Sarah Palin

[gumby013]

Originally Posted by Melvin

How can you be so unaware as a country?? I find it baffling that has just occurred to you.

It's pretty clear what their views are, and if you elect him, you are effectively electing her for president. The old guy has cancer for gods sake, actuary tables or no actuary tables, he is ulikely to survive the full term.

If Bristol Palin had been raped I have no doubt from Sarah's views that she would have made her daughter keep the child, and to think she will not extend her views to the rest of the the country if she becomes president seems really naive.

It is a possibility under Palin's views that Bristol would have to marry the rapist.

[Melvin]

Originally Posted by gumby013

It is a possibility under Palin's views that Bristol would have to marry the rapist.

hahahah she probably would at least have to go to couples counselling

[Forbin]

Originally Posted by Melvin

How can you be so unaware as a country?? I find it baffling that has just occurred to you.

Speaking only for myself, I didn't know that the court was so precarious because I don't follow US politics that closely. I'm not American, at least not yet, although I may change that soon, I just live here.

As for the second part that you quoted, I think you may have slightly misinterpreted what I mean. To clarify, on the face of it, whether neo-Darwinism or ID, or creationisms is taught in classrooms doesn't seem like it makes that much difference. For those not hip-deep in computational biology, it seems almost a question of faith about how we came to be in the world. What people don't know is just how much of medical science came out of research based on evolution. Take an example, Dengue fever is a fatal, insect borne disease that will start to appear in the US in the not too distant future. Luckily, a vaccine is on the horizon, it seems to work against all strains and is nearing clinical trial. One aspect of the basic research that leads to vaccines like that is based on the principles of stochastic evolution. I think it's fair to say that most people, even clever Europeans like you and I, are unaware of this.

[motownguy]

Originally Posted by Melvin

How can you be so unaware as a country?? I find it baffling that has just occurred to you.

It's pretty clear what their views are, and if you elect him, you are effectively electing her for president. The old guy has cancer for gods sake, actuary tables or no actuary tables, he is ulikely to survive the full term.

If Bristol Palin had been raped I have no doubt from Sarah's views that she would have made her daughter keep the child, and to think she will not extend her views to the rest of the the country if she becomes president seems really naive.

How can you propose to comment on our electoral process, when you somehow believe that a single poster on a comedy forum represents the country? For the sake of your village, go back, they miss you. Write from there, please, so we know you made it safely.

When sharing an opinion or new found fact I am so happy that most people I know engage in debate about the topic, not the awareness of the individual. It is through the exchange of ideas that we all learn more.

[Melvin]

The thing is realsitically even if they do teach creationism in schools, the real knock-on effect to the laboratory would take 25 years as the next generation would be the one to implement it, if it all. However I worry more that McCain/Palin can remove funding and research in areas they don't like ethically ie stem cell research and that may have a real impact on medical science.

[Melvin]

Originally Posted by motownguy

How can you propose to comment on our electoral process, when you somehow believe that a single poster on a comedy forum represents the country? For the sake of your village, go back, they miss you. Write from there, please, so we know you made it safely.

When sharing an opinion or new found fact I am so happy that most people I know engage in debate about the topic, not the awareness of the individual. It is through the exchange of ideas that we all learn more.

Try not to be such a fire starter....your fight picking is boring. You yourself by your comment are snuffing out debate.

I was commenting to him, and last time I checked he was happy to reply back and vice versa.

[motownguy]

Originally Posted by Melvin

Try not to be such a fire starter....your fight picking is boring. You yourself by your comment are snuffing out debate.

I was commenting to him, and last time I checked he was happy to reply back and vice versa.

It interests me that you feel that I was picking a fight. I was, rather being dismissive of you.

Originally Posted by Melvin

The thing is realsitically even if they do teach creationism in schools, the real knock-on effect to the laboratory would take 25 years as the next generation would be the one to implement it, if it all. However I worry more that McCain/Palin can remove funding and research in areas they don't like ethically ie stem cell research and that may have a real impact on medical science.

Now you have said something interesting to me. Why should the government fund any reasearch at all? It's one of the least effective and highest overhead methods of funneling cash to any enterprise and always comes with strings attached.

[Melvin]

To save money in healthcare costs (prob not your governments first concern as the US has an insurance system to provide healthcare) but here we are keen to get value for money out of our healthcare system, which has many problems and could absolutely do with more money being spent on it.

Also for the greater good and to save possibly our lives one day if something goes horribly wrong.

[Forbin]

Originally Posted by Melvin

The thing is realsitically even if they do teach creationism in schools, the real knock-on effect to the laboratory would take 25 years as the next generation would be the one to implement it, if it all. However I worry more that McCain/Palin can remove funding and research in areas they don't like ethically ie stem cell research and that may have a real impact on medical science.

Not really, kids learn fuck all in High School. It's the college level that's the issue. From going to College, kids who are interested in a career in science, at least those who are going to be successful are in labs doing actual research within about 3-4 years. After 4-5, they're graduating and some are hired as technicians for a while to beef up their CVs before Grad school. The pre grad school technicians are important in many large labs as they do a lot of the actual bench work, they're cheap labour you see. So, the effect would start to be felt almost immediately, we'd see a drop graduate students doing infectious disease research with 5 years and very few postdoctoral fellows 10 years out.

The stem cell stuff is annoying but not prohibitive. If you want to go down that route, you should be concerned about federal funding for sexual education to fight the spread of AIDS, especially in the foreign aid budget.

[Forbin]

Originally Posted by Melvin

To save money in healthcare costs (prob not your governments first concern as the US has an insurance system to provide healthcare)

A friend of mine worked on negotiations for the Massachuset not-so-universal healthcare bill. She once told me that Americans pay about 20% of their personal health care costs, on average. The rest comes from the government under one mechanism or another. I have no source for this, apart from 'my friend told me and she should know'.

At any rate, reducing health care costs is a huge topic in America, the present funding mechanism has a couple of problems as it stands.