Re: Palin – I thought it Might be This
Read some of the comments from other, not anonymous McCain staffers here.
Similar Posts
Chris Smith has a Suggestion for California
Byhenry
… the legislators, that is. He makes it here. I’m also wondering how many voters who won’t finance education feel they have a right to it anyhow. There’s probably a subset of the voters who voted “no” on funding, would be horrified at Chris’s suggestion, and think education will happen magically anyhow.
Numbers out of Context
Byhenry
Here’s a quick example from Metacatholic. See how the meaning changes?
Wrong, Wronger, Wrongest
Byhenry
Isaac Asimov on The Relativity of Wrong. I found this article extremely helpful in explaining theories and how they develop or are replaced. (HT: Abnormal Interests).
Pelicans win 2nd Game in Series against Sports 4-0
Byhenry
. . . and our son’s friend Brandon Sing (also our house guest) hit a two run homer in the first. Story in the Pensacola News Journal.
Science vs. ID Redux: Lampreys
Byhenry
One characteristic of creationist debate over the last few decades has been moving the goal posts. Every time a new fossil is discovered that fits into the evolutionary pattern for some lineage we hear the “it’s still an X” litany, followed by pointing to yet more gaps. Each new fossil, it seems, creates new gaps…
Updating my Bible Version Info
Byhenry
I still have my Bible version selection tool active, and I’ve just added a directory of recent blog entries on the various versions to my Bible version detail pages. This substantially expands the amount of information available on each version page.
I’ve been somewhat dismayed at this brouhaha.
I think Palin was a disaster, and appeared way out of her depth. But on the other hand, some of the recent reports have been over the top. Most specifically, I never considered the “Africa is a country” slur to be at all plausible. The basis for this was only ever third hand innuendo, with no record of context or names for who inferred that Palin was unaware Africa was a continent, or why.
A whole pile of folks who should have known much better jumped on this story at once, apparently willing to believe the worst on the basis of nothing. It was shameful; especially from people who would generally like to think of themselves as part of the “reality based community”… folks who like to think of themselves as rationalists and people who follow evidence and reason. But in a couple of cases that went out the window.
An alternative picture on whether Palin thought Africa was a continent or not is given at ABC news, by Palin staffer Meg Stapleton. Read it here: Palin Aide Fires Back at Reported McCain Camp Slams.
But “she knows it’s a continent,” Stapleton said. “It was just a human mistake, just like Obama saying 57 states. I don’t think anyone ever doubted that Obama knows there are 50 states.”
One can reasonably say we have a “he said, she said” situation. But the onus is most definitely on the anonymous sources who give no detail; and in the absence of better documentation, Stapleton’s story on this is far more credible.
The failure of some allegedly pro-rational bloggers to handle this with more common sense and reason is very disappointing.