McCain mucks it up again; insults science, Adler Planetarium & 10 million kids on "projector" claim

[Bluebear]

Adler Planetarium's Sky Theatre, referred to by McCain as an "overhead projector" :rofl:

If there's one rule in election-year politics, it's this: Don't mess with the science crowd. OK, labor unions and the NRA matter too, but John McCain may want to brush up on his stars and planets after Tuesday night's debate.

In the debate, McCain portrayed Barack Obama as an excessive spender, and he punctuated his attack (twice) with this example:

" voted for nearly a billion dollars in pork barrel earmark projects, including, by the way, $3 million for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. My friends, do we need to spend that kind of money?"

Turns out, a lot of people think we do. This is no ordinary overhead projector from your 5th grade classroom. The blog Cosmic Variance sums it up:

"If you've ever had the pleasure of visiting the Adler Planetarium, you'd probably guess that the 'overhead projector' he's talking about is the spectacular 'Sky Theater' -- one of the most engrossing, gorgeous venues for displaying visuals about space."
The science community is notoriously tight-knit, especially when rallying to a cause, and boy are they are rallying to this one. Alan Boyle's Cosmic Log has a great summary of the uproar:

-"For McCain to use this as a political zinger is insulting..." (Bad Astronomy)

-"Planetariums are Bridges to the Future, and America would be a much better place if all the congressional earmarks went to projects like them." (The Perfect Silence)

-"The logo for Senator John McCain's campaign has a star in the middle. I wonder what his guide star is? It can't be the same one that ten million children have seen at the Adler Planetarium. Why should anyone want their star to dim?" (Discovery Space)

The Adler Planetarium even issued a statement, noting that the request, ironically, was not even funded:

"To clarify, the Adler Planetarium requested federal support -- which was not funded -- to replace the projector in its historic Sky Theater, the first planetarium theater in the Western Hemisphere.... To remain competitive and ensure national security, it is vital that we educate and inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math."

Linking a planetarium to national security may be a bit of a stretch, but the point is clear: McCain probably shouldn't count on the "science vote" this year.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl78

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. ...

:silly: What a twit!

[Bluebear]

2. You see, we can spend trillions on Iraq & bailouts, but not to educate American children. nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

6. Well that's republicans for you. Always thinking ahead.

:silly:

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. He made it sound like a tabletop piece of junk, when actually

it's highly sophisticated.

Typical McCain lies...............

[XOKCowboy]

4. Yeah it's just an overhead.... See?

Say it enough times and ......

[Bluebear]

5. My friends, do we need to spend money on THAT?

:eyes:

[ColbertWatcher]

7. You know, there was a time in McCain's life when he couldn't see the sky ...

... I cannot believe it took 7 replies for this.

I am disappointed.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Apparently they've forgotten the huge sacrifice he made for his fellow "prisoners."

So many ungrateful people. They don't deserve the freedoms John McCain got for us all on the cross in that Hanoi prison, even though he could have come home when they learned he was an admiral's son, but he said, "Oh, no, I'm not leaving if my men can't come, too. I'd rather continue being tortured, if it's all the same to you, Mr. Communisht, my friend."

His sacrifice was so great he should be able to do anything he wants for the rest of his life, and he would, if our nation were grateful enough.

[Judi Lynn]

9. Thank you, Bluebear. This article is just what the doctor ordered!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :kick:

[Bluebear]

10. :)

[riverdeep]

11. That's the same thing I think of whenever I hear them go off

on giving money to study the DNA of bears or the mating habits of crabs. I'm not familiar with the particulars, but studying these things seems damned relevant to me. Crab fishing is a part of the Alaskan economy and I'm sure overfishing is a concern there like it is everywhere; knowing how often, where, what season, etc. they mate is probably extremely helpful toward that end. Bears are also a huge part of what makes Alaska special, and tracking them and preserving their presence is also important.

We always seem to find money unquestioningly for defense. The money spent on one bomber could put most large towns in the black, not to mention the two billion per week in Iraq.

[malaise]

12. I hope Obama responds to this during the debate next week

McPOW is an ignorant old fool - spread this on the scientific and educational blogs.