Bellesiles Misfires

The Wall Street Journal ^ | February 6, 2004 | KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL

[neverdem]

An antigun "scholar" as today's Galileo? Oh please, just shoot me.

History has its fair share of persecuted geniuses, men who were ahead of their time and made to pay for it. There's the hemlocked Socrates, the house-arrested Galileo, the exiled Rousseau. And to this list of giants it seems that we are now expected to add the name of Michael Bellesiles.

[Ditto]

While we're at it, the Galileo case has been hugely twisted for liberal, anti-Catholic purposes. The Church had no objection to his publishing his findings as long as he presented them as theories. He finally got into trouble because he published them as a proven fact--that the earth's spinning and revolving around the sun was a fact.

From my understanding, the reason he got in trouble was by seriously and repeatably mocking the Pope as a not too bright fellow, not because of any of his scientific observations.

[an amused spectator]

The pamphlet in question:

"Weighed in an Even Balance"

It's a very fine vintage of Whine. I absolutely love The Great Flood Of 2000. :-)

[Semper Paratus]

A fraudulent book through and through but that doesn't matter because his intentions were good.

[neverdem]

LOL

[RKV]

My boss can fire me, not lock me up. Unless I steal his property, which I don't have evidence that Galileo did.

[randog]

When some propeller-head tries to unsuccessfully convince me of his whack theory, I sometimes get the, "They laughed at Galileo, too!" non-defense. I will first correct them by informing them that "they" did not laugh at Galileo but instead placed him under house arrest, then inform them that "They did, however, laugh at Bozo the Clown".

As far as Mr. Belisles goes: it's good to see him sink to the level he has. Kinda reminds me of Jimmy Swaggart's decline from top TV evangelist to shopping mall preacher.

[babyface00]

I chose my words carefully.

Would it be wrong for a modern employer to use legal means to ...

It sounds like you're viewing late 15th/early 16th century actions through the lens of an inhabitant of a 21st century democratic republic. The concept of free individuals was virtually non-existant to the general population, and limited to those who had access to contemporary thought. Locke, for example, wasn't even born yet for much of Galileo's life.

Elizabeth I was ruling England. I dare say she would have handled a Galileo a lot worse than the church (like what she did to her sister), as would have any contemporary government (virtually all monarchies at the time) whose citizens disobeyed the edicts of the monarch.

Of course, other governments wouldn't really have been an option for Galileo. The church was pretty much the only game in town funding the pursuit of scientific endeavors other than those with direct benefits to navigation and/or warfare.

Galileo surely knew that his work was subject to church review. He essentially chose to disobey the terms set down by the church and the church responded with the lighter side of the legal and common means of enforcing its interests avilable to it at the time.

[neverdem]

I was familiar with Cramer's debunking of bonehead Bellesiles' BS. Thanks for the link to his blog. There were some some interesting quotes from letters by Kerry to the same person on a link Cramer has to a blog called Final Protective Fire. Will post in my next comment shortly.

[neverdem]

BANG

Joe, the list was banged already. Check what I found courtesy of RKV's previous link.

Thursday, January 29, 2004...
Robin Roberts 9:58 PM

Pejman points us to this piece on what a two-faced S.O.B. John Kerry is:
"Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition ... to the early use of military force by the US against Iraq. I share your concerns. On January 11, I voted in favor of a resolution that would have insisted that economic sanctions be given more time to work and against a resolution giving the president the immediate authority to go to war."

--letter from Senator John Kerry to Wallace Carter of Newton Centre, Massachusetts, dated January 22 [1991]

"Thank you very much for contacting me to express your support for the actions of President Bush in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. From the outset of the invasion, I have strongly and unequivocally supported President Bush's response to the crisis and the policy goals he has established with our military deployment in the Persian Gulf."

--Senator Kerry to Wallace Carter, January 31 [1991]

Just the most typical dishonest piece of nonsense you can get. He'll be the perfect Democrat nominee. Four More Years.
Robin Roberts 9:52 PM

[backhoe]

More from Cramer:

http://www.claytoncramer.com/unpublished.htm

[RKV]

I studied history at university (hey and even graduated).
I am well aware of the line of criticism you are making and no I not applying today's values on yesterdays' events. When you say "He essentially chose to disobey the terms set down by the church and the church responded with the lighter side of the legal and common means of enforcing its interests avilable to it at the time." you are making excuses for tyranny. That is why it is a good thing to keep church and state separate.

[Ohioan]

"There are those who rest their very identity on the notion of a certain, unchanging past. The vision that society is unalterable is not just incorrect, it is dangerously undemocratic, and as such should be of concern to every modern historian."

Transaltion: I am justified in distorting history in order to undermine traditional American values, in the interest of promoting a Democratic Collectivist World Order.

Thus this pseudo-intellectual slime ball tries to justify his deceptions, much as Ashley Montagu justified his deceptions in the field of anthropology, and Gordon Allport his in the field of psychology, on behalf of bringing about the long desired Leftist International Utopia--that is long desired by the extreme Left. (See Myths & Myth Makers In American "Higher" Education.)

These people have the same morality as the Communists and Nazis; that is the pseudo morality that any means is justified, if it advances their fantasy version of the human future. But at least, in this case, a mountebank has been thoroughly discredited.

William Flax

[TC Rider]

Soft Skull Press

FYI, Soft Skull Press is the highly disreputable publisher that decided to publish "Fortunate Son", the supposed tale of W's drug abuse, etc, written by a known criminal con man.

Other publishers decided to pass after the background of the author was revealed.

By their standards, this is a winner.

[Ohioan]

Sorry about the spelling of "translation."

While I am at it, I will post a link to my article on the importance of our right to private arms in America:

The Right To Keep & Bear Arms.

William Flax

[Ohioan]

I am going to bump this. Academic frauds deserve to be spotlighted and discredited.

[neverdem]

Have you posted your link as an article? If not, why not? I would like to bookmark it as separate thread. My only complaint is that the print for the synopsis is too small.

[Travis McGee]

Rebump.

[Ohioan]

Have you posted your link as an article? If not, why not? I would like to bookmark it as separate thread. My only complaint is that the print for the synopsis is too small.

Actually, the way that I was introduced to Free Republic, back in 2000, was when one of the regulars posted the essay to which you refer as a thread, and notified me of the fact.

You have my permission to use any of the materials at my web site, copy or repost them, wherever you like, with the one restriction that you not quote me out of context. I do not want my views misrepresented by anyone.

Personally, I usually just post links to my materials, where they are relevant to someone's thread, so as to spare Free Republic's bandwith. However, I certainly would not post them at my web site, if I was in anyway hesitant to have the world view them.

But thanks for the compliment and the opportunity to keep this thread bumped. It does expose a despicable fraud, and that is always a good thing.

William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site

[Ohioan]

bump

[Ohioan]

Bump again