{"id":581,"date":"2007-06-10T14:14:13","date_gmt":"2007-06-10T19:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/?p=581"},"modified":"2007-06-10T12:15:21","modified_gmt":"2007-06-10T17:15:21","slug":"science-and-reason-on-vacation-again-from-the-white-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2007\/06\/10\/science-and-reason-on-vacation-again-from-the-white-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Science and reason on vacation (again) from the White House"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nicmcphee\/267333555\/\" title=\"Photo Sharing\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.static.flickr.com\/97\/267333555_d8d1300c0c_m.jpg?resize=240%2C160\" width=\"240\" height=\"160\" alt=\"Science buzz!!!\" align='right' hspace='10' vspace='10' data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nOur fearless leader has apparently nominated someone (James Holsinger) to the post of Surgeon General who is sadly confused about basic issues of science, logic, and argument from evidence.  Not good for the nation&#8217;s chief doctor, although hardly surprising from Our Friends at the White House.  From <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/story?id=3251663&#038;page=1\">ABC News<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n&#8220;You have to wonder given the quality of some of the nominations that have gone forward recently, whether the selection group in the White House has gone on vacation,&#8221; Gergen [former adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton] said. &#8220;There has been a growing criticism the administration favoring ideology over competence, and this nomination smacks of that.&#8221;\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/gregladen.com\/wordpress\/?p=899\">Greg Laden nicely takes apart<\/a> the &#8220;naturalist fallacy&#8221; in Holsinger&#8217;s argument, and I definitely recommend heading over to read that.  The short version is that Holsinger&#8217;s fallen into something like &#8220;the parts don&#8217;t fit, ergo homosexuality is unnatural and <em>wrong<\/em>&#8220;.  What&#8217;s &#8220;natural&#8221; and what&#8217;s &#8220;right&#8221;, though, have little or nothing to do with each other.  My eyeglasses are clearly unnatural, as was my life-saving appendectomy, but I&#8217;m hardly returning either of those.  Similarly, it&#8217;s &#8220;natural&#8221; (at least we&#8217;re genetically predisposed) for men to be physically larger and stronger than women (on average), but that clearly doesn&#8217;t provide <em>any<\/em> justification for physical abuse and intimidation of women by men, or adults beating children just &#8217;cause they&#8217;re bigger.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m off to write my Senators and express my unhappiness with yet another Shrub appointee&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"st-post-tags \">\n\tTags: <a href=\"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/tag\/politics\/\" title=\"Politics\">Politics<\/a><br \/><\/div>\n\n\n\t<h4>Related posts<\/h4>\n\t<ul class=\"st-related-posts\">\n\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2008\/09\/11\/you-have-to-either-laugh-or-cry-and-ill-help-you-do-both\/\" title=\"You have to either laugh or cry (and I&#8217;ll help you do both) (11 Sep 08)\">You have to either laugh or cry (and I&#8217;ll help you do both)<\/a> (0)<\/li>\n\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2008\/02\/14\/yet-another-quiz-to-help-you-decide-how-to-vote\/\" title=\"Yet another quiz to help you decide how to vote (14 Feb 08)\">Yet another quiz to help you decide how to vote<\/a> (3)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our fearless leader has apparently nominated someone (James Holsinger) to the post of Surgeon General who is sadly confused about basic issues of science, logic, and argument from evidence. Not good for the nation&#8217;s chief doctor, although hardly surprising from Our Friends at the White House. From ABC News: &#8220;You have to wonder given the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2007\/06\/10\/science-and-reason-on-vacation-again-from-the-white-house\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Science and reason on vacation (again) from the White House&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[865],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p90sy-9n","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":786,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2008\/01\/30\/techcrunch-endorses-obama-and-mccain\/","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":0},"title":"TechCrunch endorses Obama and McCain","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"30 Jan 08","format":false,"excerpt":"In a well written and thoughtful endorsement that (not surprisingly) focuses on tech related issues, they've gone for Obama and McCain (with a strong preference for Obama between the two). Obviously technical issues aren't the only important issues facing the country, and silicon valley tech issues aren't necessarily always the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Computing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Computing","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/computing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1051,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2009\/07\/28\/enjoying-a-summer-rain\/","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":1},"title":"Enjoying a summer rain","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"28 Jul 09","format":false,"excerpt":"Photo of a ceramic frog on my parents deck in a gentle summer rain.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Family&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/family\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Enjoying a summer rain (from Flickr)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3495\/3764008179_b68d56f548.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":117,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2005\/04\/12\/its-almost-but-not-exactly-unlike-the-total-perspective-vortex\/","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":2},"title":"It&#8217;s almost but not exactly unlike the total perspective vortex","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"12 Apr 05","format":false,"excerpt":"Pharyngula has a really wonderful piece on the true scope of human history and all that we don't (and in many cases will never) know. (Which is not to say that there isn't enormous value in the struggle to learn more.) A sample: Here's another icon, a few bits of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":126,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2005\/04\/17\/mit-students-find-absence-of-human-intelligence-at-csci-conference\/","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":3},"title":"MIT students find absence of human intelligence at CSci conference","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"17 Apr 05","format":false,"excerpt":"In the late 1940's Alan Turing wrestled with the thorny problem of how we'd recognize (computer) intelligence if it walked up and bit us. His answer was his famous Turing Test, which essentially takes the position that if a computer program can consistently fool us into thinking it's a human\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Computing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Computing","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/computing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":815,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2008\/03\/12\/contemplating-a-major-change-in-direction\/","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":4},"title":"Contemplating a major change in direction","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"12 Mar 08","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm considering changing First Year Seminar topics from American Roots Music to Global Climate Change. I have mixed feelings on the matter, and am soliciting feedback from my readers.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Education&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Education","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1307\/905103261_77f2b8f304_m.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":745,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2007\/12\/12\/science-debate-its-about-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":581,"position":5},"title":"Science Debate:  It&#8217;s about time!","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"12 Dec 07","format":false,"excerpt":"w00t! There's a group pushing for a presidential science debate focused on the many scientific issues that face us nationally and worldwide. Their call: Given the many urgent scientific and technological challenges facing America and the rest of the world, the increasing need for accurate scientific information in political decision\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}