An Open Letter to President Obama Regarding the Appointment of Science Advisor John Holdren

Evolution News & Views ^ | July 30, 2009 | Michael Egnor, M.D.

[whattajoke]

Wow in typical liberal fashion you blame the messenger. whattajoke...how aptly named.

?? True. That's your problem. The Discovery Institute is an org hellbent on destroying education, promoting lies and ignorance and I'll say it again LYING across the board. So yeah, I do take DI messengers with a grain of salt.

Please note, however, I did NOT dismiss the claims at all. I merely said it sucks that they were written by one who is associated with creationism.

Oh, and thanks for being as creative as your boyfriend GGG re: my 7-yr-old screename.

[ColdWater]

PS And don’t think I’m counting that diatribe of an creo-site as a source for anything other than the pushing of your anti-evo-religion, because that is all it is.

[GodGunsGuts]

Whattajoke’s reply to you is exactly one reply after he told me to grow up in order to be taken more seriously...LOL!!!

[BrandtMichaels]

If you want to be taken seriously, why not do your research on the author’s background first and then post. Course, you would also be taken more seriously if your posts were not full on insults.

[whattajoke]

If you want to be taken seriously, why not do your research on the author’s background first and then post. Course, you would also be taken more seriously if your posts were not full on insults.

Upon closer reading, the point of my first post was to point out that the author's background, while certainly impressive on the face of it, is unfortunately intimately tied to the Discovery Institute of Seattle. The DI has perjured and likes to meddle in other state's affairs, which I find abhorrent. They have an abysmal track record full of lies and distortions. And their entire purpose is to convince people that everything we know about biology, geology, chemistry, physics, etc is wrong. Sorry, even with strong credentials, if you agree with the DI you have an embarrassing case of cognitive dissonance, misguided religious faith, or you're just plain stupid.

Yes, I did insult GGG and tpanther. If you have a few hours to kill some brain cells, you could read their 2 yr's worth of insults.

Actually, "pouring milk on my Darwin idol" and "Temple of Darwin" would be insulting to me if they didn't use those nonsensical phrases 1800x a day.

[BrandtMichaels]

This latest response is full of hyperbole and still no research on the author which I doubt you ever intended to complete.

[tom h]

Oh, come on. Not every one of our political opponents is a Nazi, or Dracula.

Some of the comments said he was creepy or disgusting. What I merely meant is that if he was your next-door neighbor he would be a fine person to share a fence with. He wouldn’t be leering at your wife or doing strange things in the garage at 2 AM. Your children would not be in jeopardy.

I think it’s important that we not demonize our political opponents, otherwise we descend to the level of the committed leftists, who follow the rules of Saul Alinsky. I think we corrupt our souls when we lie about character for the sake of political gain.

Guess I’m sensitive to the demonization because as a young man I was a Democrat, although never a leftist. I was a faithful reader of the NY Times and the Wash Post, and recall believing that Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina was an eeeevil man, basically a devil, with perverse ideas about women and sex and modern culture. About the time I got married, at age 30, I started going back to church again and became a dedicated Christian. Also was a confirmed conservative Republican. This was in the late 1980s. And with unblinkered eyes, I saw Jesse Helms truthfully. The left had made gross mis-characterizations about him (1) because he was deeply opposed to abortion, and (2) he was an old-fashioned, patriotic American.

Then I watched the media do the same thing to Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah — why? Because he was a candidate for the Supreme Court.

Both men were made to look like monsters. And it was all bullsh-t.

Lying for political gain corrupts one’s soul. I do not especially care for the souls of NYT editors, but I care about mine and those on FR.

Hence, my post clarifying things about John Holdren.

[MrDem]

Save it Tom. The positions espoused by the guy are evil. I really don’t care if he pats dogs on the head or “seems” like a nice guy.

[tpanther]

Liberals like to make rules for everyone else. This one’s proud to be a joke for 7 years! LOL

[whattajoke]

Liberals like to make rules for everyone else. This one’s proud to be a joke for 7 years! LOL

No wonder that dreadful "Everybody Loves Raymond" was tops for years. People like you think lame recycled jokes like the above are "LOL" worthy.

But thanks for calling me a liberal again. I forgot to mention that when I was counting up insults hurled my way. Happy weekend!

[whattajoke]

This latest response is full of hyperbole and still no research on the author which I doubt you ever intended to complete.

I agree. I did quote some of the OP's hyperbole and I apologize. Drivel like "Temple of Darwin" and "pouring milk over my Darwin Idols" smacks of hyperbolic nonsense. I'll refrain. As for "researching the author," I'm unclear what you mean. Ironically, I probably did 10x the "research" on him than GGG or anyone else on this thread, save the guy who knows him.

Since GGG posted the article, I immediately Googled the guy and aside from his Stony Brook page, most of the first hits are either A) his creationist wackery (ie, "I don't use biology in my neuroscience") or B) well researched pieces discussing the good Dr's ties to the Discovery Institute and clear irrefutable accounts of his creationist credentials.

What more do you need?

Lost in this was my original point: The auther CERTAINLY has valid points re: Holdren. I was merely saying it sucks that his creationist ideas drop him immediately to zero on my trust scale.

[ColdWater]

But thanks for calling me a liberal again.

I think tpanther thinks liberalism began with noticing that the world is not flat.

[tpanther]

What in the world is an “everybody loves raymond” ?????

[tpanther]

Thinking has obviously always been a sore spot for you.

[ColdWater]

Thinking has obviously always been a sore spot for you.

You should try it sometime.

[tpanther]

No thanks...I prefer sanity and normality as opposed to your sore version and definition of it.

[ColdWater]

Thinking has obviously always been a sore spot for you.

You should try it sometime.

No thanks...

I thought so.

[tpanther]

That’s just it, you don’t think.

No thanks...I prefer sanity and normality as opposed to your sore version and definition of it.

Unsurprisingly, with your defects, your reading comprehension falls short too.

Not that you needed to drive that point home too, but suit yourself!

[Texas Eagle]

This guy is straight out of the Third Reich...errr...the Obama Regime!

That would make it The Fourth Reich wouldn't it?

[Minus_The_Bear]

Unfortunately this stuff about Holdren is true. I don't know anything about the guy who wrote this open letter but go to zombietime and do your own research.

Zombie pulled the ISBN of the textbook Holdren co-authored and has some hi quality scans up. Pretty damning stuff. The parts about "undesirables" and subjugation of women is particularly disgusting.