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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: koan who wrote (571668)	6/14/2010 8:47:19 PM
From: i-node	3 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1577255

>> Only Six Percent Of Scientists Are Republicans: Pew Poll The inference of course, is that Republicans are stupid people who have buried their heads in the sand and don't find the pursuit of knowledge to be a worthy aspiration. The fallacy, of course, is that apparent "intellect" is measured by university accomplishment rather than REAL accomplishment (and universities are the domain of liberalism). And so, what you get, is a Barack Obama -- a purported intellectual -- who couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag. A liberal "genius" like Rachel Maddow who is forced to use lies to support her positions because she can't do it on the facts. An entire news channel full of liberal idiots, none of whom can approach the competence of Bill O'Reilly. Yes, we conservatives are a stupid lot. Says the Left. I find it humorous that you, of all people posting here, take this position.

To: koan who wrote (571668)	6/14/2010 9:11:34 PM
From: one_less	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1577255

I have no dispute with what most of what was reported. I didn't doubt your initial contention either. I just question the conclusions drawn. Farmers and small town people are not all the dumb bunnies you claim them to be and urbanized professional students are not all gifted and talented. I used to be amazed when I'd have to help a PhD engineer friend (I have several) figure out how to fix something in their home or strategize to solve a simple life problem. It took me two hours last week convincing a friend I could get rid of the rattle snake in his front yard with a stick. Then he finally agreed to leave it alone when I told him it was only out for some sun and would leave on it's own as soon as the temp dropped below 80 degrees. I've gotten used to it now, some are helpless to do anything outside an office chair, or to think for themselves without a text book or the tv news telling them what to think. I had the opportunity to work in every career cluster during my young hippy drifter days before going through PhD myself, and I crossed paths with many brilliant, talented, and capable people who didn't get it from academia. I don't know any educated conservatives who hate science, your oft repeated allegation. I noticed when they (back to the article) refer to liberal scientists they use the term having liberal viewpoints rather than referring to them as democrats; where as; they refer to the alternative to liberal view points as Republicans. I take liberal view points with regard to change, renewal, and the future ... that is what the scientific process is, duh. While disciplining my self in a conservative lifestyle, so I probably wouldn't be able to even respond to the survey they used. I usually test out as a ghandi realm liberal on surveys but most of these discussion threads align me as a conservative. Some of the other comments make sense. The feeling of dissonance between party line, which is rigid, vs scientific endeavor, which must be open. The hard line the scientific community has taken with regards some topics has created some distrust among far right wing conservatives because it puts the genuine openness of the scientific community into question. The political correctness that has pervaded academia for the past few decades drives conservatives away from academia and puts academia at odds with the mainstream. In any event I think some skepticism is healthy and scientists need to have thick skins if they are really going to get out there and do what is needed. They need to do their work in spite of the far left as easily as they do it in spite for the far right. Partisanism left or right has no conscience and that is the biggest problem I have with it.