JLVernonPhD presents "American SciCo"

Yesterday, November 2, 2010, America lost.  There were no chants of “USA! USA!” or “Yes We Can!” in the research labs across this great country.  Those echoes from two short years ago have long since been silenced.  In this new reality, as the polls closed, scientists slumped over their benches in disgust as they listened to NPR report that the country had fallen into the hands of the “Anti-science Party.”  Just trying to get on with their business of making new discoveries, they toiled away on projects that will be funded only until the next budget cycle.  They tried to block thoughts of the election from their minds, but in weak moments, tears were surely shed.  Their hopes for government investment in green energy faded away as Democratic candidates gave their concession speeches early in the day.  Democrat and independent scientists alike scurried home from work bypassing the polls out of anger to watch the political calamity unfold on the cable news networks.  There was no thrill to go up Chis Matthews’ leg.  As the results flooded in, the Tea Party victory tsunami began to drown the aspirations of young researchers hoping to get that NIH grant to fund their next big research endeavor; the one that could find a cure for Parkinson’s disease. The Republican candidates delivered their victory speeches to wild crowds cheering the elimination of the Department of Education and Social Security.  They decried the wasteful spending of taxpayers’ money on ridiculous research programs like those performed on fruit flies in France or on bear DNA, despite the fact that this research identified a genetic link to Autism and protected the lives of threatened bear species.  Save one Republican, all the Party’s candidates held strong and rejected climate science despite scientists’ warnings.  This gave them confidence as they denigrated science and scientists in their speeches.  As the night wore on, it became clear that the “witch hunt” for climate scientists would be underway shortly.  Joe Barton cheered, “Now that we have a majority in the House and Senate, we can forget about that bogus hockey stick data and stop funding those bastard climate scientists.”  He called on Sharon Angle and Christine O’Donnell to join with Republican leaders to spearhead the repeal of Obama’s health care plan.  O’Donnell bellowed that “just as separation of church and state is not in the Constitution, Obama’s health care plan should be refudiated as un-Constitutional.” Barton went on to apologize to BP for the shake down perpetrated by the Obama administration and now that he would be Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, BP would be given “fair” treatment.  John Boehner took the stage in support of his fellow Ohioan Rich Lott to say that it was unthinkable that anyone should criticize Lott for wearing a Nazi outfit, “After all, it was only a reenactment.”  As Democrat scientists across the country reached to turn off their televisions hoping they would soon wake up from this nightmare, Sarah Palin came on-screen to say that she was proud of her role in bringing “real Americans” to power and she would soon be targeting the White House in order to put an end, once and for all, to embryonic stem cell research.  Yes, it was a sad election day for America, the implications of which are scarier than the people behind them.

Don’t let this be my Wednesday post. Vote.