Meet the new Nixon (same as the old Nixon)

No, Tricky Dick has not been reanimated; it's just Governor Wa*ker living up to his new billing as the most odious pol in recent Wisconsin history in a most Nixon-like fashion:

Specifically, (Madison Police) Chief Noble Wray says that Walker's claim that he considered sending infiltrators into the crowd (prompted by a suggestion by "Koch," played by blogger Ian Murphy) made him nervous.

"I would like to hear more of an explanation from Governor Walker as to what exactly was being considered, and to what degree it was discussed by his cabinet members," Wray said. "I find it very unsettling and troubling that anyone would consider creating safety risks for our citizens and law enforcement officers."

So this is what Citizens United indirectly brings to the table viz-a-viz American democracy circa 2011 AD.

Consider me wholly unimpressed.  

Class clowns in the state legislatures

The National Center for Science Education continues to do a valuable job in pointing out outbreaks of The Big Stupid in various state assemblies, and there's a ton of examples of 'em as of late. Feel free to peruse the some seven bills targeting the teaching of evolutionary biology (and other subjects, as you'll see below) in public schools that were proposed in only the first two months of the year:

Kentucky: House Bill 169

Missouri: House Bill 195

Oklahoma (1): Senate Bill 554

Oklahoma (2): House Bill 1551

New Mexico: House Bill 302

Tennessee (1): House Bill 368

Tennessee (2): Senate Bill 893

Granted, some of these have already been tabled or killed (HB 302 in New Mexico, HB 1551 in Oklahoma), but the most disturbing thing about many of these bills is the boilerplate language of the text:

HB 1554 (Oklahoma):

SB 320 (similar in language to HB 1554) would, if enacted, require state and local educational authorities to "assist teachers to find more effective ways to present the science curriculum where it addresses scientific controversies" and permit teachers to "help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories pertinent to the course being taught." The only topics specifically mentioned as controversial are "biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning."

HB 302 (New Mexico):

HB 302 is similar to Senate Bill 433 from the 2009 legislative session. The most salient difference is that where SB 433 was limited to "biological evolution" and "chemical evolution," HB 302 is ostensibly about "controversial" scientific topics in general — of which the only examples offered are "biological origins, biological evolution, causes of climate change, [and] human cloning."

HB 368 (Tennessee):

The bill, if enacted, would require state and local educational authorities to "assist teachers to find effective ways to present the science curriculum as it addresses scientific controversies" and permit teachers to "help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught." The only examples provided of "controversial" theories are "biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning."

SB 893 (Tennessee):

The bill would, if enacted, would require state and local educational authorities to "assist teachers to find effective ways to present the science curriculum as it addresses scientific controversies" and permit teachers to "help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught." The only examples provided of "controversial" theories are "biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning."

If some of that language looks identical to you, it probably is. I'm not sure how closely these separate bills are being coordinated by the Discovery Institute, but my guess is that they've got the collective ear of most - if not all - of the legislators who sponsored them..