Early April Rants

Today’s topics:

1. Bad Science Writing: showing “both sides” when there is really only one. Also, a new explanation for evolutionary diversity is discussed.

2. Some questions that some have always wanted to ask the Judeo-Christian deity.

3. Rate Your Students. I’ve had problems with students but never this one, thank goodness.

4. Randi Rhodes: Suspended from Air America, at least for a while. Is this justified?

5. The Real McCain. General Wes Clark weighs in on the new GI-Bill issue.

6. Kent State Student receives harassing fliers from an African American group and physical threats from White Supremacists for the SAME ARTICLE. Stuff like this quashes honest racial dialog.

1. Bad Science Writing. There is an interesting new idea in evolution called “facilitated variation”:

Two leading biologists, Marc W. Kirschner of Harvard Medical School and John C. Gerhart of the University of California, Berkeley, present a new theory in The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin’s Dilemma (Yale University Press, $30). Drawing on discoveries of the last two decades, Kirschner and Gerhart propose a new mechanism, “facilitated variation,” that is both more subtle and more refined than random genetic mutation. “The organism as a whole is not a blank slate but a poised response system,” they write. “It responds to mutation by making changes it is largely prepared in advance to make.” [...]

The scientists go on to explain:

About half a century ago, we learned that heritable variation does not occur without mutation. Any place in the genome can suffer mutation, which is a change of the local DNA sequence. It appears to strike at random, and rarely. Our theory of “facilitated variation” is meant to explain how rare and random mutation can lead to exquisite changes of form and function.
We give center place to the fundamental processes by which animals develop from the egg to the adult and by which they function as adults. These are the “conserved core processes.” They make and operate the animal, and surprisingly they are pretty much the same whether we scrutinize a jellyfish or a human. There are a few hundred kinds of processes, each involving tens of active components. Each component is encoded by a gene of the animal’s genome, thus using up the majority of the 20,000 genes possessed by complex animals such as frogs, mice and humans.

The components and genes are largely the same in all animals. Almost every exquisite innovation that one examines in animals, such as an eye, hand or beak, is developed and operated by various of these conserved core processes and components. This is a profound realization for the question of variation, because it says that the different and seemingly novel features of animals are made and run by various of the same core processes, just used in different combinations, at different times and places in the animal, and used to different extents of their output. Variation is not as hard to get as one might initially think. A Lego analogy is applicable: The same Lego parts can be stuck together to give a model of the Eiffel Tower or of a soccer ball.

If the core processes remain the same, what changes in evolution? We suggest that it is the regulation of these processes. Regulatory components determine the combinations and amounts of core processes to be used in all the special traits of the animal. Whereas components of the core processes do not change in evolution, regulatory components do, and they are the targets of random mutational change. Genes for regulatory components comprise a minority of the genome (under a quarter, as a rough estimate), fewer than genes for core processes, but still a lot of genes and a lot of regulatory DNA. The thrust of our argument is that rather few mutational changes, affecting regulatory components, are needed to generate complex innovation. [...]

The question is ongoing of what really occurs within the animal when it generates innovations. Our theory of facilitated variation is but a plausible sketch of how it might occur, and the theory reflects a direction in research, not a verdict reached. [...]

So far, so good. In fact, their book is going on my all-ready-too-long reading list.

So, where is my rant? It is with articles like this one. It discusses the aforementioned book, but also discusses another book by a proponent of so-called “intelligent design” and writes as if these views somehow have “equal weight”. In fact, that is completely false; in fact, in the world of mainstream science, ID is really nothing more than a religiously motivated crackpot “theory” that isn’t taken seriously by any competent science department or laboratory.

Sometimes, especially in science, there is really only one side.

2. Friendly Atheist: links to a set of rather interesting questions that some want to ask the “standard” Judeo-Christian deity. Here are a few that I found interesting:

65. Why are people almost always the same religion as their parents are? Why is it that if you had been born to a Jewish family, you’d be Jewish; if you were born to a Muslin family, you’d be Muslin, etc. You’d still be the same person – same soul – but different religion. Could it be that religion is just brain washing? Children are easy to brain wash. In fact, we are all brain washed – that’s why we have the religion we have, the politics we have, all of our belief systems – because someone brainwashed us. Not that it’s always bad to be brainwashed, but we simply believe what we were taught to believe by people who believe what they were taught to believe. Why are you the religion you are? Would you be a different religion if you’d been taught a different one as a child? {contributed by Nsstorrs@aol.com, 3/14/2003}

63. Why does the bible have an “Old Testament” and a “New Testament”? Didn’t you get it right the first time? If you are infallible, why did you need an update? {contributed by Kelleen Bingham, kellbing@hotmail.com, 3/14/03}

62. I recently read the statement that because the universe was “created” it must have a creator so there must be a god. To be honest, I have a problem with this statement because if you “exist”, you must exist SOMEWHERE. If you exist somewhere in the universe, then where were you hanging out before the universe was created? Were you in the parking lot? If so, who created the parking lot? If you created that as well, where were you hovering at the time you created the parking lot? Ultimately, God, for you to create the universe you must exist and for you to exist you must exist somewhere and you must have been created in that somewhere. So tell me God, who created you in that somewhere, and shouldn’t we really be worshipping the god that created you instead of worshipping you? All you did was create our itty-bitty universe? {contributed by Klaus Brauch, renaissance@learningteacher.com, 3/1/2003}

1. Why don’t you show yourself? You supposedly made us and want us to believe in you, right? Why the big mystery? You’re also omnipresent, right? Why don’t you show yourself to all of us at once and have a personal discussion with us? You can pick the date and time, we’ll all stop what we are doing, I’m sure.

