts Darwinism — so that even an eminent physician like Dr. Carson cannot be permitted to criticize evolutionary theory — then the scientific consensus in favor of Darwinism has apparently become one of those “smelly little orthodoxies” that disgusted Orwell, and the biology faculty at Emory have deputized themselves as Thought Police.

Ideas Have Consequences, Richard Weaver famously warned us, and the questions William F. Buckley Jr. raised in God and Man at Yale have now been answered by events: The Left’s terrifying hegemony in academia does not result from a failure of conservatives to embrace “progress,” but from a failure of conservatives to resist trendy errors and defend ancient truths, and to do so persuasively.

More than 15 years have passed since I first read Phillip E. Johnson’s Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law and Education, a brilliant exposition of what the Darwinian domination of intellectual life means. Given that Johnson is a former professor of law at UC-Berkeley, he is not easily dismissed as an ignorant crank, and his arguments are as lucidly expressed as they are logically coherent.

In the aftermath of the recent election catastrophe, conservatives have been making lots of noise about “culture,” and it might behoove us to reacquaint ourselves with strong arguments for ancient truths, if only so that we might learn from imitating good examples.

 

 

Click here to shop all our great Amazon deals now!
Purchases made through our Amazon links help support the blog

Category: Culture, Religion, Science

Neologism: Glenren

Posted on | November 29, 2012 | 8 Comments

by Smitty

I’d like to propose ‘glenren’, a contraction of ‘Glenn Reynolds’, as a special term for the blend of faux naïveté, weapons-grade sarcasm, and systematic understatement so brutally employed by The Blogfather:

You know, I’m beginning to wonder if they tried to fake the numbers upward for the election or something.

Usage: “That there was an intense glenren.”

Category: Instapundit

Libya’s Lingering Questions

Posted on | November 29, 2012 | 3 Comments

“Who changed the Benghazi talking points?” asks Sharyl Atkisson of CBS News, and I’m grateful that she’s still asking it. Much of the national press corps is trying to make us forget the Sept. 11 incident that resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and four other Americans, and we should praise the journalistic persistence of those rep0rters who won’t let it be forgotten.

Praise is also due to the senators who won’t let Susan Rice off the hook for her Sept. 16 “blame the YouTube video” TV talk-show tour. Why was Rice chosen for that disinformation duty? Why did the White House deliberately deceive the public about the Benghazi debacle?

Category: Uncategorized

When Compromise Means ‘Damn Your Eyes’

Posted on | November 29, 2012 | 11 Comments

by Smitty

When compromise
Means ‘Damn your eyes’,
And honor is passé,

And the ship’s port list,
Has the crewmen pissed,
For capsizing’s no’ so gay,

Since Reason and Math,
Have succumbed to the wrath,
Of the hormone of the day:

A rational one asks,
While the media basks,
In a General’s tawdry straying,

Did a President fiddle,
With brave men in the middle,
Of a terrorist’s sordid slaying?

These elected clowns,
And their blaming rounds,
Ensure future someone’s paying.

How long can it last?
The ship may’ve passed,
The righting moment final.

Has liberty died?
In hedonism fried,
The culture gone all banal?

We’ll get what we mete,
Until again our feet,
Are on a path Eternal.

Category: Uncategorized

LIVE AT FIVESIX: 11.29.12

Posted on | November 29, 2012 | 3 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Obama Flexible On Top Tax Rates?

Softening to avoid the cliff?

Susan Collins Latest Stumbling Block For Rice Nomination
Moderate GOP Senator not satisfied with UN ambassador’s answers on Benghazi



Abbas Seeks Statehood For Palestinian Authority
Would change UN status from “entity” to “non-member state”



POLITICS
Congressional Democrats’ Hispanic Caucus Rejects GOP Proposals On Immigration

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)

Agree on enforcement – but with caveats

Family Sues CIA Decades After Scientist’s Mysterious Death

Proposition 8, DOMA Cases Under Supreme Court Review

Texas Moves To Seize Polygamists’ Ranch

Top Independent Democrat Favors Coalition With GOP In NY State Senate

Two Tickets Strike Gold In Record Powerball Payout

Romney To Meet Obama At White House Today



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Oil Recovers From Drop On Hopes Of Avoiding Fiscal Cliff: NYMEX $86.83, Brent $109.79
Wall Street Sharply Lower After Disappointing New Home Sales Numbers
SEC Weighs Lawsuit Against SAC Capital
Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction Under Scrutiny
Euro Rises On Optimism Over Fiscal Cliff Deal
Student Loan Delinquencies Hit A New High
icrosoft: Google Users Getting “Scroogled” On Searches
Mozilla, German Lawmakers Spar In Link Tax Row
Microsoft Windows Store: A Look At Its First Month
Animoto Turns Facebook Photos Into “Best Of 2012” Videos
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 Goes On Sale Early With Price Break
PeopleBrowsr Wins Temporary Injunction Against Twitter
Burglar Exploits Hotel Lock Security Flaw



