Lysenkoism

Biola University recently sponsored a ceremony in which a number of people associated with the soon to be released film Expelled were recognized. One of the guests was executive producer Walt Ruloff who began with a short presentation. GilDodgen at Uncommon Descent reports:

[Ruloff] talked about his background in computer technology and how he founded a logistics-optimization software company in his early 20s that became spectacularly successful, primarily, according to Walt, because they thought outside the box and questioned everything.

After Walt sold his company he became involved with the biological research and technology world, and discovered that the exact opposite was the case: people in this field were not, and are not, allowed to ask questions. Walt was totally shocked when it was revealed to him by one of the leading genomic researchers in the U.S., who gets all his funding from the NIH and NSF, that the only way to get funding is to pretend to believe in Darwinian orthodoxy.

Even more horrifyingly, this leading genomic researcher (whose face is blacked out and voice disguised in the movie to protect him from the destruction of his life and career by Darwinists) said that as much as 30% of the research in his field is shelved and never published because it might provide ammunition for "creationists." In order to stand any chance of being published, interpretations of biological research must be artificially force-fit into the Darwinian paradigm, regardless of the evidence.

Isn't it ironic that the Darwinians tell us that Intelligent Design is the "science stopper?" It reminds me of the story of Trofim Lysenko, a Soviet biologist who rejected Mendelian genetics and pushed an environmentally-based theory of inheritance that conformed nicely with communist dogma. He exerted great influence over Soviet agricultural practices during the Stalinist era:

Scientific dissent from Lysenko's theories of environmentally acquired inheritance was formally outlawed in 1948, and for the next several years opponents were purged from held positions, and many imprisoned. Lysenko's work was officially discredited in the Soviet Union in 1964, leading to a renewed emphasis there to re-institute Mendelian genetics and orthodox science.

Though Lysenko remained at his post in the Institute of Genetics until 1965, his influence on Soviet agricultural practice declined by the 1950s. The Soviet Union quietly abandoned Lysenko's agricultural practices in favor of modern agricultural practices after the crop yields he promised failed to materialize. Today much of Lysenko's agricultural experimentation and research is largely viewed as fraudulent.

Today's Darwinian KGB agents in the university are the intellectual heirs of those who enforced Lysenko's genetic orthodoxy. The movie Expelled, from all accounts, makes this plain.

RLC

Documenting Hate Is Hateful

Geert Wilders' film Fitna is causing a lot of hand-wringing among many of his country's leaders, including the Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende. People are complaining that Fitna is hateful and will incite Muslims to violence. Balkenende says it "threatens the nation."

In light of this reaction Andrew Walden at The American Thinker writes:

Nothing makes people want to see something more than banning it, or even better yet, telling them they may not be able to handle it (remember the Blair Witch Project?). On that basis, the new film Fitna, must be pulling in internet viewers by the tens of millions.

Everyone who's anyone in the "world community", from the Dutch Prime Minister to the OIC to the EU to the UN, is telling the world this is mighty hateful stuff.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is denouncing the internet premier of Fitna, claiming, "The right of free expression is not at stake here,"

But Ban seems to imply there may be limits [for he goes on to say that], "...there is no justification for hate speech or incitement to violence."

Let's see. A 15 minute video clip which documents Muslim hate and violence is condemned because, presumably, to document hate and violence is itself hateful and incites violence. By this reasoning, it would have been wrong to document the suffering of slaves in the South because to do so would have incited hostility of southerners toward the North.

I wonder if medical technology in Europe has advanced to the point where spinal implants are possible.

RLC

Internecine Warfare

This ad was developed, evidently, by a Clinton supporter in order to show his fellow Democrats the sort of thing they're in for from the Republicans if they nominate Obama. It's actually pretty good as propaganda, but to accuse the GOP of intending to use something like this when even in 2004 they never ran footage of 9/11, and despite the fact that McCain has not commented at all on Rev. Wright's peculiar views, is a bit of a stretch. Anyway, keep in mind that this was developed by a Democrat:

Maybe the GOP should use it.

Hot Air has the details.

RLC