3. Rate Your Students This is a blog that spoofs the “Rate Your Professor” website. I’ve talked about the RYP site before. What makes it bogus is that you only get rated by a small fraction of students that have had you (sometimes a group that has a beef with you) and sometimes you get rated by those who have never taken a class from you at all! (yes, that has happened to me).

But the Rate Your Students blog is a place where professors can send in their favorite “student” stories. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a situation quite like this one; perhaps I have missed out on an interesting part of the academic experience?

4. Randi Rhodes: She is a rather outspoken radio host of an Air America show called the Randi Rhodes show. I have listened to it in the past; I’ve mostly found it to be quite enjoyable and informative. Mostly, her show is stuff like this (here is a 9 minute segment where she goes after Geraldine Ferraro for her “Obama is where he is because he is black” remarks)

Unfortunately, Ms. Rhodes might have trouble with alcohol from time to time. I don’t know, but I wonder if her troubles in this area lead to this public outburst:

(about 6 minutes) which lead to her being suspended:

Randi Rhodes, an afternoon host for the progressive Air America radio network, was suspended Thursday after repeatedly insulting Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton at an event last month.

Ms. Rhodes used vulgar language that likened Mrs. Clinton to a prostitute at an event sponsored by KKGN, the Air America affiliate in the San Francisco area, on March 22. [...]

In a statement, Charlie Kireker, the chair of Air America, said the radio network “encourages strong opinions about public affairs but does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our hosts.”

The network called Ms. Rhodes’ suspension “indefinite” and did not elaborate on the fate of her daily three-hour radio show. “The Randi Rhodes Show” is normally broadcast from 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays.[...]

Now back to the youtube video of her outburst: the sad thing is that Ms. Rhodes did have something of value to say about HRC: her point about HRC using “fine print” in her political speech is right on point! But, that point is obscured by her name calling.

5. John McCain: General Wes Clark takes him on. There is an interesting site called “The Realmccain” which features videos on many issues. There is no name-calling nor swiftboating, but the issues are discussed. One of the videos is this one:

Here, John McCain is urged to back the new GI Bill:

WE THE UNDERSIGNED demand that Senator John McCain sign on as a co-sponsor to The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act

and you can follow the link to sign the petition. General Clark brought this up at the Daily Kos.

6. Kent State Student: her article causes her to be harassed by both the black student group and by white supremacists!

Update: I posted part of this on the Daily Kos.

Here is the background (via the Southern Poverty Law Center)

It’s a rare piece of writing that engenders the wrath of black militants and white supremacists, but that’s just what a March 13 column by Kent State photojournalism major Beth Rankin did after it was published under the headline, “I Am Not A White Bitch.”

The column criticized the Kent State student organization Black United Students, or BUS, for promoting a black supremacist agenda and demonstrating hostility toward whites. Rank described being called a “white bitch” at two recent BUS events she was assigned to cover for the Daily Kent Stater.

“I am not a white bitch. I am a straight, white girl who will always do everything in her power to support the plight of all minorities,” Rankin wrote. “I don’t use the color of your skin against you, so please do not use mine against me.”

BUS members responded to the column by posting fliers across the Kent State campus depicting a figure dressed in a Ku Klux Klan robe next to Rankin’s name. [...]

Last Wednesday, according to the Akron Beacon Journal, the FBI office in Cleveland notified Rankin that white supremacists were posting death threats and were distributing her telephone number, E-mail address, and work schedule.

From the Akron Beacon Journal:

A Kent State photojournalism major says she received a dozen ”hate” e-mails from white supremacists after she wrote a column about race relations in the student newspaper.

Beth Rankin said she meant for her weekly column in the Daily Kent Stater to open up communications with the Black United Students group on campus, which she felt didn’t welcome white students.

But her March 13 column found its way to a white supremacists’ Web site, where some readers posted comments that she was ”groveling” at the feet of blacks, and worse, she said.

”A couple of them said they wanted to kill my family in front of me and then me,” said Rankin, a former student correspondent for the Beacon Journal. ”They thought I deserved to be punished.”

An FBI officer in Cleveland notified Rankin on Wednesday that her column — headlined ”I am not a white
bitch” — had attracted the attention of white supremacists. [...]

Fellow students expressed surprise when she and her boyfriend went to a concert by a black artist five years ago.

”I didn’t believe it,” the senior from Marblehead wrote. ”Even as I heard the exact same dialogue from every nonblack student and co-worker I discussed BUS with, I had a hard time believing that a group fighting for equal rights would covertly push away other people fighting for the same cause.”

