Denialism

Month: May 2007

  • LOL Creationists

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    MarkH
    in

    Since today is apparently LOL day (my favorite being LOLpresident) I decided we should create a new category. Here’s my first three for LOL Creationists! Send me more, I’ll put up the best ones.

  • Denialists’ Deck of Cards: The Jack of Clubs, “You’re A Ninny”

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    Chris
    in

    It’s time to go on the offensive. Call your opponent a ninny! One of the best examples of this comes from–you guessed it–our friend Jack Abramoff. One of Jack Abramoff’s teammembers, Dennis Stephens, once proposed to attack Gary Ruskin of Commercial Alert because Ruskin’s group was criticizing “Channel One:” From: Dennis Stephens To: Chad Cowan…

  • Denialists’ Deck of Cards: The 10 of Spades, “Self-Regulation”

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    Chris
    in

    At this point, the denialist must propose “self regulation” to deal with the problem that doesn’t exist. Self-regulation is a set of rules that an industry generates to govern itself. The cool thing about self regulation is that it cannot be enforced, and once the non-existent problem blows over, the denialist can simply scrap the…

  • 61st Skeptics Circle

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    MarkH
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    The 61st Skeptic’s circle is at Skepchick’s. It’s a special towel day version. In particular I like Orac’s coverage of anti-peer review attitude among cranks. Like I say, beware the bashers of peer review.

  • Denialists’ Deck Applied: Lobbying Reform

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    Chris
    in

    The Newhour had a debate tonight full of denialism provided by Paul Miller, former head of the American League of Lobbyists. It’s an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how the lobbying tactics outlined in the Denialists’ Deck of Cards can be employed to fight a proposal without really dealing with the merits of it. The issue:…

  • ALF Qaeda

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    MarkH
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    Both Nature and the LA Times this week have articles cautioning against labeling animal-rights extremists “terrorists” in the US. The justification that they’re using is that the groups in question, ELF and ALF, are not terrorists because so far they’ve only destroyed property, and haven’t managed to kill anyone yet. Terrorism, in their view, should…

  • Yabba Dabba Science

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    MarkH
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    Given that the NYT piece on the Creation Museum was such fluff, I was gratified to read the LA Times’ more rigid take. HE CREATION MUSEUM, a $27-million tourist attraction promoting earth science theories that were popular when Columbus set sail, opens near Cincinnati on Memorial Day. So before the first visitor risks succumbing to…

  • Denialists’ Deck of Cards: The 10 of Diamonds, “Bureaucrats!”

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    Chris
    in

    Okay, everyone, practice your sneer, because it’s time for the 10 of Diamonds: Bureaucrats! Everyone hates “bureaucrats,” whether they ever met one or not. So, the industry denialist often plays the bureaucrat card in order to denigrate proposals that would vest decisionmaking with those fat cats in Washington (Cato has over

  • Pat Michaels Bashes Gore for Cato

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    MarkH
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    How dare Al Gore open his mouth and say things! Here comes the Cato Institute to the rescue, featuring denialist Pat Michaels (Also see Sourcewatch). What were Gore’s great gaffes worthy of scorn from the esteemed think tank?

  • Good and bad signs from the Chronicle

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    MarkH
    in

    The San Francisco Chronicle wrote this article Monday on a recent effort to encourage gay and lesbian couples in San Francisco to foster children. The problem? They uncritically cited Paul Cameron and his bogus research which is just self-published bigotry and hatred, with no scientific validity. But there are signs of hope…