RationalWiki:What is going on in the blogosphere?/October 2008

October 2008
For the last time, Sarah Palin is NOT HILLARY CLINTON. Give it up, John! Note to Gov. Palin: America is already partly socialist. "Sarah Palin's War on Science: The GOP ticket's appalling contempt for knowledge and learning." By Christopher Hitchens (Slate: October 27, 2008) Sarah Palin's derisive remark about "fruit fly research" - read, the basis for modern genetics - proves why you don't put creationists anywhere near political office. How can American Christians call the US a Christian nation when 40 percent can't recite more than four of the Ten Commandments; 12 percent believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife; and 75 percent believe that "God helps those who help themselves" is a Bible verse, not an anti-Christian quote by Benjamin Franklin? American politicians depend on several tried-and-true image patterns to secure some form of resonance with the American ideal and, consequentially, voters. McCain is doin it wrong. But it probably doesn't matter, anyways. Sarah Palin lies to women about McCain's support for "equal pay for equal work." John McCain IS A SOCIALIST ZOMG!!!!11one!!!!1!!!1!!!! A wiki website with everything you'd ever want to know about ballot initiatives in the United States. McCain thinks Americans are angry. Is he projecting, or has he been to too many of his own rallies? MORE: Videos of McCain/Palin supporters in Ohio and Pennsylvania help answer that question. Expelled is the Number One Documentary in America! Huh? UPDATE:  According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, Religulous topped the $9 million mark during the week ending 19 October, beating the $7,690,545 box office take of Expelled. McCain's debate position on abortion is deliberately deceptive, masking his obvious opposition to Roe, and his shameful mockery of women's health perpetuates a GOP pseudoscientific error written into law in Gonzales v. Carhart. "Lowering business taxes increases employment." Right-wingers love this sort of simplistic thinking. This essay explains why complex issues like this require a deeper, more counter-intuitive level of thinking. A partial defense of religion's place in public life, but no shame in taxing political evangelizing. John McCain plans to bring up Obama's William Ayers "connection" at tonight's debate. If he does, he'll lose the debate, squander his legacy, and lose the election, all in one fell swoop. A fairly good explantation for why some Republicans went apewire about Bill Clinton and are now screaming that Barack Obama is a terrorist/communist/the Antichrist: Fear and Loathing <vote poll=120 closed="yes">Palin Makes Troopergate Assertions that Are Flatly False from ABC News Senior National Correspondent, October 12, 2008 <vote poll=119 closed="yes">During the 2000 and 2004 elections, 7-Eleven offered "7-Election" coffee cups -- red for Bush, blue for Gore and Kerry. After the 2000 election, the percentage of red versus blue cups bought was within one percentage point of the final election tally. In 2004, the percentages of coffee cups bought matched the final election tally. This year, 7-Eleven offers a website where you can check the ongoing results state by state. (And it looks pretty encouraging.) <vote poll=118 closed="yes">One man's attempt at explaining the danger of Conservapedia homeschooling. <vote poll=117 closed="yes">Can we psychoanalyze Sarah Palin by examining her spoken grammar? <vote poll=116 closed="yes">"The Poetry of Sarah Palin. <vote poll=115 closed="yes">Hey, all ya Joe Sixpacks out dere. Dontcha ever wonder what life would be like if Mom hadn't gone namin' ya "Cletus" or "Sally Sue" or some other borin' name?  Try the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator and unleash the closet Trig or Bristol in ya! <vote poll=114 closed="yes">The Sarah Palin debate flow chart, must see! <vote poll=113 closed="yes">According to John McCain, long-time conservative columnist Kathleen Parker is No True Scotsman... and gets death threats for her doubts on Sarah Palin. <vote poll=112 closed="yes">Sarah Palin needs a law & policy tutor, since she can't seem to name one Supreme Court case other than Roe (which, come on, is just a gimme). Ames volunteers! <vote poll=111 closed="yes">Homer Simpson discovers vote fraud, and pays the price.