Malkin has used the same arguments for academia – that people out of the club are silenced. But when you look at it, there is a lot of welcoming of the ideas of people without PhDs – many authors and filmmakers are given professorships based on experience and are welcomed into the academy with open arms (although there are some @$$es out there).

“who could do a way better job than this clown.”

Who ARE doing a way better job than this clown. I’ve seen a half dozen reports on feelings in the rocket hit areas of Israel (that is, without even seeking them out), but, it seems, the lowest common denominator of the far right demands Joe the Plumber.

As for Jewish creationists – if you are conservative in the United States, I guess it is easy to get sucked in for the whole package. (BTW, did you ever see Spike Lee’s “Get on the Bus”? – there is a gay black Republican character).

Ben Stein is just slimey. He is a liar, pure and simple. And the last time any of his relatives saw scientists, in the sense he apparently is referring to, telling them what to do was probably when one of them was being prepped for life-saving surgery. Seriously, Ben Stein can not be this stupid and still have a functioning brain stem.

“Love of God and compassion and empathy leads you to a very glorious place, and science leads you to killing people.”

Compassion and empathy are great, but they have sod-all to do with a love of God. That leads to the Hammer of Witches and other delights.

*He’s called that as he’ll soon have a lot of lead in him….

Ben Stein astounds me. Who knew there were Jewish creationists?

Is this the future?

Of course, Malkin is nuts. What she calls monochrome far left views in the US media strike many people as being centrist at best and the alternative that she calls for is far, far, far right citizen / celebrity amateur journalism (not that I have any problem with airing the Israeli side, but by Joe the Plumber!?). So is the future a public sphere that is completely ghettoized? Or dominated by the far right (because they have more money)?

We have another bad example of this type of thing lately. Ben Stien, in shilling for Creationism, has said –
“When we just saw that man, I think it was Mr. Myers [i.e. biologist P.Z. Myers], talking about how great scientists were, I was thinking to myself the last time any of my relatives saw scientists telling them what to do they were telling them to go to the showers to get gassed … that was horrifying beyond words, and that’s where science—in my opinion, this is just an opinion—that’s where science leads you… Love of God and compassion and empathy leads you to a very glorious place, and science leads you to killing people.”

So let’s all run screaming from “science”. This is the kind of thing that the right is able to get bankrolled (his film “Expelled”).

I can’t help but think that while the move to the net is potentially liberating, it could also mean the fall of the last real left bastions that exist. 80% of the NYT going up in smoke is scary.

Basically anything that might wipe the smug grin off of David Gregory’s face would make me happy (watch him on the Daily Show from the other day).

Gawd.