How immigration restrictions are starting to hurt academic research 1 Nov 2009 Jorge Cham of PhD Comics was nearly deported from the UK recently. His story is most interesting, and somewhat scary: From here. Part one here. Who doesn’t believe that we allowed terrorism to win? Education Politics
Politics Paine on national churches 5 Apr 2010 All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit. [Thomas Paine; Writings of Thomas Paine, volume 4, Age of Reason, chapter 1] This is sometimes misquoted as “All churches… Read More
Australian stuff The Philosophy Club 26 Sep 201226 Sep 2012 There are an increasing number of initiatives to present philosophy and critical thinking to school students, and I am pleased to announce a new one in my home city of Melbourne: The Philosophy Club for ages 8 to 11. As I have argued in print, earlier conceptual acquisitions tend to… Read More
General Science Speaking scientific factiness to power 14 Sep 2007 When the Republicans began their deconstruction of American democracy, under Newt Gingrich, one of the immediate targets was the emasculation of the Office of Technology Assessment. Since that time, the Republicans have mangled, misused and rhetorically denied any science that failed to fit their self-interests or those of their sponsors,… Read More
My wife is a scientist. We are, here in the US, finding it more and more difficult to compete with the Europeans for top-talent because of all this stupidity. The Euro’s stay home and the many of the Asians like Europe better now. Even some US students/post-docs that would have stayed are having second thoughts… It’s pretty sad.
The US, UK, and maybe some others, gave the terrorists a win beyond their wildest imaginings — to whatever extent W. Bush was right in saying that the terrorists hate our free and open societies, he gave them their greatest desire by making the society more closed. As it is, I’m fairly often the only US-born scientist around the table of scientific colleagues. If not the only, one of a minority. US science requires that people be able to come here to do science.
I have probably said this before but I will say it again. You don’t resist terrorism with war, you resist terrorism with justice. And when you commit injustice against your own residents, you encourage terrorism.
“allowed”? I guess things must be better in Australia. Here in America, we didn’t just “allow” terrorism to win, we made damn sure it steam rollered right over our rights to privacy, our constitutional protections from unreasonable search and seizure, our right to peaceably assemble, and other rights as well.
Well, llewelly, the terrorists hate us for our freedom, right? So all we need to do is lose our freedom and the terrorists won’t bother us, right? Right?