Recently in Politics Category

Not sure why he doesn't get a special holiday as author of the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom, and being somewhat influential, even though he was in France at the time, in the fact that we even have a Bill of Rights. Thomas Jefferson is clearly one of the most important Founding Fathers, but I guess we have to be happy with Presidents Day.

He was one of the founders of the Democratic-Republican Party, which we now know as the Democratic Party. The opposition in his time was the Federalists, and when we look closely, today's Republican Party positions tend to be more in line with Federalist thinking. Among other evils, the Federalists were opposed to a Bill of Rights. Just think about that for a minute: If the Federalists would have had their way, we would probably have no Bill of Rights. Scary thought, I think.

A few words of wisdom from The Sage of Monticello:

I hope we shall take warning from the example and crush in it's birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country.

(He distrusted financiers - friends, by the way, of the Federalists - and was fearful of corporations gaining too much power and influence. Talk about being prescient . . . )

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." 

"Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions."

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."

"If the children . . . are untaught, their ignorance and vices will in future life cost us much dearer in their consequences, than it would have done, in their correction, by a good education."

"On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarreling, fighting, burning and torturing one another, for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind."

"I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature."

Having a president that understands the importance of science is a good thing. Today President Obama issued a memo that overrides one of the (many) boneheaded maneuvers by the previous administration that essentially made the Endangered Species Act null and void. A rule enacted last December would have permitted federal agencies to pretty much do what they wanted to do with consulting biologists.

The memo doesn't exactly overturn the Bush Administration rule, but basically puts it aside and restores the previous requirements for projects until such time as the December rule is reviewed by the Departments of Commerce and Interior. My guess is that after the review process it will ultimately be tossed out.

Sure is nice to have adults in charge again.

There were some speeches on TV tonight.

I watched the first and really tried to be open minded and watch the other.

Who was that guy from Louisiana?*

Besides the fact that, apparently, he hadn't listed to the President's speech before opening his pie hole and had absolutely nothing relevant to say - maybe someone from Louisiana can help me out here - but does this guy's speeches always sound like he's channeling Mister Rogers????????

(*Actually I am quite familiar with him, this was just the first time I've seen/heard him speak.)

In the past I have been known to rant and rave every once in a while about matters of the environment, science policy, and other stuff. I don't like "anti-science" attitudes. In fact, few things rile me up and tempt me to climb up on my soapbox more than that. The most recent administration was really good about getting me fired up, too. That's why, at least so far, it is refreshing to see where things at least appear to be heading with the Obama Administration.

In his inaugural speech we heard Obama say "we will restore science to its rightful place." And on the technology page at the official White House website, for example, you'll find the following:

Restore Scientific Integrity to the White House: Restore the basic principle that government decisions should be based on the best-available, scientifically-valid evidence and not on ideological predispositions.

and

Make Math and Science Education a National Priority: Recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field. Work to ensure that all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels.

According to one recent (2007) report, U.S. students rank 29th in the world in science, an absolutely abysmal number in my opinion. Interestingly, this number isn't that far off from the U.S. ranking among countries whose populations accept the Theory of Evolution (I'm leaving it at that, because I don't even want to get started on the ol' "6,000 year old Earth/literal interpretation of Genesis" debate).

There are other hopeful signs as well. For example, in a memo to EPA employees, EPA Administrator-designate Lisa P. Jackson states:

Science must be the backbone for EPA programs. The public health and environmental laws that Congress has enacted depend on rigorous adherence to the best available science. The President believes that when EPA addresses scientific issues, it should rely on the expert judgment of the Agency's career scientists and independent advisors. When scientific judgments are suppressed, misrepresented or distorted by political agendas, Americans can lose faith in their government to provide strong public health and environmental protection.

That word "science" just keeps popping up. It even came up in a telecast we saw at work the other day from incoming Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

It really is a breath of fresh air.

The only things I hear that trouble me a little are talk of "clean coal technology", because without much better evidence I don't think coal can ever be clean, and I am not too excited with talk of offshore drilling. But we shall see where that ultimately goes. The rumblings I hear in areas such as alternative energy, better and more fuel efficient modes of transport, improved science education, stem cell research, and countless others, make me feel a little more positive about the future.

Today we have a new President and I for one am hopeful that things in the United States of America will begin to turn for the better. It won't be easy and things will not happen overnight; it will take months, if not years, to make things right again.

It is never a bad idea, in these troubled times, to look to the Sage of Monticello for some solid advice:

"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." - Thomas Jefferson

Spending some time around the internet while getting my morning shot of caffeine and happened to stumble across an interesting post over at DailyKos. The post is an open letter to the President-elect about making the right choice in selecting the new Secretary of the Interior - what caught my attention, however, were links to a couple of 2006 studies by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on "wildlife-associated recreation", one on total participation and the other on wildlife watching economics (PDF files).

Are you fired up?

It is time to change this nation.

It is time to change this world.