Denialism

Month: April 2008

  • Democracy at work

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    MarkH
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    Despite my usual cynical nature, I had a favorable brush with politics last night. I was up in my kid’s bedroom, getting her bathed and ready for bed, when the phone rang. When my hands are full of soaking wet toddler I don’t usually answer the phone, but for some reason I picked it up.…

  • Denialist comments—a brief analysis

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    MarkH
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    My recent post on a local “holistic” doctor brought a number of considered and interesting comments (all of whom are quite polite and patient, even when I disagree with them). Some of the issues deserve fleshing out. Heart disease is a major killer. Hypertension is one of the strongest risk factors for heart disease. In…

  • Answers Research Journal—HAHAHAHAHA!!!

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    MarkH
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    So, Answers in Genesis cranked out the first issue of its new journal, and with all deliberate speed! It’s remarkable. I’m guessing that creation research doesn’t take quite as long as, say, real science. The pilot issue is a true testament to the idiocy of the Creation Cult. I guess we have to actually look…

  • There is no such thing as alternative medicine

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    MarkH
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    What is alternative Medicine, anyway? That’s a great question. I know it is, because I asked it. I get this question almost daily. The secret answer is that there is no such thing as alternative medicine. You don’t believe me? Why not–I am a doctor. There are several ways to define alternative medicine, and sometimes…

  • More stupid from the Huffington Post

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    MarkH
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    In a new apologia for Jenny McCarthy and the mercury militia, Alison Levy, writing for HuffPo, wonders what all the fuss is about. When I watch Jenny McCarthy on CNN or when I read the blogs (and comments) on autism, I keep wondering: What is this debate about? Yes, the parents of autistic kids are…

  • More from a local “alternatician”

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    MarkH
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    I recently posted an article on a particular “holistic” doctor’s take on salt–the bottom line is the bottom line; more expensive is better. You’d think I’d call it a day. However, if someone is going to advertise widely, he’s leaving himself open for criticism. How can one family physician have so many answers? He sells…

  • More madness from PETA

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    MarkH
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    My earlier post on People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was perhaps not clear enough. PETA is not for “the ethical treatment of animals”. They are for treating animals as if they were furry humans. In fact, they are for treating animals better than we treat humans. This is a dangerous philosophy. To…

  • Salt your way to health

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    MarkH
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    As it turns out, in my own neck of the woods there is a small woo-factory. I came upon it when I saw an internet add extolling the virtues of salt, as long as it’s expensive salt. The author of the article turns out to be a doctor in my very metropolitan area. There is…

  • Bill Maher is a crank

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    MarkH
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    I must admit I have a love-hate relationship with Bill Maher. He is a funny guy, he is good at mocking some of the more ludicrous aspects of politics, and he has been an effective critic of this administration and some of its more egregious policies. However, I’ve also long held the position that both…

  • PETA: equating civil rights with steak

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    MarkH
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    People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an extremist organization. Some might even call it a cult, and a violent one at that. Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA, is a particularly objectionable fuckwit. Many of my friends are vegetarians for ethical reasons. They object to the treatment of the animals we use…