Comments on: The Teabagger War on Science: Important https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/ Sun, 05 Dec 2010 22:40:09 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.8 By: Jim Thomerson https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527233 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 22:40:09 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527233 Because my taxes will be what they will be regardless, I have decided that my tax dollars go to pay for things I support, such as NSF. I feel better, knowing that I am not supporting the military-industrial complex. A little self delusion is not necessarily a bad thing!

]]> By: Don Smith https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527232 Sat, 04 Dec 2010 04:20:24 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527232 Gee, 75 families worked all year to fund this research? out 110,000,000 families? Or perhaps in more scientific terms, 0.7 ppm? Seems like a deal to me.

BTW, I’d bet you could find 75 families that would be perfectly happy having their tax money spent this way.

I think this guy is on to something!

]]> By: Eric Lund https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527231 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:23:32 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527231 Is soccer some kind of dog whistle? A dangerous un-American sport, foriegn import, etc?

Remember that most of the rest of the world operates under the delusion that soccer is football, as opposed to real Murkin football (or the minor variations thereof that are found in Canada and Australia). Besides which, we didn’t get past the round of 16 in the World Cup–it’s not a real sport if we can’t make an even halfway plausible claim that we’re #1.

]]> By: Equisetum https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527230 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:13:03 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527230 I think the investigation of the sound of objects breaking for use by the video game industry is abhorrent. It should be investigated for use by law enforcement and the military. Think it would pass the Tea Party Test then?

(If so, I’m going to look into a career writing grant proposals.)

]]> By: Enoch https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527229 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:38:46 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527229 They should be investigated.

]]> By: Jim Thomerson https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527228 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:29:36 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527228 Is it possible these folks are in the pay of unnamed nations who wish to see the USA fall behind in science and technology? That strikes me as a reasonable hypothesis.

]]> By: Birger Johansson https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527227 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:38:03 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527227 (OT)-Biological control of pests? You Americans need to vote one of these into congress if you want to stand up to the Republicans.

A critter meaner than honey badgers and mongooses:
“The hardest bat in the world” http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19791-zoologger-the-hardest-bat-in-the-world.html
“…When a bat landed on a scorpion, it immediately tried to bite the scorpion’s head. The scorpion fought back by stinging the bat in the face, and on one occasion under the eyelid. The bat didn’t try to avoid it, or to break the stinger, and showed no ill effects whatsoever”

]]> By: MacTurk https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527226 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 13:23:42 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527226 My apologies for the spelling errors, etc. It should have read “And those were the only examples he could come up with? In terms of basic research who knows what applications will arise? This is one reason why it is called “basic research””.

I abase myself.

]]> By: MacTurk https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527225 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:38:04 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527225 In the context of the US deficit, this is a form of populist gesture politics which is a complete waste of time….but it really plays to the base’s dislike of “elites”(as in anyone who has an education/can read without using the index finger). As does the idea that grants “…which you don’t think is a good use of taxpayer dollars” should be reported. So the thickoes of Nebraska get the rights of oversight and veto re scientific research budgets? That will really help the Knowledge Economy. Next up, unbalanced pyromaniacs to be put in charge of all ammunition dumps and explosive factories.

$750,000 or $1.2million, it is tiny, unimportant money. and those were the only examples he could come up with? In terms of basic research who knows what applications will arise? This is one reason why it is called “basic rersearch”. If we already know the outcome, why waste time and money on research?

Now if he was serious about cutting waste, start with Defence….naw, NEVER happen.

Is soccer some kind of dog whistle? A dangerous un-American sport, foriegn import, etc?

]]> By: MadScientist https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527224 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:57:53 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/12/01/the-teabagger-war-on-science-i/#comment-527224 @John Moeller: How about the additional dog whistles: “founding fathers” and “constitution”. There are legitimate uses for those words, but Retardicans parrot them incessantly in their war on the constitution.

@itzac: The British beat us to it. They have a robot which goes “exterminate! exterminate!” – and that’s really all you need of a robot.

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