Day: October 4, 2010

Republicans And Science: Repudiated In Favor Of Religion!

The Republican party has been outrageous in its refusal to accept science, and instead back religion as the basis of understanding the natural world!

It is embarrassing how the Darwinian evolution concept has been abandoned in favor of “creationism”, which teaches that the world is six thousand years old and that dinosaurs walked the earth with mankind! 🙁

It is also beyond belief that, despite the evidence of global warming, such as the highest recorded temperatures in the past decade and more, and the rapid melting of glaciers, and so much other scientific evidence that should give us pause and make us want to work toward the dangers of climate change, instead every Republican nominee for the Senate repudiates the idea!

But they all invoke religion, despite the concept of separation of church and state that is part of our Constitution! And realize that the Republican party in the years after World War II and through the 1970s hardly ever invoked religion to the extent they do now, and it is only since the rise of the Christian Coalition in the late 1970s, that science has come under such bitter attack! 🙁

Instead of the Republican party living in modern, changing times, instead it has buried its head in the sand and promoted fundamentalist Christianity as the new science! This is indeed a sad commentary on a party that wishes to govern in the 21st century! 🙁

New Supreme Court Term Begins Today!

The Supreme Court begins its new term this morning, and it is the youngest Court in many years!

This Court is unique in that it includes three women for the first time! But it also includes six Catholics and three Jews, so for the first term ever there are no Protestants on the Court!

Not that long ago, the Court was ONLY white Protestants, but now has become a Court of “minorities”, including an African American, an Hispanic or Latino, and two Italians, beyond the Catholics, Jews and women already mentioned!

The Court is now averaging in the mid fifties in age, due to the comparative youth of Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s two Supreme Court appointments!

But this Court is still seen as leaning to the right, and it is not expected there will be any noticeable difference in Court decisions with Kagan replacing John Paul Stevens!

Cases involving illegal immigration and freedom of speech will highlight the Court’s term between now and next June!

As always, the Supreme Court will have the influence that former Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes stated in one sentence, often quoted, during the 1930s but repeated ever since–“The Constitution is what the Supreme Court says it is!”