Science is for socialists.

Math is for Marxists.
Reading is for radicals.

These are the slogans of the reactionary right.  Consider this.  When Al Gore mentioned the leadership he showed in Congress toward the public-private partnership that lead to the commercial web, he was mocked by Republicans.  Those who know how important evidence-based leadership is to America's technological strength and leasdership in the world, like Vint "father of the internet" Cerf, actually awarded Gore for his work.  Now for his work on alerting the public to the urgent need of addressing global warming Gore is receiving  awards again. 

Sadly, as more negtive effects of global warming become evident we can expect the far right to be more interested in the paranoid conspiracy theories of Sen. James Inhofe (R-Exxon) and fiction writer Michael Crichton than evidence-based leaders like Gore and or to actual climatologists.  Happily, no one takes wingnut conspiracy theories about global scientific hoaxes all that seriously.

Comments

[Jeremy Shipley]

Who makes up this "Far Right" that you keep talking about? Are they related to the radicals in the "Far Left" that seem to be hiding in all the shadows?

Posted by: Jimmy K | 2006.11.28 at 02:48 AM

Anyone that thinks supporting Social Security, public education, or environmental regulation constitute communism is far right. If you think, like James Inhofe who is the leading Republican on the issue, that nearly every climatologist in the world is conspiring with the UN and Al Gore to perpetrate a hoax that would bring down the American economy, then you are really far Right. From my perspective, the far Left is pretty marginalized. Not too many people in the Democratic Party read Chomsky (I happen to think it would be better if they would). On the other hand, the far Right seems to have alot of sway in the Republican party. Of course, words like "far" are relative to where one is standing I suppose. In any case, I wasn't even talking about politics in that post.

Posted by: Jeremy Shipley | 2006.11.28 at 08:01 AM

Just pointing out that the terms "far right" and "far left" are terms that are thrown around quite a bit, and people on each side seem to believe that the other is dominated by people on the extremes.

I would also like to point out that you have no idea whether I am on the left or the right.

Posted by: Jimmy K | 2006.11.29 at 04:32 AM

[Jeremy Shipley]

Those are far points. Of course, both sides believe it but the right really is dominated by extremes. ;-)

To be honest, I've gotten a bit sick of some of the folks on the far left myself. I was never for invading Iraq and think it's clear now that it was a big mistake. But I'm not entirely convinced that "withdraw now" is the best thing to do (I'm not sure what is). If you even hedge one bit on that on some lefty forums you're swiftly branded a "neocon troll." Let me put it this way then: If you regurlarly visit freerepublic you're on the far right, if democraticunderground far left.

[Jimmy K]

I'm not sure where I'd currently fall. Do we have a fascist party? Perhaps a libertarian/fascist mix party? Maybe I'm a true neocon. Not neocon as in the label that democrats have branded on warhawk republicans, but as in the original meaning of the word which is a liberal democrat that believes in agressive foreign policy. Somewhere in the midst of all that I suppose. Not that it matters much. My votes are always absentee, which are not normally counted.
I'm just glad that the Presidency and Congress are in opposing hands now. I think the balance is healthy.