She said she was called a ”white bitch” at black events and that former BUS leaders said they wanted to advance the cause of blacks beyond whites.

She said she was eager to talk about race with BUS. To her dismay, though, the organization posted fliers around campus that depicted a KKK-clad figure in an ”Uncle Sam wants YOU” pose next to her name, which appeared to connect her to that group.

She asked BUS to remove the fliers and it did.

My two cents: Of course, the behavior by the BSU was disgusting. But the posting of physical threats is just plain over the top; this goes well beyond free speech. It is this kind of nonsense that keeps people from having honest discussions about these sorts of issues.

Here is the article that she wrote that set so many people off:

There is a campus group that is nearly untouchable.

It is one of the largest and most powerful student groups, able to turn campus upside down with a single phone call. Very few columnists or reporters have had the gall to speak against the group’s policies, because the Stater is very afraid of them – and they have good reason to be.

They are immeasurably powerful.

They are Black United Students.

And I am not afraid.

My freshman year of college, my high school boyfriend and I went to the ballroom to see hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. ACPB, BUS and USS brought him to campus as part of Black History Month programming.

Coming from a town that did not acknowledge Black History Month, I was eager to attend the month’s lectures and talks and to get to know other students interested in fighting for equal rights. Back home, I was the only one.

But what I found that night was disturbing and hurtful in ways it took years to understand.

From the moment Justin and I entered the ballroom, the tension was palpable. We received puzzled stares from students sitting around us, and though we couldn’t put a finger on why, we felt incredibly unwelcome. I left feeling uncomfortable and unable to make sense of what had happened.

Back in Tri-Towers, when I told my dorm mates where I’d been, I received similar puzzled looks. You went to a BUS event? Hasn’t anyone told you about BUS? They don’t want white people attending their functions.

I didn’t believe it. Even as I heard the exact same dialog from every non-black student and coworker I discussed BUS with, I had a hard time believing that a group fighting for equal rights would covertly push away other people fighting for the same cause.

A couple months later, as a member of the Stater editorial board, the forum editor and I had a small meeting with BUS leaders. The Stater and BUS have always had a notoriously rocky relationship, and my editor thought that by hearing from BUS itself about the group’s goals, we could help bridge the gap.

Boy were we surprised when we were informed by then-leaders Teddy Harris and Demareo Cooper that BUS’s goal was not equality, but to advance blacks beyond that of whites. The goal was black-owned, black-operated businesses and universities. When we said,

“… but that’s racism …” we were told that as the majority, we were unable to feel racism. We just couldn’t understand.

Two years later, I was forced to understand.

While covering a fashion show for Uhuru magazine (I was the photo editor at the time), an angry black student hissed, “Why are you even here, anyway?” when I sat my photo gear next to him on a chair.

Weeks later, while covering a Black History Month talk by Malcolm X’s daughter, a man behind me – who apparently was unhappy with my camera – yelled, “Get out of my way, white bitch.”

Shortly after, while silently shooting another BUS event, I was called a white bitch again.

Shelley Blundell, a Kent journalism school graduate and native of South Africa, used to be a member of the Stark campus BUS chapter. But when she began attending Kent BUS events, she said she felt extremely unwelcome.

And after a controversial column on separation, Blundell said she received numerous e-mails from BUS members calling her, too, a “white bitch.”

In 2005, after humor columnist Aman Ali wrote a satirical column called, “Black people need to start sharing,” BUS made one phone call and the two days later, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and NAACP converged on campus, demanding Ali be fired. Some even pushed for his removal from the university.

Yes, Ali’s column was inappropriate and the editor made a major mistake in running it, but when pressured, the editor folded like a card table and gave in to every single demand made by civil rights groups. Since then, the Stater has been very careful about BUS coverage, and when I told them I wanted to write this column, they were nervous. I can’t blame them. BUS has showed its muscle numerous times over the years.

Now, this is not a column bashing BUS for past mistakes. This is a means to a dialog. I truly believe that BUS should embrace its non-black supporters, because there is power in numbers. We support your cause; now can we please be embraced the same way you embrace your black peers?

So this is what I say to you, current members and leaders of BUS: Tell me again. Tell me again what your goals are. I certainly hope they differ from those expressed to me in 2004.

Tell me what you are doing to reach out to non-black students who support your cause. As a straight girl, PRIDE!Kent has always welcomed me to their meetings and functions because they knew I supported their cause. I want to be able to attend BUS functions and feel the same love.

Racism is still a problem in this country, and it will never be solved if we continue to divide black from white. I have been called names and ostracized for the color of my skin, and I have been ridiculed for sharing my life with a man who is not white.

I am not a white bitch. I am a straight, white girl who will always do everything in her power to support the plight of all minorities.

I don’t use the color of your skin against you, so please do not use mine against me.

Please, BUS: Tell me how you plan to use your powers for good. I want to hear your voice, and I want to become a united front in the fight against prejudice.

I am not a white bitch. I am not whitey. I am not a cracker. I am not the man.

And I never want to feel ostracized because of my race ever again. Don’t you feel the same?