[MD] S/O and Morality

[Arlo Bensinger]

In the article Platt mentions is a key point, "After all, who puts 
money into science--whether for AIDS, or space, or climate--where 
there is nothing really alarming?".

Science? Why stop there!

As I've referred to many times in the past, the rise of the Nightmare 
Politician is not a "leftist phenomenon", nor is it a "rightist 
phenomenon". Since the fifties, and the general collapse of western 
liberalism, politicians (read, republican AND democrat) in the US and 
many other western countries, have moved their rhetoric into one 
based on "we can protect you", whether it be from global warming, 
immigration, multi-linguality, Iranians, terrorism, poverty or 
joblessness (or any other number of bugaboos).

One would hope that rather than simply parrot the fear-mongering of 
one party while condemning the other side for fear-mongering, we 
could see a way out without relying on fear. Climatology research 
should continue unabated and unrestricted or unpromoted by alarmist 
politicians. And both sides are as guilty of this as sin. You can't 
turn on the news, whether "mainstream" like CNN or "alternative" like 
Sean Hannity, without being bombarded by the fear du jour, something 
that Americans should be afraid of that only the decent, honest, 
noble folk of Party X can save us from.

Only until we stop pandering to the fear of one party, while 
condemning the fear of the other, will we move anywhere close to 
change in this country.

"After all, who puts money into science--whether for AIDS, or space, 
or climate--where there is nothing really alarming?"

The War on Drugs, Mexicans coming over every hill, the collapse of 
our economy, and global climate change... all issues that should 
occur in the bounds of reason and observation, and we should all be 
prepared to go where the evidence takes us, regardless of whether or 
not that direction conforms to the ideology of the Nightmare 
Politicans that define BOTH US political parties.

"In the past, politicians promised to create a better world. They had 
different ways of achieving this. But their power and authority came 
from the optimistic visions they offered to their people. Those 
dreams failed. And today, people have lost faith in ideologies. 
Increasingly, politicians are seen simply as managers of public life. 
But now, they have discovered a new role that restores their power 
and authority. Instead of delivering dreams, politicians now promise 
to protect us from nightmares. They say that they will rescue us from 
dreadful dangers that we cannot see and do not understand. And the 
greatest danger of all is international terrorism. A powerful and 
sinister network, with sleeper cells in countries across the world. A 
threat that needs to be fought by a war on terror. But much of this 
threat is a fantasy, which has been exaggerated and distorted by 
politicians. It's a dark illusion that has spread unquestioned 
through governments around the world, the security services, and the 
international media." (The Power of Nightmare, BBC)

Fear, it's what's for dinner.