SPORTS
BJ Upton To Atlanta, Pettitte Back With Yankees

Former Tampa Bay CF B.J. Upton

Upton signs for 5 years, $75 million

Attn Troglopundit: Danica Patrick Getting Divorce

Rockets Get Pounded In Harden’s Return To OKC

Rondo Ejected As Nets Beat Celtics

UConn Passed Over By ACC For Lousiville

NHL, Players Meet With Mediators, Will Talk Again Today

Billups Returns To Clippers, Helps Beat Timbermutts

Derek Fisher Signs With Mavericks



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Bobbi Kristina, Nick Gordon Call Off Engagement

Nick Gordon, Bobbi Kristina

Houston family cool to Gordon


Angus Jones Not Leaving “Two And A Half Men”

Jessica Simpson Pregnant Again; Weight Watchers Speaks Out

Demi Has A New Boy Toy

Ben Affleck Named Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainer Of The Year

Jennifer Lopez: Mile-High Diva?

Steven Tyler Apologizes To Nicki Minaj, Insists He’s Not A Racist

Randy Travis Says He’s Given Up Booze For Good



FOREIGNERS
UN Court Acquits Former Kosovo PM Of War Crimes
Egypt Fast-Tracks Constitution Amid Political Turmoil
Netanyahu: UN Can’t Force Israel To Compromise On Security
Bombs In Iraqi Shiite Cities Kill 30
Bangladeshi Factory Owner: I Didn’t Know Fire Exits Were Needed
Britain Awaits Major Report On Press Responsibility
M23 Rebels Set Conditions For Withdrawal From Goma
Assange Ignores Questions On Free Press, His Health
Syrian Rebels Build Momentum With Tactical Successes
Taliban Suspected In Suicide Bomb Attack Against Pakistani Jihadi Leader
Moscow Court Rules Pussy Riot Video Extremist, Bans It From Internet



BLOGS & STUFF
Coyote Blog: Cargo Cult Social Engineering
Michelle Malkin: LA’s Busiest Pier Shut Down By Longshoremen
Weasel Zippers: Susan Collins Blasts Rice’s Handling Of Benghazi After Meeting
Michael Walsh: Benghazi Blowback
Weekly Standard Blog: White House Says Obama Doesn’t Care If Susan Rice Lied
Allahpundit: Top Romney Strategist – No Regrets, Baby
Belmont Club: The Role Of Trust In Politics
Twitchy: The Hashtag Stops Here?
Gateway Pundit: Boehner Holds The Line On Tax Cuts
Rick Moran: By The Way, Iran’s Still Working On Nukes
NewsBusters: Obama Opposed Eliminating Filibuster In 2005
Lonely Conservative: Disgraced Sex Offender Mel Reynolds To Seek Jesse Jackson Jr.’s Seat
NRO Corner: On “Morning Joe”, John Heileman Jokes Lindsey Graham Is Actually Woman (Edited Out In Rebroadcast)
Jihad Watch: Erdogan To Visit Hamas Top Dog In Gaza
Daily Caller: Herman Cain Not Interested In Running For Senate In 2014
American Power: NYT Touts California’s “Resurgence”
Ed Driscoll: And Now A Word From Bill Clinton On The Dangers Of Raising Taxes

Category: Live at Five

Twitter Tribute To Lennon

Posted on | November 28, 2012 | 26 Comments

by Smitty

Category: Uncategorized

U.S. District Court in Maryland Dismisses Walker v. Kimberlin Federal Lawsuit

Posted on | November 28, 2012 | 18 Comments

Just got this from an attorney for Aaron Walker, reporting that the federal lawsuit against Brett Kimberlin was dimssed today:

The court decided to duck the entire matter as a “dispute between political enemies”, and we disagree with his assessment as to the Court’s inability to grant the remedies sought. We disagree with the ruling and its failure to address in any way even a single point of substantive law raised by either party, nor did it take into consideration our response to Rule 11 filed yesterday, or our forthcoming Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss by the Organizations, which the court should have considered before granting that particular motion.
We plan to pursue all available options, including an appeal, once our focus is no longer on the 12/04 hearing in Virginia.

Will provide more information as it becomes available. Next week’s hearing in Prince William County, Virginia, involves pre-trial motions in the separate lawsuit under Virginia state law.

UPDATE: John Hoge has posted copies of U.S. Judge Frederick Motz’s decision in the federal case, including the judge’s rejection of Kimberlin’s request for so-called “Rule 11” sanctions against Walker.

UPDATE II: Click here for the judge’s decision in PDF.

Category: Aaron Worthing, The Kimberlin Files

‘Neal Sounded Weird’ — Did Rauhauser Interfere in a Texas Harassment Case?

Posted on | November 28, 2012 | 15 Comments

Becca J. Lower has transcribed a BlogTalk Radio interview that Heather Chase did with Lee Stranahan. The backstory of the situation involved is convoluted in the extreme, and requires this brief explanation: In June, it was revealed that one of the leaders of an anti-Rush Limbaugh boycott (Matt “Shoq” Edelstein) had claimed connections to top Obama re-election officials during a conference call secretly recorded by a Texas man named “Randy Hahn” a.k.a. Jason Wade Taylor.

