On the Republican candidates

The candidates for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination are abysmal... All 3 of the front runners are young-Earth creationists and anti-science. The worst two are Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry, the former against vaccinations for cervical cancer, the latter publicly praying for rain to alleviate drought and both avid deniers of human caused climate change.

It's actually so bad that Nobel Prize winning Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society, wrote an editorial on the issue in this week's New Scientist. This is why politics should have more room for scientific discourse, the public needs to be swayed by actual evidence on issues like climate policy and science education as opposed to rhetoric as is so often the case.

Governor Perry's Prayer Rally

Tomorrow Governor Perry of Texas USA is holding a prayer rally in Austin, that is strictly Christian. Adverts for the event included the state seal of Texas, and therefore Perry is guilty of a branch of US government endorsing one religious view over another. This is of course is unconstitutional according to American law.

Unfortunately the Freedom From Religion Foundation's case against him was dismissed. Which is silly, if he held an Islamic rally there would be no problem by the Christian majority in seeing the illegality. Anyway.

It makes you wonder the meaning of this rally. Does Governor Perry doubt his abilities? "Dear Lord, I as the governor of Texas am quite unable to govern effectively. Therefore I request divine intervention to guide the policies I am too incompetent to implement. Amen."

Many of my favourite presenters of the Atheist Experience are heading there to protest, it is their home state after all. What is interesting though is that the Westboro Baptist Church are protesting too in some sort of bizarre unholy alliance.