The Position Makers

this started as an email campaign when Mr. K suggested i throw it down as a post. i figured, why not? it’s def’ important enough:

my email:

the link below is to sign up for a petition stating that you’d like to see a presidential debate focused on science and technology and how it shapes policy. the goal would be to expose the lack of understanding of science by our political leaders and reaffirm science’s importance to our society as we move further into the 21st cent. (non-citizens…i don’t think they’re checking on that…but i’d think non-citizens should be just as concerned as citizens since the US has a bad habit of bombing people we don’t “agree with”.)

i signed up. who’s next?

the link: http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=2

i came across this from tim o’reilly’s blog. (computer dorks will know the name.)
here’s his post: http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/12/science_debate_2008.html

cheers! (/eom)

since sending this email out, i’ve gotten some nice responses.  

in addition, chris (also an author here) passed me this article from Science by editor-in-cheif donald kennedy.

right along w/ what mr. o’reily and myself are saying mr. kennedy says, (emphasis mine)

Given this new focus on religious disclosure, what does this U.S. election have to do with science? Everything. The candidates should be asked hard questions about science policy, including questions about how those positions reflect belief. What is your view about stem cell research, and does it relate to a view of the time at which human life begins? Have you examined the scientific evidence regarding the age of Earth? Can the process of organic evolution lead to the production of new species, and how? Are you able to look at data on past climates in search of inferences about the future of climate change?
…We need to know the candidates’ qualifications for understanding and judging science, and for speaking intelligently about science and technology to the leaders of other nations in planning our collective global future. I don’t need them to describe their faith; that’s their business and not mine. But I do care about their scientific knowledge and how it will inform their leadership.