Taylor has subsequently been accused of harassing a Texas woman named Heather Chase. There are people who say bad things about Chase, just as there are people who say bad things about Taylor and Edelstein. However, I have no direct interest in trying to figure out who the villains and heroes are in that story. It may be that they’re all a bunch of kooks, but the point is, I just don’t care enough to bother attempting to unravel the accusations and counter-accusations about who did what to whom. What does interest me is the fact that Brett Kimberlin’s associate Neal Rauhauser got involved in this dispute — which centers on an allegedly threatening message Taylor sent to Chase — and in the process confirmed a lot of what we know about Rauhauser’s modus operandi.

In the interview (Lee has posted the audio at his site) Chase says that she got in touch with Rauhauser after Matt Osborne and others vouched for Rauhauser’s good intentions. Excerpts from the interview transcript:

STRANAHAN: Okay, so– before you talk about this, you’re kind of reticent to talk about the Neal Rauhauser thing, right?
CHASE: Yes, I am.
STRANAHAN: Why is that?
CHASE: Well, a lot of that is crazy and seems to be involved in a lot of political bickering, and possibly criminal stuff. But I don’t think that it’s directly related to Randy, except that now it seems that things are getting weird for this, too.
STRANAHAN: Yeah. And you– so, let’s talk about that: how did you end up in a position where Neal Rauhauser was texting with you? What happened there?
CHASE: Well last week I heard that Matt Osborne was interested in calming things down between people that have been having conflict with that group, which includes me and some of the other women who have been arguing and having a lot of trouble with Shoq because of some of his behavior. So I reached out to him, because I agree that we shouldn’t be having this sort of thing happening so we can all move on. Particularly because to me, the important thing here is this man, Jason, who’s been incredibly destructive.  . . .
STRANAHAN: Was Neal Rauhauser helpful at all?
CHASE: No, at least not according to the investigator who said that he spoke to Neal, that Neal sounded weird and was talking about a lot of other things that had nothing to do with this case. And so I contacted Matt Osborne, after I got back with my meeting with the investigator and asked him about it. And I was told that [Raahauser] had a higher agenda, I was told that the feds would be brought in on this. I have no idea if any of that is true. I have not been contacted by anybody like that. I’ve just been working with my investigator and my local police about this.  . . .
STRANAHAN:  Do you regret dealing with Neal Rauhauser and Matt Osborne on this at this point?
CHASE: I do.
STRANAHAN: Why is that?
CHASE: Because I think that it’s complicated what should be a very straight-forward case of this man [i.e., Taylor] who’s acting crazy and way out of bounds, and has threatened a lot of people and caused a lot of destruction. I don’t know why anybody wouldn’t want to make this as easy as possible for the investigators.

Hmmmm. So, on the recommendation of Osborne and others who were “interested in calming things down,” Rauhauser contacted police who were investigating Taylor’s alleged harassment of Heather Chase. But police told Chase that “Neal sounded weird and was talking about a lot of other things that had nothing to do with this case.” When Chase asked Osborne about Rauhauser’s involvement, she was told Neal has “a higher agenda” and “that the feds would be brought in on this.”

Let us ask: What interest do “the feds” have in the dispute between Chase and Taylor? What kind of “other things” did Rauhauser talk to the police about? And why was Rauhauser so eager to become involved in this dispute? We could speculate on answers to these questions, but what intrigues me is what it tells us about Rauhauser’s “higher agenda” and the means by which he pursues that agenda. If Chase’s description is accurate, then Rauhauser deliberately interefered in her harassment case and the effect of his interference was to confuse investigators with a lot of irrelevant crazy-talk.

There are many questions in need of answers here, among them a question recently asked by Patterico:

Why does it matter that Neal Rauhauser sounds so very, very much like “LulzShack”?

The answer to that question would seem to be quite interesting.

UPDATE: In comments below, Heather Chase explains that it was she who asked Rauhauser to provide specific information about Jason Wade Taylor to police investigating her claim that Taylor harassed her. Rauhauser and his associate Matt Osborne had said they had information about Taylor’s past behavior, Chase explains:

The part I found confusing was the officer’s reaction. First, Neal said in his text messages to me that the officer was concerned about my credibility and that he “took care of that” for me. When I showed the officer those text messages, he denied that stridently and explained that wasn’t what he’d said at all. He’d said that having other case numbers regarding Taylor’s actions toward others would help give the case as a whole more credibility.
He then told me that Neal sounded strange and talked about a lot of things that had nothing to do with the case. He seemed very skeptical of Neal and told me that he had not actually given him anything I’d specifically requested (case numbers, evidence, etc.).

That clarifies the reasons for Rauhauser’s involvement, but not what “things that had nothing to do with the case” Rauhauser talked to investigators about. Meanwhile, in a somewhat related development, a U.S. district judge in Maryland has dismissed Aaron Walker’s federal lawsuit against Brett Kimberlin, although Walker’s state lawsuit against Kimberlin (and Kimberlin’s co-defendant Rauhauser) in Virginia is still going forward.

 

Category: The Kimberlin Files
« go back — keep looking »

    About

    This is an area on your website where you can add text. This will serve as an informative location on your website, where you can talk about your site.

    Subscribe to our feed

    Search

    Admin