Knoxville Progressive had an interesting short diary this morning that said the following:
U.S. Patent Issued for Anti-Gravity Device
by Knoxville Progressive
Thu Nov 10th, 2005 at 09:42:00 AM EDT
Let’s see – the regime that has given us or promoted the following scientific advances:
* Intelligent Design (biology)
* Video Diagnosis (Frist procedure to test for brain activity)
* “Global Warming is a myth” (climatology)
* too many disastrous environmental decisions to name…
* Kabbala Holy Water to protect FL citrus crops (agriculture)
…has now moved into the realm of physics, as reported by UPI:
The journal Nature said patent 6,960,975 was granted Nov. 1 [seven months to the day too late – KP] to Boris Volfson of Huntington, Ind., for a space vehicle propelled by a superconducting shield that alters the curvature of space-time outside the craft in a way that counteracts gravity.
One of the main theoretical arguments against anti-gravity is that it implies the availability of unlimited energy.
“If you design an anti-gravity machine, you’ve got a perpetual-motion machine,” Robert Park of the American Physical Society told Nature.
Park said the action shows patent examiners are being duped by false science.
False science? Now who could accuse our dear leaders of that?
I’m sure I’m forgetting other examples; feel free to add to the list…
******
I was interested by that, and spent some time tracking down the news reports, and added the following comment:
It is ridiculous to blame the Bush regime for something like this. There is no evidence of that. This report originally came from the prestigious journal Nature, with the headline noting that this had “slipped by” the Patent Office. The Patent Office reviews millions of patent applications. It makes howling mistakes every year, which are regularly reported by science publications. It is a mistake by an individual bureaucrat, and at that grade level they are career employees, not political appointees. So it’s just not reasonable to blame the Bush regime for this. Wild leaps of logic like that, which are plainly contrary to the facts, undermine the credibility of lefty advocacy.
As for “intelligent design,” it is possible to be completely in tune with scientific understandings in biology and still to believe that God designed the world that way. Most intelligent Catholics take that position. Science provides the how and faith the why, one might say. That may not sound very “progressive,” but it is a reasoned and consistent position. And on this point too, it’s not really fair to claim that the Bush regime has caused an outbreak of intelligent design!
But you’re sure right about climate and environment.
*****
And someone named Salunga came along and gave me a damned 0 Megatroll rating for the above.
So what the fuck makes that a “Megatroll” statement, Salunga?!
Knoxville Progressive, who posts lots of interesting diaries and comments, seemed pretty earnest in that diary to me, and it seemed to me worthwhile to point out that low-level Patent Office grundoons are not really Bush political appointees. That’s a Washington, D.C. fact that some people might overlook, although probably not most of the political junkies on a blog like this.
Maybe I need my snark meter adjusted, as Knoxville Progressive implied. That’s fair.
But I thought my post was polite and respectful. Why would you give me a drive-by zero, with no comment? That’s barbaric.
What’s the problem? Do you think it’s totally out of bounds to term the substance of someone’s post “ridiculous”? Are you Knoxville Progressive’s secret lover? Do you think that religious people are all trolls?
I think you owe me an explanation and an apology.
And yes, I impulsively went and immediately gave you a “1” on one of your posts (couldn’t bring myself to give a zero), and that was wrong.
It is a great torment of mine that I can’t seem to find a stable and safe community on the Internet. I’m a Yellow Dog Democrat. I’ve voted in every election for more than 30 years, and I’ve never voted for anything other than a D. I contribute heavily to Democratic and human rights causes, and to charities. I’m a bleeding heart liberal (and former hippie) to the core. (I don’t call myself a “progressive”–I know there are exceptions, but I think that is too often a code word for “atheist.”)
I’ve been thrown off right-winger boards for being too liberal (although it’s been an awful long time since I was on such a board) and from left-winger boards for being too conservative. Crap. I’m tired of that.
Has the DailyKos authoritarian groupthink taken over here as well?
As I said, would you please pay me the courtesy of an explanation?
Yes, I know it can be obnoxious for a diary to be devoted to ratings issues, and I apologize for that. This is the first time I’ve posted such a diary anywhere. In context, I just kind of hope for an explanation and dialogue. I like this blog, and I’d like to keep feeling comfortable here while we continue to witness the almost miraculous frog-marching of all the GOP leaders.
(I’ve got to be so careful. I offended catnip in one of my first posts here. Shoot. I’m a lawyer. I’m used to shooting down arguments in debate, without meaning it personally. In my daily life, I get along peacefully with almost everybody. It’s really a mystery to me why I keep getting into fights on the Internet. I really do sincerely want to solve this problem. Among other things, it’s interfering with my very real desire to see Bush and Cheney go to prison for war crimes. Thank you for reading this, and please be gentle with any flames.)
–Arminius, who smited the Romans in the Teutoberg Forest
