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Hank CampbellRSS Feed of this column.

I founded Science 2.0® in 2006 and since then it has become the world's largest independent science communications site, with over 300,000,000 direct readers and reach approaching one billion. Read More »

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False equivalence was the big deal two weeks ago, with political advocates Googling for evidence that there might be a Republican with a science Ph.D. (and then ostracizing any found, in the name of tolerance and diversity) and generally out to debunk the notion that the left might have its own kooks.
In a few short hours, the World Series will begin between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals.  In the midst of all the talk of how offense is winning games this year (team Earned Run Average by starters in the post-season is over 5) and the strategic match-ups, there will be little attention paid to the belief engines in the skulls of individual players; their brains.
Quick, which British cell phone do you use?   No?  Okay, which French microprocessor is in your PC?  No again?

America leads the world in innovation, the legacy of historical laissez-faire approaches to fixing big problems using the private sector.  Obviously that is different now, even in science, where Pres. Obama made good on his promise to add more science to his cabinet but erroneously thought all of science was composed of progressive academics who think more taxpayer spending is the only way science gets done, leading to the Solyndra boondoggle and more to follow.
On Halloween, your Planter's peanut butter is going to skyrocket in price; as much as 40%.  I predict riots that will make this Wall Street 1% stuff pale in comparison because all of them eat peanut butter (and Ramen) and a whole lot more of us as well. Maybe not. We once thought Americans would not tolerate $4 gas either, cheap gasoline was such an American right that some claimed George Bush went into Iraq for cheaper oil (yet when the price of oil rose, they claimed he went into Iraq to make oil more expensive for his buddies - life is good when you just make stuff up) but people are fine with expensive gas and rampant unemployment so far.  CO2 emissions are down, at least, so that is a big win for global warming.
Abortion is not a contentious issue in America these days - campaign platforms primarily center on differences in taxation and the scope of government but, for the most part, abortion for the left and the 2nd Amendment for the right are really only invoked to whip the fringes into a frenzy.
We're hearing a lot about the failures of government and I am on that bandwagon - chronic runaway spending, the foolishness with Gibson guitars, delays for an energy project that helps poor people and lowers emissions, and I was one of only about four people critical of government bailouts but now a group of people on Wall Street have gotten downright conservative in their approach to what government should and should not be doing.  But because I like to stick a knife in all sacred cows, I have also been hard on environmentalists.