Nitpicker - Kansas resident, Afghanistan vet, kos blogger, liberal

Nitpicker - Kansas resident, Afghanistan vet, kos blogger, liberal

Nitpicker blogs:

"I'm back

It was a long year in Afghanistan, though it was punctuated by great moments like the one you see below. I had talked glassmaker Sultan Hamidy into playing something for me (there's more about Sultan in the comments), but he'd only play if I took up the drums. Forgive the 'helmet hair.'

















What made the year even longer was the fact that I felt disconnected and unable to comment on the election as it unfolded. What was worse is that I saw so many of the proper responses to the Rovian campaign tactics tossed up on blogs, but ignored by the campaigns of the good guys*. That's why I knew that, though I would eventually return to blogging, it was more important that I make a difference to the country than it was for me to have this blog be what it had been: a venue to get things off my chest so that I wasn't kept up all night.

When I returned to find my state rejecting science, my senators abandoning their institution's rules and Kansas' Democratic party doing nothing about any of it. When I contacted the state party chair, he all but patted my head and said I might understand how politics work when I'm a big boy. I was sick of the bullshit. Blogging wasn't going to be enough. I think that, while a great tool, the internet alone will not help us turn Kansas around.

After talking to many of my fellow Kansans, I was struck by how many life-long Republicans are growing disgusted by the actions of their party. I would chat with them a bit and, after a while, it would dawn on me that these people had never really been Republicans at all. Their beliefs were pure liberalism, but they'd been distracted by the clanging of the Republican noise machine. I mean, honestly, 'mainstream' thought doesn't normally include the likes of Todd Tiahrt and Sam Brownback's friends who want to pattern the Christian church after the mafia or the Third Reich. And, for God's sake, why didn't my state party send out press releases saying that both of our Senators voted for filibusters against Clinton judicial nominees?

Long story short: I'm pissed. I got with some like-minded fellow Kansas (this guy and this guy for starters) and, very soon, we will be kicking off a new organization designed to counter the right-wing co-opting of midwestern values. Once I got that ball rolling, I felt that I could come back to blogging.

So I'm back. I'm ready to kick some ass.
[And boy, does the Kansas GOP need some ass kicking! -- law]

Nitpicker

Kansas Board of Ed Bans All Theories From Classroom

the truth of the Bible is absolute. This can be easily proven, because the Bible says so. Q.E.D., mister scientist. Q.E.D."


"Kansas Board of Ed Bans All Theories From Classroom"

"One does wonder what exactly they expect Kansas schoolchildren to study," said Martin Freeman, professor of geology at the University of Kansas. "If the Board's intention was to send a message to the world, they've succeeded. The message is: "Stay Away From Kansas.""

In common usage a theory is often viewed as little more than a guess or a hypothesis. But in science and generally in academic usage, a theory is much more than that. A theory is an established paradigm that explains all or much of the data available.

"By definition, a theory can never be proven true, because we can never assume we know all there is to know," explained Freeman.

"Aha!" shouted Martin. "See? They admit they can't prove any of it! On the other hand, the truth of the Bible is absolute. This can be easily proven, because the Bible says so. Q.E.D., mister scientist. Q.E.D."

Among the theories besides evolution that would be eliminated from the curriculum by the Kansas Board of Education's ruling are the theories of gravity, special and general relativity, quantum mechanics, acoustic theory, plate tectonics, algorithmic information theory, computation theory, graph theory, number theory, and probability theory. Critical theory and literary theory would also be banished, effectively removing virtually all books from the curriculum as well.

"Well, that's not really a loss," said Martin. "You see, we figure that if the books agree with the Bible, they are superfluous; if they contradict it, they are dangerous. We are really just doing our job to make schools safe for our children."

"This is obviously some strange use of the word "safe" that I wasn't previously aware of," said Freeman. "Anyone leaving Kansas now? Can I get a lift?"

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