Huh? When exactly do you place the “Fall,” and what sort of physical effects did it have? Just FYI, our physical bodies have been virtually unchanged for 60,000+ years.
Good gosh. We’ve got Matt Walsh in one thread and Joe Rogan in this one.
Speaking of culture war nonsense…
How does any of this make us healthier as a nation?
I never thought I’d see the day when the US willingly destroyed its own lead in biotechnology. Literally millions of lives will be lost between these needless cuts and the elimination of USAid’s HIV programs.
And for what reason? As far as I can tell, it boils down to “revenge” for 2020 and the CDC and NIH’s roles in the pandemic. Still hard to believe people voted for this insanity.
There’s more than a few of them in this community. Communication doesn’t seem to work to change their minds. As for the “normies” in our lives, I don’t know how many of them are actually aware of what’s happening at the NIH, CDC or FDA, for that matter.
For those unaware of what @glipsnort was referencing, here’s the news about Bhattacharya and RFK:
I can only think that this is reactionary. It amazes me that they fired those who responded to avian flu. I am hopeful that this is shortsightedness and not targeted (based on the price of eggs, or some conspiracy theory), but I am apprehensive.
How can we ever re hire folks like these, if they can only expect stability for 4 years?
There has got to be a better way.
Thank you.
The argument presented assumes that there is a clear biological divide between male and female such that there can be no gender confusion. The only foundation for such an argument would be that somehow God has kept the DNA involved in sex nice and pristine. When the Fall was is not relevant; the relevance is that there is no evidence, nor theological justification, for the idea that this one aspect of DNA has been kept “pure”, so both science and scripture combine against such a position.
Apart from the immorality and irresponsibility of it, I can’t wait to see if the courts are going to call this unconstitutional or illicit, since the rules for such firings/layoffs are established by law.
There is, but it would take a huge change in the political environment to accomplish: plainly authorize these agencies in the Constitution – that would make them much harder to play games with.
2 Likes
T_aquaticus
(The Friendly Neighborhood Atheist)
175
First of all, PRAMS is genius.
I wonder if we will ever get someone in front of Congress who can be asked the hard questions of why these programs are being cut.
5 Likes
T_aquaticus
(The Friendly Neighborhood Atheist)
176
I can’t help but think it is one man’s ego that was bruised by scientists confronting him with truths.
I gather there’s a broader hatred of science among those behind the 2025 Project, a desire to burn it all down and start over – not that they have any coherent idea of how science works.
Even if cuts were reversed in a couple of years, we’re going to lose a generation of researchers.
7 Likes
T_aquaticus
(The Friendly Neighborhood Atheist)
178
Yeah, that’s what I am sensing as well. It reminds me of the Cultural Revolution in China where intellectuals were the targets of persecution. I’m not saying scientists here are suffering like the Chinese scientists did during the Cultural Revolution, but the political movement behind it looks awfully familiar.
The administration has changed its approach. The earlier mass firings of probationary employees was claimed to be “for cause” – i.e. performance – or else an entire agency was closed. Judges have issued stays in most cases. This time, the notification said it was a Reduction in Force (RIF), and the CDC/NIH isn’t being closed entirely, but just certain agencies within the department. We’ll have to wait and see what lawsuits are filed now.
And the studies killed midstream will take years to restart, assuming there are enough scientists and labs left to restart them at all.
I doubt it really matters: if you’re running an agency, you can make sure that an employee isn’t working on a particular project, regardless of whether they’re formally fired or not. Some of the ousted NIH directors were offered positions with the Indian Health Service in locations like Montana and Alaska.
Bhattacharya said of Collins: “I’ve been praying for him ever since I found out that he’d written that email. I told him that I’d been praying for him and I still will pray for him. I think that reconciliation is really possible. Even if people disagree with each other fundamentally, even hate each other—and I’d never hated him and never will.”
If he (or you) knew even the slightest thing about Francis Collins, you’d know that he was mischaracterizing the man. Dr. Collins is intimately involved with an organization called Braver Angels, which is dedicated to bringing together “Red and Blue” Americans to have honest conversations and try to understand one another.
Here’s Dr. Collin’s plenary address at the 2024 ASA conference. Skip to the 54:30 mark to hear about Braver Angels. Listen to the whole thing to hear about his new book on truth and wisdom and his own frank assessment of what went right and wrong with Covid.
